Michelangelo Pittatore

[1] When he turned fourteen, his father decided that he needed more formal instruction and enrolled him in classes at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome.

In 1845, he received his first commission, from the knights of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, for portraits that would be presented to Queen Maria Cristina.

[1] The Queen was impressed and, two years later, commissioned him to do decorations for the Sanctuary of Oropa (designed by Canina), as well as some private residences.

[1] For a time, he concentrated on works that combined traditional still-lifes with elements of genre painting, although continuing to do his usual portraits.

Once there, he became part of the city's Italian community and made the acquaintance of Giuseppe Mazzini,[1] who gave him a letter of introduction that gained him entry to the upper echelons of Victorian society.