Ask for the famous artists of Capitoline Museums and you will hear of Jacopo Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Guido Reni and Ludovico Carracci.
Our catalogue lists 90 works of Capitoline Museums by 58 artists; the 15 best known are ranked below, each with the works the museum holds.
The masters of the originals
The 10 masters whose originals hang in Capitoline Museums
For each master: where and when they were born, their movement, how many originals the museum keeps in our catalogue, a note from their life, and the originals to see.
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Mannerism
1. Jacopo Tintoretto 1519–1594
1519–1594 Born in Venice, Italy Mannerism 3 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born Jacopo Robusti around 1518 in Venice, Italy, the man who would become known as Jacopo Tintoretto was shaped by the industrious atmosphere of his home. While he did experience a brief apprenticeship in the workshop of Titian, the experience was more a period of friction than a traditional education.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Renaissance
2. Paolo Veronese 1528–1588
1528–1588 Born in Verona, Italy Renaissance 4 originals at Capitoline Museums
In the city of Verona, the son of a stonecutter named Gabriele began a life that would eventually drape the grandest halls of Venice in color. Born in 1528, the boy known as Paolo Caliari grew up amidst the heavy, sculpted forms of his father's trade. By the time he moved to Venice in the 1550s, the shimmering waterways and the bustling marketplaces of the Serenissima had already begun to shape his vision.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
3. Guido Reni 1575–1642
1575–1642 Born in Bologna, Italy Baroque 8 originals at Capitoline Museums
In the year 1575, the city of Bologna welcomed Reni Guido (Le Guide), a child born into a household where melody and rhythm were part of the daily air. There, he studied alongside other ambitious souls like Albani and Domenichino, learning to navigate the tension between naturalism and the ideal beauty that the academy championed. In 1601, he moved to Rome, a city that would command his attention for fifteen years.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
4. Ludovico Carracci 1555–1619
1555–1619 Born in Bologna, Italy Baroque 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born in 1555, his life was inextricably linked to the very foundations of the Bolognese School.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
5. Pietro da Cortona 1596–1669
1596–1669 Born in Cortona, Italy Baroque 4 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born in the town that would lend him his more familiar name, Cortona possessed an innate artistic sensibility nurtured early on by training under Andrea Commodi in Florence. However, it was Rome – the pulsating heart of artistic innovation – that truly ignited his genius. Arriving around 1612/3, he entered the studio of Baccio Ciarpi, immersing himself in a world where illusion and drama were rapidly reshaping the visual landscape.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
6. Guercino 1591–1666
1591–1666 Born in Cento, Italy Baroque 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known to the world as Il Guercino – “the squinter” – was a name born from a physical characteristic but destined to represent an artistic vision that dramatically reshaped Baroque painting. Guercino’s artistic development was not a linear progression, but rather a fascinating dialogue between different influences and stylistic explorations. However, Guercino was not content to remain solely within the orbit of Caravaggism.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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High Renaissance
7. Benvenuto Tisi 1481–1559
1481–1559 Born in Ferrara, Italy High Renaissance 5 originals at Capitoline Museums
While his early pieces are often described as “idyllic,” reflecting the luxurious setting of Ferrara, they demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of perspective and color that would evolve dramatically over time.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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8. François Perrier 1594–1649
1594–1649 Born in Pontarlier, France 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born in Pontarlier, his early years were steeped in the intellectual currents of humanist scholarship and the rediscovery of classical antiquity. By absorbing the principles of academic Baroque classicism, Perrier began to move away from the rigidities of Mannerism toward an approach defined by idealized forms and harmonious, yet deeply emotional, compositions.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
9. Michiel Sweerts 1618–1664
1618–1664 Born in Brussels, Belgium Baroque 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born in Brussels in 1618, Michiel Sweerts emerged as a compelling, yet often overlooked, figure within the vibrant Baroque art world. Little is known about his early training; he appears to have arrived fully formed as an artist in Rome around 1646, immediately aligning himself with the circle of artists known as the Bamboccianti. However, Rome was not to be Sweerts’ permanent home.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
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Baroque
10. Giovanni Francesco Romanelli 1610–1662
1610–1662 Born in Viterbo, Italy Baroque 3 originals at Capitoline Museums
Born in Milan in 1571, his life was a whirlwind of dramatic events – marked by both extraordinary artistic talent and a volatile temperament that ultimately led to exile and premature death in 1610. It was in 1592 that he moved to Rome, the vibrant heart of the artistic world, seeking opportunities and hoping to establish himself.
Originals at Capitoline Museums
The masters, continued
No. 11 to No. 15: more masters of Capitoline Museums
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- Adoration of the Magi (1577)
- Driving of the merchants from the temple (1580)
- Flight into Egypt (1585)
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12. Domenico Corvi
1721–1803 · born in Viterbo, Italy · 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
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13. Pietro Faccini
1562–1602 · born in Bologna, Italy · 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
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14. Giovanni Maria Bottala
1613–1644 · born in Savona, Italy · 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
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15. Giuseppe Bonati
1635–1681 · born in Ferrara, Italy · 2 originals at Capitoline Museums
- Esther before Ahasuerus (1650)
- Madonna with the Child (1660)
The house in figures
The masters of Capitoline Museums, in figures
The masters with the most originals at Capitoline Museums
Masters with two originals or more, by century of birth
Masters with two originals or more, by country of birth
Masters with two originals or more, by movement
Women masters
The women whose originals hang in Capitoline Museums
2 women masters, 2 originals, in our catalogue of Capitoline Museums.
