Early Life and Ferrarese Beginnings Battista Dossi, born Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri around 1490 in the vibrant city of Ferrara, Italy, emerged from a family deeply entwined with the artistic life of the Este court. His father, Niccolò de Luteri, served as a bursar for the Dukes of Ferrara, establishing a connection that would profoundly shape Battista’s career. While details of his earliest training remain somewhat elusive, it is b…