Tempesta, Antonio

Tempesta, Antonio (b Florence, 1555; d Rome, 5 Aug. 1630).
Italian painter, engraver, and draughtsman. He trained in Florence under Jan van der Straet (which accounts for the Flemish feel in his work) and spent most of his career in Rome. Although he produced a good deal of work as a fresco decorator, he is remembered chiefly as a highly prolific engraver (he produced more than 1,000 prints) of biblical, historical, and mythological scenes—often involving battles, his forte. These engravings were widely distributed throughout Europe and were often used as sources by other artists.