Benvenuto Tisi - called Garofalo - was one of the leading painters working in Ferrara in the earlier 16th century, about the same time as Dosso Dossi.
Garofalo is best known for his many small and carefully painted representations of religious subjects. He was also the author of altarpieces and mythological scenes, and fresco decorations, such as those in the Palace of Lodovico il Moro in Ferrara.
Garofalo was probably trained by Boccaccini of Cremona, who was in Ferrara from 1497 to 1500. According to Vasari, Garofalo twice visited Rome, and knowledge of classical art and recent Roman painting is apparent in some of his work. Even so, and unlike Dosso, Garofalo appears cautious and old-fashioned in his style and technique. In this he resembles his lesser contemporaries in Ferrara, Ludovico Mazzolino, who also specialised in small-scale religious works, and Ortolano, with whose paintings those of Garofalo are sometimes confused.
Garofalo
about 1481 - 1559
Paintings by Garofalo
(Showing 6 of 7 works)
A young man pours red wine from an amphora onto the goat’s head on the altar; a young woman carries an upside-down torch, while an old woman balances a basket of pears, apples and grapes on her head. For many years the subject of this painting by Garofalo was believed to be a sacrifice of thanksg...
Not on display
On the night before his crucifixion, Christ went to the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. He said his prayers; his disciples Peter, John and James fell asleep. Christ asked God, if possible, to spare him the destiny that awaited him. Eventually Christ accepted...
The infant Christ is shown greeting his cousin, John the Baptist, who comes bearing a goldfinch, an emblem of Christ’s suffering and death. Saint Joseph is seen behind the Virgin Mary to the right; Zacharias is behind his wife Saint Elizabeth to the left, where another saint, perhaps Francis, als...
Not on display
This painting served as the high altarpiece of the Franciscan church of S. Guglielmo in Ferrara. It was commissioned by the sisters of the convent, who were followers of Saint Clare of Assisi. Known as Poor Clares, they were the female branch of the Franciscan Order.The infant Christ sits on his...
Not on display
This early work by Garofalo probably dates from about 1499–1502 when he was in Ferrara. Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, is identified by the lily and the miraculous star on his chest. Saint Catherine of Siena is also a Dominican saint; her hands, feet and side are marked with C...
Not on display
Two couples recline outdoors in a mountainous landscape – one lies gazing into each other’s eyes, the other embraces. Cupid kneels on the grass clutching his bow and looks at us. A lizard scuttles down the dark tree trunk and a goat – almost hidden in the shadows – nibbles some foliage.The painti...
Not on display
Saint Augustine (about 354–430) was an early Christian theologian whose writings, which included De Trinitate (About the Trinity), profoundly influenced Western Christianity and philosophy. This painting represents his vision in which he saw a child trying to empty the sea into a hole dug in the...
Not on display
You've viewed 6 of 7 paintings