Lelio Orsi

(1511-1587)

Lelio Orsi is one of the most original figures of the Emilian Renaissance and plays a central role in the artistic history of Novellara, a town with which he maintained a deep connection throughout his life.
He was born in Novellara in 1511 and grew up within the refined milieu of the Gonzaga court: his father was Captain of the Castle Gate, and this privileged environment allowed him to come into contact at an early age with a lively and cultured society.
His education was further enriched by his journeys and stays in Mantua, where he observed the works of Giulio Romano at close quarters, which influenced his stylistic development.

He began his artistic career at a very young age, working on the Rocca di Novellara and probably on the Casino di Sopra project: by 1530 he was already being referred to as a ‘master’.
In 1533 he created a frieze in the rectory of Querciola Castle, considered the first known example of painting in the Reggio Emilia area.
After also working in Reggio Emilia – where he created, among other works, the exterior paintings of the Clock Tower in Piazza del Duomo – in 1546 he was forced to flee after being unjustly accused of complicity in a murder.
His innocence was only recognized years later, but in the meantime he found refuge and protection in Novellara, where he became the court artist to the Gonzaga family for some forty years.

From 1563 onwards, the most intense phase of his career began: Orsi made a decisive contribution to the transformation of Renaissance Novellara, working as both a painter and an architect.
He designed the historic centre, planned the Santo Stefano Church, the second floor and the loggia of the Rocca, as well as a number of town houses, leaving an urban and artistic legacy that is still recognizable today.
He continued to work in Reggio Emilia until the mid-1580s.
He died in his homeland May 3, 1587, but his legacy lives on: his drawings and paintings are housed in the world’s leading museums, while his architectural works, the friezes and the pictorial cycle of the Casino di Sopra are still in Novellara, now kept in the Gonzaga Museum.