Francesco Della Questa 

Francesco della Questa, a Neapolitan Baroque painter, is renowned for his expertise in still life painting, particularly those incorporating flowers, fruits, vegetables, and occasionally marine fauna, often adorned with distant small figures.

Possibly of Spanish origin under the real name Cuesta, della Questa is said to have been trained by Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo, surpassing his master in the art of painting vegetables through meticulous study of nature. A member of the Painters' Corporation from 1666, he served as prefect from 1685 to 1687, enjoying the patronage of noble art enthusiasts eager to decorate their salons with his works, thereby ensuring his well-being.

An eclectic artist, his compositions reflect the influences of Ruoppolo, Abraham Brueghel, and Giuseppe Recco. His stylistic evolution, characterized by a naturalism with rigorous technique and firm line, gradually moved towards greater freedom and a Baroque decoration, enriched by more complex atmospheric effects. This transformation could be attributed to his collaboration with Luca Giordano, under whom he contributed to the festivities of Corpus Christi in 1684, funded by the Marquis del Carpio. Della Questa remains an emblematic figure of Neapolitan Baroque painting, celebrated for his ability to capture the fleeting beauty of nature in its full chromatic and atmospheric splendor.