Leandro Bassano

Leandro Bassano, (June 10, 1557 – April 15, 1622), also called Leandro del Ponte, was a Venetian artist and younger brother of Francesco Bassano the Younger and third son of Jacopo Bassano, who took their name from the town of Bassano del Grappa. Leandro studied with his brother in their father's workshop, but took over the studio when Francesco opened a workshop in Venice. Leandro followed in the tradition of his father’s religious works, but also became well know as a portrait painter.

By around 1575, Leandro had become an important assistant to his father, with his brother relocated to Venice. It was his father’s will that Leandro carry on the studio in Bassano del Grappa. Though after his father died, his brother Francesco tragically committed suicide and Leandro took up the studio in Venice. There he became a successful portraitist, working close to the influential style of the Venetian master, Tintoretto.

Leandro developed his style, taking in Venetian influence, furthering his fine drawing style. His approach to painting differed from his father’s in the use of "fine brushwork, with cool, light colours, smoothly applied in well-defined areas, unlike his father, who painted with dense and robust brushstrokes." [ [http://www.artnet.com/library/00/0067/T006781.asp "Leandro Bassano", "The Grove Dictionary of Art, 2007, ] ]

His success grew substantially in Venice, even landing him a knighthood from the Doge of Venice sometime in the late 1590s, and he spent the rest of his life in the city. With this, Leandro began to sign his name with the honorary, “Esques.” [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bassano/#leandro "Leandro Bassano", Nicolas Pioch, "WebMuseum, Paris", 2007, ] ] Much of his work is not clearly dated and his works have sometimes been confused with other artists. This is the case with his, "Portrait of an Old Man" in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, which was once thought to be a work of Tintoretto. Leandro was created a Knight of the Order of St. Mark, by the Doge Grimani [*cite book| first=Michael| last=Bryan| year=1889| title="Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, Biographical and Critical" (Volume II L-Z)| editor = Walter Armstrong & Robert Edmund Graves| pages= page 308| publisher=George Bell and Sons|location=York St. #4, Covent Garden, London; Original from Fogg Library, Digitized May 18, 2007 |id= |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=K2cCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=Michael+Bryan+Painters+Engravers#PPP7,M1| authorlink=] .

In addition to his many portraits and religious pieces, Leandro painted secular, genre-like works, such as his, "Concert", now in the Uffizi Gallery and his, "Kitchen Scene", hung in the Indiana University Art Museum.

Selected Works

Portraits
*"Portrait of an Old Man", Oil in canvas, (Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
*"Portrait of an Old Woman", Oil on canvas, (Hermitage Museum)
*"Portrait of a Man", Oil on canvas, (Ringling Museum)
*"Portrait of a Man", Oil on canvas, (Indianapolis Museum of Art)
*"Portrait of a Man", Oil on canvas, (Art Gallery of Ontario) [http://www.ago.net/info/collection/provenance/display.cfm?spoil_id=41]
*"Portrait of a Widow at her Devotions", Oil on canvas, (Private collection) [http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bassano/leandro/index.html]
*"Penelope", Oil in canvas, (Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie) [http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/b/bassano/leandro/index.html]
*"Procurator of San Marco", Oil on canvas, (Ashmolean Museum)

Religious Works
*"Angel",Oil on canvas,National Museum of Serbia,Belgrade
*"Marriage at Cana", Oil on canvas, (The Louvre)
*"Incredulity of St Thomas", Oil on canvas, (Hermitage Museum)
*"Moses Striking the Rock", Oil on canvas, (The Louvre)
*"Expulsion of the merchants of the Temple", Oil on canvas, (Museum of the fine arts, Lille)
*"Carrying of the Cross", Oil on black slate, (Hermitage Museum)
*"Christ at the house of Simon the Pharisee", Chalk on paper, (Fitzwilliam Museum)
*"Last Judgment", Oil on copper, (Birmingham Museum of Art)
*"The Tower of Babel", Oil on canvas, (National Gallery, London)
*"The Adoration of the Shepherds" (after Jacopo Bassano), Chalk on paper, (National Galleries of Scotland)

Other
*"La Riva degli Schiavoni", Oil on canvas, (Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando)
*"Concert", Oil on canvas, (Uffizi Gallery)
*"Kitchen Scene", Oil on canvas, (Indiana University Art Museum)
*"Berenice", Oil on burlap, (Ca' Rezzonico)

References