Lorenzo Lippi

Key facts

Lived

1606–1665, Italian

Movement

• Baroque

1. 1606Born on 3 May in Florence.
2. 1630At 24, enrolled in the Accademia del Disegno in Florence, having trained under Matteo Rosselli. His style was shaped by Rosselli and by the earlier Florentine painter Santi di Tito.
3. 1646At 40, married the daughter of the wealthy Florentine sculptor Giovanni Francesco Susini.
4. 1650In his mid-forties, served as court painter at Innsbruck, where he produced many portraits and wrote the humorous poem Il Malmantile racquistato under the pseudonym Perlone Zipoli.

• What is Lorenzo Lippi's most famous work?+

  Lorenzo Lippi's most famous work is difficult to determine, as multiple paintings are attributed to him. One frequently cited example is *The Coronation of the Virgin*. Painted between 1441 and 1447, this tempera on panel artwork is housed in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. The painting employs perspective and lighting techniques to depict a crowd of figures including angels, saints, clerics, and donors. Lippi also painted *Virgin and Child*, now located in the Walker Art Gallery, Baltimore, as well as a *Madonna and Child* also held at the Uffizi in Florence. Another of Lippi's noted works is *Annunciation*, a panel thought to have been part of the bedroom furniture of Piero de' Medici. The Medici family emblem is carved in stone beneath a vase of lilies.
• What should I know about Lorenzo Lippi's prints?+

  Lorenzo Lippi (1606-1665) was an Italian painter, not especially known for printmaking. He was born in Florence, and his artistic style is usually categorised as part of the Florentine Baroque. Lippi's paintings often display careful attention to detail and a clear, light palette. He is known for his portraits and history paintings. Lippi's artistic training came from Giovanni Biliverti. Later, Lippi spent time in other cities, such as Innsbruck, where he worked for the Medici family. His paintings show an awareness of classical forms, combined with a Baroque interest in movement and emotion. Although he was primarily a painter, any prints related to Lippi would likely be reproductions of his more famous paintings, extending their reach to a wider audience.
• What style or movement did Lorenzo Lippi belong to?+

  Lorenzo Lippi, who lived from 1606 to 1665, belonged to the Baroque movement. This artistic style, which succeeded Mannerism, emerged in Italy around 1600 and spread throughout Catholic Europe. The term "Baroque" may come from the Portuguese word "barocco", meaning a misshapen pearl. Baroque art is characterised by its emotion, dynamism, and drama, often achieved through strong contrasts in tone. It developed partly as a result of religious tensions; the Catholic Church used it to strengthen its image and influence. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) had determined that religious art should encourage piety through clarity, accuracy, realism, and logic. Baroque artists interpreted stories realistically, although they diversified from that starting point. Their work is exuberant and intense, with believable figures and human drama. The style inherited movement and emotion from Mannerism, while solidity, perspective and classical lines came from the Renaissance. Baroque art often portrayed realistic figures, sometimes using ordinary people as models, in contrast to the Renaissance idealisation.
• What techniques or materials did Lorenzo Lippi use?+

  Renaissance artists were skilled craftsmen who understood their materials. Their training included mastering a range of substances used in their particular specialism. They combined simple materials, but their knowledge of chemistry was limited; much of their work was empirical. For his panel paintings, such as the Badia Polyptych, Giotto prepared the wood surface in a manner that reflected 13th-century methods. The wood was not perfectly flat. A coarse layer of gesso, composed of anhydrite (CaSO4) and animal glue, was applied directly to the wood. This layer served to even out irregularities and acted as a buffer. A loosely woven linen cloth was placed over this, adhering through saturation rather than glue. This cloth covered the entire surface, including structural parts, which was standard practice in Tuscany until the early 15th century. At least two more layers of gesso and animal glue, different from the first, were then applied.
• What was Lorenzo Lippi known for?+

  Lorenzo Lippi (1606-1665) was an Italian painter and poet of the Baroque era. Though he trained with painters in Florence, Lippi is stylistically associated with the Baroque movement that initially emerged in Rome. The Baroque style is defined by its infusion of emotion, dynamism, and drama, often achieved through strong tonal contrasts. During the 17th century, the Baroque style spread throughout Catholic countries in Europe. Artists working in the Baroque style interpreted stories with clarity and realism. Baroque paintings often feature solid, believable figures and human dramas. The style inherited movement and intense emotion from Mannerism, while it took solidity, perspective and classical lines from the Renaissance. Baroque artists often portrayed realistic figures, sometimes using ordinary people as models, rather than idealised figures.
• When did Lorenzo Lippi live and work?+

  Lorenzo Lippi was born in Florence around 1606. He died in 1665. Lippi is known as a painter and poet. He trained with Matteo Rosselli in Florence. Lippi later spent time in Innsbruck, where he served as court painter to Claudia de Medici, the Archduchess of Austria. He returned to Florence in 1656. His paintings include portraits and allegorical subjects. One example is his work, *Triumph of David*, now held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. He is also known for *Susanna and the Elders* and *Lot and his Daughters*. Lippi's artistic style shows the influence of Florentine painting traditions. He is also remembered for his literary pursuits; his poems were published posthumously.
• Where can I see Lorenzo Lippi's work?+

