FOSSA'TI, DOME'NICO, born at Venice in 1743, was the son of Giorgio Fermata who, besides practising as an architect, was also a painter and engraver. The elder Fosseti may also claim to be con eidered an author, having published in 1747 an Italian translation of ' Lives of Architects,' a second edition of which appeared iu 1775. Gifted with a fertile imaginatiou, and delighting in the poetic effects which architecture is capable of producing, Domenico chose for himself a walk of art which, although generally looked upon as a secondary one, enabled hint to improvise at will the most splendid conceptions, quite unchecked by either utilitarian or neces eitarian considerationa. Having fluished hie studios, he commenced atone-painter, and was abundantly employed not only as such, but in adorning various palaces and churches with architectural and other deourative painting. On the Teatro di San Benedetto in Venice being burnt down in 1775, ho made a model for a now edifice; yet greatly as it was admired, it was not adopted, ou account of being found too expensive. He however painted a groat deal of the scenery for the new theatre, as he afterwards did for those of San Samuele and San Luca in that city. When Venice was visited by Pius VI., and by the Grand Duke and Duchess of Russia in 1782, Domenico and his father had the charge of getting up the splendid preparations made in honour of those high personages. Nor was Venice the only field of his
talents : be resided for some time at Udine, where, besides painting for the theatre, he was employed in decorating several palacea; after which lie was engaged successively at Padua, Vicenza, and Verona, one of his important performances being the ceiling of the church of Martellago. Those labours terminated, he went to Milan, and assisted I'icrmarini [Prurimenusi] in the internal decorations of the theatre of La Scala, then just erected ; after which he painted for the theatre at Monza, and that at Gratz, and while at the latter place received invitations from both Rome and St. Petersburg. Ho was however induced by his friends to decline them, and to return to Venice, but there a disaster awaited him which neither they nor he could foresee. He had just finished painting a ceiling in the Palazzo Contarini, and was standing upon the scaffold with some of his assistants, when a workman incautiously removed ono of the props, and all were pre cipitated to the ground. The only one who received any serious injury was Fossati, who broke his leg, and died in consequence, within less than a month afterwards, August 15, 1784.