Venice and Northern Italy

Question 1

Communion of the Apostles by Joos van Ghent

Answer 1

1473-74 in Urbino

• Painted for the brotherhood of the Corpus Domini in Urbino
• Is also known as the Institution of the Eucharist
• Currently resides in the National Gallery of the Marche in Urbino
• Commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro
• Federico is included in the painting along with his two courtiers

Question 2

The Camera Picta by Andrea Mategna

Answer 2

1465-74 in Mantua

• A frescoed room of paintings within Ducal Palace
• Commissioned by Ludovico Gonzaga III
• The Court Scene shows Ludovico himself with his wife Barbara surrounded by their relatives and courtiers
• Some of the paintings in the room use trompe l’oeil (deceive the eye)

Question 3

Procession of the Relic of the True Cross before the Church of Saint Mark by Gentile Bellini

Answer 3

1496 in Venice

• Commissioned by the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
• Currently housed in the Gallarie dell’Accademia
• The painting shows a procession of 1444 when the son of a visiting merchant received miraculous healing thanks to the relic of the True Cross
• The relic of the True Cross was carried annually during these processions on the feast day of St. Mark through the Piazza San Marco
• Gentile and his brother were both members of the Scuola

Question 4

Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints by Giovanni Bellini

Answer 4

1478 in Venice

• Commissioned by the Hospital of San Giobbe for its chapel
• Is known as the San Giobbe altarpiece
• Currently in the Gallerie dell’Accademia
• It was removed from the hospital between 1814-1818
• The original frame for the painting is in its original location while the painting itself is in the Gallerie

Question 5

Saint Francis in Ecstasy by Giovanni Bellini

Answer 5

1470s in Venice

• Commissioned by Zuan Michiel
• Currently resides in the Frick Collection in New York
• Depicts the 12th century saint, St. Francis, who was monk yet acted as a missionary
• Painted in oil and underneath are ink outlines for each figure used as a guide for painting

Question 6

St. Jerome in his Study by Antonello da Messino

Answer 6

1470s in Venice

• Resides in the National Gallery in London
• Small paintings of Jerome in his study were popular devotional items among Italian Renaissance humanists
• Was the property of Antonio Pasqualino
• Vasari credited Messino with the introduction of oil painting into Italy
• The painting is very Netherlandish in style

Question 7

St. Sebastian by Antonello da Messino

Answer 7

1475 in Venice

• Resides in the Old Masters Gallery in Dresden, Germany
• Made for the Scuola dei SS. Rocco e Nicolo in Venice
• St. Sebastian is an early Christian martyr who was killed during Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians
• According to legend, St. Irene of Rome healed Sebastian after being pierced with arrows. However, he later confronted Diocletian directly about his sins which resulted in Sebastian being clubbed to death
• The painting was apart of an altarpiece with two other pieces: a painting of St. Christopher and a wooden statue of St. Roche