Giovanni Maria Morandi

Giovanni Maria Morandi (1622-1717) was an Italian Baroque painter, known for his altarpieces and portraits. Although he was born in Florence, most of his career unfolded in Rome, where he became one of the most sought-after painters of his generation.

He trained in Florence with Giovanni Biliverti and Orazio Fidani. Very few works survive from this early period, though a painting of Christ in the church of San Fiorenzo, since demolished, is recorded. He probably moved to Rome in the late 1640s or early 1650s, where contact with Carlo Maratta reinforced the classicizing tendencies of his Tuscan training.

In Rome he painted numerous altarpieces, including a Pentecost for the Chiesa Nuova, a Visitation and a Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence at Santa Maria dell'Anima, and a Dormition of the Virgin at Santa Maria della Pace. He was a member of the Accademia di San Luca, serving as its director in 1671 and 1680, and of the Arcadian Academy. He also worked as a portraitist for Emperor Leopold I and Pope Alexander VII. His workshop was very popular, and Francesco Zuccarelli trained there. The Prado Museum holds his Holy Women at the Sepulchre, noted for its rigorous and sober drawing.