Piane, Giovanni Maria Dei.le (called II Molina- retto), a Genoese painter, was born at Genoa in the year 1660. According to Ratti, he studied under Gio. Bat- tisti Gaulli, whose style he adopted, and distinguished himself by some excellent works which he executed for the churches at Genoa, but more by the excellence of his portraits. Lanzi highly extols his Decollation of St. John the Baptist, at Sestri di Ponente. He also says that he was particularly excellent in portraits, and that Genoa is full of his works in this branch. He was also invited to Parma and Piacenza, where he furnished the court with portraits, and executed some works for the churches. He was afterwards invited to Naples by king Charles of Bourbon, who appointed him his paint- er, with a liberal pension, and he continued in this ser- vice till his death in 1745. See Spooner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine Arts, ii, 690.
Piaiists is the name of a Roman Catholic order which was founded by St. Joseph Calasanza or Calasan- tius, a Spanish nobleman and priest, at Pome in 1607, and was approved by pope Gregory XV in 1622 as a congregation of regulated clergy, under the name Pa- tres scholarum piarum (Fathers of the pious schools). Paul V was the first pontiff to give encouragement to the work of this now celebrated order. Until that time
PIASTRIXI
180
1'IAZZI
Galasanza labored at Rome only, and was so remarkably successful in getting children for instruction under him- self and his associates that his work was gladly accepted as that <'f'a religious order by 1622. Calasanza was the
ral of the i gregal ion, and under his manage- ment ii spread through Poland, Germany, Italy, ami other countries. In I860 the Piarists had 33 houses in ( lermany, 28 in Italy, 32 in Hungary, 1 1 in Poland, and at least 30 in Spain. In Italy they have since been
I; and the only country in which the Piarists
< duct, at present, educational institutions of note is
the Austro-Hungarian monarch}'. In Ci— Lithuanian Austria, in 1870, they had 29 bouses with 297 members; included in which were 1 under-gymnasia. '1'hc Piarists take besides the three usual monastic vows, a fourth— that of free instruction of youth. Pope Innocent Ml granted them the privileges of the Begging Monks.
Their dress is a long, black coat, like the overcoat of the Jesuits, and a mantle like theirs. At the head of n gation stands the general, who is elected for six years, and to whom are subject the generals of the different societies or countries in which the order pre- vails, id. II. W.)
Piastrini,<;ir>vANNi Domenico.s painter, was horn ai Pistoja about 1700. He studied under < !av. Bened< t- td Lutiat Florence, and afterwards went to Rome, where he distinguished himself by paintings in the church of St. -Maria in Via Lata: in which, according to Lanzi, he rivalled the best followers of Carlo Maratti. He also painted some works for the churches in his native city, particularly in La .Madonna della (Jmilta, where he tilled two large spaces with pictures illustrating the
history of that church. See S| ner, Biog. Uist. of (hi
Fine A rts, ii, 690.
Piatti, Francesco, an Italian painter, was, accord- ing to Fuessli, horn at Teglio, in the Valteline, in 1650. He executed many works for the churches in the neigh- borhood, and painted much for the collections. See Spooner, Biog. Hist, of tin Fim Arts, ii, 690.
Piattoli, Gaetano, a Florentine painter, was bom in 1703. lie studied under Francesco Riviera al !.'-- horn. Lanzi says he is particularly extolled for the excellence of his portraits. He found abundant em- ployment at Florence in that branch of the art. and was not only patronized by the inhabitants, but was em- ployed to paint the portraits of the foreign nobility who
visited that city. He died ill 1770.
Piazza, Cav. Andrea, an Italian painter of the Venetian Bchool, was horn at Castelfranco about 1600. He was the nephew and pupil of Paolo Piazza (q. v.),
whom he ace panicd to Lome, and whose style he
adopted, though somewhat modified by an attentive study "l the works of the great masters. He acquired distinction, ami was patronized by the duke of Lorraine, in whose service he continued many years, and received from him the honor of knighthood. He afterwards re- turned to Venice, where he executed some works for the churches, the best of which is the Marriagt at Cana, in l he church of S. Maria, a grand composition of many figures, which Lanzi -ays i- one of the hot works in the place. lie died there in 1670. See Spool l! r, Hi, \g.
Eiet.ofthi Fim Arts, ii, 690.
Piazza, Carlo Bartolomeo, an Italian monk. to be mentioned here, lie was abbe and counsellor of the < ongregation of the Index, .and pub- lished Diarivm Vaticanum (Rome, 1687, 4to), and La Gerarchia cardinalizia (ibid. 1703, fol.). -Hoefer, Nouv, Biog. Generate, \l. 35.
Piazza, Francesco, an Italian tl logian, was
- ear the beginning ol the 15th century. In 1424 he took the dress of the Dominicans, and dis- tinguished himself by his ^ k i 11 in the science of canon law. He died al Bologna Dec 17, 1460. His treatise I >t restitutionibns, usui~is it excommunicationibus (Cre- mona, 1 17.', fol. i has been several times r. printed. An-