Pietro Ayres (November 9, 1794 – June 11, 1878) was an Italian painter, mostly of portraits in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. As a young man, he left in 1812 to fight for the Napoleonic armies in its disastrous entry into Russia. Upon the restoration of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

, he exiled himself 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 ...

for 14 years. He then briefly traveled to

Savigliano Savigliano (Savijan in Piedmontese) is a ''comune'' of Piedmont, northern Italy, in the Province of Cuneo, about south of Turin by rail. It is home to ironworks, foundries, locomotive works (once owned by Fiat Ferroviaria, now by Alstom) and s ...

, and then to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

. In 1830, he painted the portrait of Count Galeani Napione, this gained him appointment as court portraitist and painted various members of the royal family, as well as portraits of Marchese Filippo Asinari, Giuseppe Barbaroux, Filippo Morozzo, Count Bogino, Marchese d'Ormea. He also painted a ''Hagar in Desert'' and altarpieces for churches in Turin,

Racconigi Racconigi ( pms, Racunis) is a town and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy. It is located in the province of Cuneo, south of Turin, and north of Cuneo by rail. History The town was founded in medieval times. It was a possession of the marquisses of ...

, and

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

. He also painted the ceiling and medallions and curtain of the Teatro Sociale. He also created an album of the costumes and arms of the Royal army of

Charles Albert Charles Albert (; 2 October 1798 – 28 July 1849) was the King of Sardinia from 27 April 1831 until 23 March 1849. His name is bound up with the first Italian constitution, the Albertine Statute, and with the First Italian War of Independence ...

, titled ''Armeria antica e Moderna di S. M Carlo Alberto''. ''Pittura e scultura in Piemonte 1842-1891: Catalogo cronografico illustrato della Esposizione Retrospettiva 1892.''
A. Stella, Stamperia Reale della ditta G.B. Paravia e Compagnia. Turin, 1893, page 32-36. He died in Turin.

References

1794 births 1878 deaths 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 19th-century Italian painters Painters from Piedmont Court painters of the Kingdom of Sardinia 19th-century Italian male artists 18th-century Italian male artists {{Italy-painter-18thC-stub