Carlo Maratta (1625-1713) Study for St. Charles Borromeo Red chalk on blue paper 22 x 19 cm A study for the same figure in the altar-piece painted circa 1685, the Madonna with St. Ignatius and St. Charles Borromeo is in Santa Maria in Vallicella, Rome. An Italian painter, draughtsman and print maker, Maratta was the last major Italian artist of the classical tradition that had originated with Raphael, and his pre-eminence among the artists of his time marks the triumph of classicism. Nonetheless his art unites the virtues of disegno and colore, and he created a grandiose and decorative style that satisfied the demands of the Church. At the same time his late works had a grace and refinement that anticipated the development of the Rococo and neoclassicism.