Matteo Zaccolini

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Matteo Zaccolini (April 1574 - July 13, 1630) was an Italian painter, priest and author of the late Mannerist and early Baroque periods. He was a mathematical theorist on perspective.

Born in Cesena, he was a pupil of the local painter Francesco Masini, and became a Theatine priest. He is also called "Zacolini" and "Zocolino". He was a protegé of Cardinal Vincenzo Giustiniani, who was renown for his patronage of painters, including Caravaggio, Nicolas Pouissin and Domenichino. Zoccolino was born in Cesena,

He collaborated with Baldassare Croce with the quadratura frescoes in the church of Santa Susana, where he painted the trompe l'oeil columns. In collaboration with Giuseppe Agellio, he painted in San Silvestro al Quirinale. He joined the Theatine order in 1603. From then on, he worked solely in Theatine projects, in Naples and Rome.

He is best known for a four volume treatise, written 1618-1622, on the theory of painting with titles: De Colori, Prospettiva del Colore, Prospettiva lineale, and Della Descrittione dell'Ombre prodotte da corpi opachi rettilinei. These works, while not in general circulation, gained him renown among eclectic circles in Rome. A historian, Giuseppe Silos, from the Theatines, in 1666 described Zaccolini as “Geniuses of our order and most admirable men of his age”. Bellori described him as a master of perspective and optics, and as having instructed Domenichino, Gagliardi, Circignani, and Cavaliere d’Arpino among others. Of note, it appears the earliest version of the manuscript was written in mirror-script, as well as content influenced by writings of Leonardo Da Vinci.