Francesco Traballesi was an Italian painter and architect. He was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

in 1541, flourished in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

during the papacy of

Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...

(1572–1585), and died in 1588 in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

, where he was working as an architect for the duke

Vincenzo Gonzaga Vincenzo Ι Gonzaga (21 September 1562 – 9 February 1612) was ruler of the Duchy of Mantua and the Duchy of Montferrat from 1587 to 1612. Biography Vincenzo was the only son of Guglielmo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and Archduchess Eleanor of Au ...

. In the Roman church of

Sant'Atanasio dei Greci The Church of Saint Athanasius ( it, Sant’Atanasio, la, S. Athanasii), also known as Sant'Atanasio dei Greci (, ''Ekklisia Agiou Athanasiou ton Ellinon''), is a Greek Catholic titular church located on Via del Babuino 149, near the Spanish step ...

, which was founded by Gregory, there are two altar-pieces by Traballesi, an ''Annunciation'', and a ''Christ disputing with the Doctors'', while in the

Greek Pontifical College of Saint Athanasius The Pontifical Greek College of St. Athanasius ( it, Pontificio Collegio Greco di Sant’Atanasio, el, Ποντιφίκιο Ελληνικό Κολλέγιο Αγίου Αθανασίου) is a Pontifical College in Rome that observes the Byzan ...

, next to the church, are more of his paintings, with ''Apostles, Fathers of the Church'', and a ''Crucifixion'', which were once parts of the

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

of the church itself. In the Town Hall of Tivoli, anciently called Tibur in Latium, are two frescoes painted by Traballesi in 1574, showing scenes of ''The mythic foundation of Tibur''. After his wife died, he was ordained into the Dominican order. He had three brothers who also worked in the arts: Bartolommeo Traballesi (il Gobbo) was an assistant painter for

Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...

; Felice was a sculptor, and Niccolo, a silversmith. Five of his sisters were nuns in the order of St Catherine.Dizionario biografico universale
Volume 5, by Felice Scifoni, Publisher Davide Passagli, Florence (1849); page 395.

References

* * * Raffaella Casciano, ''Architetti ducali alla corte dei Gonzaga tra 1576 e 1595: rilettura di un’epoca di transizione'', in "Atti e memorie / Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana di Scienze Lettere ed Arti", N.S. 68, 2000 (2001), pages 179–207. * Alessandro Nesi, ''Dai dipinti per l’antica iconostasi di S. Atanasio dei Greci a Roma, uno spunto critico per le opere toscane di Francesco Traballesi'', in "Arte cristiana", 95, 2007, 841, pages 263–274.

External links

16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Florence Italian Renaissance painters 1541 births 1588 deaths {{Italy-painter-16thC-stub