Giovanni Battista Gigola (or Cigola), Italian miniaturist and portraitist. He commenced his studies in Italy; in c. 1800 he traveled to Paris, where he joined the studio of Isabey. He may have participated in several exhibitions in Paris beginning from 1803. Sometime later he returned to Milan, where he was a protégé of the viceroy Eugène, Duke of Leuchtenberg (Eugène de Beauharnais). Besides miniatures on ivory, Gigola also painted on enamel. In fact, he is considered the artist who reintroduced this technique to Italy. He also drew illustrations for Byron and Lodovico da Porto. His miniatures show no influence of his master Isabey, they are of a typical Italian technique, with slightly dull colouring and the backgrounds painted in gouache. //