Francesco Primaticcio

Francesco Primaticcio was a painter, architect and sculptor from Bologna who trained with Giulio Romano in Mantua and in 1532 went to France to work for Francis I. With Rosso Fiorentino he led the decoration of the château of Fontainebleau, and after Rosso’s death he directed the work, creating rooms such as the Chamber of the Duchess of Étampes with its elegant stucco figures. He also gathered casts of ancient statues for the king. His style, as the School of Fontainebleau, shaped French art for a generation.