Printmaker and painter Antonio Tempesta died 5 August 1630. Tempesta received his earliest artistic training at Florence’s Accademia del Disegno, first studying under Santi di Tito and soon after apprenticing with Giorgio Vasari on designs for the Palazzo Vecchio. He then headed to Rome, where he contributed to decoration at the Vatican Palace along with several prominent private dwellings, including the Villa Lante in Bagnaia (1578-1579) and the Villa Farnese in Caprarola (1579-1583).
In addition to his vivacious imagery that drew themes from mythology and the classical world, Tempesta is also celebrated for his marvelous 12-plate Plan of the City of Rome. Initially published in 1593, Tempesta’s map provided one of the most detailed interpretations of Rome of his day.
Portrait of Antonio Tempesta, The Most Famous Painters, Sculptors and Architects (Serie degli uomini i più illustri nella pittura, scultura, e architettura)(Florence, 1724).
Tempesta, Venus Mourning the Death of Adonis.
Tempesta, The Conversion of Paul, 1605. Fine Art Museums of San Francisco.
Tempesta, Plan of the City of Rome. Originally published 1593; edited and reprinted 1645. Metropolitan Museum of Art.