Girolamo Tessari ( – ), also called Gerolamo Tessari or Girolamo dal Santo, was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

painter, active in a

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 ...

style in his native city of

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 ...

Biography

Girolamo was born in Padua, probably in around 1479 to Battista and Franceschina Tessari. His father was a painter, and his grandfather Zuanne Marieta, a weaver originally from Polverara. Girolamo had three sisters, Bartolomea, Graziosa and Faustina. He married Maddalena Tassara di Giovanni da San Leonardo on 24 April 1523. They had a son named Valerio, also a painter, and three daughters. Maddalena died sometime prior to June 1546. His nickname "dal Santo" derives from the fact that he lived in a house not far from "il Santo", the

Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua () is a Catholic Church, Catholic church and Basilicas in the Catholic Church, minor basilica in Padua, Veneto, Northern Italy, dedicated to Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony of Padua. Although the ...

.Vinco, Mattia. "Tessari, Girolamo, detto Girolamo del Santo", ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' - Volume 95 (2019)
/ref>

Career

While a minor figure in 16th-century Paduan painting, Tessari took part in almost all the most important decorative enterprises in Padua's churches and oratories. His first known work is the ''Miracle of the Glass'', painted for the

Scuola del Santo The Scuola del Santo or Scoletta was the headquarters of the Archconfraternity of Anthony of Padua, St Anthony of Padua. It overhangs the churchyard of Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, next door to the St. George's Oratory, Padua, St. Ge ...

in Padua in 1511. In 1513 Tessari frescoed the ''Transit of Saint Anthony'' also for the Scuola del Santo; and in 1515, ''the Miracle of the Mule''. Between about 1535 and 1537, Tessari painted a cycle of frescoes representing Saint Anthony's miracles in the

Santuario del Noce The Santuario del Noce (literally, "Sanctuary of the Walnut ree) is a 15th-century Roman Catholic chapel or place of worship dedicated to Anthony of Padua in Camposampiero, Veneto, Italy. History According to legend, Anthony of Padua preached to ...

Camposampiero Camposampiero is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Padua, Veneto, northern Italy. The 15th-century Santuario del Noce, a Roman Catholic chapel dedicated to Anthony of Padua, is located in Camposampiero. Twin towns – sister cities Campos ...

, including a half

lunette A lunette (French ''lunette'', 'little moon') is a crescent- or half-moon–shaped or semi-circular architectural space or feature, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void. A lunette may also be ...

fresco depicting Anthony's sermon to the fish. He was hired in 1518 to do some incidental work to complete the altarpiece of the chapel of S. "Sebastiano in the basilica that was left unfinished by Luca Antonio Busati. From 22 June 1523 to 21 August 1526 Girolamo frescoed the chapel of the Madonna in S. Francesco. In 1532,

Filippo Borromeo Filippo Borromeo (1419–1464) was the son of Vitaliano I Borromeo and Ambrosina Fagnini. He was second Count of Arona, and greatly expanded his father's banking trade throughout Europe. He married Francesca Visconti, the daughter of Count Lanci ...

commissioned him to create a Baptism of Christ for the church of S. Giovanni Battista in Lissaro. He also worked on the Oratory of Saint Rocco. In 1542 he completed the frescoes of the "Stories of the Life of St. Benedict" in the main cloister of S. Giustina, left unfinished by Bernardino Parentino. The fresco with the ''Deposition from the Cross'' is now in the

Musei Civici di Padova The Musei Civici di Padova or degli Eremitani is a complex of museums and historic sites, centered on the former convent of the Eremitani (Augustinian order), and its famous Cappella degli Scrovegni with its Giotto fresco masterpieces. The compl ...

. He was called to do frescoes at S. Maria di Castello in

Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...

. Among his many works in Padua are a number of fresco decorations, including frescoes at the Basilica of Sant'Antonio da Padova; in the apse of the Church of Santa Maria in Vanzo (painted circa 1520); at the Scuoletta del

Carmine Carmine ()also called cochineal (when it is extracted from the Cochineal, cochineal insect), cochineal extract, crimson Lake pigment, lake, or carmine lake is a pigment of a bright-red color obtained from the aluminium coordination complex, compl ...

; at the Oratory of the Confraternita del Redentore (1537); and a ''Deposition'' in the Chapter Hall of the Abbey of Praglia.Lega Ambiente di Padova
short biography. File:07 Girolamo Tessari, Miracolo del bicchiere di vetro.JPG, Miracle of the glass File:Predica ai pesci - Girolamo Tessari.jpg, Predica ai pesci File:05 Girolamo Tessari, Transito di Sant'Antonio (1513).JPG, Transito di Sant'Antonio (1513) File:Immacolotta Chapel 2246.jpg, Immacolotta Chapel, S. Francesco

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tessari, Girolamo Italian Renaissance painters 15th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 16th-century Italian painters Painters from Padua Year of death unknown Year of birth uncertain 1480s births