Domenico Maria Canuti (Bologna 1625-1684)

A student of Guido Reni and Guercino, Domenico Maria Canuti is chiefly known for his numerous ceiling and wall frescoes. Originally from Bologna, he moved to Rome where he executed important commissions, such as the Apotheosis of Saint Dominic on the vault of the Church Santi Domenico e Sisto, and where he also became a member of the Accademia di San Luca in 1672. His newly introduced form of scenographic fresco painting influenced artists such as Andrea Pozzo. The composition of the horse’s head in this painting closely resembles the depiction of a horse in the Allegory of Europe, a fresco in the library of San Michele in Bosco, Bologna, which Canuti decorated between 1677-1678.