Paolo Mei


Paolo Mei was an Italian painter active in Rome.

Biography

He was born in Rome to his father, Domenico, and his mother, Matilde Farrajoni. Parish records list the name sometimes as Meo, but Mei was used throughout his life. His father died when Paolo was three years old, and his mother died when he was 19 years old; this left him inheriting little in terms of financial resources.
His initial training was under Tommaso Minardi, then a professor at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. By 1856, he had formulated a strong friendship with the painter Cesare Fracassini, who was to help him obtain many commissions. He often also collaborated with Cesare Mariani.
In 1859, he helped decorate the rooms in the Palazzo Raffaelli in Cingoli, in the province of Macerata. He also painted in Tivoli and Civitavecchia.
Among his works for churches are:
In 1860, he provided some designs for the engraver Giuseppe Marcucci. He painted a number of small canvases with scenes of life in Ancient Rome. In 1865, he traveled to Naples, where he made contact with Domenico Morelli. After the death of Minardi in 1871, he completed some of the frescoes in the portico of the cemetery of Verano in Rome. Guglielmo De Sanctis completed the other two. He is buried in this cemetery. In 1893, he was admitted as a member to the Congregazione pontificia de’ Virtuosi of the Pantheon. Mei died in Rome on 21 March 1900.