Tibaldi, Pellegrino (1527–1596) Italian painter, sculptor,
and architect
He was born at Puria di Valsolda, near Milan, and follow-
ing his early training in Emilia, he lived in Rome
(1549–53), where he was greatly influenced by DANIELE
DA VOLTERRAand even more by MICHELANGELO. This is ev-
ident in such works as his Adoration of the Christ Child
(1549; Galleria Borghese, Rome). He later worked in
Bologna, where he built the Palazzo Poggi (now the uni-
versity), decorating the Sala di Ulisse there (c. 1554) with
illusionistic frescoes; he also designed and decorated a
chapel in the church of San Giacomo Maggiore (c. 1555).
In Milan in the 1560s and 1570s he was mainly involved
in architecture, building the Jesuit church of San Fedele
(begun 1569) and the round church of San Sebastiano
(1576). In 1567 Cardinal (later St) CHARLES BORROMEO
put him in charge of architectural and sculptural additions
to Milan cathedral; Tibaldi designed several parts of the
Duomo including the screen between the choir and am-
bulatory. In 1588 he went to Madrid to execute sculpture
and paintings for Philip II in the ESCORIAL, only returning
to Milan shortly before his death. The paintings of the lib-
eral arts on the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the Escorial’s li-
brary, for instance, are his work. The same mannerist style
which is found in his paintings is evident in the huge fres-
coes in the Escorial, in which he breaks down forms into
geometric shapes. He was in part responsible for diffusing
MANNERISMoutside Rome.
Tinctoris, Johannes (c. 1435–c. 1511) Franco-Flemish
music theorist and composer
Born at Nivelles, he may have known Guillaume DUFAY
while a singer at Cambrai in 1460. In 1463 Tinctoris was
instructor of the choirboys at Orleans cathedral. Around
1472 he was appointed tutor to the daughter of the king
of Naples and maintained connections with the court
there for at least the next 15 years. Tinctoris composed
some music, but is remembered as one of the most impor-
tant music theorists of his day; he wrote 12 treatises, two
of which were printed. The most important of these is his
Terminorum musicae diffinitorium, the oldest printed music
dictionary, in which 299 musical terms are defined. His
other writings treat the aesthetics of music, its educational
and therapeutic roles, and its use in religion, as well as
composition and improvisation. His writings furnish great
insight into the music of the Renaissance.
See also: MUSIC THEORY
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti) (1518–1594) Italian painter
Born in Venice, where he spent most of his life, Tintoretto
acquired his nickname (meaning “little dyer”) by refer-
ence to his father’s trade as a dyer (tintore). Although few
details of his life are known, Tintoretto was briefly (ac-
cording to his 1642 biographer, Carlo Ridolfi) a pupil of
TITIAN, from whom he certainly learnt much about the
handling of color. He was also familiar—possibly through
prints and engravings—with the works of MICHELANGELO
from whom he inherited a deep interest in draftsmanship.
Ridolfi is the source for the story that Tintoretto wrote up
in his studio as his prescription for painting: “Il disegno di
Michelangelo ed il colorito di Tiziano.” Tintoretto also ap-
parently used wax and clay models, which he set in a box
with a light in order to experiment with different lighting
effects. His early paintings are notable for their daring use
of color and unconventional groups of figures: among
them are his masterly Last Supper (1547; San Marcuola)
and St. Mark Reviving a Slave or The Miracle of the Slave
(1548; Accademia, Venice), the latter being one of four
commissioned by the Scuola di San Marco, the enthusias-
tic reception of which established Tintoretto’s fortunes.
Tintoretto was later influenced by Paolo VERONESE
with whom he collaborated on the important commission
for the decoration of the interior of the doge’s palace in
Venice after the fire of 1577; there he executed the mas-
sive paintings of The Siege of Zara (1584–87) and Paradise
(1588) and a portrait sequence of 72 doges, among
numerous other paintings glorifying Venice. A deeply reli-
gious man, Tintoretto often worked for religious institu-
tions, most notably the Scuola di San Rocco, for whom he
painted an extensive cycle of wall and ceiling paintings
(1565–87), including scenes from the Old and New Testa-
ments, in which he demonstrated his skill in depicting dif-
ferent light effects and experimented with certain
illusionistic devices.
Always a prolific artist, he completed the huge Cruci-
fixion in the Sala dell’ Albergo there in 1565, and the dec-
orative scheme for the Scuola and adjacent church
comprise over 50 major paintings. The dramatic swooping
flight of the angels and the startled Virgin in the Annunci-
ation are just one example of Tintoretto’s ability to imbue
familiar scenes with drama, and his manipulation of fig-
ures and chiaroscuro in these paintings mark him out as a
leading artist in the mannerist mode. Tintoretto had learnt
to paint rapidly as a young man while collaborating with
SCHIAVONEon frescoes in the Palazzo Zen. In later years
his sons Domenico and Marco and his daughter Marietta
worked as his assistants. Other notable works include
many portraits and the famous Susanna Bathing (c. 1550;
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). The voluptuous
Venetian nude exemplified in the figure of Susanna also
found a place in several of Tintoretto’s paintings on
mythological subjects, such as the Dresden Liberation of
Arsinoe and the London Origin of the Milky Way. Tin-
toretto died of a fever and was buried in the church of the
Madonna dell’ Orto, for which he had painted three of his
greatest pictures, the virtuoso pyramidal composition of
The Presentation of the Virgin, The Worship of the Golden
Calf, and The Last Judgment.
Further reading: Anna Pallucchini, Tintoretto: The
Life and Work of the Artist, transl. Pearl Sanders (London:44664 4 TTiibbaallddii,, PPeelllleeggrriinnoo