Born 1653 in Verona, died there in 1725. He is said to have first been a pupil of Carlo Cignani in Bologna, later, around 1675, he went to Rome, where he studied with Jacques Courtois, called Il Borgognone. He was active in his native city, in Venice, Bologna and Milan; in 1712 Prince Eugene of Savoy summoned him to Vienna, where he remained until 1716. Today we do not know the landscapes which, according to old sources, he painted in the style of Poussin, but we do know a number of religious paintings whose style indicates Veronese and Bolognese elements. Calza is known above all as a painter of battles and it is in this type of painting that his fame extended far and wide: in this genre he is considered to be one of Courtois’ best pupils and undoubtedly the most interesting personality among the Venetian battle painters in the late 17th century.
Lit.: Nicola Ivanoff, s. v. Calza Antonio, Dizionario biografico degli italiani, XVII, Roma 1974, pp. 41-42; La Battaglia nella pittura del XVlI e XVIlI secolo, Editor Patrizia Consigli Valente, Introduction: Attilio Bertolucci, Text: Federico Zeri & Gianni Cavazzini, Banca Emiliana, Parma 1986; Seicento, Vol. I-II, Milano 1989 (biogr. Elena Rama).