Francesco Francia

Francesco Francia, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini (1447 – 5 January 1517) was an Italian painter, goldsmith, and medallist from Bologna, who was also director of the city mint.

[1][2] He may have trained with Marco Zoppo and was first mentioned as a painter in 1486.

His earliest known work is the Felicini Madonna, which is signed and dated 1494.

He had a large workshop and trained Marcantonio Raimondi, Ludovico Marmitta,[3] and several other artists; he produced niellos, in which Raimondi first learnt to engrave, soon excelling his master, according to Vasari.

Raphael's Santa Cecilia is supposed to have produced such a feeling of inferiority in Francia that it caused him to die of depression.