PIER FRANCESCO CITTADINI (MILAN 1613⁄16-1681 BOLOGNA)

Pier Francesco Cittadini first studied under Daniele Crespi in Milan and, when he was seventeen, entered the Bolognese workshop of Guido Reni. His early altarpieces inevitably demonstrate the influence of Reni. He worked for most of his career in Bologna and his paintings are distinguished by a warm and direct naturalism.

We are grateful to Professor Daniele Benati for proposing the attribution to Cittadini on the basis of photographs.