Julius Bonaventure Masnada 1852-1926

Born into a family of carpenters,[1]Giulio Masnada became a skilled carver of wood with which he made inlaid paintings.Characteristic of his inlays was the simultaneous use of various types of wood by juxtaposing them, which he achieved vivid effects of color and composition.The pictorial effect was made even more effective by the fact that his wooden paintings, composed of a large number of small pieces, were enriched with pyrographic techniques, with the addition of colors and sometimes with the inclusion of ivory, mother-of-pearl, and copper elements.Often, next to his signature, he used to indicate the number of pieces (sometimes hundreds) with which he had made the marquetry.After 1903 he took to signing his works with the initials F.T. from the nickname Fratopolino given to him by his fellow citizens because of his tiny build[2].Masnada had his own art workshop in Bergamo Alta,[3] because of his skill, he was always in great demand among Bergamo's clientele even though he never cultivated particular ambitions for financial success, distinguishing himself instead by an original scapigliato lifestyle.