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| Lorenzo Costa the Younger Martyrdom of St Hadrian 1570 oil on canvas Basilica Palatina di Santa Barbara, Mantua |
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| Lorenzo Costa the Younger and Ippolito Andreasi Dancing Putti and Falcons ca. 1581 ceiling fresco Camera dei Falconi Palazzo Ducale, Mantua |
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| Lorenzo Costa the Younger and Ippolito Andreasi Diana in her Chariot presiding over the Constellations ca. 1579-80 ceiling fresco Sala dello Zodiaco Palazzo Ducale, Mantua |
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| Ippolito Andreasi Rest on the Flight into Egypt ca. 1580 oil on panel (painted in Mantua, later acquired by Louis XIV) Musée du Louvre |
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| Teodoro Ghisi Meeting at the Golden Door ca. 1560-65 oil on canvas Palazzo Ducale, Mantua |
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| Teodoro Ghisi Crucifixion with St Longinus and Mary Magdalene ca. 1585 oil on canvas Palazzo Ducale, Mantua |
"When his father, Federico, died in 1540 there was nothing to suggest that Guglielmo Gonzaga would someday become duke of Mantua. That title was supposed to pass to his older brother, Francesco, a robust and handsome boy. Nature was less kind to Guglielmo. He was hunchbacked, and that condition no doubt contributed to his proverbially restless, austere, and reserved personality. His future changed, however, when Francesco fell from a horse in a hunting accident in 1550 and died at the age of seventeen, and Guglielmo was left to succeed him as head of state. This prospect gave rise to real concern at court; the young man's poor physical condition seemed to preclude his taking up the heavy responsibilities of governing the duchy and also threw doubt on whether he could assure the dynasty's survival. However, every attempt to convince him to cede his title to his younger brother, Ludovico, in exchange for the promise of a brilliant and remunerative career in the Church, was in vain. Guglielmo's firm refusal of this offer, at the age of fifteen, was an early demonstration of the great strength of character that would mark his coming reign."
"In the area of the visual arts, Guglielmo, like his father, tended to commission works from local artists like Lorenzo Costa Mantovano (also called Lorenzo Costa the Younger), Ippolito Andreasi, and Teodoro Ghisi, all of whom worked loosely under the direction of [Giovanni Battista] Bertani. A fierce dynastic pride led the duke to pursue an artistic policy carefully calculated to celebrate his family's origins and solidify its public image. The centerpiece of this program was to be the renovation and redecoration of the Palazzo Ducale."
– from The Art of Mantua: Power and Patronage in the Renaissance by Barbara Furlotti and Guido Rebecchini, translated by A. Lawrence Jenkens (Getty, 2008)
Jacopo Tintoretto's "Gonzaga Cycle" was commissioned for the Appartamento Grande of Mantua's Palazzo Ducal in two phases. Tintoretto personally delivered the first four very large canvases from Venice in 1579 and oversaw their installation within elaborate stucco frames. He returned in 1580 with the final four. "Teodoro Sangiorgio, in collaboration with the duke, had supplied the iconographical program for the paintings," celebrating "the exploits and accomplishments" of the Gonzaga family in service to the Mantuan state. All eight [below] have been housed in Munich at the Alte Pinakothek since the early 18th century when they were removed from the Palazzo Ducale following the demise of the dynasty in 1708.
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Gianfrancesco Gonzaga receiving the title of Marquis from the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund (1433) ca. 1579 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Victory of Ludovico II Gonzaga at Legnano (1439) ca. 1579 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Federico I Gonzaga liberating Legnano (1478) ca. 1579 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Francesco II Gonzaga during the Battle of Taro (1495) ca. 1579 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Capture of Parma by Federico II Gonzaga (1521) ca. 1580 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Defeat of Milan by Federico II Gonzaga (1521) ca. 1580 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop Defense of Pavia by Federico II Gonzaga (1522) ca. 1580 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |
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| Jacopo Tintoretto and workshop State Visit of Philip II of Spain to Mantua (1549) ca. 1580 oil on canvas Alte Pinakothek, Munich |