VECCHI, Giovanni de'

Italian painter. After training with Raffaello dal Colle in his native Borgo Sansepolcro, then with Taddeo Zuccaro, Giovanni de'Vecchi enjoyed a career spanning over fifty years, spent mostly in Rome.

He assisted Taddeo Zuccari in the interior decoration of the VillaGLOSSARYa residence in the country (in Italy); villas acquired palace-like characteristics from the Renaissance onwards. Farnese at Caprarola, a major work in the Mannerist style. He also has paintings in many Roman churches: the Life of St Jerome in Santa Maria in Aracoeli; the four Doctors of the Church (Gregory, Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine) in the cupolaGLOSSARYIn architecture, a small dome, usually one set on a much larger dome or on a roof; a semi-circular vault. of Il Gesù, St Sebastian in Sant'Andrea della Valle; frescoes with the stories of St Catherine in Cappella Capranica of the Santa Maria sopra Minerva; Deposition in the sacristyGLOSSARYa side room of a church where a priest puts on his vestments and where the sacred vessels and vestments are kept. of Santa Prassede, decoration of a chapelGLOSSARYa small separate place for worship, either part of a large church or a separate building. in San Pietro in Montorio, etc. The mosaics for the tribune of St Peter's basilicaGLOSSARYa church building, usually facing east, with a tall main nave and two or four side aisles of lesser height. There may also be a transept between the nave and the choir, which is reserved for the clergy. Originally, the basilica was an ancient Greek administrative building, and the Romans used this form for markets and law courts; it then became a place of assembly for the early Christians, and thus a church. with St John and St Luke are based on his cartoons.