page_title: Francesco Bonsignori
section_title: Bonsignori and the Gonzaga family
hierarchical_section_title: Francesco Bonsignori / Mantua period / Bonsignori and the Gonzaga family
caption_attribution_description: Francesco Sforza.
context_page_description: Francesco Bonsignori, 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 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.
context_section_description: 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 Federica Gonzaga, 5th Marquese of Mantua kneeling in front of his father Francesco Bonsignori. 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 
caption: Bonsignori after Mantegna: Portrait of Francesco Sforza (circa 1490)
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