Stefano Torelli (1712–1784) was an Italian painter. He was born in

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 ...

. He studied first under his father, Felice Torelli, and then under

Francesco Solimena Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian Baroque painter, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen. Biography Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino in the province of Avellino. H ...

. The future King of Poland,

Augustus III Augustus III (; – "the Saxon"; ; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augustus II (). He w ...

, brought him to

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

in 1740, where he painted altar-pieces and ceiling decorations, many destroyed in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. He painted figures in

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 cityscapes or ...

's twenty-nine views of Dresden (1741). In 1762 he was summoned to the Russian court where he painted ceilings in the Royal Palace, and some portraits, among the latter one of the Empress Elizabeth in armor. He was a clever caricaturist, and etched a few plates. He died in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Gallery

File:Catherine II by Torelli (Saratov).jpg, Portrait of

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

, File:Caroline Tugendreich.jpg, Caroline Tugendreich, c. 1762 File:SokolovaAnastasia byTorelliStefano.jpg, Anastasia Sokolova, wife of

José de Ribas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

File:Anna Chernysheva by Stefano Torelli.jpg, Anna Chernysheva File:CharlotteAmalieofPløn duchess of augustenburg.jpg, Charlotte Amalie File:Heinrich Schimmelmann.jpg, Heinrich Schimmelmann, 1762 File:S.K. Naryshkin by Torelli.jpg, Semën Kirillovič Naryškin File:Stefano Torelli - Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich - WGA23014.jpg, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich File:Egmont Chasot.jpg, Egmont von Chasôt File:Stefano Torelli - Diana and Endymion - WGA23013.jpg, ''Diana and Endymion''

References

* 1712 births 1784 deaths 18th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian etchers 19th-century etchers Painters from Bologna 18th-century Italian male artists {{Italy-painter-18thC-stub