garda Island: Carlo Carloni :

Carlo (Innocenzo) Coloni descends from a family of painters who had been practicing their activities from the mid 14^th century until the beginning of the 18^th century and came to their highest glory during the 17^th and 18^th century. In churches and palaces all over Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland and Spain the designs of those times have been imitated with great temperament and skills. Carlo Carloni, son of G. Battista who had been an architect and sculptor at his times, was born in Scaria in 1689 and died in 1775, defined as a cold and simple painter, especially regarding the completion of altar tables and giving his special personal note creating large decorative frescos. 1698 he went to Venice to study under Quaglia di Laino and later he left for Rome to work with Trevisani. In 1707 he helped Quaglia with his works at the fresco of the dome of Lubiana. From 1707 until 1717 he worked in Einsiedeln in Switzerland where he left two beautiful altar tables. He also got active in Vienna where he created the fresco of the Belbedere Palace. In Germany he completed frescos for the castle of Ansbach and the court of Ludwigsburg as well as in other local castles. Until today his works can be found in Mantova, Como, Milan (fresco of the Scotti Palace) and also in Scaria – his place of birth – where he decorated the parish church Santa Maria with one of his magnificent frescos. At the interior of this very church an important “ Glory of the Virgin” can be found which's decorative stuck and sculptures were made by Diego Carloni, Carlos' brother. Above the pulpit a corn cob is visible. This corn cob was chosen as the coat of arms because in the local dialect it was called ”calùn”. This word derives from San Carlo Borromeo who introduced the cultivation of corn, which had just arrived from the new world, during his period as bishop of Milan (1550 – 1584).

Also in the Lombardian territory from Brescia to Lodi and from Como to Monza the painter Carlo Carloni left important series of frescos with ordinary as well as holy subjects.

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