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“Foreign” Painters in Umbria 


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The images below link to pages on the most important painters with works in or from Umbria.

Giunta Pisano (ca. 1180-1260)

From Pisa

Signed a now-lost Crucifix (1236) that was in the Upper Church of San Francesco, Assisi.

Another signed Crucifix (ca. 1236) from an unknown location is now in the Museo della Portiuncula, Assisi (illustrated here).






Cimabue (ca. 1240-1302)

From Florence

Frescoes (ca. 1275) in the crossing of the upper church of San Francesco, Assisi, which are attributed to him, are sadly deteriorated.








Duccio di Buoninsegna (ca. 1255-1319)

From Siena

A panel (early 14th century), probably from a polyptych that was painted for the Dominicans of Perugia, is attributed to him.  It is now in the Galleria Nazionale,









Giotto (ca. 1267-1337) 

From Florence

He and his workshop probably executed frescoes (early 14th century) in the Lower Church of San Francesco, Assisi








Simone Martini (ca. 1284-1344)

From Siena

Frescoes (early 14th century) in the Lower Church of San Francesco, Assisi are attributed to him

He also painted three polyptychs (one signed, two attributed) in Orvieto in the 1320s





Pietro Lorenzetti (ca. 1280-1348)

From Siena

Frescoes (early 14th century) in the Lower Church of San Francesco, Assisi are attributed to him







Andrea de’ Bartoli (died after 1368)

From Bologna

This artist seems to enjoyed the patronage of Cardinal Albornoz in Bologna in the 1360s.  In 1368, the heirs of Cardinal Albornoz commissioned frescoes from him for the Capella di Santa Caterina in the Lower Church of San Francesco, the chapel in which Cardinal Albornoz had been buried a year earlier.   These frescoes include a depiction of Cardinal Albornoz laying his cardinal’s hat at the feet of Pope Clement VI, who had created him Cardinal Priest of San Clemente  in 1350.





Allegretto Nuzi (died ca. 1374)

From Fabriano

Allegretto di Nuzi was documented in Florence in 1346, and this document suggests that he had previously worked in Siena.  He seems to have returned to the Marches in ca. 1348 and to have spent the rest of his career there.  Frescoes in two Perugian churches are attributed to him:

  1. frescoes (14th century) of the Evangelists in the Cappella di San Nicolò of San Domenico, including this one of St John; and 

  2. a fresco (14th century) of the Dormition of the Virgin in the Cappella dei Consoli of  Sant’ Agostino.



Ugolino di Prete Ilario (died after 1403)

From Siena

Ugolino di Prete Ilario was called to Orvieto  from his native Siena in 1357 and is documented in the Duomo there until 1384.  He played an important part in training local artists.  His most important surviving work in the city is the fresco cycle of the Life of the Virgin (1370-84) in the tribune of the Duomo (illustrated here).







Benedetto di Bindo (died 1417)

From Castiglione di Valdorcia, near Siena, based in Perugia 1415-7

Benedetto di Bindo established his career in Siena before moving to Perugia in ca. 1415.  He died prematurely in Perugia and was buried in the cloister of San Domenico there.  The frescoes (ca. 1415) of the Cappella di Santa Caterina, San Domenico (including this detail of St Catherine of Alexandria) are attributed to him.  So too is an altarpiece (early 15th century) of the Assumption of the Virgin from Santa Maria Maggiore, Bettona, which is now in the Pinacoteca Civica there.




Spinello Aretino (died 1410)

From Arezzo

Spinello Aretino was an important artist who worked mostly in Tuscany.  Works in Umbria that are attributed to him include:

  1. a panel (ca. 1400) of the Madonna and Child in the Pinacoteca Comunale, Città di Castello that is of uncertain provenance (illustrated here); and 

  2. a small panel (ca. 1400) of the dead Christ on the cross with the Virgin and SS John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalen, which came from Palazzo Comunale, Orvieto and which is now in the Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo there.





Taddeo di Bartolo (died 1422)

From Siena

Taddeo di Bartolo, who worked mostly in Tuscany, was also recorded in Perugia in 1403.  His most important commission there was a signed polyptych for the high altar of San Francesco al Prato.  Most of its panels, including this one depicting St Francis, are in the Galleria Nazionale, Perugia.










