Giovanni Battista Crespi

Giovanni Battista Crespi, called Il Cerano, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect. He was one of the most prominent Milanese artists of the early seventeenth century, and his work represents a transitional phase between Mannerism and Baroque. He was highly esteemed in his day and was patronized by the Fabbrica of Milan Cathedral, the civic authorities, and distinguished private patrons such as the Borromeo and Gonzaga families and the House of Savoy.