Pier Leone Ghezzi (1674-1755)
Caricature of an aristocrat
Ink and brush on paper.
Size : 22 x 18 cm
Italian painter and caricaturist of the 18th century, active in Rome, he is the son of the painter Giuseppe Ghezzi. Member of the Accademia di San Luca from 1706, he was the protégé of Pope Clement XI and became the official painter of the Apostolic Chamber the same year.
Pier Leone Ghezzi painted the frescoes of the Villa Falconieri in Frascati and religious paintings for churches in Rome, but he is best known for his caricatures, drawings taken from life of various characters, prelates, artists, aristocrats or foreign visitors, of whom he exaggerated certain physical features and postures.
