Dionigi Bussola

Dionigi or Dionisio Bussola (1615 – 1687)[1] was an Italian sculptor active mainly in Milan and its environs during the Baroque era.

He trained in Rome with Ercole Ferrata, then returned to Milan in 1645 to work on statuary for the cathedral there.

In addition to his work in the Cathedral and Certosa, Bussola is known for the statuary which he produced for the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy.

The embellishment of these sacri monti (literally “sacred mounts”) became especially popular during the Counter Reformation: they are typically hills dotted with shrines or chapels which contain polychrome tableaux (or sculptural groups) which depict biblical or other pious subjects.

For nearly two decades (1666–1684), he worked in the sacri monti of Orta San Giulio, Varallo Sesia, Varese, and Domodossola.