An Italian Master of History and Fresco Francesco Podesti was an Italian painter active in a Romantic style. Along with Francesco Hayez and Giuseppe Bezzuoli, he is considered one of the greatest Italian painters of the first half of the 19th century. He was prolific in creating large canvases on historical subjects. He is best known for his fresco work, which includes those located in the Hall of the Immacolata in the Vatican Museum.…