Pompeo Batoni

Pompeo Girolamo Batoni was born in Lucca on January 25, 1708, the son of the goldsmith Paolino Batoni, from whom he learned the basics of drawing and metalworking. At a young age, he devoted himself to drawing and moved to Rome in 1727 to complete his artistic training. There, he studied the works of masters such as Raphael, Annibale Carracci, and Guercino, as well as ancient Vatican sculptures. He attended workshops of painters like Giandomenico Lombardi, Domenico Brughieri, Francesco Ferdinandi, and Agostino Masucci, developing a personal style that combined Baroque and Neoclassical elements.

In the 1730s, Batoni began receiving important public commissions, including the famous "Madonna enthroned with saints" for the church of San Gregorio al Celio in Rome and the "Fall of Simon Magus" for St. Peter's Basilica, now housed in Santa Maria degli Angeli. He became especially renowned as a portraitist, favored by foreign nobles visiting Rome on the Grand Tour, including English and Irish patrons, as well as notable figures like Emperor Joseph II and Pope Pius VI.

His works are characterized by a clear and swift brushstroke, influenced by the French school, and a personal vision of classical beauty. Among his most famous sacred subjects is the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" (1767), kept in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. Batoni also created decorations for the Quirinal Gardens and Palazzo Colonna, and portraits of illustrious figures such as Metastasio. He died in Rome in 1787, leaving an artistic legacy that bridges Baroque and Neoclassicism.