Born in 1762 in
Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, of a humble family, he eventually became a wealthy
barrister. He was living in Milan by 1796 when
Napoleon’s army entered the city. Sommariva took the side of the French and he was recruited to become secretary general of the directory of the
Cisalpine Republic. In 1799, he fled from Milan to France to escape the armies of
Suvorov. He returned to Italy after the
Battle of Marengo and was the virtual
dictator of Milan from 1800 to 1802, amassing a personal fortune and making many enemies due to his unscrupulous behaviour. When Napoleon replaced him with
Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Sommariva turned his attention to building a collection of contemporary art, which he displayed in his
villa (now the
Villa Carlotta) at
Tremezzo on
Lake Como. In 1806 he moved to Paris, bought a town house there, as well as large a
country estate at
Montmorency, north of the city, and increased his patronage of contemporary artists. He commissioned works from many important French and Italian artists of the early 19th century, including
Jacques-Louis David (e.g.
Cupid and Psyche, 1817;
Cleveland Museum of Art). Sommariva preferred the Neoclassical style and mythological subjects, which often stress the theme of peace and its delights. He was the most important patron in France of Italian sculptors, especially of
Antonio Canova, whose
Penitent Magdalene (marble, 1794–6; Genoa, Museo di Sant'Agostino) he acquired. He also commissioned
engravings and enamels after his paintings for the purpose of advertising his collection and furthering his social ambitions. His liaison with
Sophie d'Houdetot placed him within the circle of her influential salon. Following his death in 1826 his son Luigi Sommariva took part of the Paris collection to the villa on Lake Como, where he continued to add to it. After Luigi’s death in 1838 most of the paintings and sculptures remaining from his father’s collection in Paris, including many copies of
Old Master paintings, were auctioned by Luigi’s widow. Three paintings by
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon set record prices at auction; another painting,
Transported by Zephyrs (1808), was donated to the
Louvre. ==References==