Lorenzo De Caro

Lorenzo de Caro (baptised 29 May, 1719- 2 December, 1777) was an 18th century Italian painter, active in his natal city of Naples.

Biography

De Caro's biographical information is sparse, and many canvases refer to painter of Neapolitan origin, active between 1740 and 1761. His name was known only from the autograph on the canvases.De Caro is known to have married on 28 February 1743 the 22-year-old Anna Mariana Bozza. The couple had 10 children. According to the records of a “census” carried out in 1757 by the local parish, the painter’s studio was in Vicolo della Porta piccola del Rosario, a narrow street between the areas of Chiaia and the Spanish Quarter.

Historians are certain de Caro lived and worked at that address, thanks to recently discovered documentation in the archives of the Banco di Napoli, whose archives hold the accounts books of what was known in the past as the “public banks of Naples”. The records of the Banco San Giacomo include receipts of rent payments made by the painter in 1768 and 1769 to his landlord, the Prince of Cannito, for “two rooms and cellar on the ground floor of the house of the aforesaid Prince in the Sant’Anna di Palazzo road”.

ignificant works

*Church of SS Philip and James (San Gennaro Chapel) – Naples, Paintings of Saint Peter of Alcantara in glory (known also as Saint Peter confessing Saint Teresa (1759), Saint Teresa di Avila in ecstasy (1758), Allegory of the faith, of Saint Gennaro in glory, (known also as the decapitation of Saint Gennaro, of Saint Francis receiving the stigmata, and the Glory of Angels;
*Church of SS Severino and Sossio – Naples: Paintings of Saint James (destroyed), and of Saint Girolamo;
*Church di San Boniface – Naples: Restoration of the painting by Belisario Corenzio;
*Church of the Cross – Saint Augustine (by the Mint)– Naples: Autographed painting: the Church is closed and art moved elsewhere;
*Church of the Annunciation – Naples: Restoration of the painting by Belisario Corenzio, (1746);
*Church of Santa Maria della Scala – Naples: Painting of the Virgin, restored;
*Church of Saint Gerolamo – Naples: Painting of the Virgin of SS Girolamo and Bartholomew (1750, lost and of the Madonna of the Carmine);
*Church of Saint Diego all’Ospedaletto – Naples: Painting of the apparition to Saint Pasquale de Baylon (in the first chapel on the right), and the Glory of the Saints;
*Church of Jesus and Mary - Naples: Painting of the Calvary, stolen in 1979;
*Church of Saint Catherine of Siena, Naples: Paintings of the Madonna of the souls of purgatory and of the mystical marriage of Saint Catherine;
*Church of Holy Mary of the Snow, known today as Saint Joseph at Chiaia - Naples: Paintings of Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint Ludovic Bertrand (or Saint Louis);
*Church of Holy Mary of Patience “alla Cesarea” – Naples: Paintings of the allegory of faith (1761) and of the Ecstasy of Saint Pasquale de Baylon;
*Church of Holy Mary “dell’Olivella” – Cassino (Frosinone): Painting of the Visitation of Mary (signed);
*Church of Holy Mary of good counsel at Capodimonte – Napoli: Painting of Our Lady of Sorrows;
*Parish church of Piedimonte San Germano – Cassino (Frosinone): Painting of the Saint Bertario the martyr, painting of the inventino of the cross, and painting of the Glory of Saint Germano (all destroyed);
*Convent of Saint Francis – Bracigliano (Salerno): the Calvary (fresco);
*Hospital of the Pilgrims’ Trinity – Naples: The fresco painting of the ceiling, portraying Saint Philip Neri kneeling. The hospital was demolished after being damaged during the Second World War. The fresco work bore the autograph “Laurentius De Caro P. MDCCL”;
*Convent of Pietrapertosa – (Potenza): Paintings of Saint Rocco and of Our Lady of Sorrows
*Apartment of the Archbishop of Naples – Piazza Donnaregina – Naples,(formerly held at the Duca di Martina Museum, Villa Floridiana, Naples): Painting of the Wedding of the Virgin, painting of the Decollation of Saint John the Baptist, of the Apparition of Saint Michael Archangel on the Gargano Mount, painting of Saint Francis receiving the stigmata and painting of the Crowning with thorns;
*Congregation of the Charity of God – Naples: Painting of the Madonna of the souls of purgatory (1760);
*Confraternity of the discipline of the Cross – Naples: Painting of the Madonna of Graces;
*Chapel of la Pietà, annexe to the Mandriani College, Portici (Naples): Paintings of the Crucifixion, the Mourning of Christ and of the Discovery of the Cross (1756 and 1757);
*Museo di Capodimonte, Naples: "Saint Peter" and "Saint Paul"
