Paolo di Matteis: A Baroque Visionary Shaping Naples and Rome Paolo de Matteis (1662-1728) stands as a pivotal figure in the Italian Baroque, an artist whose opulent frescoes and decorative schemes indelibly imprinted upon the artistic landscape of Naples and Rome. Born in Piano Vetrale, Salerno, he emerged from humble beginnings to become one of the era’s most celebrated painters, skillfully blending dramatic theatricality with refined elegance—a hallmark that would later influence the Rocaille style. His formative years were spent under the tutelage of Francesco di Maria in Naples, followe…