Francesco Cozza Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness 1665 oil on canvas Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam |
Francesco Cozza Triumph of the Blessed Juan de Sahugún before 1660 drawing British Museum |
Francesco Cozza Sketch for Tobias and the Angel before 1665 oil on canvas private collection |
Francesco Cozza Sibilla before 1665 oil on canvas Bristol Museum & Art Gallery |
"Born in Stilo, in Calabria, in 1605, Francesco Cozza was a student of Domenichino in Rome and in Naples, initially active in the master's atelier working after drawings. He was later independently active, chiefly in Rome, as well as in Naples and in Perugia and other central Italian cities. . . . Among the direct followers of Domenichino, Cozza was certainly the most conscientious and the most individual. . . . His almost archaistic style has an affinity with Giacinto Gimignani, but especially with Sassoferrato. Problems of chiaroscuro did not interest him; his works are, rather, painterly in terms of their uniform, clear luminosity; the individual, carefully chosen colors stand out distinctly, without transitional tonalities or shadings, but not harsh in effect against one another. His strength lies in his draftsmanship; special attention is devoted to the study of drapery folds, in the careful and finely sensitive rendering of which his principal charm lies. He preferred simple, severe scenes and arranged his pictures along strong vertical and horizontal lines, almost totally without use of curves or diagonals. The facial expressions of his figures usually show little animation; movement and gestures are restrained and with a certain degree of tranquil apathy. . . . Having become subject to melancholy after the death of his first wife in 1661, he was thereafter largely inactive until his death in 1682."
– Hermann Voss, from Baroque Painting in Rome (1925), revised and translated by Thomas Pelzel (San Francisco: Alan Wofsy, 1997)
Francesco Cozza Flight into Egypt before 1660 oil on canvas Convento di Sant'Angelo in Pescheria, Rome |
Francesco Cozza St Francis with Musical Angel before 1665 oil on canvas Palazzo Arnone, Cosenza |
Francesco Cozza Madonna and Child ca. 1630-40 oil on canvas Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide |
Francesco Cozza St John the Baptist preaching in the Wilderness before 1665 oil on canvas Palazzo Barberini, Rome |
Francesco Cozza Urania, or, Allegory of Astronomy ca. 1660-70 oil on canvas Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro |
Francesco Cozza Figure of Music ca. 1660-70 oil on copper Glasgow Museums |
Francesco Cozza Penitent Magdalen in a Landscape ca. 1650 etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Francesco Cozza Penitent St Peter ca. 1650 etching Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Francesco Cozza Virgin and sleeping Christ Child watched over by Angels ca. 1650 etching National Gallery of Art, Washington DC |
Francesco Cozza Madonna del Riscatto before 1665 oil on canvas Pontificio Collegio Nepomuceno, Rome |