Alessandro Allori Florentine painter Country: Italy

1. Alessandro Allori Biography
2. Influences from Rome and Michelangelo
3. The Last Known Mannerist Painter
4. A Master of Portraiture

Alessandro Allori Biography

Alessandro Allori (1535-1607) was a Florentine painter and a prominent representative of Mannerism. He was the pupil and adopted son of Bronzino, another renowned Florentine painter.

Influences from Rome and Michelangelo

During his early years, Allori visited Rome where he was exposed to the frescoes and paintings of Michelangelo. This encounter had a significant impact on Allori's refined painting style. His fresco, "The Pearl Fishing" (Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, 1571), is considered a masterpiece of Mannerist painting. Playful and inventive, Allori combined nude figures with the muscular and sculptural qualities seen in Michelangelo's frescoes, as well as the slender and graceful figures seen in Bronzino's paintings.

The Last Known Mannerist Painter

Allori was one of the last well-known painters of the Mannerist period, which ended with his death. His son, Cristofano (1577-1621), was a leading Florentine painter who worked in a more naturalistic style. One of his widely recognized works is "Judith with the Head of Holofernes" (Palazzo Pitti, Florence, 1615), which gained significant popularity in Italy during the 18th and 19th centuries.

A Master of Portraiture

In addition to his mythological and religious paintings, Alessandro Allori was an exceptional portraitist. The Oxford Museum houses numerous portraits by both Alessandro and Cristofano Allori.