Alessandro Bonvicino (also Buonvicino) (possibly 22 December 1554), more commonly known as Moretto, or in Italian Il Moretto da Brescia (the Moor of Brescia), was an

Italian Renaissance painter Italian Renaissance painting is the painting of the period beginning in the late 13th century and flourishing from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, occurring in the Italian Peninsula, which was at that time divided into many political sta ...

from

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

, where he also mostly worked. His dated works span the period from 1524 to 1554, but he was already described as a master in 1516. He was mainly a painter of

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

s that tend towards sedateness, mostly for churches in and around Brescia, but also in

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

, and Asola; many remain in the churches they were painted for. The majority of these are on canvas, but a considerable number, including some large pieces, are created on wood panels. There are only a few surviving drawings from the artist. He also painted a few portraits, but these are more influential. A full-length '' Portrait of a Man'' in the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, London, dated 1526, seems to be the earliest Italian independent portrait at full length, all the more unexpected as the subject, though clearly a wealthy nobleman, shows no sign of being from a princely ruling family. This format, and the background of an exterior largely closed off by a column the man leans on, was taken up by his main assistant

Giovanni Battista Moroni Giovanni Battista Moroni, also known as Giambattista Moroni ( – 5 February 1578) was an Italian painter of the Mannerist school. Best known for his elegantly realistic portraits of the local nobility and clergy, he is considered one of the g ...

, who painted mainly portraits and was one of the most important portraitists of the mid-16th century. He was a prominent and pious citizen of the small city of Brescia, belonging to at least two of the most prominent

confraternities A confraternity (; ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, L ...

Biography

He was born at

Rovato Rovato (Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. Neighbouring towns are Coccaglio, Erbusco and Cazzago San Martino. It is located in the Franciacorta hills, 11 km south of Lake Iseo and 18 km w ...

, in Brescian territory, and studied first under Fioravante Ferramola. Others state he trained with

Vincenzo Foppa Vincenzo Foppa ( – ) was an Italian painter from the Renaissance period. While few of his works survive, he was an esteemed and influential painter during his time and is considered the preeminent leader of the Early Lombard School. He spent hi ...

. His brothers Pietro and Jacopo were also painters. He may have been apprenticed to

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and modelled his earlier portrait-painting on the Venetian style. On the other hand, the style also resembles that of

Giorgione Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco (; 1470s – 17 September 1510), known as Giorgione, was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic quality of his work, ...

or late Bellini. He conceived a great enthusiasm for Raphael, though he never travelled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

; on the other hand, his classical serenity resembles that shown by Leonardo and his followers in Lombardy such as

Bramantino Bartolomeo Suardi ( – ) was an Italian painter and architect, mainly active in his native Milan. Biography He was born in Milan, the son of Alberto Suardi, but his biography remains unclear, and was long complicated by two "Pseudo-Bramantinos" ...

. He may have consulted with his contemporary

Girolamo Savoldo Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, also called Girolamo da Brescia (c. 1480–1485 – after 1548), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active mostly in Venice, although he also worked in other cities in northern Italy. He is noted for his subtle use ...

. Moretto excelled more in sedate altarpieces than in narrative action, and more in oil painting than in fresco, although he painted fine frescoes depicting the idle daughters of Count Martinengo in one of the palaces near Brescia. In 1521, he worked with

Girolamo Romanino Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino ( – ), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. His early trai ...

in the ''Cappella del Sacramento'' in the Old Cathedral of Brescia, where Moretto completed a ''Last Supper'', ''Elijah in the Desert'', and a ''Fall of Manna''. He was active during 1522–1524 in

Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...

He painted alongside

Lorenzo Lotto Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpie ...

Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four Basilicas in the Catholic Church#Major and papal basilicas, major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim C ...

. In Brescia, he completed a ''Five Virgin Martyrs'' and his masterpiece, the ''Assumption of the Madonna'' for the church of

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

; a ''Coronation of the Madonna with four saints'' () for the church of Santi Nazaro e Celso; and a ''St Joseph'' for Santa Maria delle Grazie. Moretto's most famous work is his canvas of ''St Nicholas of Bari presenting two children to Virgin'', also known as ''The Rovellio Altarpiece'' after its patron, (1539) originally painted for the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, but now in the

Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo is a public art museum in Brescia, Lombardy, Italy. Established in 1851, the museum exhibits mainly paintings by local artists dated from the Thirteenth through the Eighteenth century. The museum's current collec ...

