Sebastiano Conca - The Idolatry of Solomon [c.1750]

Sebastiano Conca - The Idolatry of Solomon [c.1750], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Sebastiano Conca (Gaeta, January 8, 1680 - Naples, September 1, 1764) was an Italian painter. In about 1710, Conca established his Accademia del Nudo, which attracted many followers from Italy and abroad. Pompeo Batoni was among its pupils, and engravers there disseminated Conca's style across Europe through their prints. Conca twice served as director of Rome's Accademia di San Luca. In 1739 he wrote the Ammonimenti, a theoretical work containing moral and artistic precepts for young men intending to become painters. Upon returning to Naples around 1752, he created dazzling illusionistic frescoes and canvases.

[Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid - Oil on canvas, 54 x 71 cm]