Carl Borromäus Andreas Ruthart (1630 - c. 1703)

• Was a German painter.
• He considered himself to be a follower of Peter Paul Rubens.

• Around 1650, he was an apprentice of Daniel Schultz.

• From 1663 to 1664, he was a Guild Master in Antwerp.

• In the late 1660s, he passed through Regensburg on his way to Vienna, where he stayed for two years.

• Initially, he was an animal painter and specialized in depicting predators; especially the large cats.

• He collaborated with Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg, adding animals to his landscapes.

• After moving to Italy, around 1672, he turned to painting sacred subjects.  

• He eventually settled in L'Aquila, impressed by the rite of the Perdonanza Celestiniana, which was instituted by Pope Celestine V in the 13th century.

• He became a Celestine monk and took the name Frà Andrea.

• He would spend the rest of his life in the convent at the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio. 

• While there, he painted four large canvases depicting the life of Pope Celestine, all of which, in keeping with his earlier specialty, included animals.

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