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(b Ferrara, ?1481; d Ferrara, 6 Sept. 1559). Italian painter, active mainly in Ferrara. His nickname is said to come from his liking for including a gillyflower (It., garofano) in a corner of his paintings. According to Vasari he twice visited Rome, and his work—derivative but beautifully crafted—was heavily influenced by Raphael. He was the first to paint in such a manner in Ferrara and was influential in spreading the High Renaissance style. His output was large and varied (frescos, altarpieces, small devotional works, also a few mythologies); there are many examples in Ferrarese churches and, for example, in the National Gallery, London. In about 1550 he went blind.

Text source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)


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