Galli da Bibiena family

[2] Giovanni was a student of painting and assistant under Francesco Albani, being, evidently, adept at the depiction of water scenes.

[5] Giovanni Maria Galli–Bibiena died on 21 June 1665 in Bologna,[5] but he had laid the foundations of an artistry which was continued by his descendants, who dedicated themselves to architectural work and set design for the theatre.

[2] Using the highly ornate style of late baroque sculpture and architecture, the members of the Galli–Bibiena family produced a series of theatrical and other designs that are exceptional for their intricate splendour and spacious proportions achieved by detailed perspective.

After living in Genoa and Naples, Francesco Galli Bibiena was called by Emperor Leopold I to the Vienna Hofburg, where in 1700, he built a large theatre, the Große Komödiensaal ("Grand Hall of Comedies"), which became the Court Theater (Burgtheater).

[6] After a short stay in Italy and in Lorraine, he was invited by Emperor Joseph I, back to the Hofburg, to work as the "First Theatrical Engineer" and as a scene-painter/decorator from 1709-1712.

Among the major works of Alessandro, were the right wing of the castle and the opera house (which both burned in 1795) and also the Jesuit church at Mannheim.

[2] From 1723 to 1747, he worked as "His Majesty's First Theatrical Engineer" for Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, where he decorated all of the Habsburg celebratory festivities.

Together with his younger brother Antonio, he designed theater decorations and for festivities in Vienna, also Linz, Graz, and Prague (1723 "Costanza e Fortezza" at Hradčany castle).

[5] From 1752-55, he designed and built the Ópera do Tejo in Lisbon, but the opera house was destroyed seven months after completion by the 1755 earthquake.