Pozzo, Andrea

Pozzo, Andrea an eminent painter and architect, was born at Trent in 1642. While studying at Milan he fell into vicious company and became extremely dissolute, until, disgusted by his course of life, he joined the Society of the Jesuits, who placed him under the instruction of Scaramuccia. Afterwards, at Rome and Venice, he studied design and color, and the works of Raffaelle and other great masters. His oil and fresco works at Rome, Genoa, and other places gained him the reputation of one of the ablest artists of the time. His pictures are composed in grand style, and he is excelled by few artists in perspective and architecture, the principles of which he perfectly understood, and published a treatise on them. Among his best works in oil are, St. Francesco Borgia, in the church of II Gesh at Rome; the Wise

Men's Offering, at Vienna, and four pictures from the life of Christ, in the church at Genoa. The ceiling of the church of St. Ignazio at Rome is regarded as one of the ablest productions of his time, because of its animated execution. As an architect he gained some distinction, and executed, among other works, the altar of St. Ignazio in the church of II Gesil at Rome, which is said to be the richest altar in all Europe. He died at Venice in 1709.