Corrado Giaquinto

Corrado Giaquinto (1703–1766) was born in Molfetta, in the Kingdom of Naples, and was apprenticed as a boy to a local painter, Saverio Porta. He trained in the Naples studio of Francesco Solimena, and in 1723 moved to Rome to work under Sebastiano Conca, opening his own studio there in 1727. His career moved between Naples, Rome, Turin and Madrid. In Rome he painted frescoes for San Nicola dei Lorenesi and altarpieces for San Giovanni Calibita, and in Turin, at the invitation of Filippo Juvarra, he decorated ceilings at the Villa della Regina and the chapel of St Joseph in Santa Teresa. In 1753 he went to Madrid, where Ferdinand VI became his patron. He painted The Triumph of Religion and the Church over the main staircase of the Royal Palace and became director of the Academy of San Fernando, influencing painters including Goya. Noted especially as a colourist, he has been called the greatest exponent of the Roman Rococo. He returned to Naples in 1762 and died there in 1766. Here: The Adoration of the Shepherds.