Domenico Veneziano

Domenico Veneziano (born c. 1410, Venice [Italy]—died May 15, 1461, Florence) was an early Italian Renaissance painter, one of the protagonists of the 15th-century Florentine school of painting.

Little is known about Domenico Veneziano’s early life and training. He was in Perugia (central Italy) in 1438, and from there he wrote a letter to Piero de’ Medici soliciting work. He settled in Florence in 1439 and, except for brief periods, worked there until his death. It is likely that he had been in Florence prior to this date, possibly as an assistant to Gentile da Fabriano. Even his early works, in fact, reflect the influence of Florentine art, in particular that of Fra Angelico, Fra Filippo Lippi, and Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Two signed works by Domenico survive. The first, a much-damaged fresco of the Virgin and Child enthroned and two damaged heads of saints (c. 1440–44), formed part of the Carnesecchi Tabernacle and may have been the first work Domenico executed in Florence. Its accurate perspective and the sculptural quality of the figures suggest he was influenced by Masaccio.

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The second work is an altarpiece for the Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, usually called the St. Lucy Altarpiece, which was probably painted about 1445. The central panel, Madonna and Child Enthroned with St. Francis, John the Baptist, St. Zenobius, and St. Lucy, is one of the outstanding paintings produced in Florence in the middle of the 15th century. It is remarkable for the soft contours of its figures, its fresh and delicate palette, its mastery of light, and its precise and subtle space construction. The five paintings of the predella, a strip of small paintings that support a larger panel, are now dispersed. One of these paintings, The Annunciation (c. 1442–48), is the most successful of Domenico’s experiments in rendering outdoor light. The pale morning gleam fills and defines the space of the courtyard, and the cool glare on the broad plane of white wall heightens the sense of moment and loneliness in the two figures.

A tondo of the Adoration of the Magi is thought to have been painted by Domenico about 1435–39. It combines gay color with careful realism and has an expansive and accurately drawn landscape background.