Abstract

This contribution examines the life of «one of the greatest experts in painting and fine antiquities» in mid-seventeenth century Rome, his appearance on the art market as Salvator Rosa's middleman, his work for Cardinal Francesco Maria Brancaccio's family and as a guardaroba for two cardinal-nepoti (Pamphilj and Chigi), and finally his reputation as a marchand-amateur whose collection was considered worth mentioning even by Giovan Pietro Bellori in his Nota delli Musei. The reconstruction of Nicolò Simonelli's career shows an image of the world of minor collectors and their practices, widening our comprehension of the rising professions in seventeenth-century art market, especially that of connoisseur.