Niccolò Berrettoni (15 December 1637 – February 1682) was an Italian painter of the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

period.

Life and Work

He was born in

Macerata Feltria Macerata Feltria is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about west of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. Macerata Feltria borders the following municipalities: Lunano, Monte ...

on December 14. 1637. As a child he studied under

Simone Cantarini Simone Cantarini or Simone da Pesaro, called ''il Pesarese'' (Baptized on 21 August 1612 – 15 October 1648) was an Italian painter and etcher. He is mainly known for his history paintings and portraits executed in an original style, which ...

Pesaro Pesaro () is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

; at the death of this master, he moved circa 1670 to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to work for the large studio of

Carlo Maratta Carlo Maratta or Maratti (13 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian painter, active mostly in Rome, and known principally for his classicizing paintings executed in a Late Baroque Classical manner. Although he is part of the classical tradition ...

. In 1675, while still in the orbit of

, he entered as an academic into the Roman painter's guild, the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca (the "Academy of Saint Luke") is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its fir ...

. Under the patronage of Maratta, he obtained important commissions; however, in the last years of his life, his relationship with this master altered. According to Pascoli, in 1680 when Berrettoni was about to receive the commission of the ceiling fresco of the nave of

San Silvestro in Capite The Basilica of Saint Sylvester the First, also known as ( it, San Silvestro in Capite, la, Sancti Silvestri in Capite), is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and titular church in Rome dedicated to Pope Sylvester I (d. AD 335). It is located on th ...

, Maratta, fearing the rising fame of his pupil, caused the commission to be assigned instead to the older

Giacinto Brandi Giacinto Brandi (1621 – 19 January 1691) was an Italian painter from the Baroque era, active mainly in Rome and Naples. left, 250px, ''Christ in Gesthemane'', Pinacoteca Vaticana left, 250px, Dome of the church of San Carlo al Corso ...

. Embittered by the affair, Pascoli said Berrettoni fell ill, and died in February 1682. Some of Berrettoni's painting executed for aristocratic clients, including the ''Flight to Egypt'' (mentioned in an estimate of 1724 and cited by Pascoli) are missing. Works ascribed to Berrettoni include: * Frescoes of

Palazzo Altieri Palazzo Altieri is a palace in Rome, which was the home of the Altieri family in the city. The palace faces the square in front of the Church of the Gesù. The Altieri The Altieri were one of the prominent families in Rome claiming descendancy ...

(1675), his most praised work, that were first confused with the painting of the ceiling in the first antechamber, which actually belongs to

Domenico Maria Canuti Domenico Maria Canuti (5 April 1625– 6 April 1684) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Bologna and Rome. He was a major painter of fresco decorations. His ceiling decorations showed a mix of Bolognese and Roman infl ...

, and only in 1961 were they identified by Clark with those of the current Red Hall. The decoration includes the oval of the ceiling with an allegory of passionate love (''Venus holding the torch, Cupids and the Three Graces'') and the two lateral lunettes with the ''Colloquium of Love and Psyche'' (or ''Venus and Cupid'') and ''Allegory of the Spring''. * Chapel of Santa Anna (3rd on right) in the church of

Santa Maria in Montesanto Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria di Montesanto are two churches of Rome, churches in Rome. They are located on the Piazza del Popolo, facing the northern gate of the Aurelian Walls, at the entrance of Via del Corso on the square. The chu ...

(1679 - 1682), work in which he was involved included the ceiling oval depicting ''God in Glory'' in the clouds surrounded by angels, plumes with cherubs, the two lateral lunettes with the ''Meeting of Anna and Gioacchino'' and the ''Apparition of the Angel to Gioacchino''; the beautiful picture above the altar, today very darkened, which represents the ''Madonna with the Child and Saint Anna''. In the

Villa Falconieri The Villa Falconieri is a villa in Frascati, Italy. History The villa was originally called Villa Rufina, having been was initially built by Monsignor Alessandro Rufini. Later it was enlarged thanks to Pope Paul III, dates back to 1546. In 162 ...

Frascati Frascati () is a city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with ...

: two lunettes, one with portraits of the members of the Falconieri family, are stylistically similar to the figures of the vault of Santa Maria in Montesanto and to the lunettes found in the Palazzo Altieri. * Frescoes of the vault of the third chapel in Santa Maria del Suffragio, which he started, were entrusted by Maratta to

Giuseppe Chiari Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari (10 March 1654 – 8 September 1727), also known simply as ''Giuseppe Chiari'', was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque period, active mostly in Rome. Biography Born in Rome, he was one of the main assistants, alon ...

upon his death. * In Palazzo Oliva (formerly the Cattani house) and in the Casino of the villa Cattani in Paolucci in Trebbiantico there still exist frescoes by Berrettoni. * ''Marriage of Mary'' on the high altar of

San Lorenzo in Piscibus The Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus ( en, Saint Lawrence at the Fish Market) is a 12th-century small church in the Borgo ''rione'' of Rome. It is located near Saint Peter's Square and Vatican City, but its façade is not visible from the main s ...

in Rome, engraved by Pier Santi Bartoli. * ''Adoration of the Shepherds'' and the ''Baptism of Christ'' in the Gallery of Drescla. * ''Madonna with Child and Young St John the Baptist'' in the Museum of

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000. Geo ...

. * ''Holy Family'' for Santa Maria in Monte Santo, engraved by Frezza.

References

* ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Berretoni, Niccolo 1637 births 1682 deaths 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian Baroque painters Pupils of Carlo Maratta