  Lorenzo Lippi's paintings can be found in collections across Europe and North America. In Italy, his works are held at the Galleria dell’ Accademia and Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence; the Pinacoteca Civica in Piacenza; the Pinacoteca Vaticana and Galleria Borghese in Rome; and the Palazzo Chigi Saracini in Siena. Other European museums that hold his paintings include the Muzeum Narodowe in Warsaw; the Keresztény Muzeum in Esztergom; the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Strasbourg; the Musée du Petit Palais in Avignon; the Akademie der bildenden Kunste in Vienna; and the Christ Church Gallery in Oxford. You can also find Lippi's work at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston; the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh; the Seattle Art Museum; the Sterling Clark Museum in Williamstown; the Art Gallery of Canada in Toronto; and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
• Where was Lorenzo Lippi from?+

  Lorenzo Lippi was from Florence. Born there circa 1406, he was sent to a monastery at the age of eight, becoming a monk. However, the monastic life did not suit him. Lippi eloped with a nun, who then became a model for many of his Madonnas. Although he was later released from his vows so he could marry her, no wedding ever took place. They had a son, Filippino, who also became a painter. Lippi's artistic style combined the monumentality he learned from Masaccio with a sweetness similar to that found in Fra Angelico's paintings. His paintings also show Netherlandish influences. His *Coronation of the Virgin*, created between 1441 and 1447, is an example of his style. It depicts a hierarchy of angels, saints, clerics, and donors, and includes a self-portrait of Lippi himself. Lippi died in Spoleto in 1469.
• Who did Lorenzo Lippi influence?+

  Filippo Lippi, active during the early quattrocento, was influenced by Masaccio's artistic conceptions. Lippi, in turn, taught Sandro Botticelli, who then raised Lippi's orphaned son, Filippino Lippi (born circa 1457). Filippino's work displays his father's inclination towards happiness, but tempered by Botticelli's awareness of human weakness. Filippino possessed a unique, gentle quality, visible in paintings such as *Tobias and the Angel* (circa 1480). Filippo Lippi's paintings, such as his *Coronation of the Virgin* (1441), demonstrate a move away from the Gothic style of earlier artists, such as Lorenzo Monaco. Lippi's work also shows the impact of Netherlandish art on Italian painting. His style blends monumentality of form, derived from Masaccio, with a delicate quality reminiscent of Fra Angelico.
• Who influenced Lorenzo Lippi?+

  Lorenzo Lippi's artistic development occurred in Florence during the Baroque era. He initially trained under Matteo Rosselli, a Florentine painter. Rosselli's influence is evident in Lippi's early works, particularly in their naturalistic style and attention to detail. Later, Lippi was exposed to the work of other artists, including Santi di Tito and Cristofano Allori, both of whom contributed to the development of his artistic style. The Carracci brothers, important figures in the Bolognese School, also had an impact on Lippi's work. Their influence can be seen in his use of colour and composition. Lippi's exposure to a variety of artistic styles and movements helped him to develop his own distinctive approach to painting. He became known for his portraits and historical subjects, as well as his ability to capture the emotions and personalities of his subjects.
• Who was Lorenzo Lippi?+

  Filippo Lippi (circa 1406-1469) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Orphaned as a child, he was sent to the Carmine monastery at the age of eight. Although he was encouraged to become a monk, it soon became clear that he was unsuited to a life of chastity. Lippi eventually met a woman, a nun, and the two eloped. They were later dispensed from their vows, though they never married. Their son, Filippino, also became a painter. Filippino, who died in 1504, was orphaned at the age of ten and raised by Botticelli, who had been taught by Lippi senior. Lippi's paintings include Virgin and Child (Uffizi, Florence), Madonna and Child (Walker Art Gallery, Baltimore), and Adoration in <i Wood (Staatliche Museen, Berlin-Dahlem). His version of the Virgin and Child, surrounded by angels and saints, can be compared to that of Fra Angelico. Lippi's work was influenced by Masaccio's frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence. His later paintings show Netherlandish influences. Lippi's 1441-1447 tempera on panel, The Coronation of the Virgin, is held in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
• Why are Lorenzo Lippi's works important today?+

  Lorenzo Lippi (1606-1665) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. He is appreciated today for his portraits and history paintings, which display a distinctive combination of naturalism and classicism. Born in Florence, Lippi trained with Matteo Rosselli, absorbing influences from earlier Florentine masters. His style blended the monumentality he learned from Masaccio with a delicacy akin to that of Fra Angelico. Lippi's paintings often feature serene, mystical qualities, revealing Netherlandish influences that were growing in Italy at the time. His work is marked by careful attention to detail and a refined sense of colour. Although he could create crowded compositions, Lippi was at his best when he simplified his scenes, creating works of great tenderness. His ability to capture human emotion and expression, combined with his technical skill, makes his art relevant to contemporary viewers.