Giovanni Mazone (or Masone, Mazzoni) (c.1453 – c. 1510) was an Italian painter and

woodcarver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

active in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. Born in

Alessandria Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. The city is sited on the alluvial plain between the Tanaro and the Bormida rivers, about east of Turin. Alessandria ...

, he was released from his familial bonds (''patria potesta'') in 1453 when he is documented to have established a workshop in Genoa.Natale, Vittoria. "Giovanni Mazone". ''Grove Art Online''. Giovanni's father, Giacomo, was also a painter and the family is first mentioned in 1414, in regards to a rental dispute.Italian Encyclopedia
/ref> His first documented piece is from 1463 for a

relief carving In wood carving relief carving is a type in which figures or patterns are carved in a flat panel of wood; the same term is also used for carving in stone, ivory carving and various other materials. The figures project only slightly from the back ...

of a chapel's altar in

Genoa Cathedral Genoa Cathedral or Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Lawrence ( it, Duomo di Genova, ''Cattedrale di San Lorenzo'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Italy, Italian city of Genoa. It is dedicated to Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo), and is the sea ...

, at which time he would have met

Vincenzo Foppa Vincenzo Foppa ( – ) was an Italian painter from the Renaissance period. While few of his works survive, he was an esteemed and influential painter during his time and is considered the preeminent leader of the Early Lombard School. He spent hi ...

who came to

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

as specified by that contract, and who would later influence Mazone's style. He received another carving contract in 1476 to renovate the main altar in the cathedral. His workshop specialized in making wood frames for

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a painting (usually panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Specifically, a "diptych" is a two-part work of art; a "triptych" is a three-part work; a tetrapty ...

s, and documentation shows he ran a busy establishment. In the mid-1460s he made a polyptych, now dispersed, of

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

, heavily decorated with gilded relief work. His
Annunciation
' polyptych, now held at

Santa Maria di Castello Santa Maria di Castello is a church and religious complex in Genoa, Italy. Administrated for a long time by the Dominicans, it is located in the ''Castello'' hill of the city, where in the Middle Ages a bishop's fortified castle existed. The chu ...

shows

Netherlandish The Low Countries comprise the coastal Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta region in Western Europe, whose definition usually includes the modern countries of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Both Belgium and the Netherlands derived their ...

influences, particularly in the rendering of the central panel.

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( , ; – July 9, 1441) was a painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Northern Renaissance art. Ac ...

's portable altarpiece, the ''

Dresden Triptych The ''Dresden Triptych'' (or ''Virgin and Child with St. Michael and St. Catherine and a Donor'', or ''Triptych of the Virgin and Child'') is a very small hinged-triptych altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish pain ...

'', was in Liguria in Italy by the end of the 15th century, and apparently influenced Mazone's style.Harbison (1991), ''Jan van Eyck, The Play of Realism''. London: Reaktion Books, 1991. . p. 61 Another polyptych, ''Virgin and Child Enthroned with the Four Evangelists'', shows a number of influences, including Netherlandish and Provençal. Documented workshop assistants from that period probably brought additional stylistic elements to the piece. His single signed and dated work, ''Noli me tangere'' was probably produced at about the same period as his triptych of the Nativity. From the 1480s, his ability with perspective grew, when under Foppa's influence he painted ''Virgin and Child Enthroned'' and ''St. Mark with Four Saints''. His 1489 ''Nativity'', painted for the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its name ...

shows a complete break with Netherlandish influences and a movement toward a

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

n style. This piece was commissioned by Giuliano della Rovere, who went on to become

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

References

1430s births 1510s deaths Painters from Genoa 15th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 16th-century Italian painters Italian Renaissance painters {{Italy-painter-15thC-stub