Pier Francesco Mola

Born in 1612 in Coldrerio, Switzerland, Mola was the son of the architect Giovanni Battista Mola. At age four, he moved to Rome with his family where he would spend the rest of his life, save for a few years spent traveling and studying in Northern Italy.

Mola showed promise as an artist from an early age; his childhood drawings in ink and chalk reflect a precocious interest in chiaroscuro. From 1633 to 1640, and again from 1641 to 1647, Mola traveled to Bologna and Venice to study the works of Northern Italian masters. He is believed to have worked in the studio of Francesco Albani in Bologna. Upon returning to Rome in 1647, Mola's style reflected the influence of Titian, Albani and other renowned Italian masters. Soon after his return, Mola began to receive important commissions for public works, such as the fresco decoration for the church of San Domenico e Sisto. Mola also completed a fresco for the gallery of Pope Alexander VII in the Quirinale Palace. Titled Joseph Greeting His Brothers, the work was praised for its use of color and sense of grandeur, and is often considered his most famous work.

In 1663, Mola was appointed president of the Academy of Saint Luke, an association of artists which included sculptors, painters and architects. He resigned one year later due to serious illness. Mola remained in Rome until his death in 1666.