He was born in Rome to his father, Domenico, and his mother, Matilde Farrajoni. Parish records list the name sometimes as Meo, but Mei was used throughout his life. His father died when Paolo was three years old, and his mother died when he was 19 years old; this left him inheriting little in terms of financial resources. His initial training was under
Tommaso Minardi, then a professor at the
Accademia di San Luca in Rome. By 1856, he had formulated a strong friendship with the painter
Cesare Fracassini, who was to help him obtain many commissions. He often also collaborated with
Cesare Mariani. In 1859, he helped decorate the rooms in the Palazzo Raffaelli in
Cingoli, in the province of
Macerata. He also painted in
Tivoli and
Civitavecchia. Among his works for churches are: • Chapel of the Guardian Angel in the church of
Santa Maria in Aquiro; • Chapel of the crucifix in the church of
Santa Lucia del Gonfalone; ceiling and lateral walls: only walls remain, depicting
Madonna Addolorata., • Altarpiece (1869) for fourth chapel on left in the church of
Santa Maria della Pace; completed a canvas of
Cesare Fracassini. •
Execution of St Stefano and part of
St Lawrence presents the goods of his church to the prefect of Rome for the Basilica of
San Lorenzo fuori le Mura both either designs or partially completed by Fracassini before his death. In 1860, he provided some designs for the engraver
Giuseppe Marcucci. He painted a number of small canvases with scenes of life in Ancient Rome (also called Neo-Pompeian themes). In 1865, he traveled to
Naples, where he made contact with
Domenico Morelli. After the death of Minardi in 1871, he completed some of the frescoes (
Art and
Poetry) in the portico of the cemetery of Verano (
Campo Verano) in Rome.
Guglielmo De Sanctis completed the other two. He is buried in this cemetery. In 1893, he was admitted as a member to the
Congregazione pontificia de’ Virtuosi of the Pantheon. Mei died in Rome on 21 March 1900. ==References==