Grimaldi, Giovanni Francesco
Grimaldi, Giovanni Francesco
An eclectic painter of the Bolognese school; b. at Bologna, 1606; d. at Rome, 1680. He was a pupil of the Carracci, but he made his mark when he left Bolonga for Rome, and was employed by Innocent X to execute some fresco decoration in the Vatican. His work was so much admired that Prince Pamfili, the pope’s nephew, employed him to decorate the rooms of his villa with landscapes, and then wrote to Louis XIV, describing the work. His appreciation of it was so high that he induced Cardinal Mazarin to invite Grimaldi to Paris, where he decorated two of the rooms in the Louvre and painted some landscapes, and he is said to have received the honour of knighthood from the French king. Returning to Rome, he again entered the papal service, and worked for Alexander VII and Clement IX, was appointed president of the Academy of St. Luke, and became all exceedingly popular person in the Holy City. He was a skilful etcher, especially in landscape-work, and his chief pictures are in the Colonna palace at Rome, in the Quirinal, and in the gallaries of Vienna and Paris.
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MALVASIA, Felsina Pittrice (Bologna, 1678); ORLANDI, Abbecedario Pittorico (BOLOGNA, 1719).
GEORGE CHARLES WlLLIAMSON Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
Grimaldi, Giovanni Francesco
(called Il Bolognese), an eminent Italian landscape painter, was born at Bologna in 1606, and studied under the Caracci. He went to Rome for improvement, and soon rose to eminence. He was employed by Innocent X in the Vatican and at Monte Cavallo. He was invited to Paris by cardinal Mazarin, and was employed in the Louvre by Louis XIV. On returning to Rome he received numerous commissions, was patronized by Alexander VII and Clement IX, was twice appointed president of the Academy of St. Luke, and attained both fame and fortune. One of his best works was the Baptism of Christ. He died in 1680. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.; Spooner, Biog. Hist. of the Fine Arts, s.v.