TAURINO, GIAN PAOLO. - Jesuit woodcarver, b. in Milano on 31 May 1580, d. there on 1 May 1656.
He entered the Order on 22 Oct. 1597 with his older brother, Giacomo. Since both were already trained in the art of woodcarving, they were sent to Milano in 1600 for the confessionals of S. Fedele (2 of these are by their other elder brother Giovanni, the remaining 7 or 8 by Giacomo and Gian Paolo), each of which bears, in its four carved panels, scenes of the Passion and episodes from the Old Testament alluding to Penance; together they form a coherent cycle suited to its purpose, derived from the Liber immogianum of Fr. G. Nadal. In 1605 the two brothers worked in Roma on the embellishment of the church of S. Vitale, carving its doors with characteristic episodes from the life of the Saint. After Giacomo left the Order (1606), Gian Paolo continued his much sought-after and highly esteemed work in the Jesuit churches of Tivoli, Genova, Torino, Palermo, and at S. Ignazio in Roma, always occupied with confessionals and with cupboards and shelves for sacristies.