Pietro del Pò

Between 1651 and 1652 Del Pò lived on Via Margutta, the artists' quarter, where he met Jean Dughet, for whom he produced several etchings after subjects by Nicolas Poussin.

He also became a member of the Academy of St. Luke that year, where he later served as lecturer in anatomy and perspective, and, following the death of Orfeo Boselli, Del Pò was elected its president in 1668 but refused the post.

According to Pascoli, Pietro succeeded in the Roman artistic environment, primarily because of the esteem and patronage of several influential Spaniards, including the ambassador, who recommended Del Pò to his successor when he returned to Spain.

In March 1683 the painter and his family returned to Naples and remained there until Pietro’s death on 22 July 1692, with the exception of a brief stay in Palermo.

However, the painting most frequently mentioned in the sources, “Saint Leo,” executed for the church of Santa Maria di Constantinopoli in Rome, where it remained until 1700, is now lost.

His choice of subjects reveals a preference for classical themes, and he reproduced primarily the works of Domenichino, Nicolas Poussin, Lanfranco and the Carracci.

Although the artist often retouched selected details of his etchings with burin, the different states do not reveal outstanding variations, and often the only changed are made by the publishers who added their addresses, dedications, or other modifications to the plates.

Among his prints are: The artistic personality of Pietro Del Pò has been defined only partially by the research of U. Prota-Giurleo and A. Perez Sanchez.