Early Life and Ferrarese Beginnings Battista Dossi, born Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri around 1490 in the vibrant city of Ferrara, Italy, emerged from a family deeply entwined with the artistic life of the Este court. His father, Niccolò de Luteri, served as a bursar for the Dukes of Ferrara, establishing a connection that would profoundly shape Battista’s career. While details of his earliest training remain somewhat elusive, it is believed he initially followed in the footsteps of local artists like Lorenzo Costa, absorbing the foundational principles of Ferrarese painting. However, the tr…