Count Pietro Ercole Fava (21 September 1669 – 7 June 1744) was a Bolognese nobleman, who distinguished himself not only as a patron of art, but also as an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

. Fava was born at

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

in 1669. He studied art under L. Pasinelli, and was the protector and friend of

Donato Creti Donato Creti (24 February 1671 – 31 January 1749) was an Italian painter of the Rococo period, active mostly in Bologna. Born in Cremona, he moved to Bologna, where he was a pupil of Lorenzo Pasinelli. He is described by Wittkower as the "Bol ...

and Ercole Graziani. He chiefly studied the works of the

Carracci The Carracci ( , , {{IPA, it, karˈrattʃi, lang) were a family of Italian artists. Notable members include: * the three members who worked together and are known collectively as the Carracci, i.e.: ** Agostino Carracci (1557–1602), Italian pa ...

, whose style he preferred to every other. In the church of San Tommaso dal Mercato at Bologna is an altar-piece by him of the ''Virgin and Infant, with St. Albert, St. Paul, and other Saints''; and at

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

, in the

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, are the ''Adoration of the Magi,'' and the ''Resurrection.'' He was a member of the

Clementine Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna ('academy of fine arts of Bologna') is a public tertiary academy of fine art in Bologna, Italy. It has a campus in Cesena. Giorgio Morandi taught engraving at the Accademia for more than 25 years. Hist ...

References

* 1669 births 1744 deaths 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters Nobility from Bologna 18th-century Italian male artists Artists from the Papal States Nobility of the Papal States {{Italy-painter-18thC-stub