PACE DEL CAMPIDOGLIO, Michele

Although Pace del Campidoglio is mainly known as a painter of still-life, he also painted for his patron, Cardinal Flavio Chigi (1641-1693), numerous paintings of greyhounds for his residences in and around Rome. The present picture, depicting a greyhound with pup peering at him timidly out of its niche-like space in the lower right corner, belongs to this group of paintings. The brown greyhound is depicted before a twilit landscape. The artist seems to have specialised in these open-air animal portraits, a concept that also holds true for his still-lifes.

Michele Pace del Campidoglio was known for still-lifes and animal paintings. This still-life represents pumpkins, peaches, figs, and a monkey.

Michele Pce del Campidoglio was one of the primary painters in Rome of his generation, as is attested in written sources, public documents, and inventory entries; however, few surviving paintings have been securely attributed to him. He was known for still-lifes and animal paintings. He was probably born and died in Rome.

There exist scarcely any artistic or biographical data about Pace del Campidoglio – we still do not know his dates of birth and death – to shed any light on his life and work. He developed a truly singular style in combining animal portraits and landscape or still-life and landscape, reflecting a naturalism that was already present in Rome.