rane an ▁and ▁Europe . ▁After ▁the ▁beginning ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁the ▁C ret an ▁artists ▁once ▁again ▁had ▁more ▁comm issions ▁and ▁their ▁works ▁were ▁av id ly ▁sought , ▁since ▁they ▁had ▁started ▁to ▁use ▁new ▁mot ives ▁and ▁to ▁adjust ▁their ▁icon ography ▁to ▁the ▁new ▁tr ends ▁of ▁their ▁era . ▁ ▁To ▁an ▁extent ▁quantity ▁was ▁probably ▁replaced ▁by ▁quality ▁compared ▁with ▁the ▁previous ▁century . ▁▁▁ 1 6 th - century ▁artists ▁▁ ▁A part ▁from ▁El ▁Gre co , ▁the ▁most ▁famous ▁C ret an ▁artists ▁during ▁the ▁century ▁were ▁The oph an is ▁St rel itz as ▁( Θ ε ο φ ά ν η ς ▁ Σ τ ρ ε λ ί τ ζ α ς ), ▁known ▁as ▁The oph anes ▁the ▁C ret an , ▁Michael ▁Dam ask en os ▁( Μ ι χ α ή λ ▁ Δ α μ α σ κ η ν ό ς ), ▁and ▁Georg ios ▁Kl ont zas ▁( Γ ε ώ ρ γ ι ος ▁ Κ λ ό ν τ ζ α ς ). ▁ ▁Vari ous ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁Lamb ard os ▁family ▁were ▁also ▁significant ▁artists . ▁ ▁Fort un ately ▁for ▁art ▁histor ians , ▁many ▁C ret an ▁pain ters ▁adopted ▁the ▁practice , ▁perhaps ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁Western ▁pain ters , ▁of ▁signing ▁their ▁work , ▁which ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁traditional ▁By z antine ▁practice . ▁ ▁The oph anes ▁the ▁C ret