11 Facts About Antonio Verrio

Antonio Verrio was responsible for introducing Baroque mural painting into England and served the Crown over a thirty-year period.

Around 1665, Antonio Verrio moved to the region of Toulouse where he was commissioned to decorate the Chateau de Bonrepos, the property of Pierre-Paul Riquet, promoter of the Canal du Midi.

Antonio Verrio then settled in Toulouse itself where he worked for the Discalced Carmelites and the Capuchins.

Thanks to Montagu, Antonio Verrio made his English debut working for aristocrats such as Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington and John Maitland, 1st Duke of Lauderdale, and rapidly acquired the royal patronage of Charles II.

On its completion, in 1684, Antonio Verrio was appointed Chief First Painter.

At the Glorious Revolution, Antonio Verrio received no royal protection from William III and had to leave the court.

Antonio Verrio, who had worked for the nobility while he was employed by Charles and James, returned to his aristocratic clientele.

Antonio Verrio spent the next decade at Burghley House, the property of John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter, and Chatsworth House, the property of William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire.

At his death, in 1702, Antonio Verrio continued his royal service and painted for Queen Anne his last royal commission in the Queen's Drawing Room.

Antonio Verrio influenced younger artists such as Louis Laguerre and James Thornhill, and his Hampton Court Palace frescoes constitute a priceless legacy.

Antonio Verrio's surviving decorative work in England and Wales can be seen at Burghley House, Chatsworth House, Reigate Priory, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Christ's Hospital, Ham House, Hampton Court Palace, Moor Park, Powis Castle, Snape Castle and Windsor Castle.