Domenico Mona (also called ''Moni'', ''Monna'', or ''Monio'') (1550–1602) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period, born in

Ferrara Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

Biography

His biographer Cesare Cittadella (1782) describes a stormy early manhood, wherein Mona, born to a prestigious family, chose to become a cloistered monk at the Certosa of Ferrara. But a wish for more involvement in the world, and a romance, caused his departure the monastery. He initially contemplated studying philosophy, medicine, or law. He finally entered the studio of his godfather, the painter Giuseppe Mazzuoli, where he:

saw how through an excellent paintbrush, they represented the truth without deceit, they never arrived at too fantastic a metaphysics, or to an excessively vain and blind medicine, or a corrupt jurisprudence.

His work in Ferrara was prolific. He painted three large altarpieces for the church of San Francesco in Ferrara. Many works can be found in the church of

Santa Maria in Vado Santa Maria in Vado is a church located on Via Borgovado number 3 in Ferrara, Region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. History The church derives its name from a guado or fording (''vado'' in dialect) that was located nearby. A church at the site was do ...

. He painted for many other churches in Ferrara. However, his temper caused him to attack a visiting papal legate, and he had to flee to Bologna, then Modena and Parma, for safety. Among his disciples were

Giacomo Bambini Jacopo Bambini (1582–1629) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Ferrara. He trained with Domenico Mona. Along with Giulio Croma (Giulio Cromer), he set up a painter's academy in Ferrara. He painted three altarpieces ...

and

Giulio Cromer Giulio Cromer or Croma or Cremer (1572, Ferrara Page 621-1632) was a Germany, German-Italy, Italian painter of the Mannerism, Mannerist period, active for many years in Ferrara, Italy. From an 1876 book: ''Giulio Cromer, Carlo Bononi a pupil of ...

.Cesare Cittadella
''Catalogo istorico de' pittori e scultori ferraresi e delle opere loro''.
Volume 1; published by Francesco Pomatelli in Ferrara, 1782, pp. 179-202.

References

1550 births 1602 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Mannerist painters Italian Renaissance painters Painters from Ferrara {{Italy-painter-16thC-stub