#passarotti

By Anne Leader

Italian painter Bartolomeo Passarotti died on 3 June 1592 in Bologna, where he was born and had established a studio by 1560, after time spent in Rome studying with Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Taddeo Zuccaro. His work also shows knowledge of north Italian painters like Correggio and Parmigianino, and he likely came to know northern European trends through the painting school of Denys Calvaert, opened in 1565 in Bologna, which came to be a clearinghouse of contemporary northern prints.

Passarotti ran a large workshop in Bologna and was especially known for his genre scenes of butchers’ shops, which drew inspiration from northern artists like Pieter Aertsen and influenced younger local painters like Annibale Carracci. Passarrotti also kept busy with religious works and portraits, including several of high ranking church officials such as Pope Gregory XIII and various cardinals. He was an avid collector and established his own museum to display fragments of ancient statues, cameos, drawings, prints, paintings, coins, and medals. His museum was expanded by his son Tiburzio and became a popular tourist attraction for visitors to Bologna.

Reference: Angela Ghirardi. "Passarotti, Bartolomeo." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. <http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T065675>.

The Butcher's Shop, 1580s, oil on canvas, Rome, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica

The Fishmonger's Shop, 1580s, oil on canvas, Rome, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica

Portrait of a Man with a Dog, 1585-87, oil on canvas, Rome, Pinacoteca Capitolina

Portrait of a Cavalier with his Hunting Dogs, ca. 1570-158, oil on canvas. Providence, RISD Museum: Corporate Membership Fund 62.064

The Holy Family with St Elizabeth and the Infant St John the Baptist, c. 1572 oil on copper. Private collection

Holy Family with the Infant St John the Baptist and St Catherine of Alexandria, oil on canvas, Esztergom, Christian Museum

Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529–1592)