BOCCIARDI (Clemente), called Clementone, history and portrait painter, was born at Genoa in 1620, and was the disciple of Bernardo Strozzi, an artist of good reputation; but he found in himself so strong an ambition to arrive at excellence in his profession, that he left Genoa, and went to Rome; there, to explore that true sublimity of style, which can only be obtained by a judicious observation of the ancient sculptures and the works of the celebrated modern artists. By the guidance of an excellent genius, and also by a most industrious application to design, he discovered the art of uniting and blending the antique and modern gusto in a style that at once exhibited both gracefulness and strength. Most of the works of this master (except his portraits, which were lively, natural, and grace-
ful) are in the chapels of Genoa, Pisa, and other cities of Italy; of which places they are, at this day, accounted the greatest ornaments, and are most exceedingly esteemed.