Pirro Ligorio

Pirro Ligorio (born c. 1510, Naples—died October 1583, Ferrara [Italy]) was an Italian architect, painter, landscaper, and antiquarian who designed the Villa d’Este at Tivoli (1550–69), which still stands in its original state. Built for Ligorio’s patron, Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, the villa has a planted landscape and a vast terraced garden with spectacular fountains leading up to the huge house. Ligorio also built the Casino of Pope Pius IV (Casina di Pio IV) in the Vatican Gardens (1558–62) and the Rotunda with Baldassare Peruzzi (1481–1536). He decorated his works with profuse stucco ornament; the Casino is a good example of his decoration. Ligorio also published a work on Roman antiquities and compiled an influential collection of Roman inscriptions, many of which were later found to be fraudulent.