Domenico Veneziano (c. 1410 – May 15, 1461) was an Italian painter of the earlyRenaissance, active mostly inPerugia andTuscany.
Little is known of his birth, though he is thought to have been born inVenice, hence his last name. He then moved toFlorence in 1422–23 as a boy, to become a pupil ofGentile da Fabriano. He is said to have worked withPisanello inRome around 1423–1430. His work was influenced by the style ofBenozzo Gozzoli.
In a letter from him toPiero di Cosimo de' Medici, dated from Perugia in 1438, where he likewise resided for many years, he mentions his long connection with the fortunes of the Medici family, and begs to be allowed to paint an altarpiece for the head of that house. He was a contemporary withFra Angelico andFra Filippo Lippi, since those two artists and himself are known to have valued the frescoes of Buonfigli at Perugia. Between 1439 and 1441 he painted a masterpiece of theAdoration of the Magi, a round panel which was probably commissioned for the palace of the wealthyMedici family and is now in Berlin.Another masterpiece is considered to be theSanta Lucia de' Magnoli Altarpiece (c. 1445–1447), originally in Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, Florence and now in theUffizi. Painted in tempera on panel, the altarpiece displays such an unusual palette for this period thatVasari wrote that it had been painted in oil. He influencedAndrea Mantegna.
Other important works are theMadonna del Roseto in theNational Museum of Art of Romania and theMadonna Berenson in theVilla I Tatti in Florence, both dating to around 1432–1437.
Vasari alleged that Domenico was murdered byAndrea del Castagno. However, Castagno died c. 1457, four years before Domenico.
He worked at the decorations of the Portinari chapel in thehospital of Santa Maria Nuova in Florence from 1439–1445, and had as his assistantsPiero della Francesca andBicci di Lorenzo. It is certain that whilst employed there he used linseed oil as his medium, since the hospital books of that date make many allusions to this item in his expenses. His latter days were spent in Florence, where he died on May 15, 1461.
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Thepredella included panels with scenes of the saints of the main composition, and a central, double-sizeAnnunciation: theStigmata of St. Francis andJohn Baptist in the Desert are currently in theNational Gallery of Art inWashington, theAnnunciationandThe Miracle of St. Zenobius are in theFitzwilliam Museum ofCambridge, and theMartyrdom of St. Lucy is in theBerlin State Museums.
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 Veneziano's St. Lucy Altarpiece,Smarthistory[1] |
Media related toDomenico Veneziano at Wikimedia Commons