. This painting contains an image of the Indian littoral in the semi-dome behind the figures heads. He collaborated with Floriano Ferramola in the decoration of the dome of Brescia Cathedral. In the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

, Vienna is a ''St Justina'' (once ascribed to

Il Pordenone Pordenone, Il Pordenone in Italian, is the byname of Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis ( – 14 January 1539), an Italian Mannerist painter, loosely of the Venetian school. Vasari, his main biographer, wrongly identifies him as Giovanni Anton ...

); in the Staedel Museum, Frankfurt, the ''Madonna Enthroned between Sts. Anthony and Sebastian''; in the Berlin Museum, a colossal ''Adoration of the Shepherds'', and a large votive picture (one of the master's best) of the ''Madonna and Child'', with infant angels and other figures above the clouds, and below, amid a rich landscape, two priests; in the

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

, is a ''St Bernardino and Other Saints''. Throughout his career his works display an internal oscillation between the traditions of

Venetian painting Venetian painting was a major force in Italian Renaissance painting and beyond. Beginning with the work of Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430–1516) and his brother Gentile Bellini (c. 1429–1507) and their workshops, the major artists of the Venetian s ...

and the Central Italian schools. Simultaneously he looked at the form and colour of Venetian artists such as

and

Palma the Elder Palma Vecchio ( – 30 July 1528), born Jacopo Palma, also known as Jacopo Negretti, was a Venetian painter of the Italian High Renaissance. He is called Palma Vecchio in English and Palma il Vecchio in Italian ("Palma the Elder") to distingu ...

whilst his classicising, sweet intensity earned him the name "

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

". Though there is some uncertainty regarding his studio, he took on a number of pupils, the most important of whom was the portraitist

. He also influenced

Callisto Piazza file:(Venice) Decollazione del Battista - Callisto Piazza da Lodi - Gallerie Accademia.jpg, 280px, ''Beheading of the Baptist'', Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice Callisto Piazza (1500–1561) was an Italian painter. Biography Callisto, a member ...

. Il Moretto was stated to have been a man of great personal piety, preparing himself by prayer and fasting for any great act of sacred art, such as the painting of the Virgin-mother.

Public collections

Moretto is represented in the following collections:

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

;

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

, New York; Hermitage, St. Petersburg;

, Vienna; Staedel Museum, Frankfurt;

Gallerie dell'Accademia The Gallerie dell'Accademia is a museum gallery of pre-19th-century art in Venice, northern Italy. It is housed in the Scuola della Carità on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro. It was originally the gallery o ...

, Venice;

, Brescia (''

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

'');

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana A pinacotheca (Latin borrowing from = + ) was a picture gallery in either ancient Greece or ancient Rome. The name is specifically used for the building containing pictures which formed the left wing of the Propylaea on the Acropolis at Athen ...

, Milan;

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

, Washington;

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, Paris;

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street in Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University ...

, Oxford;

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest The Museum of Fine Arts (, ) is a museum in Heroes' Square, Budapest, Hungary, facing the Palace of Art. It was built by the plans of Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog in an eclectic- neoclassical style , between 1900 and 1906. The mu ...

, amongst others.

Further works

File:Moretto_da_brescia_cesaresco.jpg, '' Portrait of Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco'', 1542, London, National Gallery File:Bonvicino - Holy Family.jpg, ''The Holy Family with Saint Anthony of Padua'', oil on panel. File:Portrait of Girolamo Savonarola 1524.jpg, Posthumous portrait of

Girolamo Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, ; ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498), also referred to as Jerome Savonarola, was an ascetic Dominican friar from Ferrara and a preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He became known for his prophecies of civic ...

1524

Works

*''

Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saint James the Great and Saint Jerome Enthroned is a Belgian black metal band formed in Charleroi who are one of the premier acts of the Belgian black metal scene. History The band was founded in 1993 by drummer Cernunnos. He soon recruited guitarist Tsebaoth and a vocalist from ...

'' (1517) *'' Christ with the Cross'' (1518) *''

The Dead Christ Adored by Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' (1520–1521) *''

Holy Cross Standard The ''Holy Cross Standard'' is a 1520-1521 oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia, commissioned by the Brescia's city council for the Company of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, guardians of the Sante Croci treasury at the city's Old Cath ...

'' (1520–1521) *'' Standard of Our Lady of Mercy'' (1520–1522) *'' Salvation Triptych'' (1521–1524 or 1527–1528) *''

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is a Roman Catholic Titles of Mary, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated as patron saint, patroness of the Carmelites, Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on M ...

