Carlo Maratta or Maratti (1625 - 1713)

• Was an Italian painter.
• His contemporary and friend, Giovanni Bellori, wrote an early biography on Maratta.
• He became an apprentice in the studio of Andrea Sacchi.
• He developed a close relationship with Sacchi till the death of his master in 1661.
• Pope Alexander VII commissioned many paintings from him.
• From 1660, he built up a private client base amongst wealthy patrons of Europe, establishing the most prominent art studio in Rome of his time and.
• After the death of Bernini in 1680, he became the leading artist in Rome.
• In 1664, Maratta became the director of the Accademia di San Luca.
• In 1679 or 1680, a daughter, Faustina, was born to Maratta by his mistress, Francesca Gommi.
• He legally recognized her as his daughter in 1698 and upon becoming a widower in 1700, Maratta married the girl's mother.
• His daughter's features were incorporated into a number of Maratta's late paintings.
• In 1704, Maratta was knighted by Pope Clement XI.
• He continued to run his studio into old age even when he could no longer paint.
• Maratta died in 1713 in Rome, and was buried there in Santa Maria degli Angeli.
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