Lion heads in cement, Lombard brick, and a string course of Galileo Chini maiolica: the most classical of Milan’s Liberty houses.
At a glance
Casa Laugier stands at Corso Magenta 96, at the far end of the street. It was built between 1905 and 1906 by the architect Antonio Tagliaferri for Baron Laugier, of a family from the Aosta Valley; the internal distribution was entrusted to the engineer Giovanni Battista Casati. At the time of construction the building occupied 1,155 square metres, of which 260 were courtyard.
History
The house rose on ground freed by the demolition of the Spanish walls, which opened this end of Corso Magenta to new building. Liberty in Milan was largely the expression of a rising middle class eager to distinguish itself from the aristocracy — but that was not the aim here. The Laugier commission wanted something calmer, and got it.
What you see
The look is decidedly more classicist and less playful than the Liberty found elsewhere in the city, and closer to the lines of the Viennese Secession than to the Italian floral movement. Cement decoration is combined with fired brick, the traditional Lombard material, to create a chromatic contrast; ceramics mark the cornice details and plaster covers the remaining surfaces. On the piano nobile, cement lion heads are set on a string course decorated with maiolica by the Galileo Chini firm, which reappears at the top floor and around several windows. The balconies carry wrought iron with elaborate floral motifs.
Cultural significance
Casa Laugier is the counter-example that makes the rest of Milanese Liberty legible. Set against Casa Ferrario or Casa Campanini, it shows that the style was not a single formula but a spectrum, and that a client could buy the newest materials — Chini ceramics, decorative cement — while refusing the exuberance that usually came with them.
Key facts
- Architect: Antonio Tagliaferri, with engineer Giovanni Battista Casati
- Built: 1905–1906
- Client: Baron Laugier
- Ceramics: Galileo Chini firm
- Site: 1,155 m², including a 260 m² courtyard
- Address: Corso Magenta 96, Milan
- Coordinates: 45.4661 N, 9.1663 E
Practical information & getting there
Metro M1 Conciliazione, two minutes on foot; the house sits at the Piazzale Baracca end of Corso Magenta. Private apartment building. Walking back down Corso Magenta towards the centre takes you past Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Last Supper.
Sources & resources
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