Ventura di Archangelo Salimbeni (also later called Bevilacqua; 20 January 1568 – 1613) was an Italian

Counter-Maniera Counter-''Maniera'' or Counter-Mannerism (variously capitalized and part-italicized) is a term in art history for a trend identified by some art historians in 16th-century Italian painting that forms a sub-category or phase of Mannerism, the dom ...

painter and

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

highly influenced by the ''vaghezza'' and sensual reform of Federico Barocci.

Biography

Salimbeni was born in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. He studied painting, together with his half-brother

Francesco Vanni Francesco Vanni (1563 – 26 October 1610) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker, publisher and printer active in Rome and his native city of Siena.

, under their father

Arcangelo Salimbeni Arcangelo Salimbeni (circa 1536 –1579) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period active in his native Siena, Italy. He was the father of the painter Ventura Salimbeni, stepfather of Francesco Vanni, and son of Leonardo. He was a follower ...

in his native Siena, He possibly spent some time, in Northern Italy and then moved to Rome in 1588 to work, together with others, on the fresco painting of the Vatican Library under pope

Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

. During 1590-1591, he received a commission from Cardinal

Bonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini Bonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini (1571 – 7 April 1627) was an Italian Cardinal. He was the uncle of Pope Gregory XIV. Biography In 1601, Pope Clement VIII associated Count Luigi Bevilacqua and his two brothers, Conte Bonifazio IV (1571–1627 ...

for paintings in the Roman Jesuit

Church of the Gesù , image = Church of the Gesù, Rome.jpg , imagesize = , caption = Giacomo della Porta's façade, precursor of Baroque , mapframe = yes , mapframe-caption = Click on the map for a fulls ...

and the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

. These paintings show the influence of

Cavalier D'Arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patronize ...

and the Counter-Mannerist Barocci pupil

Andrea Lilio Andrea Lilio (1555 - 1642) was an Italian painter born in Ancona, hence he also is known as ''L'Anconitano''. He painted mainly in his native city, as well as in Rome, where he was active from the beginning of the 17th century until around 1640 ...

. Salimbeni returned to Siena in 1595. Here he persisted in a Reformist or

style. He was here influenced by

Federico Barocci Federico Barocci (also written ''Barozzi'')(c. 1535 in Urbino – 1612 in Urbino) was an Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker. His original name was Federico Fiori, and he was nicknamed Il Baroccio. His work was highly esteemed and inf ...

as can be seen in the draperies, highlighted with abrupt changes of light and flickering surfaces, of his painting "Birth of a Virgin" in the San Domenico church 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 ...

(1607–1608). He completed painting cycles (1595–1602) for Sienese churches such as the Oratory of Santa Trinità. He is known for detailed preparatory drawings, most of which are now in the

Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

or the Fine Arts Museum of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. At around 1600, he began painting the "Life of St Hyacinth" for the Sienese church of Santo Spirito. These paintings show the innovative perspective and style of the Florentine Reformers Ludovico Cigoli

Cigoli Lodovico Cardi (21 September 1559 – 8 June 1613), also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last nine years o ...

and Domenico Passignano

Domenico Passignano Domenico Passignano (1559 – 17 May 1638), born Domenico Cresti or Crespi, was an Italian painter of a late-Renaissance or Counter-''Maniera'' (Counter-Mannerism) style that emerged in Florence towards the end of the 16th century. Biography ...

. He continued to create paintings for churches throughout Italy, including Florence. At the

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata di Firenze The Basilica della Santissima Annunziata (Basilica of the Most Holy Annunciation) is a Renaissance-style, Catholic minor basilica in Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy. This is considered the mother church of the Servite Order. It is located at th ...

, he frescoed lunettes (1605–1608) illustrating events in the history of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

. In the Duomo di San Salvatore, he executed a magnificent ''John the Baptist''. At about the same time, around 1600, he got an assignment in

Assisi Assisi (, also , ; from la, Asisium) is a town and ''comune'' of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Propertius, born aroun ...

for a

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

of the "Resurrection of Christ" and the "Dying Saint Clare is visited by the pope" in the vault of chapel of San Massimo in the

Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli The Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli) is a Papal minor basilica situated in the plain at the foot of the hill of Assisi, Italy, in the ''frazione'' of Santa Maria degli Angeli. The basilica was con ...

. In 1603, Salimbeni was commissioned to paint frescoes with scenes from the church's patron saints

Quiricus and Julietta Cyricus ( el, Κήρυκος, am, ቂርቆስ, arc, ܡܪܝ ܩܘܪܝܩܘܣ ܣܗܕܐ ''Mar Quriaqos Sahada''; also Cyriacus, Quiriac, Quiricus, Cyr), and his mother, Julitta ( el, Ἰουλίττα, am, እየሉጣ arc, ܝܘܠܝܛܐ, ''Yul ...

for the church of Ss Quirico e Giulitta, one of the oldest churches in Siena. As in the church of Santa Trinità, he worked here alongside the painter Alessandro Casolari. This period saw a proliferation of new assignments: three paintings for the church San Lorenzo in San Pietro in

Montalcino Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is loc ...

