Giovan Francesco de Rosa detto Pacecco de Rosa

Giovan Francesco De Rosa, known as Pacecco De Rosa, was one of the leading painters of the Neapolitan Seicento, born in Naples on December 26, 1607, and died there in 1656. Son of the Mannerist painter Tommaso De Rosa and Caterina De Mauro, Pacecco grew up in a highly stimulating artistic environment, being related to several painters active in Naples: his mother, widowed, remarried Filippo Vitale, while his sister Diana was among the rare female painters of the period. Pacecco began his training in Vitale's workshop, where he approached Caravaggesque naturalism, later developing a more classicizing style influenced by Domenichino and Massimo Stanzione.

His artistic production stands out for its purity and refined chromaticism, with particular attention to color rendering and the luminosity of his canvases. Pacecco De Rosa was appreciated by important religious orders and noble Neapolitan families, who commissioned numerous works from him, testifying to his success and the esteem he enjoyed. Among his most notable works are paintings such as 'Saint Stephen Martyr', 'Santa Maria Egiziaca', 'Saint Catherine and Saint Dorothy', and 'Lot and His Daughters', which highlight his skill in treating sacred and mythological subjects with great sensitivity and technique.

He died during the plague of 1656, but his artistic legacy lives on in Neapolitan churches and museums, where many of his works are still preserved. Pacecco De Rosa is considered a 'poet of color', able to express through painting a deep spirituality and refined formal elegance, making him one of the undisputed protagonists of Neapolitan Baroque painting.