Francesco Del Cossa

Born circa 1436 in Ferrara; died circa 1478 in Bologna. Early Renaissance Italian painter. Representative of the Ferrara school.

Cossa apparently studied under C. Tura. The development of his work was influenced by Andrea Mantegna and Piero della Francesca. In his works he combined clear plastic form with brilliant light saturated with many colors of the spectrum. Cossa took part in the decoration of the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara (1469–70). His frescoes reflected a fresh, poetic apprehension of the world. He alternated depictions of life at the court of the dukes of Este with allegorical representations and scenes of village labor that symbolized the months of the year (March, April, May). Cossa’s easel paintings are marked by an expressiveness of contours and an enthusiasm toward the details of everyday life, ornamental motifs, and ancient architecture ( The Annunciation, Picture Gallery, Dresden; the altarpiece for the Griffoni Chapel in San Petronio in Bologna, c. 1473, the National Gallery in London and other museums).