page_title: Francesco Bonsignori
section_title: Evolution of Madonna and Child
hierarchical_section_title: Francesco Bonsignori / Mantua period / Evolution of Madonna and Child
caption_attribution_description: The Virgin and Child with Four Saints about 1490-1510,
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: The early compositions of Madonna by Bonsignori are Virgin and Child (c.1483, Castelvecchio,Verona), followed by the dal Bovo Altarpiece, depicting the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints, (c.1484, Castelvecchio,Verona). They exemplify the earliest version of representing Madonna and Child, with typical characteristic of formation of arc behind the head of Madonna. The skills are immature, as Bonsignori is still not familiar with linear perspective. He fails to represent haloes and trees in three-dimensional form. The background is desolated and less significant, which is typical of Bonsignori's style in his early period. The painting is also geometrically symmetrical, which restricts the free expression of natural beauty. The modelling of the drapery on Onophrius, Jerome, Bishop Saint and Altobella Avogadro is plastic and hard. The facial expression of Madonna is gentle and warm, which differentiates Bonsignori from other painters in the 15th century, such as Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini and Alvise Vivari, who painted Madonna with solemnness and impassiveness.
  The Napoleon Madonna features the last step of evolution in Madonna paintings, as well as progression of Bonsignori's skills. The Madonna and child are sitting on the parapet, which suggests the influence of Mantegna's style. The Madonna and Child (Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin) concentrates on human figures before a dark, neutral background featuring a garland of fruit. Contrarily, Napoleon Madonna gives an impression of freedom as there are abundant spaces on all four sides of the painting and landscape in the background. The treatment of drapery folds is much softer, indicating advancement in Bonsignori's skills during his middle period. The medallion on the parapet is added to balance the fruits and ribbon, adding symmetry. The Child is painted with coquettish attitude rather than a Mantegnesque distant and severe facial expression typical of Bonsignori's middle period. This sense of freedom and elegance of this composition is typical of Bonsignori's style, and also signifies Mantegna's change of style in his late career.
  The Virgin and Child with Four Saints (The National Gallery, London) is the best-known of his works featuring Madonna and Child. It was painted between 1490 and 1510, during his undocumented period in Mantua. The saint on the left who is holding a book is Franciscan, while other three saints are not identifiable. According to Vasari, the appearance and position of the group of saints and child are derived from an engraving by Mantegna in reverse, except for the hand gestures of Madonna which is originally created by Bonsignori.
caption: Bonsignori: The Virgin and Child with Four Saints (circa 1490 – circa 1510) The National Gallery, London
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