Gentile da Fabriano (died 1427)

From Fabriano

Gentile da Fabriano was one of the most important artists of his generation and an exponent of the International Gothic.  His most important work in Umbria was this fresco (1425) of the Maestà in the Duomo of Orvieto.  A panel (ca. 1405) of the  Madonna and Child from San Domenico, Perugia, which is now in the Galleria Nazionale there, is attributed to him.  He also seems to have led the group of artists who executed the frescoes (1411-2) of the public rooms in Palazzo Trinci, Foligno.





Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni (early 15th century)

From San Severino

The signed works of Lorenzo Salimbeni were executed in the period 1400-16 in the area around his native city.  Two of these were signed additionally by his younger brother, Jacopo, but no securely documented work by Jacopo alone is known.   Works in Umbria that are attributed to one or both of them include

  1. a fresco (early 15th century) of St Michael in Santa Maria Nuova, Gubbio;

  2. a fresco (early 15th century) of the Madonna and Child with Ssaints in Santa Scolastica, Norcia; and

  3. a monochrome fresco (early 15th century) of the Crucifixion with the Virgin and SS John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene from San Benedetto dei Condotti, Perugia (illustrated here), which is now the Galleria Nazionale.


Bicci di Lorenzo (died 1452)

From Florence

The so-called Sant’ Agnese Triptych  (1430s), which is attributed to Bicci di Lorenzo, came from the nunnery of Sant' Agnese and was probably commissioned shortly after 1429, when Sant' Agnese passed to a community of Franciscan tertiaries.  It is now in the Galleria Nazionale.

[Temporary link to Bicci di Lorenzo]


Fra Angelico (1387–1455)

From Florence (depicted on the right here)

Began the decoration of the Cappella Nuova of the Duomo, Orvieto in 1447

Guidalotti Polyptych (ca. 1477) from San Domenico, Perugia, which is now in the Galleria Nazionale, is attributed to him






Filippo Lippi (1406-69)

From Florence

Giorgio Vasari recorded a panel (probably late 1460s) of the Madonna and Child with saints that belonged to the Dominicans of Perugia

Executed frescoes (1467-9) in the apse of the Duomo, Spoleto 

Died at Spoleto and was buried in Duomo






Nicola di Ulisse (died after 1472)

From Siena

Nicola di Ulisse worked extensively in and around Norcia.  Surviving works by or attributed to him include this painted Crucifix, which remains above the high altar of the Abbazia di Sant’ Eutizio.






Lorenzo di Pietro, il Vecchietta (1410-80)

From Siena

A number of works (1460s and 1470s ) in or from Narni are by or attributed to him.  These include both sculptures and panels






Neri di Bicci (1418-91)

From Florence

Two works in Umbria are attributed to Neri di Bicci (the son of Bicci di Lorenzo - see above):

  1. an altarpiece (15th century) of the Madonna and Child with angels (illustrated here) from Santa Cecilia, Città di Castello, which is now in the Pinacoteca Comunale there; and

  2. an altarpiece (ca. 1464) of the Madonna della Neve from the pieve of Abeto, near Norcia, which is now in the Museo Diocesano, Spoleto. 




Piero della Francesca (died 1492)

From Borgo Sansepolcro

This important artist painted the St Antony of Padua Polyptych (ca. 1468)

for the nuns of Sant’ Antonio da Padova, Perugia.     It is now in the Galleria Nazionale there.










Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-94)

From Florence

The altarpiece (1486) of the Coronation of the Virgin that Ghirlandaio painted for the Convento di San Girolamo, Narni had lasting influence in Umbria







Benozzo Gozzoli (1420-97)

From Florence

Worked at Orvieto, Narni and (possibly) Foligno in 1448-9

Executed his most important early works at Montefalco in 1450-2

Also painted later works for clients in Perugia (in 1456) and Terni (in 1466)







Antoniazzo Romano (died after 1508)

From Rome

Two works from the Augustinians’ church of Sant’ Illuminata, Montefalco, which were probably originally painted for their church of Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, are now in the Pinacoteca:

  1. the altarpiece (ca. 1488) of three standing saints, which is generally attributed to Antoniazzo Romano (illustrated here); and

  2. a panel (ca. 1470) of the Madonna and Child that is a copy of a venerated icon in Santa Maria del Popolo, which is sometimes attributed to him.  However:

  3. it is more usually attributed to his colleague, Melozzo da Forli; and

  4. it has recently been attributed alternatively to Bartolomeo Caporali, who was documented in Rome in 1467.

