Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, called Il Bolognese, (1606—80) was an Italian architect, painter, and engraver, born in Bologna and studied under the Caracci and Albani. Grimaldi was employed by Cardinal Mazarin in Paris (1649-51) to decorate the Palais Mazarin (now Bibliothéque Nationale); but he spent the greater part of his life in Rome, where he practiced as architect and painted under the patronage of various popes. Pope Innocent X employed him in his gallery at Monte Cavallo and in the Vatican. Grimaldi was twice president of the Academy of St. Luke, Rome. His best-known works include "Baptism of Christ," "The Washerwomen," "Landscapes," and "Scenes from the Old Testament."
