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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Sacrifice of Isaac ca. 1690-1700 oil on canvas National Gallery of Norway, Oslo |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Tarquin and Lucretia ca. 1695-1700 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art, Washington DC |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Woman tuning a Lute ca. 1700-1705 oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
"Giuseppe Maria Crespi (also called Lo Spagnuolo from his fondness for Spanish dress) began training at the age of twelve in the studio of a little-known painter in his native city of Bologna. During the early 1680s he spent time studying with Domenico Maria Canuti and around 1684 entered the drawing academy directed by Carlo Cignani. From the outset Crespi was interested in the work of the late 16th-century Bolognese masters, and copied frescoes by the Carracci and works by Guercino. In 1686 he began to work with Gian Antonio Burrini, who introduced him to the art dealer Giovanni Ricci. Over the following years the latter assisted him financially to make trips to Urbino, Parma, and Venice, allowing Crespi to study the work of the great northern masters such as Correggio, Veronese, and Titian. Yet, surprisingly, he never traveled to Rome. In 1690 Crespi painted his first important work, The Temptations of Saint Anthony, for the church of San Nicolò degli Albari in Bologna. In 1700 he opened his own school of painting in Bologna. In the first decade of the century he was employed by Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany. Through his contact with the Florentine court, Crespi became acquainted with the Medici collection of Dutch and Flemish painting, which decisively influenced his style."
– from curator's notes at Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Apotheosis of Hercules with the Four Seasons ca. 1700 ceiling fresco Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, Bologna |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Apotheosis of Hercules with the Four Seasons ca. 1700 ceiling fresco (detail) Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, Bologna |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Assembly of the Gods with the Parcae ca. 1700 ceiling fresco Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, Bologna |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Assembly of the Gods with the Parcae ca. 1700 ceiling fresco (detail) Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, Bologna |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Interior with Family of Peasants ca. 1709 oil on copper Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Peasants with Donkeys ca. 1709 oil on copper Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Scene in a Wine Cellar ca. 1710-15 oil on canvas Hermitage, Saint Petersburg |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Portrait of Count Fulvio Grati ca. 1720-23 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Portrait of Chancellor Florius Senesius ca. 1730-40 oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Christ crowned with Thorns (study for engraving) before 1747 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi St Paul ca. 1720-30 drawing Getty Museum, Los Angeles |
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| Giuseppe Maria Crespi Youth from the back pulling up Stocking before 1747 drawing Royal Collection, Great Britain |