Jusepe de Ribera (12 Jan 1591 - 02 Sep 1652) was born and baptized in Játiva in the Valencia region. His father, Simón Ribera was a successful shoemaker. He lost his mother when he was only about six years old. It is believed by some art historians that Ribera's love for arts could have been encouraged by other artists in his family. Ribera was displeased with the way things were going so left his hometown in pursuit of bigger and better things. He was in Italy by 1611, but stopped first in Parma, where he executed a painting for the church of St. Prospero, and later went to Rome by 1613.
He studied at the Academy of St. Luke, and lived with his younger brother, Juan, as well as with other fellow Spaniards in the house of a Flemish merchant on the Via Margutta. During his early years in Rome, Ribera led a libertine existence in imitation of Caravaggio, whose art he so admired. He thus ran out of money quickly and had to fly to Naples in 1616, apparently to escape his creditors. Ribera stayed in Naples for the rest of his life. After arriving in Naples, his reputation skyrocketed to the point that by 1618, his was considered the most popular painter in town. He garnered commissions from the Viceroy of Naples and the grand duke of Tuscany, Cosimo II de Medici. In 1641, he was awarded the commission for the chapel of St. Gennaro which was the most important religious site in all of Naples. Many galleries currently avail ready to mount framed Jusepe de Ribera art.