Marcello Venusti (1512 – 15 October 1579) was an Italian

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...

painter active in Rome in the mid-16th century. Native to

Mazzo di Valtellina Mazzo di Valtellina (''Maz'' in Valtellinese dialect) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sondrio in Lombardy, about northeast of Milan. As of 1 January 2021, the estimated population was 1,017. Mazzo is located in the upp ...

near

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps ...

, he was reputed to have been a pupil of

Perino del Vaga Perino (or Perin) del Vaga (nickname of Piero Bonaccorsi) (1501 – October 19, 1547) was an Italian painter and draughtsman of the Late Renaissance/ Mannerism. Biography Perino was born near Florence. His father ruined himself by gambling, ...

. He is known for a scaled copy in oils (now

Museo di Capodimonte Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with several important works from other Italia ...

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

) of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

's ''

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

'' in 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 nam ...

, commissioned by

Cardinal Alessandro Farnese Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520 – 2 March 1589), an Italian cardinal and diplomat and a great collector and patron of the arts, was the grandson of Pope Paul III (who also bore the name ''Alessandro Farnese''), and the son of Pier Luigi Farn ...

, and completed in the master's lifetime and meeting his approval. This is the best record of how the fresco looked before many of the nude figures had draperies added in the 1560s, though Venusti quietly adjusted some of Michelangelo's discrepancies in scale between the figures. His painting of ''Christ in the Garden'' is in the

Galleria Doria Pamphilj The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a large art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entrance is on the Via del Corso (until recently, the entrance to the gallery was f ...

. Buonarroti engaged him to paint an ''Annunciation'' from his design for the Capella de' Cesi in the church of

Santa Maria della Pace Santa Maria della Pace is a church in Rome, central Italy, not far from Piazza Navona. The building lies in rione Ponte. History The current building was built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis in 148 ...

. The copy of the ''Last Judgment'' is now at Naples. In the

Palazzo Borghese Palazzo Borghese is a palace in Rome, Italy, the main seat of the Borghese family. It was nicknamed ''il Cembalo'' ("the harpsichord") due to its unusual trapezoidal groundplan; its narrowest facade faces the River Tiber. The entrance at the oppos ...

there is a ''Christ bearing His Cross'' by him, from a design by Michelangelo. A ''Prayer on the Mount of Olives'' is in Sant' Ignazio at

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

, and a ''Holy Family'' and a ''Christ expelling the Money-Changers'' in the National Gallery in London.

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a G ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

also displays a ''Holy Family''. There is also a ''Christ in Purgatory'' in Palazzo Colonna in Rome. Also attributed to Venusti are a number of altarpieces for Roman churches, such as for the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, for the first chapel on the left, he painted ''Resurrected Christ appears to Mary Magdalene''. He also painted for the Chapel of St James apostle in this church. For the church of

San Silvestro al Quirinale San Silvestro al Quirinale (or ''St. Sylvester on Quirinal Hill'') is a historic church in central Rome, Italy. It is located near Via XXIV Maggio corner with Via Mazzarino, a few blocks south of the Piazza del Quirinale. History The first men ...

, he painted a ''Birth of Christ'' for the third chapel. For the church of

San Bernardo della Compagnia San Bernardo della Compagnia (also known as San Bernardo a Colonna Traiani, San Bernardi ad Columnam Traiani or San Bernardo della Compagnia al Foro) was a small church in Rome, next to Trajan's Column, dedicated to Saint Bernard and the Virgin ...

(demolished in 18th century), he painted ''St Bernard triumphing over a Demon''. For the church of

Santa Caterina dei Funari Santa Caterina dei Funari is a church in Rome in Italy, in the rione of Sant'Angelo. The church is mainly known for its façade and its interior with frescoes and paintings. History The church is located where the Castro Aureo of the Circus Flam ...

, he painted a ''John the Baptist preaching'' for the main chapel on the right.Il microcosmo della pittura
by Francesco Scannelli; Cesena (1657); page 186.

Works

*''Christ at the Column''
La Salle University Art Museum, Philadelphia
*''Christ in the Garden'',

*''Portrait of Michelangelo'' (about 1535), oil on canvas (36 x 27 cm), Casa Buonarotti, Florence *Frescoes of the Chapel of the Rosary, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome *Frescoes at the San Giovanni Battista chapel,

, Rome *''The Holy Family'',

References

* *

External links

''The engravings of Giorgio Ghisi''
a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on Marcello Venusti (see index) 1579 deaths People from the Province of Como 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian Mannerist painters Year of birth uncertain 1512 births {{Italy-painter-16thC-stub