Marcello Leopardi (1750–1795) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

painter, depicting both sacred subjects and history in a late-Baroque and early Neoclassic style. He was born presumably in

Potenza Picena Potenza Picena is a comune (municipality) in central Italy, situated in the Province of Macerata, in the Marche region. It has residents. Until 1862, it was called Monte Santo. The river Potenza flows nearby. Geography Territory The borde ...

. By 1768, he was participating in contests sponsored by the Accademia del nudo in Campidoglio, Rome. In 1771, he won a third prize in a painting contest held by the

Accademia di San Luca The Accademia di San Luca () is an Italian academy of artists in Rome. The establishment of the Accademia de i Pittori e Scultori di Roma was approved by papal brief in 1577, and in 1593 Federico Zuccari became its first ''principe'' or director; ...

. He is cited as a pupil of either

Stefano Pozzi Stefano Pozzi (9 November 1699 – 11 June 1768) was an Italian painter, designer, draughtsman, and decorator whose career was spent largely in Rome. Born in Rome, he was one of four artist sons of his father, an innkeeper: Rocco (1701–74) was ...

Tommaso Conca Tommaso Maria Conca (1734–1822), was an Italian painter and draftsman, active mostly in Rome. Biography Tommaso Conca was born in Gaeta, one of the youngest of some eleven siblings, to Giovanni Conca and Anna Laura Scarsella di Castro. His ...

. In 1782, he moved to

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, where he completed a number of paintings for the oratory of the Confraternita della Giustizia. He was one of the artists employed in decorating the

Perugia Cathedral Perugia Cathedral (), officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Lawrence (), is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Perugia, Umbria, central Italy, dedicated to Saint Lawrence. Formerly the seat of the bishops and archbishops of Perugia, it has be ...

(1782–1785). He helped decorate the palazzi Conestabile della Staffa and Ranieri with frescoes depicting mythologic and classic history themes. He moved to

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

, where he decorated other palaces. He was commissioned by

Pope Pius VI Pope Pius VI (; born Count Angelo Onofrio Melchiorre Natale Giovanni Antonio called Giovanni Angelo or Giannangelo Braschi, 25 December 171729 August 1799) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to hi ...

to complete an altarpiece of the ''Guardian Angels'' for the church of Sant'Andrea a Subiaco in Rome. He continued to work in Rome, often producing works for churches in other towns, including Viterbo. He painted three altarpieces for the church of San Michele Arcangelo ai Minoriti in Catania. In 1794, he was elected academic of merit of the Accademia di San Luca of Rome, submitting an entry canvas depicting ''Amore e Psiche''. The work was derided as scandalous by

. In 1794 he also joined the

Congregazione dei Virtuosi al Pantheon The Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon is one of the Pontifical Academies under the direction of the Holy See. The complete Italian name of the academy, Pontificia Insigne Accademia di Belle Arti e Letteratura ...

. Vincenzo Ferreri of Perugia was a pupil.Encyclopedia Treccani
Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 64 (2005), entry by Susanne Adina Meyer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopardi Marcello 1750 births 1795 deaths Rococo painters Italian neoclassical painters 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian male artists