Niccolò dell'Abbate (Born 1509 or 1512) was an Italian Mannerist painter in oils and fresco. He was born in Modena, and worked there and also in Bologna from around 1547 or 1578. Dell'Abbate was one of the Italian founders of the school of Fontainebleau. They introduced the Italianate Renaissance to France. In the 16th century, these painters were employed in the decoration of the main country residence of the kings of France, the Château of Fontainebleau. At Fontainebleau, Dell'Abbate was mainly engaged in painting fresco decorations. He was under the supervision of Primaticcio, and he also executed several independent landscapes, among them “The Death of Eurydice.” His earlier works, especially fresco in Bologna and Modena, shows the influence of Parmigianino. From 1548 to 1552, Dell'Abbate was in Bologna, where he gained influence from Parmigianino and Correggio.
In 1552, Dell'Abbate went to France, where he worked with the leading painter at the court, Francesco Primaticcio at Fontainebleau. Francesco Primaticcio had earlier collaborated with Rosso Fiorentino. Dell'Abbate trained in the studio of Antonio Begarelli together with Alberto Fontana. He specialized in long friezes with mythological and secular subjects, including for the Palazzo dei Beccherie. In Paris, he executed private commissions for portable canvases of mythological subjects sited in landscapes. He also frescoed the chapel ceiling in the Hôtel de Guise, following Primaticcio's designs. Dell'Abbate also designed a series of tapestries titled Les Mois Arabesques. Some of the paintings he did for Charles IX became a great influence for the 17th century painters Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
