Maella was born in
Valencia. His artistic education began with his father, who was also a painter. In 1752, at the age of eleven, he moved to Madrid and received lessons from
Felipe de Castro, a sculptor who helped introduce the Neoclassical style to Spain. This was followed by enrollment at the
Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he attracted the attention of
Antonio González Velázquez (whose daughter he would later marry). In 1757, with the money from three prizes awarded by the Academia and the support of his family, he was able to study in
Rome. He returned to
Spain in 1765 and participated in the remodeling of the
Palacio Real de Madrid under the direction of
Anton Raphael Mengs, who had a significant influence on his style. He not only worked at the Palacio Real, but at
La Granja de San Ildefonso, the
Palacio de El Pardo and the
Palacio de El Escorial as well. In addition, he restored works by
Juan de Borgoña at the
Cathedral of Toledo, painted frescoes at
Burgo de Osma Cathedral and created designs for the
Royal Tapestry Factory; where he also served as a supervisor for the new artists. From 1795 to 1798, following the death of
Francisco Bayeu, he served as Director General of the Academia. In 1799, he and
Francisco Goya were named as primary court painters and he began to work on the restoration of several Royal sites. After the fall of King
Carlos IV in 1808, he did not hesitate to switch his allegiance to the new French government of King
José I and received the King's hospitality in return. This eventually led to the end of his career. When King
Fernando VII took the throne, Maella was accused of being
afrancesado, dismissed from the court, and retired with only a fifth of his salary, to be replaced by
Vicente López Portaña, one of his students. He died, aged 79, in
Madrid. ==Selected paintings==