30 Facts About Pirro Ligorio

Pirro Ligorio was an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian, and garden designer during the Renaissance period.

Pirro Ligorio worked as the Vatican's Papal Architect under Popes Paul IV and Pius IV, designed the fountains at Villa d'Este at Tivoli for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, and served as the Ducal Antiquary in Ferrara.

Around age twenty, Pirro Ligorio left the tumultuous and poverty-stricken city of Naples to pursue a more flourishing livelihood in Rome.

Pirro Ligorio was chosen specifically for his knowledge of the grotesque style, which was popularized by Raphael and his followers in the sixteenth century.

Around the same time, Pirro Ligorio began to explore the subject of classical antiquity.

Pirro Ligorio spent a large portion of the 1540s learning as much as possible about Roman antiques, and preserved valuable information while the pope destroyed artifacts in excavation projects.

Pirro Ligorio published one book, Delle antichita di Roma, in 1553, and engraved several antiques.

Pirro Ligorio attempted to write an encyclopedia of Roman and Greek antiquity at least twice, some parts of which can now be found in the Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples.

Between 1557 and 1563, Pirro Ligorio combined his antiquarian knowledge and drawing abilities to create several maps of Rome.

Pirro Ligorio designed two large angel paintings for the space, and finished the project in about ten months.

Pirro Ligorio's approach was unique in that he prioritized finishing incomplete projects, rather than starting new ones.

Under Pius IV, Pirro Ligorio was paired with his assistant, Sallustio Peruzzi.

Pirro Ligorio was tasked with smaller projects in this time, such as masonry work and apartment building throughout the palace.

The duties of a Renaissance architect included consideration of engineering concerns, so Pirro Ligorio engaged in these renovations during his time as the Architect of the Vatican.

Pirro Ligorio is particularly remembered for his role in the restoration of the Acqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct.

Pirro Ligorio added a semicircular loggia, which ended up being used in many of Rome's festivals as a fireworks site.

Pirro Ligorio was tasked with designing a structure to hold these records.

Pirro Ligorio was staying true to the purpose of the building and Pius' wishes by matching its design to its no-frills function.

Pirro Ligorio was investigated extensively and had his writings removed.

Pirro Ligorio was released with little incident, aside from having medallions worth six thousand scudi removed from his possession.

Unlike his predecessor, Pius V had little to do with Pirro Ligorio; this was mostly due to the two popes' deep-rooted ideological differences.

Giovanni Alberto Galvani served as the main architect, but Pirro Ligorio took charge of the villa's extensive and intricate gardens.

Pirro Ligorio designed both a larger public garden and a smaller private garden.

The second theme was geographic; Pirro Ligorio designed the fountains to represent the three rivers flowing into the Fountain of Rome in an ode to the cardinal's appreciation of the arts.

Pirro Ligorio acquired the title of Lector at the University of Ferrara.

Pirro Ligorio contributed numerous drawings and designs to these records, and continued to foster a reputation of antiquarian knowledge in Ferrara.

Pirro Ligorio diverted from the traditional view of earthquakes as supernatural phenomenon, and treated them as a natural occurrence around which man could reason.

Pirro Ligorio's curiosity led him to pursue a multitude of projects and interests, including painting, garden design, engineering, gardening, cartography, and archaeology.

Finally, his ambition: Pirro Ligorio pursued his chosen fields with great focus and fervor, gaining admirers as well as detractors along the way.

In particular, Pirro Ligorio found an enemy in fellow Renaissance architect Giorgio Vasari, who refused to include a biography of Pirro Ligorio in his Vite.