Abate Andrea Belvedere (born 1646) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.

Life and Work

It is believed that the painter was born not in 1646, as De Dominici reported, but around 1652, based on the discovery, by Prota Giurleo, of the act of death from which it appears that he died in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

on 27 June 1732 at the age "of 80 years". The pictorial activity of Andrea Belvedere took place for twenty years, from about 1674 to 1694, the year in which he, evidently preceded by his notoriety, moved to Spain, called by King Charles II. His work at Spanish court continued until 1700, but on his return to

, Belvedere abandoned painting to devote himself completely to theatrical activity. Later Belvedere departed from the style of

Paolo Porpora Paolo Porpora (1617–1673) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque, who was active mainly in Naples and specialized in floral still lifes. He is documented as a pupil of Giacomo Recco, the father of Giuseppe Recco, and said to have worked u ...

, that is, from works with Caravaggio-like period of still lives and flowers, apparently rejecting their mere "decorative" value. He appears to have been influenced by Giuseppe Recco and never rhetorical "Baroque" exuberance of Giovan Battista Ruoppolo, deriving from them an exalting sense of light and vitality. Belvedere was described as the only great painter of still life at a time when in Naples this genre was rapidly declining. His originality of his art attracted a considerable number of younger artists. When he moved to Spain in 1692, he was employed by

Charles II of Spain Charles II of Spain (''Spanish: Carlos II,'' 6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700), known as the Bewitched (''Spanish: El Hechizado''), was the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire. Best remembered for his physical disabilities and the War ...

; and in conjunction with

Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples and Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Earl ...

(who painted the figures), he helped decorate the

Escorial El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( es, Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio del Escorial (), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, up ...

. Napier describes Belvedere as imitator, yet also a competitor of the Flemish still-life painter

Abraham Brueghel Abraham Brueghel (baptised 28 November 1631 – c. 1690) was a Flemish painter from the famous Brueghel family of artists. He emigrated at a young age to Italy where he played an important role in the development of the style of decorative Baroq ...

.* Among his pupils or followers were Gasparo Lopez, Baldassare de Caro, Tommaso Realfonso, and Nicola Casissa. Among the works we should mention above all: * ''Flower Wreath'' ( Sorrento, Museo Correale), datable around 1670; * the two "pendants" ''Bottle with Tulips'' and ''Bottle with Carnations'' ( Sorrento, Museo Correale); * ''the Peonies'' ( Sorrento, Museo Correale), to be placed between 1670 and 1680; * ''Carnations and Tulips'' and ''Carnations'' ( "Duca di Martina" Museum in Naples); * ''Pisces'' (signed, the only painting not of flowers, under the influence of Recco) (the Museum of S. Martino in Naples); * then follows the extraordinary picture with a flowery branch of elderberry commonly known as ''Oriensie'', (the

Museum of Capodimonte Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with several important works from other Italia ...

(mentioned by De Dominici in Valletta house)); * ''Ducks and Flowers'' (Florence,

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

, signed); * ''Flowers, Fruit and Ducks'' ( Sorrento, Museo Correale); * ''Flowers in the Copper Basin'' and the ''Flowers, Fruit, Birds'' ( Sorrento, Museo Correale) between 1690 and 1695; * ''Flowers Around a Herm'' ( Stibbert Museum in Florence).

Notes

References

* Attribution: * 1646 births 17th-century Neapolitan people 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian still life painters Italian Baroque painters Painters from Naples Year of death unknown {{Italy-painter-17thC-stub