Sebastiano Conca

Sebastiano Conca (1680–1764) was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples to Francesco Solimena. In 1706 he settled in Rome with his brother Giovanni as his assistant, and for several years worked only in chalk to improve his drawing. Cardinal Ottoboni introduced him to Clement XI, who commissioned a Jeremiah for St. John Lateran, and he was later knighted by the pope. He was elected to the Accademia di San Luca in 1718 and led it more than once, and he worked for the House of Savoy in Turin as well as in Siena and Genoa. His manner owes much to Luca Giordano. In 1752 he returned to Naples under the patronage of Charles III, painting frescoes for Santa Chiara and altarpieces into his eighties. Among his many pupils were Pompeo Batoni and Corrado Giaquinto. Here: Adoration of the Shepherds.