Baldassare Estense (ca. 1443 - after 1504) was an Italian painter. He was born in Reggio, has been supposed to have been an illegitimate scion of the

house of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

, since no mention of his father's name ever occurs in contemporary records, whilst he was called 'Estensis,' and received unusual promotion and rewards from the

Dukes of Ferrara Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

. He was a pupil of

Cosimo Tura Cosimo is the Italian form of the Greek name ''Kosmas'' (latinised as '' Cosmas''). Cosimo may refer to: Characters * Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò, hero of Italo Calvino's 1957 novel ''The Baron in the Trees'' Given name Medici family * Cosimo ...

, and was also a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

list. In 1469 he painted the likeness of Borso I, and was ordered to present it in person to the

Duke of Milan The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna. Before elevation to duchy Until 1259, Milan was a free commune that elect ...

. From 1471 to 1504 he was a salaried officer at the court of Ferrara, living first in Castel Nuovo, for which he painted a canvas that has perished, and afterwards in Castel Tedaldo, of which he was the governor. In 1483 he painted the portrait of Tito Strozzi, now in the

Costabili Gallery The Costabili collection or Costabili Gallery was a large art collection in Ferrara in the 19th century, mainly consisting of Ferrarese art. Works from the collection were purchased by mid and late 19th-century art collectors like Giovanni Morel ...

at Ferrara. His will, dated 1500, is in the archives of Ferrara, but the exact date of his death is unknown. File:Baldassare Estense 002.jpg, Portrait of a young man, now in the

Museo Correr The Museo Correr () is a museum in Venice, northern Italy. Located in St. Mark's Square, Venice, it is one of the 11 civic museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. The museum extends along the southside of the square on the upper ...

File:Baldassare Estense 004.jpg, ''

John Corvinus John Corvinus ( Hungarian: ''Corvin János'', Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his mistress, Barbara Edelpöck. Biograp ...

'', 1486, now in the

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pinak ...

References

* 1443 births 16th-century deaths Quattrocento painters Italian male painters People from Reggio Emilia 15th-century Italian painters 16th-century Italian painters {{Italy-painter-15thC-stub