Domenichino

Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri) (1581-1641), a painter, the last representative of the great Italian school. He was of the Lombard school and born at Bologna. He studied first under the Flemish Denis Calvaert, and then under Annibal Caracci, after which he went to Rome and was appointed painter to Gregory XV. He was much persecuted by rivals, who are said to have eventually poisoned him. In his early days his fellow students called him "The Ox" on account of his steady plodding. He was a good colourist, and his faces are in keeping with the characters they represent, but his drapery is heavy and ungraceful. Among his chief works are Communion of St. Jerome, History of Apollo, Martyrdom of St. Agnes, Triumph of David, and Adonis Killed by the Boar. He had also much merit as a sculptor and modeller.