The Life of Johannes Stradanus, Celebrated Bruges Painter in Florence

Some artists from the past are familiar figures to those in the know and those with expertise in the field, but are entirely unknown to the general public. Johannes Stradanus – the Latinised version of Jan van der Straet, known in Italy as Giovanni Stradano – is one such artist. Born and raised in Bruges, he made his career in Florence in the second half of the sixteenth century, was one of the most important painters at the Medici court after Giorgio Vasari, and became famous particularly as the designer of hundreds of prints, some of which are among the most widely reproduced engravings in art history.