(Mantua 1535 or 1539 - Rome 1619)
Portrait of a cardinal, oil on canvas, 114 x 141.5 cm, framed

Literature: F Petrucci, Pittura di ritratto a Roma. Il Seicento, Rome: Budai, 2008, p. 562 (as attributed to Pietro Facchetti)

Pietro Facchetti was held in high esteem among his contemporaries as a portraitist, and his works were compared to those of Scipione Pulzone da Gaeta. According to Baglione, he portrayed many members of the Roman aristocacy His works were appreciated as examples of his excellent taste and perfect skills as a draughtsman: “Quest’huomo ritrasse quasi tutte le Dame Romane, e ne acquistò molto credito. Fece anche gran parte de Gentil’huomini, e de’ Titolati di Roma e ne ritportò fama, & utile. & in somma, a dirne il vero, i suoi ritratti non solamente assomigliavano, ma erano con buon gusto, e perfetto disegno condotti.” Facchetti also worked as a copyist, copper engraver, and art agent for the Gonzaga family. He advised the Duke of Mantua in the latter’s acquisition of works by Rubens and Caravaggio’s Death of the Virgin Mary, which had been rejected by the friars of Santa Maria della Scala, Rome.

Literature: F Petrucci, Pittura di ritratto a Roma. Il Seicento, Rome: Budai, 2008, p. 562 (as attributed to Pietro Facchetti) Pietro Facchetti was held in high esteem among his contemporaries as a portraitist, and his works were compared to those of Sci