Francesco Bonsignori (c. 1455 – July 2, 1519), also known as Francesco Monsignori, was an Italian painter and draughtsman, characterized by his excellence in religious subjects, portraits, architectural perspective and animals. He was born in Verona and died in Caldiero, a city near Verona. Bonsignori's style in early period was under the influence of his teacher Liberale da Verona. After becoming the portraitist and court artist to the Gonzaga family of Mantua in 1487, his style was influenced by Andrea Mantegna, who also worked for Francesco Gonzaga from the 1480s. They collaborated to execute several religious paintings, mainly with the theme of Madonna and Child. The attribution of the portrait of a Venetian Senator (National Gallery, London) was debatable until the last century because of the similarity in techniques used by Bonsignori and his teacher Mantegna. During the phase of his career in Mantua, there is an undocumented period between 1495 and July 1506 with no official record regarding his activities by the court of Mantua. Bonsignori's late style was decisively influenced by Lorenzo Costa in terms of form and color. He produced his last monumental altarpiece the Adoration of the Blessed Osanna Andreasi (Pal.Ducale, Mantua) in 1519 shortly before his death.
Family Francesco Bonsignori was born in Verona in 1455, the eldest among three sons in the Bonsignori family. His father Albertus Bonsignori was a well-known amateur painter. In childhood, Francesco was the most artistically talented of the Bonsignori children. His brothers, Bernardino (c.1476–1529) and Girolamo (c.1479 – unknown) also became painters. His younger brother Girolamo was highly appraised for his fine copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.
Apprenticeships and early career
Apprenticeship under Liberale da Verona Bonsignori was the pupil and apprentice of Liberale da Verona (1451–1536). Liberale da Verona was at first a miniaturist, who developed a larger style based on a following of Mantegna's work. There are Venetian influences observed in the coloring and background of his paintings. Liberale da Verona has contributed to the spread of the Squarcione style to Siena, and played an important role in influencing some Sienese painters such as Girolamo da Cremona. His appreciation of Francesco Squarcione, founder of the Paduan school and teacher of Andrea Mantegna, subsequently influenced Bonsignori’s early style and taste. Liberale da Verona was well-known for painting frescoes and altarpieces. Although he was renowned for his inventiveness and verve, his later works expose a shortage of consistent innovation and originality compared to his earlier period.
Early career Bonsignori’s early career is the most fully documented period of his life. Account of his early life is found in Giorgio Vasari’s book Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects. Vasari includes the painter in a group of minor virtuosi from Verona. Bonsignori bears another name, "Monsignori", as he was miscalled by Vasari in his book. His pseudonym has appeared in several documentations from the Renaissance period, while he signed all his committed artwork with “Bonsignori”. Fewer than a dozen drawings attributed to Bonsginori during his early career have survived. Most paintings mentioned in Vasari's account have perished.
He often integrated subtle elements observed in nature and daily life into religious paintings. In 1483, he produced his first signed work, Virgin and Child (Castelvecchio, Verona). The style of this work is similar to that of Madonna with Saints (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin), produced by his teacher Liberale de Verona. Influenced by his teacher, Bonsignori produced several altarpieces from 1484 to 1492. He completed the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints (Castelvecchio, Verona) in 1484.
During Bonsignori's early career, he was inspired and influenced by different artists, including his early models Giovanni Bellini, Alvise Vivari, Antonello da Messina, and Andrea Mantegna. Integration of styles from different contemporary masters is notable in Bonsignori's early pieces, which were characterized by his concentration on human figures in devotional picture and portraits. Landscape and architectural settings in the background are often less significant in his paintings. Although derivative, Bonsignori's early style was recognizably his own.Lehmann-Brockhaus, U. (2003). "Bonsignori [Monsignori], Francesco". Grove Art Online.
Mantua period Bonsignori's middle career period began after he moved to Mantua in 1487. The Portrait of a Venetian Senator (National Gallery, London) was signed and dated in 1487. Successively, he produced several altarpieces depicting The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Music-making Angels and SS George and Jerome (Banda Chapel, S Bernardino, Verona) in 1488. The Virgin and Child Enthroned with SS Anthony of Egypt and Onofrio, signed and dated in 1488, is known only through a 19th-century copy preserved in Florence. Accounts of Bonsignori's middle period are sourced from the official documents from the Gonzaga court in Mantua, but there is no official record of Bonsignori between 1495 and July 1506.