Two other works in Umbria are attributed to Antoniazzo Romano:

  1. a panel (15th century) of the Resurrection, which is in the Pinacoteca, Narni; and

  2. a small devotional panel (15th century) of the Madonna and Child that was purchased by the Galleria Nazionale, Perugia in 1884.


Antonio da Viterbo, il Pastura (died 1516)

From Viterbo

Il Pastura is first documented in 1478, among the founder members of the Compagnia di San Luca, the guild of painters working in Rome.  He worked under Pintoricchio on the frescoes (1492-4) of the Borgia Apartments of the Vatican Palace.  He is documented in Orvieto in 1489-92 and 1497-9.  Among his work from the latter period are the four scenes that he repainted in the tribune of the Duomo, which included the Presentation of Jesus, illustrated here.  He was considered for the completion of the frescoes of the Cappella Nuova, but the Opera dell’ Duomo subsequently decided against his candidature.  He seems subsequently to have returned to his native Viterbo.



Jacopo Ripanda (died after 1516)

From Bologna

Jacopo Ripanda was first documented at work on the Duomo, Orvieto in 1485-95, in connection with the mosaics of the facade and the restoration of the frescoes in the tribune.  He executed the mosaic (1487-92) of the annunciation to St Joachim in the gable over the right door (illustrated here).  The St Juvenal Altarpiece (ca. 1490) from San Giovenale, which is now the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, is attributed to him and to his associates.   He spent the rest of his career in Rome, where he was best known for his drawings of the reliefs on the Column of Trajan.




Raphael (1483-1520)  

From Urbino

One of the most important painters of the Renaissance

Worked mostly in Umbria in 1500-4

Was probably based in Florence in 1504-8, but was still active in Umbria

Spent the last years of his short life at the papal court

The only works by Raphael that are still in Umbria are:

  1. two damaged panels in the Pinacoteca Comunale, Città di Castello; and

  2. a fresco (ca. 1505) in San Severo, Perugia (illustrated here).


Luca Signorelli (died 1523)

From Cortona (depicted on the left here)

Painted the Sant' Onofrio Altarpiece (1484) for the Duomo, Perugia, which is now in the Museo Diocesano

Was granted citizenship of Città di Castello in 1488, and was the leading artist in the city for most of the 1490s

Executed the important frescoes (1499-1504) in the Cappella Nuova of the Duomo, Orvieto


Rosso Fiorentino (1494-1540)

From Florence

Rosso worked in Rome in 1523-7 and then took refuge with Domenico Alfani in Perugia, after having been caught up in the horror of the sack of Rome.  He moved to Città di Castello, where he painted the important panel (1528-30) of the Transfiguration (illustrated here) for the Duomo.  He left Italy for France in 1530.





Giuliano Presutti (1490-1554)

From Fano

The documented Gonfalone della Misericordia (1533-4) by Giuliano Presutti in Santa Maria dei Laici, Gubbio is now owned by Finch College, New York.  A number of other works in Gubbio attributed to him:

  1. two altarpieces in the Duomo:

  2. the altarpiece (ca. 1521) of the Adoration of the Shepherd (illustrated here);

  3. altarpiece (ca. 1526-9) of St Mary Magdalene;

  4. the altarpiece (16th century) of the Assumption of the Virgin from the the Pieve di Valdichiascio, which is now in the Museo Diocesano; and

  5. the altarpiece (16th century) of the Communion of the Apostles in San Domenico.


Raffaellino del Colle (1490-1556)

From Colle, near Borgo Sansepolcro

[Text]

[Temporary link to Raffaellino del Colle]


Cristofano Gherardi, il Doceno (1508-56)

From Borgo Sansepolcro

[Text]

[Temporary link to Cristofano Gherardi, il Doceno]


Tommaso Bernabei, il Papacello (died 1559)

From Cortona

Il Papacello seems to have worked under Giulio Romano and Giovanni Battista Caporali  (both of whom were followers of Raphael) in the 1520s.  He was the author of a fresco in Santa Maria Assunta, Cesi that was documented in 1540.  He was active in Perugia after the Salt War (1540), when he secured commissions in Rocca Paolina and in the apartment of the papal legate, Tiberio Crispo.  A detail of a fresco (1547-8) of a scene from the life of Braccio Fortebracci in the Sala della Congregazione Governativa of Palazzo dei Priori (now Room 18 of the Galleria Nazionale), which is attributed to il Papacello, is illustrated here.


