TheSchool of Ferrara was a group ofpainters which flourished in theDuchy of Ferrara during theRenaissance. Ferrara was ruled by theEste family, well known for its patronage of the arts. Patronage was extended with the ascent ofErcole d'Este I in 1470, and the family continued in power tillAlfonso II, Ercole's great-grandson, died without an heir in 1597. The duchy was then occupied in succession by Papal and Austrian forces. The school evolved styles of painting that appeared to blend influences fromMantua,Venice,Lombardy,Bologna, andFlorence.
The ties toBolognese School were particularly strong. Much of the local collections, like those of theGonzaga family in Mantua, were dispersed with the end of the Este line in 1598. Especially in the late 15th century Ferrara was also a main centre ofengraving in Italy. The most famousprints it produced are the two sets traditionally, if inaccurately, known as theMantegna Tarocchi, each by an unidentified master. A list of painters of the School of Ferrara, with the page for the title entry in Camillo Laderchi's 1856 artist biography, includes:
