St Peter Blessing and Donor

religious

This painting is executed with an astonishing synthesis of the human figure, architecture, and landscape. The artist's debt to Antonello da Messina is enriched by elements drawn from Giovanni Bellini, most evident in the delightful fragment of Veneto landscape, where among various borrowed buildings one finds the façade of the Duomo in Vicenza and the Arena in Pola. The inscription on the scroll carried by the little dog in his mouth reads: ESTO FIDELIS ("Be faithful").

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About the Artist

Bartolomeo Montagna

1450 – 1523

Bartolomeo Montagna (actually Bartolomeo Cincani), Italian painter from the Brescia region. His initial training was presumably under Domenico Morone in Verona. He had a distinct Venetian influence, probably in Giovanni Bellini 's studio. He may also have adopted the Mantegnesque severity. His occasional obsession with detail is reminiscent of Carpaccio. He was active in Venice (Scuola di San Marco) and in Verona, mainly however in Vicenza. Powerful use of colour (zinc plating), symmetrical picture composition, and marked light-dark contrasts are his distinguishing characteristics. The Friulian School ( Pellegrino and Pordenone) is indebted to him. Benedetto Montagna, a productive engraver, was his son and pupil.

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