Flemish artists active in Umbri (mostly in 1560s and 1570s)

A number of Flemish artists visited Italy in the 1560s and 1570s in order to study the work of the leading artists there.  They almost always included a stay in Rome.  While they were appreciated as specialists, for example as painters of landscapes, “grotesque ” decoration and glass, they generally found it difficult to secure more mainstream commissions.  Two of the artists discussed in the page on Flemish artists were exceptions:
  1. Arrigo Fiammingo da Malines (Hendrik van den Broeck, 1519-97), who worked extensively in Perugia; and

  2. Francesco da Castello (Frans van de Kasteele, died 1621), who had a workshop in Rome and who sent altarpieces to Spello. 

Others, most of whom soon returned to Flanders, nevertheless left interesting works in Umbria, and particularly in Terni.  These include:

  1. Johann Marten Stellaert (died in Rome after 1568);

  2. Gillis Congnet (died 1599);

  3. Karel van Mander (1548- 1606); and

  4. Hendrik de Clerck (died 1630), who left an important altarpiece in Todi.

The altarpiece (1568) of the Madonna and Child with saints illustrated here is signed by Johann Marten Stellaert and dated by inscription: it came from the Duomo, Terni and is now in the Museo Diocesano there.


Livio Agresti (1508–1580)

From Forlì, worked mainly in Rome

Signed works survive in Amelia, Narni and Terni.  The signed panel (1559) of the Annunciation illustrated here, which is of unknown provenance, is in the Pinacoteca, Narni.







Lattanzio Pagani (died ca. 1582)

From Monterubbiano, in the March of Ancona

[Text]

[Temporary link to Lattanzio Pagani]


Giovanni Battista Lombardelli (died 1592)

From Montenovo (now called Ostra Vetere) in the March of Ancona

This important artist executed a number of commissions in Perugia.  His last documented works were frescoes (1591-2) in the apse of San Pietro there.  These depict:

  1. Christ entrusting the keys of Heaven to St Peter (illustrated here);

  2. Christ before a centurion;and

  3. St Paul kneeling before a vision of Christ.

Lombardelli worked in Orvieto in ca, 1585 and probably began the decoration of the Cappella dell’ Annunciazione in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi in the last months of his life.


Girolamo Muziano (died 1592)

From Brescia, based in Rome

Girolamo Muziano contributed four altarpieces to a series  depicting scenes from the life of Christ for the Duomo of Orvieto.  These were removed in 1890 and are now in the Museo dell’ Opera del Duomo.  They included the Raising of Lazarus, illustrated here. 








Nicolò Circignani, il Pomarancio (died 1596)

From Pomarance, near Volterra, based in Rome

Works attributed to Nicolò Circignani in Città di Castello include this  fresco (16th century) of the Conversion of St Paul in the Cappella di San Paolo of the Duomo.  Other work by or attributed to him survive in Foligno, Orvieto and Perugia.  His last known work is an altarpiece (1596) of the Ascension of Christ in San Francesco, Cascia.






Taddeo Zuccari (died 1566) and Federico Zuccari (died 1609)

From near Urbino, based in Rome

These brothers formed an important workshop that secured the patronage of Pope Paul IV and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese  

After Taddeo’s early death, Federico established an international reputation.  Altarpieces by him survive in Amelia and Orvieto

Frescoes in other Umbrian cities (mainly in private palaces) are attributed to him or to the Zuccari workshop.





Federico Barocci (1535-1612)

From Urbino

Federico Barocci was an early exponent of the artistic requirements of the Council of Trent.  He was extremely influential among younger artists, particularly in Perugia and Assisi.   This self-portrait (ca. 1570) is in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.







Ventura Salimbeni (1571-1613)

From Siena, based in Rome

Ventura Salimbeni became one of the most appreciated artists of his time.  His patron, Cardinal Bonifazio Bevilacqua, the Papal Legate in Umbria in the early 17th century, was probably responsible for most of his activity in the region.  Salimbeni’s last known work, an altarpiece (1613) of the Marriage of the Virgin that he probably painted for the Duomo of Foligno, is now in the Museo Capitolare Diocesano there (illustrated here).






