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, 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, in Brescian territory, and studied first under Fioravante Ferramola. Others state he trained with Vincenzo Foppa. 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. 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 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; 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. 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); 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 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 Giovanni Battista Moroni. He also influenced Callisto Piazza. 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; Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, 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, 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, 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'' (1517) *'' Christ with the Cross'' (1518) *'' The Dead Christ Adored by Saint Jerome and Saint Dorothy'' (1520–1521) *'' Holy Cross Standard'' (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'' (1526–1530) *'' Supper at Emmaus'' () *'' 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 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'' (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'' (1540) *'' Salomé'' (1540) *'' Madonna and Child with Saints'' (Verona, 1540) *'' Pralboino Altarpiece'' (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'' (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'' () *'' Christ with the Eucharist and Saints Bartholomew and Roch'' () *'' Christ and the Angel'' ()

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