Piola was an Italian painter, draughtsman*, printmaker and designer. He was the leading artist in Genoa in the second half of the 17th century, providing ceiling frescoes* for many Genoese churches and palaces and producing paintings for private collectors. He was also a prolific draughtsman, whose many designs for thesis pages and book illustrations promoted his work throughout Europe. The enormous and multifarious productivity of his studio, his numerous collaborations with other artists and the fact that most of his most ambitious projects have been destroyed have discouraged any systematic study of his work.

After his initial training with Pellegro at the age of seven, Domenico studied under Pellegro's teacher, Giovanni Domenico...