Bernardino de' Conti
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{short description|Italian painter (1465–1525)}}
File:Portrait of Charles D Amboise.jpg
Bernardino de 'Conti (di Conti or dei Conti) was an Italian Renaissance painter, born in 1465 in Castelseprio and died around 1525.
He is said to have been born as the son of "master Baldassarre", an obscure painter. Reported to have died in 1525, but the exact year is unknown since little is known about his life past 1522.{{cite book | first= Gottardo |last= Garollo | year=1907| title= Dizionario biografico universale | editor= Ulrico Hoepli| page= 571 | publisher= Editore Libraio della Real Casa, Milan| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dqc8AQAAIAAJ }} A close apprentice to Leonardo da Vinci, he is best known for his oil portraits and to a lesser extent, religious renditions such as [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435940 Madonna and Child].
Bernard Berenson argued that La Belle Ferronnière should be attributed to Bernardino de 'Conti, not Leonardo da Vinci.
Biography
Probably born in Castelseprio, in the province of Varese, he moved to Milan in 1494. His first commissions came at an early age with records showing payment for works Magister Bernardin de Comittibus de Castroseprio, filius magistri Baldessaris, port of Cumane, Parochie S. Protaxi intus, pintor mediolanensis, and for an altarpiece representing the Virgin and Child, intended for the Church of San Pietro in Gessate in Milan.{{Cite journal|title=Bernardino de Conti|url=https://www.academia.edu/41118464|journal=In Il Rinascimento a Biella. Sebastiano Ferrero e I Suoi Figli, Catalogo della Mostra a Cura di M. Natale, Biella, Palazzo Ferrero-Palazzo la Marmora-Museo del Territorio Biellese, 19 Aprile-18 Agosto 2019, Biella-Milano|date=January 2019 |last1=Passoni |first1=Maria Cristina }}
It's assumed that Bernardino moved to France in his early 30's. Between 1508 and 1522 he painted a series of oil portraits; many of them are now considered masterpieces. Through his work it is assumed that he temporarily lived-in, or was a frequent guest at Château d'Amboise, the home of Leonardo da Vinci (1516–1519). This is evidenced by the several portraits of Charles II d'Amboise, governor of Milan under Louis XII.{{Cite web|title=Portrait a lady from the Trivulzio family|url=https://www.artsy.net/artwork/bernardino-de-conti-portrait-a-lady-from-the-trivulzio-family-three-quarter-length|website=artsy.com}} Through this connection he was commissioned to paint multiple portraits for the Trivulzio family, Francesco Sforza (Vatican Pinacoteca), of Sisto della Rovere (Gemäldegalerie, Berlin), among others.
In 1522, he completed a Madonna, exhibited for a long time in Potsdam, but destroyed in 1945. After this date, the documentation on Bernardino remains uncertain.
File:Bernardino dei Conti 004.jpeg and Lady with an Ermine. ]]
List of artwork
His works are most often paintings of devotion. He is also credited with the portrait of Charles II d'Amboise, lord of Chaumont, Meillant and Charenton – there is another version of it made by Andrea Solari, another apprentice of da Vinci.
[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_by_Bernardino_dei_Conti?uselang=en Bernardo Di' Conti paintings].
- Berlin. Gallery. Profile of a Prelate. 1499.
