Tommaso Dolabella

(b Belluno, c. 1570; d Krak?w, 17 Jan 1650). Italian painter, active in Poland. In Venice c. 1585-90 he assisted Antonio Vassilacchi, a pupil of Veronese. Of his many paintings there the ceiling (1592) of the Sala del Senato in the Doge's Palace is outstanding; he also painted a cycle of ten scenes of the Life of Christ (1592-4) for S Pietro, Perugia. In 1598 King Sigismund III Vasa brought him to Krak?w, then the capital of Poland, naming him pictor regius. Wawel Castle in Krak?w needed decoration following a fire in 1595: the King looked to the renowned Venetian style, already represented in Krak?w by works by Titian and Veronese. Dolabella worked for Sigismund uninterruptedly until c. 1609, producing many military and historical pieces celebrating his rule, besides portraits of the royal family. Of these, only the portrait of Sigismund III on Horseback (c. 1611; Krak?w, Wawel Castle) survives.

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A Horseman in Polish National Costume

Tommaso Dolabella (1570-1650) was a Baroque painter from Venice, who settled in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at the royal court of King Sigismund III Vasa. In Warsaw he opened a workshop for artists.

External links

• A gallery of some works

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