Cesare Corte (1554–1613) was an Italian painter of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

period, active mainly in his natal city of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. He was the pupil of his father, the Venetian painter and later alchemist Valerio Corte. He trained under

Luca Cambiaso Luca Cambiaso (also known as Luca Cambiasi and Luca Cangiagio (being ''Cangiaxo'' the surname in Ligurian (Romance language), Ligurian); 18 November 1527 – 6 September 1585) was an Italian Painting, painter and draughtsman and the leading arti ...

. According to Baldinucci, he was often in demand as a portrait painter. As a young man, he traveled to London and Paris. It is said that Queen

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation), lists various empresses named ''Elisabeth'' or ''Elizabeth'' * Princess Elizabeth ...

of England requested a portrait from him, although he is not mentioned in Lord Orfurd's ''Anecdotes''. In Genoa, he painted ''Saints Simon and Francis'' for Santa Maria del Carmine. He painted ''San Pietro di Banchi adoring the Virgin'' (1600) for the church of the same name. For the church of San Pietro he painted the titular Saint at the feet of the Virgin; for San Francesco, the altar-piece of the chapel of Prince Massa, representing ''Mary Magdalene''; and for the church of Santa Maria del Carmine two pictures of ''St. Simeon and St. Francis''. He was known for painting portraits. On December 30, 1612, he was imprisoned by the

Roman Inquisition The Roman Inquisition, formally , was a system of partisan tribunals developed by the Holy See of the Catholic Church, during the second half of the 16th century, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a wide array of crimes according ...

for espousing

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

beliefs and possessing Protestant literature. He confessed and underwent a public

abjuration Abjuration is the solemn repudiation, abandonment, or renunciation by or upon oath, often the renunciation of citizenship or some other right or privilege. The term comes from the Latin ''abjurare'', "to forswear". Abjuration of the realm Abju ...

of his heretical beliefs on August 11, 1613, in the church of San Domenico. He was condemned to life in prison, although he died within weeks.R. Soprani, p 104. Cesare's son, Davidde, was trained as a painter by

Domenico Fiasella Domenico Fiasella (12 August 1589 – 19 October 1669) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Genoa. He was nicknamed Il Sarzana, after his birthplace of Sarzana nera Genoa. Biography He was the son of Giovanni Fiasella, a ...

. Davidde died in 1657 during the plague. Other pupils were

Bernardo Strozzi Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644), was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included History painting, history, Allegory, allegorica ...

and Luciano Borzone.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Corte, Cesare 1554 births 1613 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Painters from Genoa Italian Renaissance painters Victims of the Inquisition Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Italian people who died in prison custody