Niccolò Granello, also Nicholas Granello and Granelo Nicolao (1553 - 30 November 1593), was an Italian painter established in Spain, specialized in

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s decorative painting grotesques. Son of the first marriage of

Giovanni Battista Castello Giovanni Battista Castello (1500 or 1509–1569 or 1579) was an Italian historical Painting, painter. Born in Gandino near Bergamo, he is ordinarily termed Il Bergamasco to distinguish him from the other painter (of miniatures) with the identi ...

("Il Bergamasco"), Granello came to Spain while still a child, around 1567, accompanying his stepfather, and called by Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz to work on his palace in

Viso del Marqués Viso del Marqués is a municipality located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2014 census, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) The municipality has a population of 2,578 inhabitants. It is the site o ...

. In 1571, his father died and he was appointed painter to the king for

King Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, K ...

. Granello performed some of the decoration of the golden tower of the old Royal Palace of Madrid, where he continued to work until 1575. He went to the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial with his half-brother

Fabrizio Castello Fabrizio Castello (1562–1617) was an Italian painter of Genoese origin settled in Spain. He was a fresco painter who specialized in ornamental painting grotesques. Early life Fabrizio is also listed as being nicknamed ''il Figonetto''. ...

and other team members who had accompanied his stepfather from Genoa, including brothers Gian Maria and Francesco da Urbino, Francesco da Viana and others, with whom he worked continuously in the decoration of vaults and some walls of various units of the basilica and monastery of El Escorial until his death.

References

* Brown, Jonathan, The Hall of Battles of El Escorial: the work of art as a cultural artefact, Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, 1998, * Garcia-Frias Checa, Carmen, "Artists Genoese decorative painting grotesques of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial" in Colomer, José Luis, dir., Spain and Genoa: Works, artists and collectors, Madrid, 2004, * Newcome, Mary, "Genoese fresco painters in El Escorial" in Giampaolo, Mario, coord., Italian frescoes of El Escorial, Madrid, Electa, 1993, 1553 births 1593 deaths 16th-century Spanish painters Spanish male painters Spanish Baroque painters {{spain-painter-stub