page_title: Francesco Bonsignori
section_title: Portrait of an Elderly Man
hierarchical_section_title: Francesco Bonsignori / Mantua period / Portrait of an Elderly Man
caption_attribution_description: English: Madonna and Child with Saints Lawrence and Margaret of Antioch by Francesco Bonsginori, Russell-Cotes Art Gallery &amp; Museum (1483-1484)
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: Because Mantegna's Mantuan portraits significantly influenced Bonsignori's style, the attribution of the Portrait of an Elderly Man (National Gallery, London), produced by Bonsignori during his middle period, confused modern art historians until the 19th century. In the mid-19th century, the portrait was purchased by the Venetian collector Cesare Bernasconi. The subject of the painting was first identified by Bernasconi as Giovanni Cappello, a member of the ancient patrician Cappello family of Venice. His identity was further confirmed by 17th-century family genealogy, as a senator and procurator of San Marco from 1466. Therefore, this painting also bears another name, The portrait of Venetian senator. The elderly man is depicted as a distinguished Venetian Patrician, wearing a black hat, stole and scarlet gown with fur around the neck. Bonsignori integrated innovative elements into a traditional portrait of a nobleman, otherwise typical of contemporary artists in Northern Italy. These elements include a green parapet in the foreground with an illusionistic cartellino and the dark neutral background. The Venetian senator does not directly gaze at the viewer, which creates a distant atmosphere that emphasizes a patrician's dignity and nobleness.
  
  The attribution of a black chalk drawing (Albertina, Vienna) of the same subject has been debated for centuries. The vibrant facial expression, incisive depiction of the man's features, and skillful play on light caused art historians such as Philip Pouncey, David Ekserdjian and Konrad Oberhuber to suggest that the chalk drawing was created by Mantegna as a preparatory study for Bonsignori's use. The chalk drawing is more vibrant than the painting. In addition, distinctive techniques applied by Mantegna in his paintings, such as strong diagonal brushstrokes and the vigorous plasticity of figures are absent here. The execution of linear outlines, tepid evenness and tonal modeling rather suggest the style of Bonsignori. Contemporary sources reveal the steps followed by Bonsignori in his portraiture practice. Letters exchanged between Francesco Gonzaga, 4th Marquess of Mantua and his wife Isabella d’ Este, concerning the portrait of their son proved that the charcoal cartoon was part of Bonsignori's working method before transferring the design to a panel. They praised its high quality: “quello di carbone piu bello che mai vedesti” ("That one in charcoal more beautiful than any you have ever seen.") Vasari also mentioned in his book that Bonsignori habitually kept drawn copies of the paintings, likely to serve as models for new portraits. The carefully executed cartoon of an elderly man in the Albertina may be such a record drawing of The Portrait of an Elderly Man.
caption: Bonsignori: Madonna and Child with Saints Lawrence and Margaret of Antioch (1483–1484), Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
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