Durante Alberti (1556–1623)

From Borgo Sansepolcro, based in Rome

Durante Alberti enjoyed considerable success in Rome, rising to become the Director of the Accademia di San Luca in 1598.  (This 17th century portrait of him is from the Academy.)  His diary records payments for a number of panels that he painted for Capuchin churches in Umbria, some of which survive (in Assisi, Norcia and Spello).  The panel (1575?) on the high altar of the Chiesa del Gesù`,Perugia is sometimes attributed to him.





Cristoforo Roncalli, il Pomarancio (1552-1626)

From Pomarance, near Volterra, based in Rome

Panels in Umbria that are attributed to Cristoforo Roncalli include:

  1. an altarpiece (ca. 1605) of the Birth of the Virgin in the Roncalli family’s chapel in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi

  2. two in Foligno:

  3. an altarpiece (1598) of the Madonna and Child in glory with saints from the Duomo, which is now in the Museo Capitolare e Diocesano; and

  4. a panel (ca. 1613) of Apollo in Palazzo Jacobilli Roncalli; and

  5. two in Norcia:

  6. an altarpiece (1602) of the Crucifixion with SS Eutychius and Spes from the Abbazia di San Eutizio (illustrated here); and

  7. an altarpiece (early 17th century) Madonna in Glory with saints in Santa Maria Argentea; and

  8. frescoes (early 17th century) in in the cupola and pendentives of the presbytery of the ex-church of Santa Caterina Vecchia, Perugia.


Baldassarre Croce (died 1628)

From Bologna, based in Rome

This altarpiece (early 17th century) from the Duomo of Foligno, which depicts a miracle of St Martin, was documented in 1728 as a work by Baldassarre Croce.  It is now in the Museo Capitolare Diocesano. 

He also seems to have been involved in  the decoration of two chapels in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi in ca. 1602: 

  1. a fresco in the Cappella della Depositzione, to a design by Ventura Salimbeni (above), and the execution of its altarpiece of the Deposition of Christ from the cross; and

  2. the frescoes of the Cappella di San Pio V .



Antonio Circignani, il Pomarancio  (1570-1630) 

From Città della Pieve, based in Rome

Antonio Circignani trained under his father, Nicolò (above) and shared his nickname.  Works in Umbria that are attributed to him include:

  1. two works in Assisi:

  2. frescoes (ca. 1602) in what was Palazzo Breccia Vigilanti; and

  3. frescoes (ca. 1602) in Santa Maria degli Angeli (which include the Marriage of the Virgin, illustrated here);

  4. an altarpiece (17th century) of the Immaculate Virgin with saints in Sant’ Agostino, Amelia; and

  5. frescoes (ca. 1606) of scenes from the Martyrdom of St Margaret of Antioch, in Santa Margherita, Narni.


Orazio Riminaldi (1593-1630)

From Pisa

A double-sided banner (1626-7), which is now in the Museo Diocesano, Assisi, is attributed to Orazio Riminaldi.  It belonged to the Confraternita di SS Giacomo e Antonio and came from their church of Santa Caterina: 
  1. One side depicts the martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria (illustrated here).

  2. The other side depicts SS James and Antony Abbot.








Rutilio Manetti (1571- 1639)

From Siena

Rutilio Manetti worked mostly in his native city.  Two works in Gubbio carry his signature:

  1. an altarpiece (1634) of the Flight into Egypt from Santa Maria Nuova, which is now in the Pinacoteca Civica (illustrated here); and

  2. an altarpiece (1634) of the Martyrdom of St Bartholomew in San Pietro.

Other works (17th century) in Gubbio that are attributed to him include:

  1. panels of St Onofrius and St Francis in San Pietro;

  2. an altarpiece of St Peter Martyr from San Domenico, which is now in the Museo Diocesano; and

  3. an altarpiece of St Francis di Paola in Santa Maria della Piaggiola.


Giuseppe Cesari, il Cavalier d’ Arpino (1568-1640)

From Arpino, based in Rome

The Cavalier d’ Arpino was probably the most important artist in Rome during  first two decades of the 17th century.  He secured the patronage of Pope Clement VIII, who knighted him, and of Pope Paul IV.  Altarpieces by him survive in Narni, Spoleto and Terni, along with copies of works by Raphael in Foligno and Perugia.






