Girolamo Marchesi, called Girolamo da Cotignola, trained in his native Cotignola, the same city where Bernardino and Francesco Zaganelli were also working. His works during the first decade of the 16th century were strongly influenced by the formative years of Marchesi, who was perhaps studying the workshop of the two brothers. Gerolamo Genga’s arrival in Romagna, however, left a much stronger mark on the artist's work, who is documented as in Rimini from 1513.
From the analysis of paintings such as the Madonna enthroned with four Saints, at the Museum of San Francesco in San Marino, the aforementioned impact of Genga’s work is evident during this period. During the second phase of his career, the artist moved to various cities, including Bologna, Rome, Naples and again back to Bologna, constantly in search of new stimuli, mainly in the Raphaelesque sphere. He often established close dialogue with the artists working in the different regions.