Marco Palmezzano (1460–1539) was an Italian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, belonging to the Forlì painting school, who painted in a style recalling earlier Northern Renaissance models. He was mostly active near

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...

Biography

Palmezzano was born and died in

, Romagna. After his initial training with the painter Melozzo da Forlì — who had collaborated with Piero della Francesca and was widely esteemed as a master of perspective and foreshortening techniques— Palmezzano went to Rome in the early 1490s. It is rumored that Palmezzano may have then traveled to Jerusalem to join the team painting frescoes at the Holy Cross church there, but no documentary evidence exists. He is, however, noted in property records as residing in Venice in 1495. Shortly thereafter, Palmezzano returned to

, where he spent the rest of his long life—apparently with only brief excursions connected with commissions in other places in the region—until his death in 1539. Among his pupils in Forlì, are listed Baldassarre Carrari il Giovane.Pittura miscellanea
article ''Marco Palmezzano e le sue Opere'' by Egidio Calzini, (1894) page 86-90.

Work

Palmezzano's studio was prolific in producing altarpieces, most commonly featuring the iconic arrangement of an enthroned Virgin with child on her lap, while below, symmetrically sited in the foreground are flanking saints. Venetian painting, in general, and the work of Giovanni Bellini and

Cima da Conegliano Giovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano (c. 1459 – c. 1517), was an Italian Renaissance painter, who mostly worked in Venice. He can be considered part of the Venetian school, though he was also influenced by Antonello da ...

, in particular, were to remain the most powerful influences on Palmezzano's output. Moreover, he remained faithful to the Venetian style of the later 15th and early 16th century. Mannerism entirely passed him by, and he seemed immune to subsequent developments in Venetian painting. One of the most attractive facets of Palmezzano's oeuvre are the distinctive and suggestive landscapes that form the backdrops of many of his

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject 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 ...

s. These are a blend of the ideal and lyrical, and of the observed reality of the Apennine foothills and mountains to the south of Forli for which Palmezzano clearly had a real affection. These landscapes are also employed to subtle and imaginative effect to convey the symbolic religious messages of the works.

Chronology of work

Marco palmezzano, crocifissione degli Uffizi

*''

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

'' (early period) in the Pinacoteca Civica of Forlì. *''Virgin with Child between Saint John the Baptist and Saint Margaret'' (1492) *Decorations in the Chapel Feo in Church of San Biagio at Forlì, destroyed in bombing during World War II (1493-34) *''

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

'' altarpiece for Forlì's

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

church (1495-57) *''Virgin and Child with Saints Giacomo and Michele'' (1490s) *''Madonna and Child with Saints'' (1493) Pinacoteca di Brera *''Virgin and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Filippo Bennizi'' - Gallery of Antique Art of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena *''Virgin and Child with Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine of Alexandria'', created in

Matelica Matelica is a (municipality) of the Province of Macerata in the Italian region of Marche. Located about southwest of Ancona and west of Macerata, it extends over an area of . Geography Matelica lies in an ample valley where the Braccano cree ...

(1501) *''Crucifixion between Gualberto and Mary Magdalene'' *''Holy Communion of

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

'' (1506) - Oil on wood, Pinacoteca Civica,

*''The Dead Christ in the Tomb with the Virgin Mary and Saints'' (1506) - Oil on wood, National Gallery, London *''Virgin and Child Enthroned between Saints John the Baptist and Jerome'' (1510) - Oil on wood panel, Vatican Picture Gallery *'' Dead Christ with Two Angels'' (1510) - Tempera on panel, 81 x 79 cm,

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

, Paris *''Holy Family with Saint Elizabeth and the Infant Saint John'' (1515) - Oil on wood panel, Vatican Picture Gallery *Hospital ''Beaten for Forlì'' (1517) *''The Baptism of Christ'' (1535) - Oil on panel, 90 x 70 cm, Pinacoteca Civica,

*''The Baptism of Christ'' (c. 1535) - Oil on wood panel,

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

, Melbourne *''Virgin and Child Surrounded by Saints'' (1537) - Oil on wood panel, Vatican Picture Gallery *''Christ Bearing the Cross'' - Oil on wood panel, Vatican Picture Gallery *''Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist'' - Oil on panel, 65 x 52 cm, Private collection *''The Annunciation with City by the Sea'' - Oil on wood panel, Vatican Picture Gallery *''Saint Jerome and Saint Francis in the Desert'', Loyola University Art Museum, Chicago

Sources

*Francis Russell, ''Marco Palmezzano: Forlì'', in ''The Burlington magazine'', 148.2006, 1237, p. 294-295.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmezzano, Marco 1460s births 1539 deaths People from Forlì 15th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 16th-century Italian painters Italian Renaissance painters