Quick Facts
Biography
Ferraù Fenzoni (1562 – 11 April 1645) was an Italian painter mainly active in Todi working in a style situated between Mannerism and Baroque. He is also called Il Faenzone after his birthplace (Faenza).
Life
Ferraù Fenzoni was born in (Faenza) and arrived in Rome as a young man in the early 1580s. He was apprenticed in Rome during the papacy of Gregory XIII and worked on numerous fresco cycles under pope Sixtus V, such as the Loggia della Benedizioni in the Lateran Palace, the frescoes on the walls and vaults of the Scala Santa of the adjacent Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, and the decoration in the Sistine library.
In 1594, he moved to Todi. A Last Judgement from him is housed in Todi Cathedral. The neighboring Bishop's palace has frescoes by Andrea Polinori and Fenzoni.
He returned to Faenza in 1599, where he decorated chapels in the cathedral from 1612 to 1616. In 1622, he completed a Deposition, now in the local Pinacoteca. In 1640, Fenzoni was named cavaliere dello speron d’oro by Cardinal Colonna and, on 25 April 1634, was nominated vicar and castellano of Granarolo.
His expressive canvases straddle the styles of Mannerism and Baroque. As his style was clearly influenced by the artists working for the court of Rudolf II in Prague he has been called a Mannerist. His chromatic range, use of light, and iridescent tones, however, place him within the tradition of Federico Barocci. Fenzoni's work further has affinities with the work of Francesco Vanni and Andrea Lilio, two artists with whom he exchanged drawings.