- Beatrice d'Este, The Duchess of Milan (fragment), c. 1500
- Charles II D'Amboise Portrait, "The Earl of Douglas Surnamed Black" (multiple versions){{Cite web|last=|title=Charles d'Amboise Portrait Painting|url=https://art.seattleartmuseum.org/objects/13470/charles-damboise|access-date=5 September 2021|website=Seattle Art Museum|language=en}}
- Charles II d'Amboise in Saint-Vic museum{{Cite news|date=20 June 2017|title=A painting from the Saint-Vic museum includes an exhibition in Le Havre|work=leberry.fr|url=https://www.leberry.fr/saint-amand-montrond-18200/loisirs/un-tableau-du-musee-saint-vic-integre-une-exposition-au-havre_12451813/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917083732/https://www.leberry.fr/saint-amand-montrond-18200/loisirs/un-tableau-du-musee-saint-vic-integre-une-exposition-au-havre_12451813/|archive-date=17 September 2021}}
- Madonna and Child (auctioned by Sothebys in 2019){{Cite web|last=Sothebys|date=2019|title=BERNARDINO DE' CONTI {{!}} MADONNA AND CHILD|url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/master-paintings/sold-without-reserve-bernardino-de-conti-madonna|website=Sothebys Auction House}}
- Vierge à l'enfant sur fond de paysage
- Ritratto Di Gentiluomo{{Cite web|title=Conti Bernardino de' – Ritratto di gentiluomo di profilo|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.14692435|website=JSTOR}}
- Portrait of Catellano Trivulzio
- Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis
- Gentleman of the Trivulzio Family{{Cite web|title=Bernardino di Conti – Gentleman of the Trivulzio Family|url=https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/gentleman-trivulzio-family-41245|website=Detroit Institute of Art|publisher=dia.org}}
An original version of de' Conti's 'Earl of Douglas' was owned by Henry VIII (Whitehall Palace no. 774{{Cite web|title=Royal Collection Trust, WS 24, No. 6|url=https://lostcollection.rct.uk/van-der-doort-locations/privy-gallery|website=The Lost Collection of Charles I, Privy Gallery}}) and was listed among his art inventory. It is currently part of the Royal Family's art collection.{{Cite web|last=Royal Collection|title=Bernardino de' Conti – Black Dudley Portrait Painting|url=https://lostcollection.rct.uk/collection/valiant-scottish-earl-douglas-also-called-black-dudley-black-cap-little-medal-profile|website=lostcollection.rct.uk|publisher=Royal Museum of Art}}
His work has been featured in museums which include the [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435940 New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art] (the MET),{{Cite web|title=Metropolitan Museum of Art|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/435940|access-date=5 September 2021|website=www.metmuseum.org}} the British Museum,{{Cite web|last=British Museum|title=Collections Online {{!}} British Museum|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG23475}} Harvard Museum,{{Cite web|last=Harvard|title=Harvard Art Museums|url=https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/person/58404|access-date=11 September 2021|website=harvardartmuseums.org|language=en}} Seattle Museum of Art,{{Cite web|title=Charles d'Amboise|url=https://art.seattleartmuseum.org/objects/13470/charles-damboise|access-date=11 September 2021|website=Seattle Art Museum|language=en}} Brooklyn Museum,{{Cite web|title=Brooklyn Museum|url=https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4402|access-date=11 September 2021|website=Brooklyn Museum}} and several others.
Gallery
File:Bernardino dei Conti 003.JPG|Beatrice D'Este, The Duchess of Milan who inspired multiple William Shakespeare sonnets and play Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing.
File:Charles II d' Amboise by Bernadino De Conti.jpg|Large oil portrait of Charles II d'Amboise (1473-1511)
File:Francesco Sforza Portrait by Bernardino de Conti.jpg|(Francesco) Sforza family member portrait on wood panel (c. 1505)
File:Madonna and Child, 15th Century Painting.jpg|Madonna and Child Renaissance Painting. Attributed to Bernardino de Conti, in manner of Leonardo da Vinci.
File:Bernardino dei Conti 004.jpeg|Oil Painting in manner of Leonardo da Vinci
File:Portrait of Isabella of Aragon, Duchess of Milan.jpg|Isabella of Aragon portrait on wood panel.
File:Bernardino de Conti portrait of Charles d'Amboise.jpg|Oil Painting, attrib. Bernardino de' Conti from Pavia, Italy. Sold at Sothebys Auction 2007{{Cite web|title=Attributed to Bernardino de' Conti Pavia (c. 1523)|url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2007/important-old-master-paintings-and-european-works-of-art-n08282/lot.189.html|website=Sotheby's Auction 2007}}
File:Portrait of a Gentleman, Philadelphia Museum.jpg|Renaissance portrait of an Italian gentleman (c. 1510). Displayed at the Philadelphia Museum.
File:Portrait of Catellano Trivulzio, Brooklyn Museum.jpg|Renaissance portrait of an affluent gentlemen in Milan, Italy (c. 1505). Displayed at the Brooklyn Museum.
File:Bernardino di Conti Portrait Gentleman Trivulzio Family - 38.80 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg|[https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/gentleman-trivulzio-family-41245 Gentleman of the Trivulzio Family] (c. 1450 - 1528)
File:Bernardino dei Conti 003.jpg|Portrait of a 15th-century Cardinal holding instrument and note.
File:Bernardino dei Conti - Bianca Maria Sforza (Louvre).jpg|Bianca Maria Sforza painting acquired by Louvre Museum in France (1914).
Death
The last documented artwork by Bernardino was "Virgin with the Child" in 1522. Historians have stated that he likely died in 1525.
References
{{Reflist}}
Attribution:
- {{Bryan (3rd edition)|title=Dei Conti, Bernardino |volume=1}}
External links
- {{Commons-inline|Category:Bernardino dei Conti|Bernardino de' Conti}}
{{Leonardo da Vinci}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Bernardino de}}
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:16th-century Italian painters
Category:Italian male painters