Battista Franco Veneziano (c. 1510 - 1561), baptized Giovanni Battista Franco, was an Italian

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

painter and

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

active in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Urbino Urbino ( , ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, southwest of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially und ...

, and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

in the mid 16th century. He is also known as ''il Semolei'' or just Battista Franco. Native to

, he came to Rome in his twenties. He painted an allegory of the ''Battle of Montemurlo'' now in the

Pitti Palace The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

(1537), and a fresco of the ''Arrest of John the Baptist'' for the Oratory of San Giovanni Decollato (1541). From 1545–51 he painted in

. He may have been, along with

Girolamo Genga Girolamo Genga (c. 1476 – 11 July 1551) was an Italian painter and architect of the late Renaissance, Mannerist style. Life and career Genga was born in a region near Urbino. According mainly to Giorgio Vasari's biography, by age thirteen ...

, one of the mentors of

Federico Barocci Federico Barocci (also written Barozzi) ( – 30 September 1612) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and influential, and foresha ...

. His painting, in the Mannerist style, was heavily indebted to

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

; but his drawings and

s have far more verve and originality. He returned to

, where he helped fresco the ceiling of the

Biblioteca Marciana The Marciana Library or Library of Saint Mark (, but in historical documents commonly referred to as the ) is a public library in Venice, Italy. It is one of the earliest surviving public libraries and repositories for manuscripts in Italy and ...

(library). He painted a series of panels, including a ''Baptism of Christ'' ( Barbaro chapel), for the walls and vault of the

Grimani The House of Grimani was a prominent Venetian patrician family, including three Doges of Venice. They were active in trade, politics and later the ownership of theatres and opera-houses. Notable members Notable members included: * Antonio Grim ...

chapel in the church

San Francesco della Vigna San Francesco della Vigna is a Roman Catholic church in the Sestiere of Castello, Venice, Castello in Venice, northern Italy. History Along with Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, this is one of two Franciscan churches in Venice. The site, original ...

in Venice. He painted the ''Raising of Lazarus'' in the Ducal palace. He is the father of etcher and publisher Giacomo Franco. San Giovanni Battista battezza Cristo nel Giordano - di Battista Franco 1555.jpg, ''Baptism of Christ''

Le Virtù Angeliche e le Virtù Umane di F. Battista detto il Semolei.jpg, Vault of

chapel

External links

*
Artnet biography on painter.
* * Massimo Firpo, Fabrizio Biferali,
'Battista Franco «pittore viniziano» nella cultura artistica e nella vita religiosa del '500''
Pisa, Edizioni della Scuola Normale Superiore, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Franco, (Giovanni) Battista 1561 deaths Artists from Venice 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian etchers 16th-century etchers Italian Renaissance painters Year of birth unknown Fresco painters