Francesco Noletti

It was only in this century that the discovery of an anonymous portrait at the University of Malta led to the firm establishment of his identity.

[3] He is mentioned for the first time in the inventories of the Barberini family, between 1631 and 1636, as the creator of "six oil papers with various flowers".

As late as 1661, a certain "Francesco Maltese" is mentioned as a specialist in paintings with ornate carpets.

In the absence of signed works, two etchings published in 1703 by Jacobus Coelemans served as the basis for establishing his style.

It has been certified that, as of 1642, he had settled permanently in Rome; first on the Via Margutta, then on the Via Laurina,[4] where he worked with Andrea Sacchi and got married.