Guido Reni (1575-1642)

From Bologna

Guido Reni established his career in Rome under the patronage of the Borghese family, before returning to his native Bologna in 1613.  This important altarpiece (1637) of the Assumption of the Virgin from San Filippo Neri, Pergia was taken to France in 1797 and is now in the Musée des Beaux Arts, Lyon.   An altarpiece (17th century) of the Agony in the Garden in Cappella Ranieri, San Pietro, Perugia is attributed to Guido Reni.





Giovanni Baglione (1573-1644)

From Rome

Giovanni Baglione was an important painter in Rome and an art historian.  He is best remembered for his biographies of his contemporary artists.  Two panels in Perugia are by or attributed to him:

  1. Martyrdom of St Stephen (ca. 1608), illustrated here; and 

  2. St Martin and the Beggar (ca. 1630), which now forms part of the Collection of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Perugia.

The Campello family commissioned three panels (1609) from him for their new chapel in Santa Maria di Loreto, Spoleto.  These panels, which are now in the deposit of the Commune, depict: the Visitation; the Nativity (signed and dated); and the Adoration of the Magi.  An altarpiece (1612) of St Mary Magdalene in San Domenico, Gubbio [dated by inscription ?] is by/attributed to him.


Bartolomeo Barbiani (died 1645)

From Montepulciano

Documented in Todi in 1619 as a student of Antonio Circignani, il Pomarancio (above).  Many of his works survive in Umbria: in Amelia, Cesi and, above all, in Todi.

[Temporary link to Bartolomeo Barbiani]


Ferraù Fenzoni (1562-1645)

From Faenza

Bishop Angelo Cesi called Ferraù Fenzoni from Rome to Todi in 1593. He remained there until 1599, when he returned to Faenza.  His many surviving works in Todi include this fresco (ca. 1596) of the Last Judgement on the counter-facade of the Duomo.  Works in Foligno and Perugia also date to this period.







Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647)

From Parma, based in Rome, then Naples

Giovanni Lanfranco was among the most important artists working in Rome for almost two decades until 1631, the year in which he became the Principal of the Academy of St Luke.  He subsequently moved to Naples but returned to Rome shortly before his death.  His altarpiece (1616) of the Coronation of the Virgin from Santa Maria del Carmine, Orvieto (illustrated here) is now in the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo there.







Andrea Sacchi (1599-1661)

From Rome

Andrea Sacchi trained under Pietro da Cortona, but later moved away from his exuberant style.  Most of his surviving works are in Rome, but some are/were in Umbria:

  1. An altarpiece (17th century) of the Immaculate Virgin that he painted for the the Oratorio del Buon Gesù, Foligno was destroyed in the Second World War.

  2. Two works by or attributed to him survive in Perugia:

  3. an altarpiece (1651) of the Purification of the Virgin from San Filippo Neri, which is now in the Galleria Nazionale; and

  4. a portrait (17th century) of Taddeo Barberini in Palazzo della Penna, which is attributed.


Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, il Guercino (1591-1666)

From Cento, near Bologna, based in Bologna

There are works attributed to this prolific Baroque artist or his workshop in Perugia, Spoleto and Terni.







Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669)

From Cortona, based in Rome

Pietro da Cortona was one of the leading Baroque artists in Rome.  His surviving works in Perugia include:

  1. an altarpiece (1643) of the Birth of the Virgin from San Filippo Neri, which is now in the Galleria Nazionale; 

  2. two depictions of St Martina’s Vision of the Madonna and Child:

  3. a preparatory model (ca. 1644) in Palazzo della Penna, which was for a relief on the ciborium of SS Luca e Martina, Rome; and

  4. a small panel (ca. 1647) in the Galleria Nazionale, which is of unknown provenance.


Noel Quillerier (1594-1669)

From Orléans

This French artist was documented in Rome in 1622-4 and had returned to Paris by 1631.  He seems to have spent much of the intervening period in Umbria.  A number of works in Foligno are attributed to him, including:

  1. a panel (1626) of the Coronation of the Virgin and saints from the Duomo, which is now in the Museo Diocesano; and

  2. this frescoed backdrop (ca. 1626) to a crucifix in the Oratorio della Nunziatella.




Salvi Castellucci (1608-1672)

From Arezzo

Salvi Castellucci trained in Rome under Pietro da Cortona.  A number of frescoes in Orvieto are by or attributed to him, including this documented fresco (1664) of God the Father in the vaults of the Oratorio della Misericordia.  He also signed some of the frescoes (1662) of scenes from the life of the Blessed Margherita in the cloister of San Domenico, Città di Castello.







