Giacomo Serpotta

1652 – 1732

Sicilian sculptor in stucco. He was the greatest of all virtuosi in his medium and with the exception of Antonello da Messina, the most distinguished artist to come from Sicily. Unlike Antonello, he spent almost all his life on the island (although he may have trained in Rome) and his work is mainly found in the churches of his native Palermo. Serpotta's icing-sugar-white figures - elegant, delicate, charming, and joyous in spirit - are amongst the finest expressions of the Rococo in Italian art. He is particularly well-known for his playful putti, but his finest single figure is generally acknowledged to be the enchantingly coquettish Fortitude (1714-17) in the Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico in Palermo. His brother Giuseppe (1653-1719) and his son Procopio (1679-1755) were also stuccoists.

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