• Was an Italian painter.
• Giovanni Paolo Castelli was one of probably
three artists of the same family, established in Rome and specializing in still lifes, who were all known by the sobriquet of “lo Spadino”.
• Paolo was an associate of Abraham Brueghel.
• In 1686 he inherited the family workshop from
his elder brother Bartolomeo, including both unfinished canvases and clients.
• Amongst the prominent clients commissioning works from
Spadino in the ensuing years were Prince Filippo
Corsini of Florence and Cardinal Flavio Chigi.
• An inventory from 1715 of the collections of Prince Giacomo Capece Zurlo of Naples lists eight small works by Spadino.
• According to Luigi Salerno, the most important works by Spadino are the 21 paintings, including The Elegant Refreshment dated 1701, in the Roccamadoro Ramelli collection in Fermo.
• Spadino seems to have been quite strongly influenced by Flemish still-life painters, perhaps chiefly due to his association with Brueghel.
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