Domenichino

Domenichino (1581–1641), born Domenico Zampieri in Bologna, the son of a shoemaker, studied first under Denys Calvaert and then at the Carracci academy, where his small stature earned him the nickname by which he is known. In 1602 he went to Rome and became one of the most gifted pupils of Annibale Carracci, assisting on the frescoes of the Farnese Gallery. He was a leading painter of the Bolognese school, building on the example of Raphael and the Carracci. In Rome he painted the scenes from the life of Saint Cecilia in San Luigi dei Francesi and The Last Communion of Saint Jerome, dated 1614, his most famous altarpiece, later judged comparable to Raphael's Transfiguration, though his rival Lanfranco accused him of taking its design from Agostino Carracci. After years of competing with Guido Reni and Lanfranco for commissions, he left for Naples in 1631 to decorate the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro in the cathedral, the work that occupied him until his death there. Three works here: Adoration of the Shepherds, The Last Communion of Saint Jerome and Madonna and Child with St Petronius and St John the Evangelist.