Brief Biography-Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco (Cavaliere Giovanni di Stefano) was born in Parma in 1582. He was a disciple of Agostino Carracci in Bologna and later his brother Annibale Carracci; however, the works of Correggio, particularly in Parma, were his primary influence. In Rome, Lanfranco worked in the studio of Annibale when doing the fresco cycle of The Loves of the Gods at the Palazzo Farnese, assisting with his work. Pope Urban VIII commissioned Lanfranco to work at Saint Peter’s, he remained in Rome for four years, and the Pope bestowed on him a knighthood. In 1646, he painted the Ascension of the Virgin on the dome of San Gennaro in Naples. An earthquake later destroyed it, except for the Angels.
Domenichino became his bitter rival in Rome, leading to plagiarism and foul misdeed accusations. His most remarkable fresco was the Assumption of the Virgin on the crown of Sant’Andrea della Valle in 1627. Lanfranco excelled in painting church domes in Naples and Rome, where his foreshortening stands out and is equal to that of Correggio. However, he never reached perfection in other respects, such as his chiaroscuro. He died in Rome in 1647. His paintings hang in the principal galleries of Europe.