The Queen of Sheba before King Solomon

Lorenzo de Caro was likely a pupil of Francesco Solimena in Naples, adopting his master’s bold brushwork. Although few details of the artist’s life are recorded, his marriage to Mariana Bozza in 1743, along with the couple’s ten children and the location of his studio on Vicolo della Porta Piccola del Rosario, are documented in a 1757 parish census. De Caro’s brilliant palette and flickering lighting effects resemble those of contemporary Bohemian and Austrian painters, whose works have often been confused with those of the Neapolitan artist.