Tura, Cosimo (1430?-1495), Italian artist of the early Renaissance, born in Ferrara, founder of the Ferrara school of painting. Between 1452 and 1456 he was probably in Venice and Padua (Padova). In Padua he may have studied with Andrea Mantegna. In Ferrara, Tura executed paintings for the cathedral (1458), the Biblioteca del Pico (1465-1467), the Sacrati Chapel (1468), and the Belriguardo Chapel (1472). He was also the official portraitist to the Este family, the ducal house of Ferrara. His work is characterized by angular poses and elaborate drapery patterns, and the realism of his figures borders on the grotesque. Typical is his Dead Christ Supported by Two Angels (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna).