VENEZIANO, DOMENICO

(Domenico di Bartolomeo da Venezia; c. 1410-1461)

Venetianpainter who settled inFlorencein 1439 after requesting from Piero de'Medicihelp in obtaining a commission from Piero's father,Cosimo. In that year, Domenico Veneziano is documented working on thefrescoesfrom the life of theVirginin the Church of Sant' Egidio, Florence, unfortunately destroyed, which suggests that his plea to the Medici was successful. According toGiorgio Vasari, Veneziano was murdered byAndrea del Castagnowho, jealous of the artist'soil paintingabilities, struck him with an iron bar.In the 19th century it was discovered, however, that Castagno died in 1457, four years earlier than Veneziano. Vasari was writing at a time when debates on the merits of colorism versus draughtsmanship were taking place. It is possible that he was metaphorically arguing for the superiority of draughtsmanship, usually associated with the Florentine School of which Castagno formed part, over colorism, characteristic of the Venetian School represented by Veneziano. Very few works by Veneziano have survived. AVirgin and Childand two heads of saints (both c. 1440-1445) in the National Gallery, London, are the extant fragments of a street tabernacle he painted at the Canto de' Carnesecchi, in Florence. TheAdoration of the Magi(1440-1443) in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, is a courtly rendition dependent on theInternational Style. Veneziano's best-known painting is theSt.Lucy Altarpieceof c. 1445-1447 in theUffizi, Florence, one of the earliestsacra conversazionetypes. His vivid colorism and interest inperspectiveare clearly demonstrated by this painting. Veneziano's last known work is the fresco ofSts.John the BaptistandFrancis(c. 1455-1460; Florence, Museo dell' Opera di Santa Croce), painted for the Cavalcanti Chapel atSanta Croce, Florence, and removed from the wall in the mid-1560s during renovations.