Sforza. His work from these years reflects the descriptive
realism characteristic of Lombard painting, especially in
the rendering of landscape and light effects, as can be seen
in Prophet Elijah (National Gallery of Art). Single-figure
paintings like Shepherd with a Flute of circa 1525 (J. Paul
Getty Museum) and the Magdalen of after 1540 (National
Gallery) recall the visual poetry of Giorgione and con-
tinue the Venetian tradition of vivid chromatic and tex-
tural effects. Savoldo's penetrating naturalistic portrayal
of figures attracted artists of later generations including
Caravaggio.
ERHARD SCHÔN
Nuremberg circa 1491-1542
Schôn was one of the most prolific woodblock designers
of his day, specializing in book illustrations and broad-
sheets. Little is known of his life. Early in his career he
moved in Durer s orbit, designing woodcuts with the
master's pupil Hans Springinklee for the Hortulus animae
(1516). When Nuremberg adopted Lutheranism in 1525 ,
Schôn became active in the production of anti-Catholic
broadsheets as well as those treating more broadly satir-
ical themes. His broadsheets often include texts by the
Nuremberg poet Hans Sachs. Schôn is the author of a
few paintings and a number of signed drawings, with
many more attributed to him on the basis of style. His
drawings await systematic study.
KAREL SKRÉTA
Prague 1610-1674
Skréta may have trained with the printmaker Aegidius
Sadeler, who was court artist to Emperor Rudolf II until
the latter's death in 1612. As Protestants, Skréta and his
family were forced to leave Prague in 1627. Circa 1630
he traveled to Italy, visiting Venice, Florence, Bologna,
and Rome. While in Rome, he joined the group of north-
ern European artists known as the Schildersbent (Birds of
a Feather) and also came under the influence of other
painters such as Poussin, Pietro da Cortona, the Car-
racci, and Guido Reni. Having converted to Catholi-
cism, Skréta returned to Prague in 1638 and soon became
the city's leading painter. His large body of religious pic-
tures and cycles of saints' lives includes works such as the
monumental lunette Saint Charles Borromeus Healing of
1647 (Národní Galerie). Skréta is most appreciated for
his portraits, an outstanding example of which is The
Stonecutter Dionysius Miseroni and His Family of 1653 (Ná-
rodní Galerie). He was a printmaker and also produced
a large body of drawings. Skréta has rightly been called
the father of Bohemian Baroque painting.
SODOM A (Giovanni Antonio Bazzi)
Vercelli 1477-Siena 1549
Sodoma learned the rudiments of painting in his native
city in the Piedmont region as a student of Giovanni
Spanzotti. He traveled to Siena and probably to Milan,
where he was influenced by Leonardo da Vinci. He went
to Rome in 1508 to work for Agostino Chigi and Julius
II. For the latter Sodoma painted the ceiling of the Stanza
della Segnatura in the Vatican in a style reminiscent of
Pinturicchio. That Sodoma also knew Florentine art is
evident in his Crucifixion of circa 1510 (Siena, Pinaco-
teca), based on Florentine examples. In 1516 Sodoma was
back in Rome, working for Chigi in the Villa Farnese,
where he painted the raphaelesque Marriage of Alexander
and Roxanne of 1516-1 7 and Alexander and the Family of
Darius of 1518. He returned to Siena after 1520 and was
in Florence in 1528. His works of the 15305, such as the
Ordination of Saint Alfonso of 1530 (Siena, Santo Spirito),
indicate the influence of the Florentine Mannerists and of
Beccafumi. A late work is the Sacra Conversazione of 1542
(Pisa, Museo Nazionale di San Matteo).VIRGIL SOLIS
1514-Nuremberg 1562
During his lifetime Solis was the most prolific graphic
artist in Germany, specializing in book illustration and
ornamental design. His father, the painter Hans Sollis,
gained Nuremberg citizenship in 1525, and Virgil be-
came a master there in 1539. His earliest print dates from
1540, and his productivity reached its highest level after
the death of Sebald Beham in 1550. From that time on
Solis became Nuremberg's leading designer of book il-
lustrations, including one of his finest efforts, Biblische
Figuren des alter und neuwen Testaments (1562). During his
later career the members of his large workshop increas-
ingly participated in the production of prints bearing his
initials, resulting in an output of widely varying quality.
The surviving prints from Solis and his workshop num-
ber more than two thousand.FRANÇOIS STELLA
Mechelen 1563 -Lyons 1605
François was the son of the Flemish painter Jean Stella,
with whom he most likely trained. Little is known about
his life and education. In 1586 he traveled to Italy with a
Jesuit priest, Etienne de Martellange; the two made
drawings in Tivoli and Rome. By 1591 Stella had settled
in Lyons, where he painted many altarpieces and fres-
coes. Among these are The Holy Family of circa 1600
(Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts) and the lost frescoes of
circa 1600 depicting the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin for346 ARTISTS' BIOGRAPHIES