Pietro del Po

Pietro del Po (1616 – 22 July 1692) was an Italian painter of the Baroque.

He was born in Palermo, and studied under Domenichino at Naples. He painted for the churches at Palermo, and afterwards visited Rome, where among other works, he painted a picture of St. Leo, for La Madonna di Costantinopoli. He was more distinguished as an engraver than as a painter. His daughter, Teresa del Po, was also an engraver and painter. He died in Naples.

Pietro was born in Palermo in 1616, the son of Francesco Jacopo and Francesca lo Po. He began to draw at a very early age and later began to paint under the guidance of an unknown master. He married Maria Monforti on 12 July 1637 in the parish of Santa Croce in Palermo. In 1644 he moved to Naples, perhaps inspired by the need for a more stimulating environment. Naples was in fact a lively artistic center, dominated by the presence of such artists as Jusepe de Ribera, Domenichino and Giovanni Lanfranco; the latter artists had come from Rome. It was indeed this classicist style that provided an interest for Del Po. The sources indicate that he was a student of Domenichino, but direct contact with the Bolognese artist is now disputed. Rather, it seems probable that he studied with Lanfranco between 1644 and 1646. During those same years he came into contact with artists such as Ribera, Francesco Vaccaro, Massimo Stanzione, and Charles Mellin.

This period was of particular artistic importance and was furthermore punctuated by significant events in the artist’s private and family life. His second marriage, to the widow Maffei, Porzia Campagna (or Compagna) resulted in the birth of his daughter Teresa in 1646, who was baptized on December 23 in the parish of San Giuseppe.

The following year Pietro and his family moved to Rome in order to be near Lanfranco, who had just returned to the capital and for whom Del Po had become “his most useful assistant”.

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