(b Milan, 4 May 1884; d Lierna, 27 Aug 1971). Italian medallist. His father, Giacomo, worked for Stabilimento Stefano Johnson, the Milanese die-sinking and casting firm, and it was in this environment that Giannino was trained and in this foundry that many of his medals were cast. His first securely dated medal (Johnson, no. 41) was executed for the Esposizione Internazionale of Milan in 1906, and it remains one of his most attractive, well-composed and strongest works. His skill in rendering realistic surfaces and textures, in the handling of space and composition and in the clarity, style and spacing of his lettering may be seen especially in the scenes of ports on the reverses of the medals of Giovanni Stucky (1909; Johnson, no. 43) and Paolo Boselli (1913; Johnson, no. 48). The most impressive aspect of his work is his portraiture; he recorded with great accuracy and sensitivity the physical attributes of his subjects, as in the medals of Giuseppe Speroni (1911; Johnson, no. 45) and Ambrogio Bertarelli (1929; Johnson, no. 54). At times he failed to meet the challenge of his subject, as in a medal of Peace (1920; Johnson, no. 51), in which he combined a heroically bombastic and compositionally confusing obverse with a sentimental reverse, but such failures seem rare and are easily balanced by the finest of his portraits. Throughout his long career Castiglioni remained faithful to the Art Nouveau style popular in his youth. Examples of his later work include a medal of Leonardo da Vinci (1939; Johnson, no. 295).

• Castiglioni, Giannino
  • Milan, §IV, 1(ii): Cathedral sculpture