Benvenuto Giovanni Italian artist, Sienese school. Date of Birth: 13.09.1436 Country: Italy

1. Benvenuto di Giovanni: A Renowned Sienese Painter
2. Humble Beginnings
3. Artistic Legacy
4. Influences and Early Work
5. Stylistic Development
6. Peak and Decline

Benvenuto di Giovanni: A Renowned Sienese Painter

Born in a family of a stone mason, Benvenuto di Giovanni was a prominent artist of the Sienese school. He spent his life working in and around Siena, his name first appearing in Sienese records in 1453 as an apprentice to Vecchietta. This suggests that Benvenuto began his artistic career at a young age, likely around 17.

Humble Beginnings

In 1465, Benvenuto's tax declaration revealed that he was a bachelor without any property or family, residing near the Baptistery. The following year, he married Jacopa di Tommaso di Cetona, with whom he had seven children. Documents indicate that the di Giovanni family owned some vineyards, but Benvenuto also held administrative positions in the Sienese government. Their son, Girolamo di Benvenuto, became a painter himself.

Artistic Legacy

Benvenuto di Giovanni left behind a substantial artistic legacy. Nine altars bear his signature, while four others are confidently attributed to him based on documentation. Stylistic analysis suggests that numerous other works are likely his. Spanning 43 years, his oeuvre includes frescoes, panel paintings, miniatures, and decorative works.

Influences and Early Work

In 1453, Benvenuto di Giovanni worked in the Baptistery of Siena under the guidance of Vecchietta, who may have been his teacher. The following year, he painted a now-lost altarpiece for the "Compagnia di Santa Lucia" in Siena. In 1460, he was recorded as a debtor of the Sienese Cathedral alongside Vecchietta and Francesco di Giorgio. During this period, he likely created frescoes depicting the Life of St. Anthony of Padua in the Baptistery of Siena and a panel painting titled "Miracle of St. Anthony" (Alte Pinakothek, Munich), which may have been part of an altarpiece by Vecchietta and Francesco di Giorgio.

Stylistic Development

Benvenuto di Giovanni's first dated work is the "Annunciation with Saints" (1466) for the church of San Girolamo in Volterra, followed by another "Annunciation" and a predella with scenes from Christ's life in 1470 for the same church. In 1470, he painted an "Annunciation" for the church of San Bernardino in Sinalunga.

Around 1470, Benvenuto di Giovanni's style began to diverge from that of Vecchietta and the naturalistic approach of Domenico di Bartolo. This transition was likely influenced by his collaboration with the North Italian miniaturists Liberale da Verona and Girolamo da Cremona, who were active in Siena. Their influence brought a vibrant palette and harmonious compositional balance to Benvenuto's works. This is evident in his "Triptych from Montepertuso" (1475), "Borghese Altarpiece" (1475-77/78), and the triptych "Madonna and Child with Saints" (1479, National Gallery, London).

Peak and Decline

In 1480, Benvenuto received multiple commissions, including decorative work for the Sienese Cathedral, choir books for the Cathedral (now in the Biblioteca Piccolomini, Siena), and for the monastery of Sant' Eugenio near Siena (now in the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni). For the latter, he painted a large altarpiece titled "Ascension of Christ" (1491, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena), with a predella now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

This work, with its passionate intensity and expressive lines, shows evidence of Northern European influences. It marked the peak of Benvenuto di Giovanni's creative output, as his later works tended towards simplification, schematism, and sometimes excessive sweetness, possibly due to his son Girolamo's increased involvement.

In his later years, Benvenuto returned to earlier artistic formulas, as seen in his last signed work, the "Madonna and Child with Saints" (1509, church of Santa Lucia in Sinalunga).