'' () *''

Assumption of the Virgin The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

'' (1524–1526) *'' Orzinuovi Altarpiece'' (1525–1530) *'' Portrait of a Man'' (1526) *'' Lament over the Dead Christ'' (1526–1530) *''

Sant'Eufemia Altarpiece The ''Sant'Eufemia Altarpiece'' is a 1526-1530 oil on panel painting by Moretto da Brescia, originally on the high altar of Sant'Afra, Brescia, Sant'Afra in Brescia and now in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in the town. The Sant'Afra Reliquary ...

'' (1526–1530) *''

Supper at Emmaus According to the Gospel of Luke, the road to Emmaus appearance is one of the early post-resurrection appearances of Jesus after his crucifixion and the discovery of the empty tomb. Both the meeting on the road to Emmaus and the subsequent supper ...

'' () *'' Madonna and Child with Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian'' () *'' Assumption Altarpiece'' (1529–1530) *'' St Anthony of Padua with Two Saints'' (1530) *'' Saint Anthony Abbot'' (1530–1534) *'' St Justina of Padua with a Donor'' () *'' Madonna and Child with Saint Martin and Saint Catherine'' () *''

Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a story recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew ( 2:16– 18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and u ...

'' (1531–1532) *''

Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece The ''Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece'' is a five panel work by Moretto da Brescia, executed . Its central panel (''Coronation of the Virgin with Saints Michael, Joseph, Francis of Assisi and Nicholas of Bari'') and upper panel (''God the Fa ...

'' () *'' The Deaf-Mute Filippo Viotti's Vision of the Virgin Mary'' () *''

'' (1535–1540) *'' The Assassination of Saint Peter Martyr'' (1535–1540) *''

Portrait of a Gentleman with a Letter ''Portrait of a Gentleman with a Letter'' is a 1535–1540 painting by Moretto da Brescia, now in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia, to which it was given in 1854. No record of it before that dates survives, though some art historians ha ...

'' (1535–1540) *'' Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista Organ Case'' () *'' Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints'' (1536–1537) *'' Rovelli Altarpiece'' (1539) *''

Adoration of the Shepherds with Saints Nazarius and Celsus ''Adoration of the Shepherds with Saints Nazarius and Celsus'' is a 1540 oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia in the church of Santi Nazaro e Celso in Brescia. As its title suggests, it shows Nazarius and Celsus, patron saints of the chu ...

'' (1540) *'' Salomé'' (1540) *'' Madonna and Child with Saints'' (Verona, 1540) *''

Pralboino Altarpiece The ''Pralboino Altarpiece'' is an oil on canvas altarpiece, of 1540–1545 and measuring 356 x 225 cm, by Moretto da Brescia in the church of Sant'Andrea in Pralboino, Province of Brescia, Italy. The work's upper register shows the Madonna and C ...

'' (1540–1545) *'' Christ in Glory with Saint Peter and Saint Paul'' () *'' Christ with the Eucharist and Saints Cosmas and Damian'' () *'' Madonna and Child with Four Doctors of the Church'' () *'' Madonna and Child with Saints'' (London, ) *'' Madonna and Child with an Angel'' () *'' Christ with Moses and Solomon'' (1541–1542) *'' Portrait of Fortunato Martinengo Cesaresco'' (1542) *''

Luzzago Altarpiece The ''Luzzago Altarpiece'' is a 1542 oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia, now in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. It was recorded in San Giuseppe church in Brescia in 1630 and moved to its present home in 1868.Pier Virgilio Be ...

'' (1542) *'' Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine'' () *''

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

(1543–1544) *'' Madonna and Child with Four Saints'' () *'' Supper in the House of Simon the Pharisee'' (1544) *''

Portrait of an Ecclesiastic ''Portrait of an Ecclesiastic'' is an oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia, executed ''c.'' 1545, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. I ...

'' () *''

Christ with the Eucharist and Saints Bartholomew and Roch Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

'' () *''

Christ and the Angel ''Christ and the Angel'' is an oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia, executed ''c.'' 1550, now in the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. In 1630 Bernardino Faino Bernardino is a name of Italian, Hispanic, or Portuguese origin. Notab ...

'' ()

References

* * Hartt, Frederick, ''History of Italian Renaissance Art'', (2nd edn.)1987, Thames & Hudson (US Harry N Abrams), * *

Biography

Public collections

Further works

Works

References

Further reading