Domenico Morone (c. 1442 - Verona, 1518) was one of the first Renaissance painters of the Veronese school. His style draws on Andrea Mantegna and, over time, on the Venetian manner of Giovanni Bellini and Cima da Conegliano. He probably began as a miniaturist before turning to large panels and fresco. Little of his output survives, partly because many of his frescoes have been lost. He is best remembered for his canvases of festivals and tournaments, crowded with small figures, the most famous being the Expulsion of the Bonacolsi from Mantua (1494), now in the Ducal Palace. From the late 1400s he worked with his son Francesco, and together they completed the fresco cycle for the Sagramoso Library in the San Bernardino convent in Verona, dated 1503. His faces tend to be sober and matter-of-fact, and in his later years he showed more psychological subtlety. Vasari ranked him just behind Liberale da Verona among the artists of his city, and his pupils included Girolamo dai Libri and Michele da Verona.
Works (4)
This small oil on canvas shows the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, a subject of wide devotional currency in religious painting. The record offers no further details about its commission or setting, so it is best read soberly: an intimate image of mother and child, likely meant for private contemplation rather than a large public space.
A large oil on canvas of religious art, about 288 by 222 centimetres, held at the Museo di Castelvecchio. The record attributes it to Domenico Morone, but the date given, 1589, seems unusual for this painter, so it should be checked before being accepted. The available information does not allow a reliable account of its iconography, commission or composition.
Where to see the work
- Castelvecchio Museum Verona · 2
- Palazzo Ducale Mantua Mantua · 1
- Pinacoteca di Brera Milan · 1
Curiosities
An early signature
In 1471 he signed a fresco for the first time on the façade of Manfredo Giusti's house, today at via Nicola Mazza 51, using the form "Dominici de Morocini". The surname Morone was only settled in the following century, which makes his family history hard to reconstruct. Almost the entire fresco has been lost.
Madonnas once linked to Morone
Because of their stylistic resemblance to Francesco Benaglio, some Madonnas now attributed to Benaglio were once wrongly associated with Domenico Morone. The mix-up shows how closely the two artists shared a common visual language in Verona at the time.
Painted organ shutters
In 1481 Morone was commissioned to paint the shutters of the organ in the church of San Bernardino in Verona, an instrument counted among the oldest in Europe, notable for its great height and slender form. The organ had been commissioned by the Rossi family, and painting its shutters is one of the earliest documented jobs from his workshop.