(b Rome, 24 June 1673; d Rome, 27 Dec 1721). Italian painter. Skilled in both oil and fresco painting, he was a pupil of Antonio Gherardi, but felt restricted and so discontinued his education. Instead, he found greater inspiration by studying ancient sculpture and Raphael’s frescoes in the Vatican palace. On 2 February 1712 he was named a member of the Virtuosi di Pantheon, but he never became a member of the Accademia di S Luca. While still in his youth, he began executing important commissions. His work in S Brigida in Rome displays the coat of arms of Cardinal Giovanni Francesco Albani, who became Clement XI in 1700. Puccini’s two frescoes and four canvases, which still adorn S Brigida, were evidently part of the restoration programme of the Cardinal, thus dating to the late 1690s. In S Paolo alla Regola in Rome are three large oval canvases, one of which, the St Bonaventura in Ecstasy at the Sight of St Thomas Aquinas, bears the date 1708. Signed and dated 1720 is the St Francis de Paola Resuscitating a Child in S Maria Maddalena, Rome. These paintings, which characterize his production, exhibit a dramatic and powerful style. They are well composed, the colours are strong and vibrant, and his draughtsmanship is sound. Although he appears to have enjoyed steady commissions, he nevertheless encountered financial difficulties. By the end of his life, all of his property had been repossessed, but creditors continued to harass him.

• Puccini, Biagio
  • Albani: (1) Clement XI
  • Locatelli, Andrea