Giovanni Battista Ramenghi The Younger

The son of the famous painter Bartolomeo, Giovanni Battista was born in Bologna in 1521and he died there in 1601. He trained with his father and visited local painters, but the key step in his development was a visit to Fontainebleau where he worked on designs for the palace with the famous mannerist painter, Primaticcio, particularly in the Grotta del Giardino dei Pini (the so-called cave of the pine garden). Returning to Rome c. 1545 he worked with Vasari at Palazzo della Cancelleria, in 1546, and on the decorations of Sala dei Cento Giorni. Progressively Ramenghi was forced to abandon elements of his mannerist style and conform to the norms of the Counter Reformation particularly in religious art. In Bologna he followed the style of Cesi and Calvaert becoming closer in style to Fontana but he was one of the few contemporary artists who resisted the new developments of the Carracci and their Accademia degli Incamminati in his latter years.

The town of Bagnacavallo holds several works by the artis namely L’incredulità di San Tommaso in the church of San Girolamo; the Pala del Rosario in the first chapel on the right of the Carmine and the La Sacra Conversazione with SS. Domenic and Catherine of Siena which is displayed in the local art collection of the town museum ‘Le Cappuccine’.