Ligorio, Pirro

Ligorio was born in Naples and worked as a painter, garden designer and architect. He was also an antiquarian and published several books on Roman antiquities. His most famous projects, the Villa Lante the Villa d'Este at Tivoli for Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, combined all these interests. He also designed a casino for Pope Pius IV in the Vatican gardens. Geoffrey Jellicoe wrote that 'The importance of Ligorio in garden history cannot be overestimated. From his profound knowledge and understanding of Roman antiquity his brilliant imagination evolved designs that were wholly original, individual to himself, and essentially of the virile period in which he lived'.