Antonio Tempesta (1555-1630) was an Italian painter, engraver and tapestry designer. He is now best known as a print maker in etching and engraving. Tempesta was part of the large set of artists working on the interior decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio.
His favorite subjects were battles, cavalcades, and processions. He left some 1800 etchings. Among his numerous prints are plates from the Old Testament; twenty-four plates from the Life of St. Anthony; a set of one hundred and fifty prints from Ovid’s Metamorphoses; the Labors of Hercules; the Ages of Man in four plates; the Entry of Alexander into Babylon; Diana and Acteaon; and the Crucifixion. [DES-02/11]