Bonsignori and the Gonzaga family
Francesco Bonsignori and his two brothers moved from Verona to Mantua in 1487. Francesco Bonsignori was employed by the Gonzaga family as a portrait painter and was in charge of decorations of their palace at Marmirolo and Gonzaga. Vasari reports that he lived at the court of Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, who provided him with a house for himself and his family. Bonsignori was also awarded a piece of land in the Gonzaga territory as reward for this service in 1494. Compliance with the wishes of Gonzaga family earned him both reputation and status as one of the most esteemed artist in Mantua. Due to the monopoly in the local artistic scene and prevalence of the Gonzaga family, Bonsignori's works produced while serving the Duke of Mantua are unified in terms of theme and content, focusing on portraits of the noble family and altarpieces. Francesco Gonzaga kept Bonsignori busy, as seen from the consecutive production of portraits by Bonsignori for Gonzaga family members. In 1494, Bonsignori was engaged to make a portrait of Francesco Gonzaga's daughter, one-year-old Eleonora Gonzaga (c. 1493–1550), who was later the Duchess of Urbino. In 1495, he produced a portrait of another Gonzaga child, the future Cardinal Ippolito. During the same year, Francesco Gonzaga commissioned a painting to display his military capability and leadership as the leader of Italian force and commemorate his victory against French king Charles Vlll in Fornovo on 6 July 1495. Two months after the war, Bonsignori travelled to Fornovo with Gonzaga's court architect Bernardino Ghisolfi (c. 1483–1511), so that he could accurately depict the physical contours of the battlefield in a large-scale fresco, which would be displayed in the family's country palace at Gonzaga, South of the Po River. Bonsignori's Triumph at Fornovo mural, currently lost, was eventually hung in the "Hall of the Victories", an audience room decorated with scenes of the Gonzaga family's most important military victories.
A chalk drawing of Francesco Gonzaga (National Gallery, Dublin) was executed and signed and dated in 1499. Because of its high quality, it has been attributed to Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini, both of whom are Bonsignori's early models. It is one of Bonsignori's most vigorous and sympathetic portrayals of a ruler, marking the affectionate and warm relationship between Bonsignori and his lifelong patron, friend, and admirer Francesco Gonzaga. In the same year, Bonsignori produced a portrait of Isabella d’ Este, 4th Marchesa of Mantua, which was delayed by her husband's commission. Isabella d' Este often sent portraits of herself as gifts to her female "courtiers". The exchange of portraits among ladies of the court of Mantua symbolized the acceptance into Marchesa's inner social circle and noble status. She referred to Bonsignori as "maestro (master)" in her letter exchanged between her and her lifelong friend Margherita Cantelma, Duchess of Sora, showing her satisfaction towards Bonsignori as her portrait painter.
In 1506, Bonsignori worked on the Last Supper for the monastery of Francesco de’ Zoccolanti in Mantua. The painting includes Federico Gonzaga, 5th Marquese of Mantua kneeling in front of his father Francesco. The chalk drawing of the Young Federico Gonzaga (Albertina, Vienna) is considered to be a preparatory study for this painting. Federico Gonzaga is depicted as being commended to Christ by St. Francis. On the opposite side, two Gonzaga family members, Cardinal Sigismondo Gonzaga (1469–1525) and Eleonora Gonzaga, are praised by St. Bernard. In the same year, another altarpiece, SS Louis and Francis with the insignia of Christ, preserved in the monastery of S Francesco de’ Zoccolanti in Mantua was executed. In 1509, Bonsignori created Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526; Uffiz, Florence), and that of Emilia Pia di Montefeltro (1470–1528) (MD Museum, Baltimore). Bonsignori produced countless portraits of the noble family in Mantua. Among the collection of portrait drawings, the majority belonged to the Gonzaga family for use as presents to foreign rulers in all Italian states and princes in France and Germany. Francesco Sforza, Massimiliano Sforza, (Duke of Milan) also commissioned their portraits. Bonsignori usually made monochrome record drawings of his portraits, a collection of which is preserved by his heirs in Verona. After Francesco Gonzaga died in March 1519, his son Federico Gonzaga supported him as his biggest and last patron until Bonsignori's death in July 1519. Among the Veronese painters who worked for the Gonzagas during the 15th century, Vasari highly praised Bonsignori for his talent in portraiture.
Bonsignori and Andrea Mantegna
Mantegna spent most of his life working for the Gonzaga family as court painter to the Gonzagas. Since he mainly focused on decorating their castles with frescoes in a small town in Mantua, he did not produce many paintings, but still devoted time to his workshop and traditional apprenticeship. Bonsignori was one of his few students in his workshop in Mantua.