Stefano Pozzi

Who was Stefano Pozzi?

Stefano Pozzi was an Italian painter, designer, draughtsman and decorator whose career was spent largely in Rome.

Born in Rome, he was one of four artist sons of his father, an innkeeper: Rocco was an engraver, with whom Stefano worked on occasion; Andrea, a carver in ivory; Giuseppe was also a painter. Stefano Pozzi studied in the ateliers of two best followers of Carlo Maratta, that of Andrea Procaccini, who departed for Spain in 1720, and then Agostino Masucci. In 1732 Stefano was admitted to the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon and became its Regent in 1739. In 1736, he was admitted to the Accademia di San Luca, the artist guild in Rome.

Pozzi worked primarily for Roman churches, painting, for example, the Blessed Niccolò Albergati in a chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore; eight ovals between the windows for San Silvestro al Quirinale; the refectory of the Church of San Gregorio Nazareno; a Death of St Joseph for the third chapel of the Church of Santissimo Nome di Maria.