Antonio Verrio (c. 1636 – 15 June 1707) was an

Italian Baroque painter Italian Baroque art was a very prominent part of the Baroque art in painting, sculpture and other media, made in a period extending from the end of the sixteenth to the mid eighteenth centuries. The movement began in Italy, and despite later curr ...

. He was responsible for introducing

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

mural painting into England and served the Crown over a thirty-year period.British Art Journal, Volume X No. 3, Winter/Spring 2009/10

Career

Verrio, born in

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, started his career in Lecce and was a pupil of Giovanni Andrea Coppola (1597–1659). Several works by Verrio still exist in the

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

n city, including ''S. Francesco Saverio appare al Beato Marcello Mastrilli'' – his first known signed work. Around 1665, Verrio moved to the region of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

where he was commissioned to decorate the Château de Bonrepos, the property of

Pierre-Paul Riquet Pierre-Paul Riquet, Baron de Bonrepos (; 29 June 1609 (some sources say 1604) – 4 October 1680) was the engineer and canal-builder responsible for the construction of the Canal du Midi. Early life Born as Paul Riquet in Béziers, Hérault, Fran ...

, promoter of the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (). Originally named the ''Canal Royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considered one of the g ...

. He then settled in Toulouse itself where he worked for the

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel () or the Order of Discalced Carmelites (; abbreviation, abbrev.: OCD; sometimes called in earlier times, ), is a Catho ...

and the Capuchins. Today two of his paintings, ''Le Mariage de la Vierge'' and ''Saint-Félix de Cantalice'', are in the collection of the Musée des Augustins there. Around 1670, Verrio moved to Paris where he developed an aristocratic clientele and decorated three private houses including the Hotel Brûlart – the only one that still exists today (in private hands). In March 1672, Verrio crossed the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

on the recommendation of Ralph Montagu, who had been English Ambassador Extraordinary in Paris since 1669. Thanks to Montagu, Verrio made his English debut working for aristocrats such as

Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618 – 28 July 1685) was an England, English statesman. A supporter of the Cavaliers, Royalists during the English Civil War, he joined the royal family in exile before returning to England at the Stuart R ...

( Euston Hall and Arlington House, now destroyed) and

John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, Order of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of Scotland, PC (24 May 1616 – 24 August 1682) was a Scottish statesman and peer. Background Maitland was a member of an ancient family of both Berwickshire an ...

(

Ham House Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, London, Ham, south of Richmond, London, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The original house was completed in 1610 by Thomas ...

, now a property of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

), and rapidly acquired the royal patronage of Charles II. By 1675, Verrio had painted the exquisite allegorical portrait of the King known as ''The Sea Triumph of Charles II'', and was 'denizened' on 5 May of that year. Soon afterwards he was engaged to decorate the North Range of

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

, where he collaborated with the architect

Hugh May Hugh May (1621 – 21 February 1684) was an English architect in the period after the Restoration of King Charles II. He worked in the era which fell between the first introduction of Palladianism into England by Inigo Jones, and the full flo ...

and the sculptor

Grinling Gibbons Grinling Gibbons (4 April 1648 – 3 August 1721) was an Anglo-Dutch sculptor and wood carver known for his work in England, including Windsor Castle, the Royal Hospital Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and other London church ...

. This was the most important commission of his entire career: twenty ceilings, three staircases, the King's Chapel and St George's Hall for which he was paid the colossal sum of £10195 8s 4d. On its completion, in 1684, Verrio was appointed Chief First Painter. Only three ceilings have survived the redecoration of the castle commissioned by

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

during the 1820s. On the succession of James II, Verrio continued his royal service and decorated

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

(burnt in 1698) and Henry VIII's Chapel at Windsor (destroyed). In March 1685, he was also appointed "Keeper of the Great Garden in

St James's Park St James's Park is a urban park in the City of Westminster, central London. A Royal Park, it is at the southernmost end of the St James's area, which was named after a once isolated medieval hospital dedicated to St James the Less, now the ...

". At the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, Verrio received no royal protection from William III and had to leave the court. Verrio, who had worked for the nobility while he was employed by Charles and James, returned to his aristocratic clientele. He spent the next decade at

Burghley House Burghley House () is a grand sixteenth-century English country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, built and still lived in by the senior (Exeter) branch of the Cecil family and is Grade ...

, the property of John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter, and

Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, north-east of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the House of Cavendish, Cavendish family si ...

