The talents of this great painter, seem to have been obscured by a cruel
and revengeful disposition, partaking of the character of his works. He
was one of the triumvirate of painters, who assassinated, persecuted, or
drove every talented foreign painter from Naples, that they might
monopolize the business. He was also a reckless libertine, and,
according to Dominici, having seduced a beautiful girl, he was seized
with such remorse for his many crimes, as to become insupportable to
himself; and to escape the general odium which was heaped upon him, he
fled from Naples on board a ship, and was never heard of more. This
story however is doubtless colored, for, according to Palomino and
several other writers, Ribera died at Naples in 1656. See page 132 of
this volume.