Francisco Rizi

Francisco Rizi (1614–1685) was born in Madrid, the son of the Italian painter Antonio Ricci, who had come to Spain to work on the decoration of El Escorial. He trained first in his father's workshop and then with Vicente Carducho, through whom he made his first contacts at court. In the 1640s he became one of the earliest painters in Spain to adopt the Baroque style, notably in a large altarpiece for the Capuchins that recalls Rubens and van Dyck. He was named painter of Toledo Cathedral in 1653 and painter to the king in 1656, an appointment that brought a long run of commissions from religious institutions. He also directed stage decoration at the theatre of the Buen Retiro Palace, and Claudio Coello received his first training in his workshop. He died at El Escorial in 1685 while working on a monumental painting of the Holy Form, which Coello finished. Three works here: Adoration of the Shepherds, Annunciation and Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.