Research report 2014 - Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz - Max Planck Institute
Jacopo Ligozzi: A painter between art and science in early Modern Florence
Authors
Wolf, Gerhard
Departments
Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz - Max-Planck-Institut, Florenz
Summary
Jacopo Ligozzi (1547–1627) was regarded as a universal painter by his contemporaries. His colour drawings of flora and fauna from the Old and New World, produced for the Medicean court and Ulisse Aldrovandi, were famous. They demonstrate a descriptive mode of visualizing and generating knowledge, rather than mere imitations of nature. Ligozzi’s self-affirmation of his skill with pencil and brush is evidenced by the fact that he calls himself “miniator” in the signature on his monumental canvas in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Florence.