Giuseppe Valeriani

Giuseppe Valeriani was among the leading scene painters working in Italian when, in 1742, he left Venice to accompany opera composer Francesco Domenico Araja to the court of Empress Elizabeth in St. Petersburg. He spent the rest of his life in the city, painting the sets for at least 15 opera productions (some of his works can be seen in the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music), and also painting frescoes in several royal palaces. In 1745 he became a professor at Saint Petersburg Academy. Among the artists who worked in his studio was the celebrated Russian portrait painter Dmitry Grigoryevich Levitsky.

Works: The journey of Telemachus (Grand Hall, Stroganov Palace)

Connected with: Francesco Domenico Araja, Antonio Peresinotti