Domenico Zampieri was one of the most influential Italian painters of the 17th century. He became known as Domenichino (little Domenico) because of his small stature. After a humanistic school education, he first joined the workshop of the Flemish painter Denis Calvaert in Bologna. From 1595, he was a pupil at the Accademia degli Incamminati of the Carracci family. Domenichino's talent for innovative compositions of well-known pictorial themes, in which tradition was combined with baroque spectacle, became apparent early on. After having executed first works in Bologna, he followed his fellow students Guido Reni and Francesco Albani to Rome in 1602. Stylistically, Domenichino took his cue from Annibale Carracci and Carracci’s rolemodel Raphael. It was also Carracci who supported Domenichino in obtaining his first commissions in Rome. Reports on Domenichino's working method say that he worked slowly and carefully and prepared each painting with numerous studies and drawings. Domenichino lived in Rome for a total of 25 years. During this time, he received numerous prestigious commissions from noble Roman families and executed frescoes in many Roman churches. He spent the last ten years of his life in Naples decorating the Chapel of San Gennaro in the Cathedral. Several artists had failed at the project before him because the commissioner was very demanding. The local artists did not hide their envy and manipulated Domenichino’s work. In 1641, he died before he could finish the work on the chapel. According to contemporary reports, Domenichino was probably poisoned by jealous competitors.