Giacinto Gimignani (1606-81)

From Pistoia

Documented in Rome from 1630 as an associate of Pietro da Cortona

Works survive in:

  1. the Duomo, Sant’ Agostino and the Pinacoteca of Amelia;

  2. San Bartolomeo, Montefalco; and

  3. the Abbazia di San Pietro, Perugia, which include the signed panel (1677) of the Miracle of the Column illustrated here.

A panel (ca. 1650) in San bernardino, Orvieto is also attributed to him.




Giovanni Battista Salvi, il Sassoferrato (1609-85)

From Sassoferrato, worked mainly in Rome

This prolific artist worked mostly on copies of older paintings and on small devotional works.  He worked for a period in Perugia, mostly in San Pietro, in the 1630s.







Giovanni Andrea Carlone, il Genovese (1639-97)

From Genoa

Giovanni Andrea Carlone spent much of the early part of his career in Umbria.  His works survive in a number of churches in Perugia, and in the Cappella di SS Sacramento of San Rufino, Assisi.  The fresco (1673) illustrated here, which is signed and dated by inscription, is above the entrance to this chapel.






Antonio Gherardi (1638-1702)

From Rieti, based in Rome

Antonio Gherardi (born Antonio Tatoti) trained in Rome as a painter and architect under Pietro da Cortona in 1662-7.  A number of works by or attributed to him survive in Gubbio, including this panel (1693) ] in San Francesco.  Two other works in Umbria are somewhat tentatively attributed to him:

  1. a panel (17th century) of St Antony Abbot from San Francesco, Gualdo Tadino, which is now in the Pinacoteca Comunale there; and

  2. a panel (ca. 1690) of the Birth of St John the Baptist from San Giovanni Decollato, Narni, which is now in Santa Restituta there. 




Girolamo Troppa (died after 1710)  

From the Sabina, based in Rome

His work in Terni included the decoration of a number of patrician palaces

Works in Narni that are attributed to him include:

  1. a panel of St Juvenal in glory, in the Duomo (illustrated here); and

  2. frescoes in Santa Margherita.






Louis Dorigny (1654-1742) 

Born in Paris, trained in Rome in 1671-5, based in the Veneto from ca. 1680 

Louis Dorigny, who was the grandson of painter Simon Vouet, seems to have worked in Umbria in ca. 1675-80, before establishing a successful career in Venice and then Verona.    Works from his period in Umbria that are by or attributed to him include:

  1. in Foligno:

  2. frescoes (1678) of scenes from the life of St Augustine in the cloister of Sant’ Agostino, which were destroyed in the bombardment of the Second World War; and

  3. frescoes (17th century) in Palazzo Giusto Orfini; and

  4. in Gubbio:

  5. the altarpiece (1677) of the Madonna and Child with St Trophimus in Santa Croce della Foce; and

  6. a number of frescoes (1677-8) in Santa Maria del Prato, where he probably worked as an assistant to Francesco Allegrini.

[Temporary link to Louis Dorigny]


Giovanni Antonio Grecolini (1675-1725)  

From Rome

Two undocumented panels (early 18th century) in the vaults of the Cappella del SS Sacramento in San Rufino are attributed to Giovanni Antonio Grecolini.  They depict scenes from the biblical account of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness:

  1. the descent of manna to feed the people; and

  2. the bronze serpent on a cross (illustrated here).


Domenico Maria Muratori (1661-1742)

From Bologna, based mostly in Rome

Two altarpieces in Umbria are attributed to Domenico Maria Muratori:

  1. Cardinal Filippo Antonio Gualterio commissioned the panel illustrated here for the Altare dei SS Giovanni Battista e Agnese, a new altar that he erected in the Cappella Nuova of the Duomo, Orvieto.  It depicts St John the Evangelist writing his gospel, with SS John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, St Agnes (with a lamb) and Charles Borromeo.

  2. A second panel (18th century) with this attribution is on the altar of the Cappella del Rosario in Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi.  It depicts the Madonna and Child with SS Rufinus, Clare and Benedict.




Giuseppe Nicola (d. 1736) and Tommaso Nasini (d. after 1744)

From outside Siena

These two artists were probably cousins.

  1. Giuseppe Nicola Nasini, who was the more accomplished of them,worked in Foligno, Gubbio and Perugia.  This fresco (1716) in the cupola of San Giacomo, Foligno is attributed to him. 

