Zuccaro [key], Italian painters, two brothers, who were leading exponents of the late mannerist style in Rome. Taddeo Zuccaro, 1529–66, won recognition by his decorative paintings in the Mattei Palace, Rome. He became painter to Popes Julius III and Paul IV. Together with his brother Federigo, he painted some delightful mythological and historical scenes for the Caprarola Palace of Cardinal Farnese. They also painted frescoes in the Vatican. Among Taddeo's other works in Rome are the Dead Christ (Borghese Gall.) and the Conversion of St. Paul (Doria Gall.). He is buried in the Pantheon close to the tomb of Raphael.
Federigo Zuccaro, 1543–1609, was associated with his brother for years, but led a more picaresque life. He traveled to Venice, Holland, and England, where he painted portraits of Queen Elizabeth and Mary Stuart. Returning to Rome, he worked on the decoration of the Pauline Chapel, which had been started by Michelangelo. In Florence he completed the Last Judgment begun by Vasari in the dome of the cathedral. Subsequently he sojourned in Spain, where he executed some work in the Escorial for Philip II. Again in Rome, Federigo designed parts of several buildings. He constructed the Zuccari Palace and adorned the interior with allegorical scenes. As president (1593–94) of St. Luke's Academy, Federigo was one of the first to develop lectures and theoretical discussions on art.
See J. Gore, Taddeo Zuccaro (1969); N. Pevsner, Academies of Art, Past and Present (1940) and A. Blunt, Artistic Theory in Italy (1956).
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