Albani, Francesco

Albani, Francesco (or Francesco Albano) (b Bologna, 17 Mar. 1578; d Bologna, 4 Oct. 1660). Bolognese painter. After a period in the studio of Denys Calvaert and subsequently in the Carracci academy, he moved to Rome in about 1601 and for the next fifteen years worked mainly on fresco decorations, initially as an assistant to Annibale Carracci and Guido Reni (of whom he later became obsessively jealous), then winning important commissions of his own. By 1617 he had returned to Bologna, where he became one of the leading painters of the day and a notable teacher, his pupils including Cignani, Mola, and Sacchi. His later works were mainly altarpieces for local churches and small pictures (sometimes on copper) of allegorical or mythological subjects with prominent landscape backgrounds—very much in the ideal landscape tradition of Annibale Carracci and Domenichino. These charmingly light-hearted works were highly popular with collectors in the 18th century.