*Museum of Coral, Sorrento: Painting of the Rest on the flight into Egypt;
*Museum of San Martino, Naples: Paintings of the Crowning with Thorns, of Saint Francis Xavier converting the infidels and of Saint John of God;
*Sannio Museum – Benevento: Painting of the flight into Egypt;
*National Gallery of Bologna: "Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple" (on view at the local Prefecture);
*New York Gallery (formerly Christie’s), U.S.A.: Painting of Samuel anointing King David;
*Museum Of Fine Arts – Boston, U.S.A.: Painting of the Triumph of David;
*Institut Of Art – Detroit, U.S.A.: Paintings of Esther and Assuero and of the Adoration of the Golden Fleece;
*Uffizi Gallery, Florence: Painting of Virture;
*Museum of Fine Arts – La Valletta (Malta): Painting of Saint Francis Xavier;
*Museum of Solothurn (Switzerland): Paintings of the Education of the Virgin and the Adoration of the Magi;
*Achille Della Ragione private collection – Naples,(formerly at the Zurich Art Gallery, Switzerland): Painting of the Decollation of a Saint;
*Molinari Pradelli Collection – Marano di Castenaso, Bologna: Paintings of the grieving Virgin, of the Triumph of Judith, of the Conversion of Saint Paul, and of Saint Paul’s fall from a horse (the latter formerly at the Bastianelli collection, Rome);
*Private Collection – Milan: Painting of the death of Abel;
*Finarte Collection – Rome: Painting of Saint Francis de Sales preaching to the Salesians;
*Pisani Collection – Naples: Paintings of Ferdinand IV , or Charles of Bourbon, visiting a Benedicine abbey, of Princes and Geographies, of Saint Matthew and Saint Gennaro presentino Saints Crispin and Crispianian to the Madonna;
*Prof. Leone Collection – Naples: Painting of the Presentation in the Temple;
*Palmieri Collection - Naples: Painting of the Immaculate Conception;
*Perrone-Capano Collection – Naples: Painting of the Serpent of Bronze;
*Troiano Collection - Naples: Painting of Christ at Calvary;
*Pagano Collection – Naples: Painting of elderly nurse;
*Various Private Collections – Naples: Paintings of Christ carrying the cross, of Sisara and Giaele (3 canvases), of the Triumph of Judith (2 canvases), of the Triumph of Mardocheo, of the Ecce homo, of Saint Peter and Paul, portrait of a gentleman, of Saint Gennaro, of the Madonna and Saint Gaetano;
*Private collection, Paris: Paintings of the Assumption of the Virgin, of the Resurrection of Christ and of the Ascension of Christ;
*Private collection, Cantù (Como): Painting of the Triumph of David and painting of the Triumph of Judith;
*Private home in Naples: Painting of the Triumph of Judith (1758);
*Antique market – Paris, France: Painting of the Allegory of spring;
*Unknown location: Still life paintings of still life with heron and dog, of the Return of Saint Joseph’s brothers (formerly Finante), of Saint Anthony Abbot (formerly Sotheby’s – Florence);
*Private collection - Moscow (Russia): Still life painting with flowers and a view of the park
*Castle of Pescolanciano (Campobasso): The decollation of Saint Alexander the Martyr (1760) Lorenzo De Caro also carried out work at a number of other locations – both public buildings and private residences: Palace of the Governors of the Church of Saint Anna “Lombardi” on the Guantai road (1741), De Stasio-Maiello home behind the Nunziatura church (1745), De Simone-Coppola home in via Rosario di Palazzo (1748), Comes- Cordosa home at Montecalvario (1748), the home of the Marquis Sterlich on the Nardones street (1749), home of Michele Aveta on the Chiaia bridge (1757), home of Pietro Bozzoli at the Concordia area (1759). The work of the artist listed above, as well as other recent research, is proof of the fact that Lorenzo De Caro was Neapolitan, as were his forbears, and that he spent virtually his whole life in Naples. The only time he spent “beyond the city walls” would have been to carry out a certain number of commissioned works: in the province of Frosinone, at San Germano (now Cassino) for paintings in the local cathedral in 1740 and for the church of the Virgin Mary dell’Olivella in S. Elia Fiumerapido. He went to Bracigliano (in the province of Salerno) in order to paint the frescoes of the Calvary on one of the walls of the cloister of the convent of Saint Francis.

References

*“Napoli Nobilissima”, (V series, volume III, parts I-II, January April 2002, Ediz.Arte Tipografica, Napoli) entitled Note archivistiche su Lorenzo De Caro, pittore napoletano del ‘700 by Gustavo De Caro.
*Lorenzo De Caro pittore del ’700 napoletano (edizioni Oèdipus, Salerno/Milano, 2005).