Giovanni Battista Morosini

Giovanni Battista Morosini (8 March 1782 – 9 April 1874) was a Swiss lawyer, politician, and judge who served as a member of the Grand Council and Council of State of the Canton of Ticino. In 1842, he became an Austrian citizen, formally renouncing his Swiss citizenship in 1860. Born into the aristocratic Morosini family, he was in touch with independence activists, including figures from the Risorgimento. His family was involved in revolutionary events, and his son Emilio became a martyr of Italian unification. However, Morosini's own political stance was considerably more moderate and pro-Austrian than that of his wife and children.

Biography

Giovanni Battista Morosini was the son of Giuseppe Carlo Pompeo Maria Morosini and Marianna Bossi. In 1819, he married Emilia Zeltner (born 16 July 1804 in Solothurn), daughter of Franz Xaver Zeltner, a Swiss official and head of the Canton of Solothurn. The marriage resulted in six children: a son, Emilio, and daughters Giuseppina, Carolina, Luigia, Annetta, and Cristina.

Morosini's wife, Emilia Zeltner, actively supported Italian independence aspirations. Emilia, along with her daughters, organized aid for the wounded, supplied provisions to the army, and raised funds for the insurgents. Villa Negroni in Vezia was transformed into a cultural salon, visited by figures such as Giuseppe Verdi, Arrigo Boito, and Francesco Hayez, while simultaneously being under observation by Austrian authorities due to its patriotic sympathies. This decision, demonstrating Morosini's pragmatism and pro-Austrian sympathies, stood in stark contrast to the patriotism of his wife and children.

Portrait by Francesco Hayez

In 1854, the renowned Italian painter Francesco Hayez painted a portrait of Giovanni Battista Morosini commissioned by his daughter. The signed and dated portrait was exhibited at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in 1859. Hayez himself considered this work one of his most successful portraits in terms of both likeness and painterly technique. The portrait depicts an elderly man dressed in informal indoor clothing, painted with great realism. The painting is now in the collection of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan.

Family

Morosini's son, Emilio (born 26 June 1830 in Varese, died 1 July 1849), was one of the most renowned figures of the Risorgimento. He participated in the Milan uprising in March 1848, fighting alongside Luciano Manara and the brothers Enrico and Emilio Dandolo. He became a martyr of Italian independence. He was buried in the mausoleum at Villa Negroni alongside Enrico Dandolo and Luciano Manara.

Morosini's daughters, particularly Giuseppina (born 3 February 1824, died 16 March 1909) and Carolina, supported the patriots. Giuseppina organized a care center for the wounded and managed supplies for the troops. She was a friend of Giuseppe Verdi and maintained a long correspondence with him.

Death

Giovanni Battista Morosini died on 9 April 1874 in Milan.