ossoli Carlo
(Davesco 1815 - Turin 1884)
Coste della Crimée, c.1842
Biography
Bossoli was born in 1815 in Davesco, near Lugano. At a young age he emigrated to Odessa with his family. At 18 years old he sold his first works, predominantly cityscapes and other vistas. He received commissions from the court of St. Petersburg. In 1845 he returned to Milan, but continued to work across Europe. In 1853 Bossoli lived in Piedmont where he started to paint historical depictions of events from the Crimean War. He travelled to Morocco, painting for the court of Queen Victoria (1856) and the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, for whom he executed views of Spain. His paintings had a brief period of success in London, where they were published by Day & Son. He exhibited at The Royal Academy between 1855 and 1859. Panoramic views showing the straits of the Bosphorus and the towns and forts associated with battles such as Balaklava and Sebastopol were much in demand as were prints of Scutari, the military hospital run by Florence Nightingale. For his meticulous and precise work Bossoli was commissioned Prince Eugene of Savoy’s historical painter. His views and prints are scattered across museums and private homes all over Europe. His landscapes, urban views, and military depictions are characterised by empirical detail, as seen in his use of colour and his treatment of landscape and weather.
Collections
Bossoli is represented in the following collections: Museo Civico, Turin, amongst others.