Giuseppe Boccaccio

While still very young, Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, noticed his drawing talents and offered to help finance his studies.

In 1819, Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma, chose him as her painting instructor and appointed him set designer for the New Ducal Theatre.

His first season at the Ducal Theatre included sets for the operas, I Pretendenti Delusi (The Disappointed Pretenders), by Giuseppe Mosca, and La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie), by Gioacchino Rossini.

In his later years, he worked at theatres in cities throughout the region, including Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Casalmaggiore, and Milan, at La Scala, where he created sets for Elena da Feltre by Saverio Mercadante, and Lucia di Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti.

Most of his free-standing works are in private collections, but some may be seen at the Galleria Nazionale di Parma and the Museo Glauco Lombardi.