STRADANUS

Stradanus, Johannes Stradanus, Jan van der Straet or Giovanni Stradano (1523 – 1605), was a Flemish artist active mainly in 16th-century Florence, Italy. He worked as an easel and fresco painter, designer of tapestries, draughtsman, designer of prints and pottery decorator. His subject range was varied and included history subjects, mythological scenes, allegories, landscapes, genre scenes, portraits, architectural scenes and animals. After training in his native Flanders he settled in Florence, where he became a prominent court artist to the Medici during the second half of the 16th century and worked on the many decorative projects of the court. Stradanus also produced large altarpieces for the most important churches in Florence.

He was a prolific designer of prints which were circulated widely throughout Europe for many centuries. Through his knowledge of Florentine and Italian art and his international contacts with engravers and editors in Antwerp, Stradanus contributed to the development of printmaking. He was one of the earliest members of the prominent Academia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno established in Florence in 1563.      (Wikipedia)

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