Matteo Rosselli (10 August 1578 – 18 January 1650) was an Italian painter of the late Florentine Counter-

Mannerism Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, 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, ...

and early

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

. He is best known however for his highly populated grand-manner historical paintings.

Biography

He first apprenticed with

Gregorio Pagani Gregorio Pagani (14 July 1559 – 1605) was an Italian painter of the late 16th century, active mainly in Florence. He was the son of the painter Francesco Pagani, then became a pupil of Santi di Tito, then entered the studio of Ludovico Cigoli. ...

. On 26 February 1599, he was inducted to the Accademia del Disegno, and in 1605 traveled to Rome to work with Domenico Passignano for six months. He completed some frescoes on ''The Legend of the Origin of the Servite Order'' (1614–1618) in the Palazzo Pitti and in the Cloister of the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata; a ''Madonna and child with St Francis'' altarpiece for the Church of

Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

in Florence; and an ''Adoration of the Magi'' (1607) for the Church of Sant'Andrea in Montevarchi. He painted a ''Crucifixion'' (1613) now in the parish church at Scarperia. He painted a ''Last Supper'' (1614) now in Conservatorio di San Pier Martire. Upon the French monarch's death, he was commissioned two commemorative paintings of events in the life of Henry IV: his visit to ''Nantes'' and ''Gaudabec'' (1610). He also completed an ''Assumption'' (1613) for the church of San Domenico in

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

. He painted a number of frescoes for the Casa Buonarroti based on events of Michelangelo's life, including ''Fortifications of San Miniato'' (1615) and two others (1627 and 1628), all commissioned by his nephew, Michelangelo Buonarroti the younger. Santa Cecilia (1615-20), Matteo Rosselli

Santa Cecilia (1615-20), Matteo Rosselli

In 1621, he was commissioned to paint a ''Triumph of David'' for the Pitti Palace, and a ''Lot and his Daughters and Tobias and Angel'' for the Galleria Corsini in Florence. Further decorations (1622–1623) were commissioned by Leopoldo de' Medici for the

Casino di San Marco The Casino Mediceo di San Marco is a late-Renaissance or Mannerist style palace located on Via Cavour number 57 and via San Gallo in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. History At a palace at the site, Lorenzo di Medici had used structures as a ...

: ''Frederick II rebuilds the Port of Livorno'' and the ''Capture of Ippona'' (Florence, Corte d'Assise). Leopoldo also commissioned from Rosselli a series of allegorical paintings (1622) for the ''Sala della Stufa'' in Palazzo Pitti. He frescoed in reception rooms of the Villa di Poggio Imperiale with scenes portraying European emperors amid biblical and historical scenes (1619–1623). He painted a ''Madonna of the Rosary'' (1649) for the Cathedral of Pietrasanta and a canvas of the ''Mission of St Paul in Damascus'' (frame by

Nero di Porta Venere Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unt ...

, for the

Duomo of Volterra Volterra Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, or ''Duomo di Volterra'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Volterra, Italy, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is the seat of the bishop of Volterra. History The present ...

. The largest collection of Rosselli drawings is contained within the Louvre Museum, Paris, with many being preliminary sketches for other works. Among his many pupils were

Baldassare Franceschini Baldassare Franceschini, called Il Volterrano after his birth place Volterra and, to distinguish him from Ricciarelli, Il Volterrano Giuniore (16116 January 1689) was an Italian late Baroque painter and draughtsman active principally around Flo ...

(il Volterrano), Lorenzo Lippi, Francesco Furini, Giovanni da San Giovanni (Giovanni Mannozzi), and Jacopo Vignali.Wittkower R. p344 Rosselli Triunfo David.jpeg, Triumph of David Matteo rosselli, san lorenzo che distribuisce i beni della chiesa ai poveri e risana un cieco.jpg, St Lawrence gives away all and cures the blind Matteo rosselli, visitazione.jpg, Visitation Matteo rosselli, natività di Cristo.jpg, Birth of Christ File:San marco, firenze, altare alfani poi martini dell'ala, san domenico in soriano, matteo rosselli 1640.JPG, ''

San Domenico in Soriano ''Saint Dominic in Soriano'' ( it, San Domenico in Soriano; es, Santo Domingo en Soriano) was a portrait of Saint Dominic painted in 1530. It is an important artefact in the Dominican friary at Soriano Calabro in southern Italy. It was belie ...

'', Church of San Marco, Florence

Notes

References

External links

Artnet biography from Grove Encyclopedia of Art Louvre Museum, Collection of works by Matteo Rosselli
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roselli, Matteo 1578 births 1650 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Painters from Florence Mannerist painters Italian Baroque painters