Baldassare Estense

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Baldassare Estense (* before June 2, 1432 or before 1441/42 perhaps in Reggio nell'Emilia ; † 1504 or after January 29, 1506 probably in Ferrara ) was an Italian painter, sculptor and medalist .

Name variants: Baldassare d'Este ; Baldassare da Reggio .

Life

Baldassare Estense was probably a son of Margrave Niccolò III. d'Este . His exact date of birth is unknown and is often given in ancient literature as 1432; more recent research tends to postpone this about ten years. His early artistic career is just as unknown.

The earliest mention is from 1461 and relates to the issue of a passport. In 1469 he stayed in Pavia , where he portrayed Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza and his wife Bona of Savoy . In the same year he traveled to Ferrara with a letter of recommendation from Galeazzo, where he presented himself to the court of Borso d'Estes . There he soon advanced to the position of court painter and was a busy portraitist. At the same time he painted several murals for the church of San Domenico , which are no longer preserved today . Around the mid-1470s he left Ferrara and settled in Reggio nell'Emilia, where he held the post of Capitano di Porta Castello . In 1497 at the latest, he moved to Ferrara again, where he most likely stayed until his death.

The artist

Although Baldassare Estense's life has been exceptionally well documented from the 1460s, his work is still largely in the dark. In addition to a portrait of Tito Strozzi dated and signed in 1499 (Venice, Collezione Cini) and the also signed remains of a fresco painted for the Oratorio della Concezione in Ferrara depicting the stigmatization of St. Francis with a donor (Ferrara, Pinacoteca Nazionale) no further works to be ascribed to him with absolute certainty. A family portrait of Uberto de 'Sacrati (Munich, Alte Pinakothek) and the portrait of Borso d'Este (Milan, Castello Sforzesco) are very close to them .

The art historians tried to add other works to these pictures on various occasions, including a group of paintings that had previously been put together under the emergency name Vicino da Ferrara and the majority of which are close to Ercole de 'Roberti . Since, in the opinion of many experts, this group does not form an artistic unit, this statement can currently only be viewed as a thesis.

In addition, a number of stylistically similar medals and a few sculptural works are assigned to him.

The few surviving pictures, the majority of which are assigned to him today, are considered works of great meticulous drawing and reflect a refreshing artistic conception.

The painters Andrea da Como and Bartolomeo di Jacopo Benati also worked in his workshop .

Authentic works

painting

  • Ferrara, Pinacoteca Nazionale
The stigmatization of St. Francis with a donor. (Fresco)
  • Venice, Collezione Cini
Portrait of Tito Strozzi.

Many times ascribed works

painting

  • Bayonne, Bonnat Museum
Portrait of a young man.
  • Bergamo, Accademia Carrara
Head of a grieving angel.
  • Chalis, Musée André
Portrait of an Elderly Man.
  • Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland
Portrait of a musician.
  • Ferrara, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara
The Annunciation.
  • Ferrara, Palazzo Schifanoia
Portrait heads. around 1471–1473
  • Ferrara, Pinacoteca Nazionale
Saint Sebastian.
  • Ferrara, Collezione Vendeghini
Saint John the Baptist.
  • Florence, Collezione Strozzi
Four scenes from the Passion of Christ.
  • Hanover, Lower Saxony State Museum
Portrait of Galeotto I. Pico della Mirandola.
Portrait of Bianca Maria d'Este.
  • Locko Park, Derby
Portrait of a Man.
  • London, National Gallery
The concert.
  • Milan, Castello Sforzesco
Portrait of the Borso d'Este.
  • Munich, Alte Pinakothek
Engagement portrait of Johann Corvinus ; around 1486
Family portrait of the Uberto de 'Sacrati.
  • Paris, Musée des Arts Décoratifs
The crucifixion of Christ.
  • Venice, Museo Correr
Portrait of a Young Man.
  • Washington, National Gallery of Art
Portrait of Francesco II Gonzaga as a child.
  • Whereabouts unknown
The death of Mariae. (formerly Collezione Massari)
Portrait of Giovanni Bentivoglio and his wife. (formerly Dreyfuss Collection)
Portrait of a man with a ring. (Auctioned from the Abdy collection in May 1911)
Saints with donors.

Sculptures

  • Berlin, Sculpture Collection and Museum of Byzantine Art
Portrait of an Elderly Man.
Portrait of a Younger Man.
  • London, Victoria & Albert Museum
Portrait of Ercole I. d'Este.
  • Oxford, Ashmolean Museum
Portrait of Titus Strozzi.

literature

Web links

Commons : Baldassare D 'Este  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Baldassare Estense
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Baldassare d'Este; Baldassare da Reggio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian painter, sculptor and medalist
DATE OF BIRTH before 1442
DATE OF DEATH after 1504