Sebastiano Ricci, born in 1659 in Belluno, emerged as a central figure in Venetian Baroque painting during a period of shifting artistic patronage. His career was marked by significant mobility, including travels across Italy, service in Vienna, and a productive period in London, where he helped disseminate the luminous, grand-manner fresco style that defined his legacy.
Early Instability and Apprenticeship
Ricci began his formal training in 1671 as an apprentice to Federico Cervelli in Venice, though some sources suggest Sebastiano Mazzoni was his first instructor. His early life was punctuated by legal volatility; in 1678, he faced imprisonment for an attempted poisoning to avoid an unintended marriage. After his release, he moved to Bologna, where he encountered the influence of Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole. By 1682, he was fulfilling commissions for local religious fraternities, including a depiction of the decapitation of John the Baptist.
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The painter frequently relied on noble patronage to sustain his career and resolve personal legal entanglements. After fleeing to Turin with Magdalen Peruzzini in 1688, he narrowly avoided execution before securing protection from the Duke of Parma. He spent time in Rome copying Raphael’s Coronation of Charlemagne for Louis XIV, before relocating to Milan in 1695 to fresco the Ossuary Chapel of the Church of San Bernardino dei Morti. His work in Florence at the Pitti Palace and the Palazzo Fenzi elevated his standing, establishing a style that proved influential to local Rococo painters like Giovanni Domenico Ferretti.
International Commissions and Final Years
Ricci gained significant foreign commissions, including work for Emperor Joseph I in Vienna and Lord Burlington in London. Alongside his nephew, Marco Ricci, he completed a series of mythological canvases and decorated the chapel at Bulstrode House. Following a stay in Paris where he gained admission to the Royal French Academy in 1718, he returned to Venice. He remained active until his death in 1734, producing works such as his contribution to the church of St Stae and various commissions for the Royal House of Savoy.
Fast facts
- Born: 1659, Belluno
- Died: 1734, Venice
- Movement: Baroque painting
- Nephew: Marco Ricci
- Academy Admission: Royal French Academy of Painting and Sculpture, 1718
- Notable work: Abraham and three angels
- Notable work: Triumph over Ignorance
- Citizenship: Republic of Venice
Questions readers ask
Did Sebastiano Ricci work alone?
He frequently collaborated with other artists, including his nephew Marco Ricci, the quadraturista Giuseppe Tonelli, and Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena.
What stylistic influence did Ricci exert?
His grand manner of fresco painting was highly influential in Italy, impacting artists such as Giovanni Domenico Ferretti, Francesco Polazzo, and Gaspare Diziani.
Achievements
- Notable work: Abraham and three angels
- Notable work: Hagar and Ishmael Saved by the Angel
- Notable work: Venus Surrounded by Nymphs Observing a Dance of Cupids
- Notable work: Allegory of the noon
- Movement: Baroque painting