  2. Tommaso Nasini seems to have work principally in Foligno.




Francesco Trevisani (1656-1746) 

From Capodistria, near Trieste; trained in Venice; based in Rome

Francesco Trevisani established a successful career in Rome from ca. 1678 until his death.  His work in Umbria includes:  

  1. two panels in Perugia:

  2. the Martyrdom of St Andrew (ca. 1708) in the Galleria Nazionale, which from the Carattoli Collection, and which is a copy by Francesco Trevisani of the panel that he painted before 1708 for the presbytery of Sant’ Andrea delle Fratte, Rome; and

  3. the Annunciation (1710) in San Filippo Neri (illustrated here); and

  4. the panel (ca. 1737) of the Communion of the Apostles on the high altar of Santa Maria di Betlem, Foligno.



Francesco Mancini (1679-1758) 

From Sant’ Angelo in Vado, Pesaro; based in Rome

Principal, Accademia di S Luca, Rome in 1750-51

The most important Umbrian works by Francesco Mancini were the frescoes (1719-23) in the apse of the Duomo of Foligno.  Panels by or attributed to him survive in Bevagna (illustrated here), Città di Castello and Perugia.






Sebastiano Conca (1680–1764) 

From Gaeta; based in Rome in 1706-52

Sebastiano Conca, who was one of the leading artists in Rome in the early 18th century, painted a number of works for clients in Umbria.  Examples survive in Foligno, Gubbio, Perugia and Spoleto.  Those in Spoleto include this panel (ca. 1735) of the Birth of the Virgin from Santa Maria della Manna d' Oro, which  is now in the Museo Diocesano. 



Marco Benefial (1684-1764)  

From Rome

Marco Benefial had a controversial but successful career in Rome until his expulsion from the Accademia di San Luca in 1755.   One of his most prestigious commissions outside Rome was for the frescoes 1747-9) in the presbytery of the Duomo of Città di Castello.





Gaetano Lapis (1704-76)

From Cagli, based mostly in Rome

Gaetano Lapis trained under Sebastiano Conca in Rome the 1720s and subsequently established a successful career there.  Works in Umbria that are by or attributed to him include:

  1. an altarpiece (1734) of St Francis of Paola in Santa Maria del Prato, Gubbio ,and three other works in that city;

  2. an altarpiece (1734) of the Madonna and Child with saints on the high altar of the Oratorio dei SS Andrea e Bernardino, Perugia; and

  3. two altarpieces (18th century) in San Filippo Neri, Spoleto:

  4. the presentation of the Virgin; and

  5. the Crucifixion.

[Temporary link to Gaetano Lapis]


Etienne Parrocel, il Romano (1696-1776)

From Avignon, based in Rome

Three altarpieces in Umbria that are signed by Etienne Parrocel are dated by inscription:

  1. the altarpiece (1738) of the Holy Family, in Santa Maria della Consolazione, Bevagna (illustrated here);

  2. the altarpiece (1750) of the Vision of the Blessed Lucy, in the church of the Istituto Assistenza Infanzia Beata Lucia di Narni; and

  3. the altarpiece (1758) of the Incredulity of St Thomas, [in Palazzo Comunale, Spoleto?]




Gaetano Gandolfi (1734-1802)

From Bologna

Bishop Filippo Trenta of Foligno commissioned three altarpieces from Gaetano Gandolfi in ca. 1790 for churches in Foligno:

  1. St Felician Liberates Foligno from the Plague, for the Duomo;

  2. a vision of the Blessed Angela of Foligno for San Franceso (illustrated here); and

  3. the Annunciation for the Chiesa della SS Trinità in Annunziata, which is now [where?].





Tommaso Conca (1734-1822)  

From Rome

Tommaso, a relative and student of Sebastiano Conca (above), was a leading painter in Rome.  His most important work in Umbria was the fresco decoration of the cupola of the Duomo of Città di Castello in 1795-7 (illustrated here).






Jean Baptiste Wicar (1762-1834)

From Lille, based in Rome

This artist had close links with the Napoleonic courts of Italy, but managed to continue his successful career in Rome after the fall of Napoleon.  He also had close links with Perugia: his altarpiece (1825) of the Marriage of the Virgin survives in situ in the Duomo there.  His last known work was the altarpiece (1826-35) of the Baptism of Christ in the Duomo, Foligno, which was completed after his death. 





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