161 - ALESSANDRO TURCHI (1578–1649), after

ALESSANDRO TURCHI (1578–1649), after Lamentation over the Dead Christ Oil on canvas Dimensions: 30 x 25 cm - Born in Verona and died in Rome, it is said that in his youth he was employed to guide a blind beggar, which earned him the nickname “l’Orbetto.” Another account attributes the nickname to a visual impairment. Domenico Riccio, known as Brusasorci, is cited as his first teacher. This is not impossible, although Turchi was fourteen years his senior. He first went to Venice, where he studied under Carlo Caliari, then to Rome, where he established himself as a painter. His reputation was strong enough to earn him a partnership with Andrea Sacchi and Pietro da Cortona in the decoration of the Church of the Concezione. He received numerous commissions for churches in Rome and notably painted a “Flight into Egypt” at San Romualdo and a “Holy Family” at San Lorenzo. Alessandro Turchi also painted easel paintings, depicting historical or mythological subjects, which he often executed on black marble slabs.