Orsi, Benedetto, an Italian painter, was a native of Pescia. and flourished about 1660. Lanzi says he was an eminent pupil of Baldassare Franccschini, called II Volterrano. There is a fine picture of 67. John attributed to him in the church of St. Stefano, at Pescia. He also painted the Seven Worhs of Mercy for La Campagnia le Nobili. There still exists a large circular picture in the church of St. Maria del Letto, at Pistoia, Avhich was enumerated by good judges among the finest works of Volterrano, till an authentic document proved the real painter to be Benedetto Orsi.
Orsi, Bernardino, an Italian painter, flourished at Reggio in the early part of the lotli century. Accord- ing to Tiraboschi he was an eminent artist in his time. Most of his works have perished. Lanzi says Eeggio still boasts a Madonna of Loretto painted by him in the cathedral in 1501.
Orsi, Giuseppe Agostino, an Italian Poman Catholic prelate, was born at Florence ^Mav 9, 1692. He received his education from the Jesuits, and in 1708 he entered the monastery of the Dominicans at Fiesole. Having been teacher of theology and philosophy in the monastery of St. Mark, at Florence, he was in 1732 called to Rome, and appointed secretary in the Congre- gation of the Index; in 1749 he became magister palatii; in 1759 cardinal, and died in 1761. Besides his work De irnformahili Roman. Pontific. in defn. ftdei controvers. jiniirio (Romse, 1739), wliich was written for the purpose of defending papal infallibility, he also wrote a Church History (21 vols.), reaching as far down as the year 600 (Rome, 1747 sq., and 1754 sq.) ; a continuation of
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which, in 29 vols., reaching down to the Council of Trent, was written by the Dominican Becchetti (Rome, 1770 and 1788). See Theoloyisches Universal- Lexikon, s. v. ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog, Generale, xxxviii, 885-88G,
Orsi, Lelio (called Lelio da Noveixaka), an Ital- ian painter, was born at Reggio in 1511. Banished from his native city for some unknown reason, he established himself at Novellara, where he gained such great dis- tinction as to acquire the surname. Notwithstanding he was one of the ablest artists of his time — and his works have been the admiration of succeeding times — very little is known of his life with any certainty, and his history is mostly founded on supposition. The cardinal Tiraboschi wrote his life, compiled from a variety of sources. The Italian writers say that he was " in pittura grande, in architettura ottimo, e in disegno massimo" (in painting grand, in architecture excellent, and in de- sign pre-eminent). Tiraboschi conjectures, on the au- thority of a MS., that he imbibed liis taste of design at Rome ; others suppose that he was a pupil of Michael Angelo, or that he studied the designs and models of that master; and others, again, that he was a pupil of Giulio Romano. There is great similarity in his stj'le to that of Correggio, though liis are of a far more robust character ; his works having the same grace in his chiaro- osciiro, in the spreading of his colors, and in the beauty and delicacy of his youthful heads; hence some suppose, with great probability, that he was a pupil of that mas- ter. At all events it is certain that he was on friendly terms with Correggio, that civilities passed between them, and that Orsi attentively studied his works, and copied some of them, as is evident from his fine copj^ of the celebrated Nolle, now in the possession of the noble house of Gazzolo at Verona. Tiraboschi says he paint- ed several works for the churches at Rome. It would therefore seem probable, as Tiraboschi asserts, that he first studied at Rome, and afterwards improved his style by contemplating the works of Correggio ; lor Lanzi says " his design is evidently not of the Lombard school, and hence the difficulty of supposing him one of the scholars of Correggio, in which his earlier works, at least, would have partaken of a less robust character." He painted manj'^ noble frescos in the cliurches at Reggio and Novellara, most of which have perished. Lanzi says, " for such of his works as are now to be seen at Modena we are indebted to Francesco III, of glorious memnrj', who had them transferred from the fortress of Novellara to the ducal palace for their preservation. Few of his altar-pieces now remain in public at either Novella- ra or Reggio, the most having perished or been removed, one of which last, representing Sts. Rocco and Sebasti- ano along with S. Giobbe, I happened to meet in the studio of Signor Armanno at Bologna." There are a few others of doubtful authenticity, claimed to be genu- ine, by him at Parma, Ancona, and Mantua. Orsi died in 1 587. See Spooner, T3ioq. Hist. Fine A lis, vol. ii, s. v.
Orsi, Prospero, a Roman painter, was born in 1560. According to Baglir-ni, he was employed by pope Sixtus V in the palace of St. John of Lateran, where he paint- ed two cei'ings, one representing the Children of Israel passing through the Red Sea, and the other Isaac b':ssiiig Jacob. He was the particular friend of the Cav. (iiuseppe Cesari d'Arpino, whose manner he imi- tated. He afterwards abandoned historical subjects for grotesques, for which he had extraordinary' talents, and for tliis reason was called Prosperino dalle Grottesche. He died in 1035, in the pontificate of Urban VIII. See Spooner, Biog. Hist. o£ the Fine A rts, vol. ii, s. v,