Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/131

 100 MASTELLETTA— MAZZA, d. 1655. Bolognese School. His sur- name of Mastelletta was derived from the occupaUon of his father, who was a pail-maker. He studied in the school of the Garracci, and imitated the works of Parmegiano, adopting at the same time the principles of the Tenebrosi in colour. His drawing was feeble and incorrect, the difficulty he found in representing the nude seems to have led him to adopt landscape-painting, and small cabinet pieces. He has painted landscapes which have been mistaken for those of Annibale Car- racci. He latterly, after a visit to Rome, devoted himself considerably to landscapes with small figures : he attended the studio of Agostino Tassi, then distinguished as a landscape- painter at Bome. Annibale Carracci recommended him to adhere exclu- sively to small cabinet pieces, but he resumed his large figure subjects after his return to Bologna. Works. Bologna, church of the Madonna delle grazie, the Death and Assumption of the Virgin : the Mendi- cant!, the Flight into Egypt : church of the Celestines, St. Irene drawing the Arrow from the breast of St. Se- bastian. Budrio, Santa Maria del Borgo, Flight into Egypt: Academy, Christ in the Desert, attended by An- gels. Rome, Spada Gallery, Miracle of the Manna. (Malvasia.) MASUCCI, Agostino, 6. at Kome, 1691, d, 1758. Roman School. Dis- tinguished scholar of Carlo Marratta, and an imitator of his style. Masucci's pictures of Holy Famihes resemble those of Maratta both in treatment and in expression; he also painted many altar-pieces, in which he intro- duced portraits, a branch of painting in which he excelled : he was, however, weak in colour. Works. Rome, Santa Maria Mag- giore, a Holy Family : Santa Maria del Popolo, San Niccola da Tolentino: church del Nome Santissimo di Maria, St. Anna: Casino, in the garden of the Quirinal, frescoes. Urbino, San Bo- naventura, with many portraits. (Larni.) MATTEIS, Paolo de, b. at Cilento, 1662, <i. 1728. Neapolitan School. The best pupil of Luca Giordano ; he stu- died also under Morandi. He rivalled the celerity without attaining the merit of Giordano. He resided for three years in France, when he was invited to Rome by Benedict XIII.; but his principal works are at Naples, where he imitated Lanfranco in some of his frescoes. He was the author of a work on the principles of drawing : II Libra tPInsegnamento del DisegnOy Stc, folio, with plates, by F. Aquila. Works. Genoa, San Girolamo, the Conception; and St. Gerome appearing to San Saverio. Rome, San Giovanni in Laterano, <fec. {Dominici.) MATTURINO, d. at Rome, about 1528. Tuscan School. He was a native of Florence, and studied under Raphael, at Rome, where he was em- i ployed by him in ornamenting the stanze of the Vatican, with friezes, &^c., in conjunction with Polidoro da Cara- vaggio. He decorated also the exterior of some of the Roman palaces and churches. Matturino excelled in the representation of bas-reliefs in chiaro* scuro, after the taste of the ancients, and frequently from ancient story : the frieze of the Niobe was among the most celebrated; it was engraved by Fischer, in 1594, in eight plates, and since by H. Saenredam, and by G. B. Galestruzzi. ( Vasari. ) MAZZA, Damiano, flourished about 1550. Paduan and Venetian Schools. An able scholar of Titian. The churches at Venice contain some of his works, as the Coronation of the Virgin, in the Chiesa della SpedaletW. In the Casa Sonica, at Padua, he re- presented the fable of Ganymede borne