, the "Donation of the Keys" (1599), the "Glorification of the Eucharist" (1600), and the "Crucifixion" (1604). At the same time he was painting the "Vision of Gregory the Great" and the "Punishment of David" in the Basilica of San Pietro in

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

. The papal legate, cardinal Bonifazio Bevilacqua (1571–1627), who had commissioned these paintings, was so pleased that he invested Ventura Salimbeni with the

Order of the Golden Spur The Order of the Golden Spur ( it, Ordine dello Speron d'Oro, french: Ordre de l'Éperon d'or), officially known also as the Order of the Golden Militia ( la, Ordo Militia Aurata, it, Milizia Aurata), is a papal order of knighthood conferre ...

, a very selective papal order. He was even authorized from now on to name himself Cavalieri Bevilacqua. He painted the canvas of the ''Ascension of the Virgin'' (1607) for

San Frediano, Pisa San Frediano is a Romanesque architecture, Romanesque-style Roman Catholic church in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. It now functions as the official church of the University of Pisa.Church of the Santuccio in Siena with the hermit saint set in a wooded landscape. His last work of art was the oil painting the "

Marriage of the Virgin The Marriage of the Virgin is the subject in Christian art depicting the marriage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The marriage is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels but is covered in several apocryphal sources and in later redactions, no ...

" for the Seminario Diocesano in

Foligno Foligno (; Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system. It is located so ...

in 1613. He was influenced by

Domenico Beccafumi Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486May 18, 1551) was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter active predominantly in Siena. He is considered one of the last undiluted representatives of the Sienese school of painting. Biography Domenico was born ...

, and by the rich and harmonious palette of

Lodovico Cigoli Lodovico Cardi (21 September 1559 – 8 June 1613), also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last nine years o ...

. Among his pupils was

Alessandro Casolani Alessandro Casolani (1552–1606) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period, active mainly in Siena. Biography He was also called ''Alessandro della Torre''. He was born at Siena, and was the pupil of Ventura Salimbeni and of Cristofo ...

. In the period between 1589 and 1594 he also made in Rome some etchings, of which seven survive. They are among the finest Italian prints of the period. The earliest dated, and the largest, is the ''Baptism of Christ'' of 1589, which he produced in collaboration with the more experienced Ambrogio Brambilla.

Anthology of works

*''St. Agnes'' (1590, etching,

De Young Museum The de Young Museum, formally the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco, California. Located in Golden Gate Park, it is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, along with the Legion of Honor ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

) *The Annunciation (1594, drawing, De Young Museum) *''Marriage of the Virgin'' (1590 De Young Museum) *Two Studies of a Female (De Young Museum) *''Figure Studies of a Man and a Seated Woman'' (De Young Museum) *Studies of a Male Figure with a Sword (De Young Museum) *Madonna and Child (De Young Museum) *Figure Studies of a Man and a Standing Woman (De Young Museum) *''Joachim and Anna'' (1590, etching, De Young Museum) *''The Annunciation'' ( Museum of Fine Arts,

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

) *''Death of St Claire with Pope Innocent IV's blessing'', drawing

Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...

Cambridge, UK Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

*Christ on the Cross with Virgin, Magdalen, & Saint John (

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

, London) *''Two studies of the head of a woman, and sketch of a foot'' (Courtauld Institute of Art, London) *Youth kneeling holding a vase (Courtauld Institute of Art, London) *Marriage of the Virgin (Diocesan Seminary, Foligno) *The Virgin and Child in Glory, (1590

Grand Rapids Art Museum The Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is an art museum located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, with collections ranging from Renaissance to Modern Art and special collections on 19th and 20th-century European and American art. Its holdings ...

, Michigan) *''Trinity with St.Peter and St. Bernard'', (

Musée Fesch The musée Fesch (officially, Palais Fesch-musée des beaux-arts) is the central museum of fine arts in Ajaccio on Corsica. Located within the gated Palais Fesch, it is in the town's Borgu d'Ajaccio quarter. It was established by Napoleon I's uncl ...

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French: ; it, Aiaccio or ; co, Aiacciu , locally: ; la, Adiacium) is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the ''Collectivité territoriale de Corse'' (capital city of Corsica). ...

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

) *''Study for an Altarpiece'' (drawing,

Fogg Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

, Boston, MA) *''Saint Caterina acceca con lo sguardo and Florentine Soldiers'' (Haarlem,

Teylers Museum Teylers Museum () is an art, natural history, and science museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. Established in 1778, Teylers Museum was founded as a centre for contemporary art and science. The historic centre of the museum is the neoclassical Oval R ...

) *''Saint Lorenzo and Saint Charles Borromeo Pray to the Name of Jesus''(1620,

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

of Grosseto). *''Frescoes of Christ’ Resurrection'' (

Bagno Vignoni Bagno Vignoni is an Italy, Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of San Quirico d'Orcia, situated on a hill above the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany. It is a popular tourist destination and well known for its hot springs. History The ancient village ...

) *''Depiction of Ventura Salimbeni'' (

Bernardino Capitelli Bernardino Capitelli (1589–1639) was an Italian painter and etcher of the Baroque period. He was born in Siena. He became a pupil of Alessandro Casolani, and then of Rutilio Manetti, and between the years 1622 and 1637 was active in both at Ro ...

, 1634) *''Fresco of the Trinity at work with globe'' (

) *''Resurrection of Christ'' in the Chapel of the removal of the Lord in the

in Assisi, Italy.

References

External links

Video Church of San Pietro and artwork by Ventura Salimbeni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salimbeni, Ventura 1568 births 1613 deaths 16th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 17th-century Italian painters Painters from Siena Mannerist painters Italian printmakers Catholic painters