Painter Bonifacio Veronese (originally Bonifacio de’ Pitati) died on 19 October 1553. He was born in Verona in 1487, but he spent his entire career in Venice. Here Bonifacio trained under Palma Vecchio, who ran one of the busiest workshops of the city. Bonifacio’s style was highly influenced by other great Venetian masters, such as Lorenzo Lotto, Giorgione, Titian.
When Palma Vecchio passed away in 1528, Bonifacio inherited his workshop. After Bonifacio’s own death, the business was to be continued by Antonio Palma (Palma Vecchio’s nephew) and then by Antonio’s son, Palma Giovane.
Long neglected by art historians, it has been difficult to define Bonifacio’s oeuvre precisely. This is also due to the prodigious output of his studio; within workshop practices, boundaries between master and assistants may be very hard to trace.
Recent studies have restored Bonifacio’s position in the history of the great Venetian painting of the 16th century and acknowledged his key role in connecting different generations of artists: Jacopo Bassano, Schiavone and Tintoretto were his pupils.
St. Michael Vanquishing the Devil, c. 1530, oil on canvas, Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice.
Holy Family with Saints, c. 1530, oil on panel, Nivaagaard Malerisamling, Copenhagen.
Madonna of the Tailors, 1533, oil on canvas, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice.
Christ among the Doctors, 1544-45, oil on canvas, Galleria Palatina, Florence.