Domenico Passignano (1559 – 17 May 1638), born Domenico Cresti or Crespi, was an Italian painter of a late-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

or Counter-''Maniera'' ( Counter-Mannerism) style that emerged in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

towards the end of the 16th century.

Biography

Cresti was born in Passignano, currently a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'' of

Barberino Tavarnelle Barberino Tavarnelle is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about south of Florence. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). History B ...

about 30 km south of Florence, and was educated by the local

Vallombrosan The Vallombrosians (alternately spelled Vallombrosans, Vallumbrosians or Vallumbrosans) are a monastic religious order in the Catholic Church. They are named after the location of their motherhouse founded in Vallombrosa (), situated 30 km ...

monks. He started his works in the stylized Tuscan manner, working with Giovanni Battista Naldini and Girolamo Macchietti. After travelling from

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, ...

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 ...

(1581–1589), he came under the influence of

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

's style. He had travelled to Venice as an assistant to

Federico Zuccari Federico Zuccaro, also known as Federico Zuccari and Federigo Zucchero ( July/August 1609), was an Italian painter, draughtsman, architect and writer. He worked in various cities in Italy, as well as in other countries such as Spain, France, t ...

, who had employed him previously in the completion of

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

's ''

The Last Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the ''Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, resu ...

'' on the ceiling of the dome of

Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...

. He was known to paint with great speed; however, as he used less paint in order to work quickly, most of his works have been severely damaged by time. As a result of this gift, he was nicknamed Passa Ognuno (" ePasses Everyone") – a possible play upon the name of his birthplace. In Florence, he painted

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es of the ''Translation'' and ''Funeral of Saint Antoninus'' (1589) for the Cappella Salviati in

San Marco San Marco is one of the six sestiere (Venice), sestieri of Venice, lying in the heart of the city as the main place of Venice. San Marco also includes the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Although the district includes Piazza San Marco, Saint Mar ...

and ''Preaching of John the Baptist'' (1590) for

San Michele Visdomini San Michele Visdomini is a Roman Catholic church in the centre of Florence, central Italy. The original church of San Michele was demolished in 1368 to make space for the tribunes of the new Cathedral of Florence. Soon it was rebuilt in its present ...

. He painted a ''Nativity'' (1594) for

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

Duomo di San Martino Lucca Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours in Lucca, Italy. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Lucca. History Old Cathedral A church was built on the site in the 6th centuryCarlo Biscotti, Notizie somma ...

. Other works by Passignano can be found in the church of

Sant'Andrea della Valle Sant'Andrea della Valle is a titular church and minor basilica in the rione of Sant'Eustachio of the city of Rome, Italy. The basilica is the seat of the general curia of the Theatines and is located on the Piazza Vidoni, at the intersection ...

(Barberini Chapel), the

Basilica of 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 ...

(Baptistery ceilings) and

Santa Maria in Vallicella Santa Maria in Vallicella, also called Chiesa Nuova, is a church in Rome, Italy, which today faces onto the main thoroughfare of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the corner of Via della Chiesa Nuova. It is the principal church of the Oratorians ...

(altarpiece of the Chapel of the Annunciation) in Rome, San Frediano in

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, in the

Uffizi Gallery The Uffizi Gallery ( ; , ) is a prominent art museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of ...

, and his ''Our Lady of the Jacobins'' (1630) in the

Besançon Cathedral Besançon Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church dedicated to John the Apostle, Saint John located in the city of Besançon, France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Besançon. The cathedral consists of a large nave betwe ...

. In addition, he painted famous portraits of

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...

and

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

. He also painted frescoes for the Vallumbrosan

Badia di Passignano The Badia di Passignano, also called the ''Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo a Passignano'' is a historic Benedictine abbey located atop a scenic hilltop, surrounded by cypresses, east of the town of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Province of Florence, Ital ...

in his hometown. Among his pupils were the brothers Valore and Domenico Casini, Pietro Sorri,Dizionario ragionato delle voci delle arte del disegno architettura, pittura, scultura ed industrie affini
(1888), by Giuseppe A. Boidi, page 367.

Cesare Dandini Cesare Dandini (1 October 1596– 7 February 1657) was an Italian Baroque painter, active mainly in his native city of Florence. Biography He was the older brother of the painter Vincenzo Dandini (1609–1675). His nephew, Pietro Dandini, P ...

, and

Pietro Ricchi Pietro Ricchi (1606 – 15 August 1675) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, born in Lucca. Life Pietro Ricchi, called ''il Lucchese'', trained from 1620 to 1623 with Domenico Crespi, called Passignano, in Florence and from 1624 to 1627 ...

. Passignano died at Florence in 1638.

Selected works

*''Ganymede and Jupiter'', University Oklahoma Museum of Ar

*''The Allegory of Chastity''

*''Wedding Banquet of Grand Duke Ferdinand I de Medici''

*'' Bathers at San Niccolò'', 1600 File:Bathers at San Niccolo.jpg, '' Bathers at San Niccolò'', 1600 File:Domenico Cresti, il Passsignano, part of a sketch of Charity flanked by Glory and Happiness, circa 1608.jpg, Sketch of ''Charity flanked by Glory and Happiness'', circa 1608

Sources

* *

External links

''Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi''
a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on Domenico Passignano (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Passignano, Domenico 1559 births 1636 deaths People from Tavarnelle Val di Pesa 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Painters from Tuscany Italian Mannerist painters Fresco painters