Stefano Conti was an Italian 18th century merchant from

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, known for his expansive collection and patronage of contemporary

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

artists. He began his collection at age 50 in 1705, and utilized

Alessandro Marchesini Alessandro Marchesini (30 April 1664 – 27 January 1738) was an Italian painter and art merchant of the late-Baroque and Rococo, active in Northern Italy and Venice. He first trained in Verona with Biagio Falcieri and then with Antonio Cal ...

as his agent in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. While his collection is now dispersed, it is notable because all his purchases were recorded, including price and a description of the art-work by the artist. He also demanded that the subject of each painting be novel, and not a copy of an existing painting. Among the artists he collected were

Canaletto Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school. Painter of city views or ...

Luca Carlevaris Luca Carlevarijs or Carlevaris (20 January 1663 – 12 February 1730) was an Italian painter and engraver working mainly in Venice. He pioneered the genre of the cityscapes (''vedute'') of Venice, a genre that was later widely followed by artis ...

Gregorio Lazzarini Gregorio Lazzarini (1657 – 10 November 1730) was an Italian painter of mythological, religious and historical subjects, as well as portraits. One of the most successful Venetian artists of the day, a prominent teacher, and father to a signific ...

Sebastiano Bombelli Sebastiano Bombelli (October 1635; 4 May 1719) was an Italian painter, mainly active in Venice, during the Baroque period. Biography He was born in Udine on 14 or 15 October 1635 (baptized on the 15th), educated and trained under the guidance ...

, and

Antonio Franchi Antonio Franchi (1638–1709) was an Italian painter of the 17th century, active mainly in Florence and Lucca. Born in Villa Basilica, he is also called ''Il Lucchese''. Initially training in Lucca with Domenico Ferrucci, he moved for over ...

References

* Conti, Stefano Conti, Stefano Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown 18th-century art collectors 18th-century merchants 18th-century Italian businesspeople {{Italy-bio-stub