Painter, 1560 to 1609

Annibale Carracci

In 1600 Rome had two new painters and two roads for art to take. Caravaggio's was shadow and the street. Annibale Carracci's was light, the antique and Raphael.

Born
1560, Bologna, Italy
Died
1609, Rome, Italy
Movement
Baroque
In Rome
3 works in 3 museums

Where to see Annibale Carracci in Rome

Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.

Palazzo Farnese1 work

  1. The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne by Annibale Carracci: the god and his bride in chariots among dancing satyrs.

    The Loves of the Gods

    1597 to 1608

    The vault of the gallery of the Farnese palace, with the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne at its centre. The palace is the French embassy, and the gallery is seen only on guided visits booked in advance.

Santa Maria del Popolo1 work

  1. The Assumption of the Virgin by Annibale Carracci, over the altar of the Cerasi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo.

    The Assumption of the Virgin

    1600 to 1601

    The altarpiece of the Cerasi Chapel, between Caravaggio's two paintings. The two rivals side by side, in the only place it happens.

Galleria Doria Pamphilj1 work

  1. Landscape with the Flight into Egypt

    about 1604

    A half-moon canvas in which the holy family are small figures in a wide, ordered countryside. The classical landscape of the next two centuries starts here.

The life of Annibale Carracci

Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna in 1560 and, with his brother and his cousin, founded an academy there that taught painters to draw from life again. In 1595 Cardinal Odoardo Farnese called him to Rome to decorate his palace.

The ceiling he painted there, the loves of the gods of antiquity, was for two centuries the model of what a great decoration should be. He was poorly paid for it, fell into a depression and painted little afterwards. He died in Rome in 1609 and was buried in the Pantheon.

What to know

  • Painted the ceiling of the Farnese Gallery
  • Founded the Carracci academy in Bologna
  • Buried in the Pantheon
Born
3 November 1560, Bologna, Italy
Died
15 July 1609, Rome, Italy

Annibale Carracci: common questions

Where can you see Annibale Carracci in Rome?
At Palazzo Farnese: The Loves of the Gods. At Santa Maria del Popolo: The Assumption of the Virgin. At the Galleria Doria Pamphilj: Landscape with the Flight into Egypt. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
What is Annibale Carracci's most famous work in Rome?
The Loves of the Gods, of 1597 to 1608, at Palazzo Farnese. The vault of the gallery of the Farnese palace, with the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne at its centre. The palace is the French embassy, and the gallery is seen only on guided visits booked in advance.
When and where was Annibale Carracci born?
On 3 November 1560, at Bologna, Italy. Annibale Carracci died on 15 July 1609, at Rome, Italy, aged about 49.
What is Annibale Carracci known for?
Painted the ceiling of the Farnese Gallery. Founded the Carracci academy in Bologna. Buried in the Pantheon. Annibale Carracci was an Italian painter, of the Baroque.

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