Saint Gregory the Great

Sebastiano Ricci prints bring the light, color and movement of late Venetian Baroque painting into your home. Ricci was an older contemporary of Tiepolo and one of the painters who carried the bright, airy Venetian style across Europe, from Florence and Vienna to London and Paris. This collection gathers art prints of his mythological scenes, saints and Bible stories, allegories and drawings.

About Sebastiano Ricci

Sebastiano Ricci was born in Belluno on 1 August 1659 and was apprenticed to a Venetian painter in 1671. His early life was stormy: a scandal over a young woman led to prison in 1678, and he later fled to Turin with another painter's daughter and was nearly executed. Both times powerful patrons, including the Duke of Parma, secured his release.

He worked in Bologna, Parma, Piacenza, Rome and Milan before returning to the Venetian republic in 1698. In 1702 he painted the ceiling of the Blue Hall in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, and in 1706 to 1707 he painted frescoes in Florence, including rooms in the Pitti Palace for Grand Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, often counted among his masterpieces.

From around 1711 he worked in England with his nephew, the landscape painter Marco Ricci, painting mythological canvases for Lord Burlington and the apse of the chapel at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. In 1716 they moved to Paris, where he met Watteau and was admitted to the French Royal Academy in 1718. He returned to Venice a wealthy man and died there on 15 May 1734.

Style and Subjects

Ricci painted in the grand, luminous manner of Baroque fresco painting, but with a lighter, brighter touch that points toward the Rococo. He looked back to Paolo Veronese for his rich color, elegant figures and open, sunlit skies.

His subjects are mostly drawn from mythology, the Bible and the lives of the saints: gods and goddesses, battles of centaurs, angels in flight and grand allegories. Figures twist and tumble through clouds, and the color is clear and silvery rather than dark.

Famous Works

• The Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs (c. 1705), High Museum of Art, Atlanta. A wild tangle of men and centaurs from Greek myth.
• Allegory of Tuscany (1706), Uffizi Gallery, Florence. A work from his celebrated Florentine years.
• The Baptism of Christ (c. 1713), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. A luminous religious scene.
• Angelica and Medoro (c. 1716), Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu. Lovers from Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso.
• The Fall of the Rebel Angels (c. 1720), Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. Saint Michael drives Satan's angels down from heaven.
• Bathsheba at Her Bath (c. 1724), Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. The Old Testament story painted with shimmering Venetian color.
• Apotheosis of Saint Sebastian (c. 1725), Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg. A saint carried up into glory.

Decorating with Ricci Prints

Ricci's paintings were made for palaces and churches, and they bring a sense of grandeur to a dining room, stairwell or high-ceilinged living room. Their soft blues, golds and pinks sit well with classic furniture, gilt frames and warm lighting.

The mythological scenes such as Angelica and Medoro or Diana and Endymion suit a bedroom or sitting room, while his saints and angels fit a quiet reading room or study. His pen and wash drawings are lovely grouped on a gallery wall.

FAQ

What art movement was Sebastiano Ricci part of?

Ricci was a late Baroque painter of the Venetian school. His bright, airy style helped prepare the way for the Venetian Rococo of Tiepolo.

What is Sebastiano Ricci's most famous work?

His frescoes in Florence, including rooms in the Pitti Palace, are often counted among his masterpieces. Well-known paintings include The Fall of the Rebel Angels at Dulwich Picture Gallery and Bathsheba at Her Bath in Budapest.

Where can I see Ricci's original paintings?

His work is in Venetian churches and in museums such as the Uffizi, the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

How can you recognize a Sebastiano Ricci painting?

Look for graceful figures floating in bright skies, silvery color in the spirit of Veronese, and lively mythological or religious stories full of movement.

Who was Marco Ricci?

Marco Ricci was Sebastiano's nephew, a landscape painter who trained with him. The two worked together in Venice, England and Paris, sometimes combining Sebastiano's figures with Marco's landscapes.

Related Artists

• Marco Ricci — his nephew and frequent collaborator
• Giovanni Battista Tiepolo — the younger Venetian painter who followed in his footsteps
• Paolo Veronese — the Venetian master whose color and elegance he revived
• Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini — fellow Venetian decorator who also worked in England