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Angelica Kauffmann
1741–1807 · born in Chur, Switzerland · 1 originals at Capitoline Museums
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Maria Felice Tibaldi
1707–1770 · born in Rome, Italy · 1 originals at Capitoline Museums
Two houses
Capitoline Museums or the Galleria Borghese: whose originals are where
Capitoline Museums
- Masters in our catalogue
- 58
- Originals
- 90
- The masters to know
- Jacopo Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Guido Reni, Ludovico Carracci
- Most originals by
- Guido Reni (8), Benvenuto Tisi (5), Paolo Veronese (4)
The Galleria Borghese
- Masters in our catalogue
- 81
- Originals
- 149
- The masters to know
- Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael, Peter Paul Rubens
- Most originals by
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini (11), Caravaggio (9), Titian (9)
Asked of us
Questions on the masters of Capitoline Museums
Open a question to read the answer.
Who is the most famous artist in Capitoline Museums?
Jacopo Tintoretto (1519–1594): our catalogue holds 3 works by Jacopo Tintoretto at Capitoline Museums, among them Crowning with thorns, Baptism of Christ and The Flagellation. Paolo Veronese and Guido Reni follow.
How many Jacopo Tintoretto paintings are in Capitoline Museums?
3 works by Jacopo Tintoretto at Capitoline Museums are in our catalogue: Crowning with thorns (1590), Baptism of Christ (1585) and The Flagellation (1592) among them.
Which Paolo Veronese works are in Capitoline Museums?
4 works by Paolo Veronese at Capitoline Museums are in our catalogue: Good Government (1551), Rape of Europa (1581), The Peace (1551) and The Ascension (1585) among them.
How many Guido Reni paintings are in Capitoline Museums?
8 works by Guido Reni at Capitoline Museums are in our catalogue: The infant Jesus and St. John (1640), Blessed Soul (1640), Suicide of Lucretia (1642) and Portrait of a girl with crown (1642) among them.
Which ten artists should I look for in Capitoline Museums?
The ten best-known artists with works in Capitoline Museums are Jacopo Tintoretto (3), Paolo Veronese (4), Guido Reni (8), Ludovico Carracci (2), Pietro da Cortona (4), Guercino (2), Benvenuto Tisi (5), François Perrier (2), Michiel Sweerts (2) and Giovanni Francesco Romanelli (3).
Who has the most paintings in the collection of Capitoline Museums?
Guido Reni (1575–1642), with 8 works in our catalogue of Capitoline Museums, ahead of Benvenuto Tisi (5), Paolo Veronese (4) and Pietro da Cortona (4).
Are there Leonardo da Vinci works in Capitoline Museums?
No: Capitoline Museums holds no work by Leonardo da Vinci in our catalogue. The Galleria Borghese holds 2.
Does Capitoline Museums have any Pablo Picasso paintings?
No: Capitoline Museums holds no work by Pablo Picasso in our catalogue.
How many women artists are in Capitoline Museums?
2 women artists have works of Capitoline Museums in our catalogue, among them Angelica Kauffmann (1) and Maria Felice Tibaldi (1).
Should I visit Capitoline Museums or the Galleria Borghese for the painters?
Capitoline Museums holds works by 58 artists of our catalogue, the Galleria Borghese by 81. The best-known artists of Capitoline Museums are Jacopo Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese and Guido Reni; of the Galleria Borghese, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Raphael.
Are the artists in Capitoline Museums mostly French, Italian or Dutch?
By country of birth, the artists with two works or more at Capitoline Museums are mostly from Italy (13), France (1) and Belgium (1).
Who is the earliest artist in Capitoline Museums?
The 16th century leads with 9 artists born then. In this ranking, Benvenuto Tisi (1481–1559) is the earliest born and Domenico Corvi (1721–1803) the latest.
The house
Capitoline Museums, Rome, in a few lines
Origins and History of the Capitoline Museums
The Capitoline Museums represent the oldest national museum in the world. The origins of the collection trace back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of ancient bronzes from the Lateran to the people of Rome. This act established the foundation for a public repository of art and archaeology on the Capitoline Hill. The institution has evolved from this initial gift into a significant civic complex located in Rome, Italy. While the collection began in the 15th century, the museum's accessibility changed significantly under the papacy of Clement XII. In 1734, he opened the museum to the public. This decision helped define the institution's role in making historical artifacts available to citizens. The museum's development has been closely tied to the history of the city and the administration of the Capitoline Hill.
The Architecture of the Capitoline Hill
The museum complex is situated on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The architectural arrangement centers on the Piazza del Campidoglio, a space designed by Michelangelo in 1536. This square provides the structural framework for the surrounding buildings, which include the Palazzo Senatorio, the Palazzo dei Conservatori, and the Palazzo Nuovo. The layout reflects a deliberate orchestration of space and form. the Palazzo dei Conservatori was constructed in the mid-16th century and later underwent a redesign by Michelangelo. It faces the Palazzo Nuovo, which was built in the 17th century. These two buildings are the principal structures of the complex. The architectural harmony of the site is defined by the relationship between these facades and the central piazza. The physical connection between the various parts of the complex is facilitated by an underground gallery. This passage runs beneath the piazza, linking the different buildings and allowing for movement through the site.
The famous originals of Capitoline MuseumsCapitoline Museums: the full page, 95 originalsThe museums of Rome
How the masters of the originals are ranked
The masters with two originals or more of Capitoline Museums in our catalogue are ranked by fame: the Wikipedia language editions that describe them, the visits to their OriginalUniqueArt.com page and our studio's ranking. Originals are counted in our catalogue — one entry per work, without details, studies or copies — not in the museum's inventory. Every date, birthplace and movement is the catalogue's; the notes are drawn from the master's biography.
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