Lorenzo Costa (1460 – March 5, 1535) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance.
He was born at Ferrara, but moved to Bologna by his early twenties, and would be more influential to the Bolognese school of painting. However, many artists worked in both nearby cities, and thus others consider him a product of the School of Ferrara. There are claims that he trained with Cosimo Tura.
In 1483 he painted famous Bentivoglio Altarpiece, and other frescoes, on the walls of the Bentivoglio chapel in San Giacomo Maggiore, and he followed this with many other works. He was a great friend of Francesco Francia, who was much influenced by him. In 1509 he went to Mantua, as the court painter of Marquis Francesco Gonzaga and Isabella d'Este. For the latter's studiolo in the Ducal Palace, he painted the Allegory of Isabella d'Este's Coronation (now at the Louvre) and the Reign of Komos, two mythological paintings based on Mantegna's drawings.
He died at Mantua in 1535. His sons, Ippolito and Girolamo, were also painters, and so was Girolamo's son, Lorenzo the younger. Contemporaries who worked with or below him include Cosimo Tura, Dosso Dossi, Ludovico Mazzolino and the painter, Niccolò Pisano (1470 – 1538).