File:The study and criticism of Italian art (1916) (14594221898).jpg

Identifier: gri_33125001581517 (find matches)
Title: The study and criticism of Italian art
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Berenson, Bernard, 1865-1959
Subjects: Art, Italian Painting, Italian
Publisher: London, G. Bell and sons, ltd.
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute

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d the Madonnaenthroned in Alvises Berlin altar-piece of about1484 or so, his finest achievement—resemblanceswhich extend to the facial oval, to the Child perhaps,and to the throne, but are most unmistakable in thealmost parallel square-looped folds over the Virginslap and feet. But it took Alvise till toward 1488,and then very likely under the stimulus of GiovanniBellini, to realize the purpose of a design like thatof our Madonna, and to imitate it as unslavishlybut as intelligently as he does in his full-length Madonna in S. Giovanni in Bragora at Venice,and a little later in the Vienna Madonna with themusic-making angels. Another of the Venetians whose earliest works areconstantly reminiscent of Antonello was BartolommeoMontagna. It would perhaps be difficult to provethat when he was designing his earlier importantwork, the St. Bartolommeo altar-piece for Vicenza,he had our Vienna Madonna in mind as well asthe one in Bellinis S. Giobbe altar-piece, although Mr BARTOLOMMEO MONTAGNA
Text Appearing After Image:
(Bell uiio. MADONNA AND ANTONELLOS ALTAR-PIECE 121 something in her oval, more in the folds over herknees, and even the book in the Childs hands, leadme to regard it as probable. There is no room, how-ever, for any doubt that such a Madonna as theone at Belluno (No. 34) is reminiscent of it, as weperceive not only in the deliberately conical massand in the brocades, but most clearly in the openpalm with the stretched thumb. How much thisAntonellesque design pleased its author we realizewhen we see that after some ten years he repeatedit with but slight changes in his altar-piece of 1490for the Certosa at Pavia. This, however, is not theonly proof that Montagna was acquainted with ourMadonna. Another striking instance is the Virginwith conical and parallel folds in the altar-piece atthe Vicenza Gallery, representing the Madonnawith the Baptist and St. Onofrio. Cima da Conegliano was in some ways the Vene-tian painter who owed most to Antonello, yet sosubtle and pervading was the influe

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