Carlo Ridolfi (Lonigo, 1594 - Venice, 1658) was an Italian painter and, above all, an art writer of the Baroque period. A pupil of Antonio Vassilacchi, he worked in Venice, where he painted a Visitation for the church of Ognissanti and an Adoration of the Magi for San Giovanni Elemosinario, along with other works scattered across the Veneto.
Ridolfi was also a collector of drawings and prints, much like Vasari, and some of these pieces are now held in the Christ Church Library in Oxford. He made a copy of Tintoretto's Christ Washing the Disciples' Feet, which remains in San Marcuola.
His best-known work, Le maraviglie dell'arte, or Le vite degli illustri pittori veneti e dello Stato, appeared in 1648. Earlier, in 1642, he had published a life of Tintoretto. For his books rather than his painting, the Republic of Venice awarded him a gold chain and medal.
His aim was to complete Vasari's work, which had neglected several artists of the Venetian lagoon. Many of his attributions, especially those to Giorgione, are no longer accepted, yet his writings remain an important source for Venetian Renaissance painting. His style is rhetorical and rich in literary references.
Teachers and pupils
Studied with
- Antonio Vassilacchi 1556–1629