Artist: Pietro Testa (1611 - 1650)
Nationality: Italian
Movement:
Media: Painting,Printmaking
Influences:

Biography:
Pietro Testa had aspirations to become history painter but instead gained recognition for his printmaking and draftsmanship. He arrived in Rome in the late 1620’s and began drawing antiquities for engravings for numerous patrons. Not long after entering Pietro da Cortona’s studio in 1631, he was thrown out for his difficult temperament. He began concentrating on etching and drawing, traveling to Lucca twice in hopes of gaining new patronage. When those attempts failed, Testa returned to Rome and began to write a treatise on painting that rejected Baroque illusionism and the realist approach of the Dutch Italianate landscapists. He traded in his mythological themes for historical scenes done in a style that was the predecessor of Neoclassicism. As a result of his failing career, Testa turned to tragic themes and ultimately drowned in the Tiber River, probably committing suicide.

Artworks in Museum Collections: (100)
Click the artwork titles below to see actual examples of artwork or works of art relevant to works by Pietro Testa.

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Giovanni Cesare Testa Achilles on the back of the Centaur Chiron Etching 17th century
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G. Petrignani St. Peter Delivered From Prison, after Pietro Testa Etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) St. Catherine, after Pietro Testa Etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Mythological Scene with Bacchus and Persephone, after Pietro Testa Etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Two Figures, after a drawing by Pietro Testa Etching mounted to a heavier sheet 17th century
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Stefano Mulinari The Death of Dido, after Pietro Testa Etching and engraving 18th century
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Giovanni Cesare Testa The Sacrament Administered to the Dying St. Gerome, after Domenichino Etching with engraving 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Two Saints Invoking the Virgin to stay the Plague, copy after Testa Etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Death of Cato etching 1648
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Symposium Etching with drypoint 1648
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Sacrifice of Abraham Etching 1640 - 1642
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Self-Portrait etching circa 1645 - 1648
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Martyrdom of St. Erasmus etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Departure of the Prodigal Son Etching circa 1645
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) St. Jerome Etching circa 1631 - 1637
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Allegory of Winter: Apotheosis of the Artist*s Genius Etching 1644
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Socrates at the Table with his Friends Etching 1648
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Prodigal Son Tending the Swine Etching circa 1645
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) St. John the Baptist Red chalk on laid paper 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Holy Family with St. John the Baptist Etching circa 1630
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Way of Virtue: Young Man Arriving on Parnassus Etching circa 1645 - 1650
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Nymphs and Satyrs in a Wooded Landscape Reproductive etching 17th century
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Adoration of the Magi Etching with drypoint circa 1640
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) The Infant Christ Embracing the Cross (or, The Dream of Joseph) Etching circa 1635 - 1637
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Three Lucchese Saints Interceding with the Virgin for the Victims of the Plague Etching circa 1630 - 1631
J. Paul Getty Museum -
Holy Family with Saint Anne
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Alexander the Great Rescued from the River Cydnus Pietro Testa (Italian, Roman, 1612-1650)Oil on canvas;
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Pietro Testa ( il Lucchesino) Recto:Two Male Figures ~Verso: Study of Drapery r:Pen and brown ink, and brown wash,with graphite on blue laid paper onlaid to a heavier sheet ; v: Graphite and black chalk 17th century
Museum of Fine Arts -
Stephen Bullard Memorial Fund ; Pietro Testa, Italian, 1612-1650 The Triumph of the Virtuous Artist
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Pietro Berrettini (Pietro da Cortona) Daniel Freed from the Lion's Den, after Pietro da Cortona Engraving 18th century
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts -
Artist: Pietro da Cortona (Pietro Berrettini) Title: Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Maria Borghese (created cardinal
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Pietro Berrettini (Pietro da Cortona) Cleopatra(?), after Pietro da Cortona, from the series Disegni originali d'eccelenti pittori... Etching 18th century
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Giovanni Jacopo Rossi (Giovanni Iacomo de Rubeis) The Deeds of Pope Alexander VII Engraving 1655
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Pietro Berrettini (Pietro da Cortona) Santa Bibiana refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods Etching 1626
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Giovanni Jacopo Rossi (Giovanni Iacomo de Rubeis) Villa Borghese Hand colored engraving and etching 16th - 17th century
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Pietro da Cortona - Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Maria Borghese c. 1633-35 oil on canvas Minneapolis Institute of Arts Italian
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
The Massacre of the Innocents, predella panel, ca. 1470 Sano di Pietro (Ansano di Pietro
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
The Adoration of the Magi, predella panel, ca. 1470 Sano di Pietro (Ansano di Pietro
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Titian - Pietro Aretino 1548-51 oil on canvas The Frick Collection Italian
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 book with 100 watercolors 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985
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Fulvio Testa Sketch from Sketchbook: New York 6-15 Jan.1985 Watercolor 1985

Artnews Articles and Exhibition Information: (1)
Click on any of the links below to read about artnews or exhibitions related to Testa

King County Public Art Program: Call for Artists: 2003 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
King County Office of Civil Rights One artwork will be selected that can be featured on items produced for the celebration including the calendar, public display boards, award certificates, the OC...

Further Artwork and Information:

Pietro Testa Online
Pietro Testa (1611 - 1650) Biography, Artwork Images, Exhibitions, Reviews
TESTA, Pietro
Pietro Testa (Getty Museum)
Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple by TESTA, Pietro
PIETRO TESTA
Pietro Testa
Pietro Testa
Pietro Testa - Alcibiades
Find in a Library: Pietro Testa, 1612-1650 : prints and drawings

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