, the property of William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire. Both are very fine examples of English Baroque decoration, and Burghley contains Verrio's masterpiece, the Heaven Room. By 1699, William finally overrode the

Test Act The Test Acts were a series of penal laws originating in Restoration England, passed by the Parliament of England, that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Catholics and nonconformist Prote ...

and invited Verrio back to court. After having worked at Windsor again, Verrio undertook the decoration of

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...

for William. At his death, in 1702, Verrio continued his royal service and painted for Queen

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), Annie a ...

his last royal commission in the Queen's Drawing Room. In 1705, Verrio was granted by the Queen an annual pension of £200 and allowed to keep his lodgings at Hampton Court. Before his death, on 15 June 1707, Verrio painted a series of portraits including his self-portrait, now in the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

. Verrio influenced younger artists such as Louis Laguerre and

James Thornhill Sir James Thornhill (25 July 1675 or 1676 – 4 May 1734) was an English painter of historical subjects working in the Italian baroque tradition. He was responsible for some large-scale schemes of murals, including the "Painted Hall" at the R ...

, and his Hampton Court Palace frescoes (now under the care of Historic Royal Palaces) constitute a priceless legacy.

Verrio's work

Verrio's surviving decorative work in England and Wales can be seen at

, Reigate Priory,

Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is an Old soldiers' home, Old Soldiers' retirement home and nursing home for some 300 veterans of the British Army. Founded as an almshouse — the ancient sense of the word "hospital" — by King Charles II of Eng ...

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter, located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. T ...

, Moor Park,

Powis Castle Powis Castle () is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys, Wales. The seat of the Herbert family, Herbert family, earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the former ...

, Snape Castle (although in very bad condition) and

. Some of his paintings, sketches and drawings belong to various collections including the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities University museum, museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard ...

, Cambridge,

Northampton Museum and Art Gallery Northampton Museum and Art Gallery is a public museum in Northampton, England. The museum is owned and run by West Northamptonshire Council and houses one of the largest collection of shoes in the world, with over 15,000 pairs,Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...

and the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

. In France, his work can be seen in

at the musée des Augustins and at Saint Exupère's church and in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he painted some of the vaults of the Hôtel Brûlart. In Italy, his paintings can be found in various churches and in the provincial museum of Lecce, his native city.

Gallery of Verrio's work

File:St George's Hall Windsor from W.H. Payne's Royal Residences (1819).jpg, St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle, showing Verrio's murals of the 1680s, destroyed in the early nineteenth century File:Windsor Castle, Royal Chapel, by Charles Wild, 1818 - royal coll 922113 313693 ORI 1.jpg, The Chapel Royal, Windsor Castle, showing Verrio's murals of the 1680s, destroyed in the early nineteenth century File:Great Staircase, Triumph of Semele, ceiling painted by Antonio Verrio, 1691, Chatsworth House - Derbyshire, England - DSC03132.jpg, Great Staircase, Chatsworth House, Triumph of Semele, ceiling painted 1691 File:Return of the Golden Age (Assembly of the Gods) by Antonio Verrio, 1691-1692 - Great Chamber, Chatsworth House - Derbyshire, England - DSC03152.jpg, Great Chamber, Chatsworth House, Return of the Golden Age (Assembly of the Gods), 1691–1692 File:Hampton Court stairs.jpg, The King's Staircase, Hampton Court Palace, murals 1701-02 File:Antonio Verrio (c. 1639-1707) - The Apotheosis of Catherine of Braganza - RCIN 408427 - Royal Collection.jpg, The Apotheosis of Catherine of Braganza, at Windsor Castle

References

* ''Antonio Verrio, His Career and surviving work'', British Art Journal, Volume X No. 3, Winter/Spring 2009/10, Special 10th Anniversary Double Issue * ''Antonio Verrio and the Royal image at Hampton Court'', British Art Journal, Volume X No. 3, Winter/Spring 2009/10, Special 10th Anniversary Double Issue * ''Antonio Verrio, Chroniques d'un peintre italien voyageur'', Musée des Augustins et Mairie de Toulouse, 2010. Catalogue of the exhibition on the artist at the Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, 27 March – 27 June 2010 * Raffaele De Giorgi,'' "Couleur, couleur!". Antonio Verrio: un pittore in Europa tra Seicento e Settecento'' (Edifir, Firenze 2009).

External links

British Art, Online Encyclopedia
2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Verrio, Antonio 1630s births 1707 deaths 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters 17th-century English painters English male painters 18th-century English painters Italian Baroque painters Immigrants to the Kingdom of England 18th-century English male artists 18th-century Italian male artists