MAZZANTI, Ludovico - b. 1686 Roma, d. 1775 Orvieto

Italian painter. He served his apprenticeship under Giovanni Battista Gaulli from 1700 onwards and was influenced by the classicism of Maratti as well as by the Baroque tendencies of Lanfranco in the refined form found in the work of Giovanni Battista Beinaschi (1638-1688). His painting was produced in the cultural climate of the Society of Arcadia and the Accademia di San Luca, which included Giovanni Odazzi (1663-1731) and other Roman decorative artists. He took part in the Concorsi Clementini in 1703-05 and 1708, becoming a member of the Accademia di San Luca in 1744 and of the Accademia Clementina in 1748.

In Rome he collaborated with Niccolò Pomarancio in the church of Santa Maria Apollinare, while at Orvieto he designed the upper mosaics for the Cathedral façade (1713-14). He executed many works at Naples, where he was based during the years 1733-40, and in Campania (the Abbey of Montevergine).

Assumption of the Virgin

This fresco in the vault of the left-hand transept of Sant’Ignazio repeats in its division and decoration Andrea Pozzo’s design in the right-hand transept, and can thus be considered a supplementary component of the original concept. The Assumption of the Virgin in the centre panel of the vault is one of the most successful creations of Roman fresco painting from these years.