Giovanni Battista di Jacopo

**Giovanni Battista di Jacopo (1494/1495–1540), better known as Rosso Fiorentino or Il Rosso (“the Redhead”), was a leading Italian Mannerist painter of the Florentine school.** Born in Florence with the striking red hair that inspired his nickname, he trained in the studio of Andrea del Sarto alongside his contemporary Jacopo Pontormo.

His early works, such as the *Cherub Playing a Lute* (Uffizi, 1521) and the dramatic *Deposition from the Cross* (Pinacoteca Comunale di Volterra, 1521), already display the elongated figures, contorted poses, and intense emotional charge that would define his mature style. After moving to Rome in 1523, where he absorbed the influence of Michelangelo and Raphael, Rosso fled the Sack of Rome in 1527 and eventually settled in France. There, at the court of Francis I, he became one of the principal artists of the First School of Fontainebleau, collaborating on frescoes and decorative schemes at the Château de Fontainebleau until his death in 1540.

Rosso’s art is characterized by its bold Mannerist distortions—haggard, expressive figures set against somber or turbulent backgrounds—that convey both psychological intensity and formal elegance. Among his most celebrated paintings are *Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro* (c. 1523, Uffizi) and the powerful *Deposition* altarpiece in Volterra, often regarded as his masterpiece for its dynamic composition and raw emotional power. He also produced a second, darker *Deposition* for San Lorenzo in Sansepolcro and contributed significantly to the mythological and decorative programs at Fontainebleau.

Although his stylized, anti-classical approach fell out of favor for centuries in comparison with more naturalistic Renaissance masters, Rosso’s reputation has been revived in recent decades. His work is now recognized for its expressive force and its pivotal role in transmitting Florentine Mannerism to northern Europe. The two paintings by him in the museum’s collection offer visitors a vivid encounter with one of the most original and influential voices of the sixteenth century.