- NameIppolito Scarsella
- Sexmale
- Nationality/DatesItalian, born 1551, dead 1620
BiographyIppolito Scarsella, called Scarsellino, was born in
Ferrara. He received his first training from his father,
the lesser-known painter and architect Sigismondo
Scarsella (1530–1614). During his education
in Ferrara he was influenced by a local tradition
of strikingly chromatic painting, exemplified by
Dosso Dossi (c. 1486–1542), as well as by the
Mannerist work of Parmigianino (1503–1540).
Parmigianino’s influence was possibly transmitted
indirectly through Scarsellino’s study
of the work of Girolamo da Capri (1501–1556).
Scarsellino continued his education in Bologna
and Venice, and his Ferrarese-influenced art was
refined through a study of the work of Andrea
Schiavone, Jacopo Bassano and Tintoretto.
While in Venice he allegedly entered the workshop
of Paolo Veronese (1528–1588) in c. 1570.
His main body of work, however, was produced
in Ferrara, to which he returned in 1576. There
he was commissioned to decorate the Diamanti
Palace, where he collaborated with the Carracci,
in particular with Ludovico. In the ensuing years
Scarsellino was quite prolific, taking on a wide
range of primarily local commissions, often for
the d’Este family. These mainly involved works
on a smaller scale, which showcased Scarsellino’s
aptitude for painting sensitive and intimate
devotional scenes, with occasional larger commissions,
such as altarpieces.