About the Artist

Dosso Dossi (c. 1489 Mantua? - 1542 Ferrara), born Giovanni de Lutero, is the chief exponent of the school of Ferrarain the 16th century. He is first mentioned in 1512 in Mantua, but two years later he entered the service of the dukes Alfonso and Ercole d'Este and settled in Ferrara. On his Various travels, he visited Trento, Pesaro and possibly Venice; around 1520, he was active in Rome, where he may have associated with the circle surrounding Raphael. In addition to frescoes, Dossi also painted panels depicting Christian, mythological and allegorical themes in which he combined the lively style of Ferrara with the new forms of expression developed by Titian and Giorgione. Among the artist's works are Bacchanal, c.1518, The National Gallery, London; Jupiter, Mercury and Virtue, c. 1530, Kunsthistorishes Museum, Vienna; and Virgin and Child with Saints, c. 1521, Cathedral, Modena.