Michelangelo Maestri, was a renowned Italian artist of the
18th century who died in Rome in 1812. His finest compositions are based on motifs from antique frescos discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum and from designs by Raphael or his pupil Giulio Romano. His work became very popular and often purchased by European travelers during their Grand Tour. Some of his most famous gouaches portray putti leading animals on a chariot and were inspired by ceiling frescoes in the Salone of Villa Lante, on the Janiculum Hill in Rome.