Andrea Mantegna (1431 - 1506), circle of, or Gentile Bellini (14291507), circle of Federico I Gonzaga (?), 1475-1525 Oil on panel 57.5 x 41.5 cm Distinguishing features: on the reverse on two crosspieces of the parquetry, in black felt-tip pen, 'LK 115'; on the back of the frame, at the top in white chalk '483', on the right-hand axis in yellow chalk 'OMP/1036139' in relation to auction passages Provenance: Bruno Lorenzelli, Bergamo; Carlo Orsi Collection, Milan Conservation status. Support: 70% (thinned and parqueted board) Conservation status. Surface: 70% (numerous paint losses, abrasions and retouches also in the face and cap, also with excess material; lifts) Direct and enormous was the influence of Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506) in the cities of central-northern Italy where he worked in the second half of the 15th century, spreading the 'archaeological' taste through the recovery of classical culture and artistic motifs, together with the Renaissance passion for the meticulous and at the same time idealised rendering of reality. Particularly close to him, also for family reasons (Mantegna married his sister Nicolosia), is Gentile Bellini (1429-1507), painter and medallist of the Venetian Republic, eldest son of Jacopo (1396?-1470?) and brother of Giovanni (c. 1427/1430 - 1516), who renewed Venetian portraiture, reducing the weight of plastic relief in favour of flat images described with incised contour lines, within which colours are set in soft chiaroscuro: with results of a distant and timeless elegance that shortly made him the most sought-after portrait painter by the lagoon aristocracy. The panel on auction is quite fascinating, shrouded in two interconnected mysteries, the author and the subject. In terms of autography, it has so far been attributed to the Veronese Francesco Bonsignori (1455-1519), who moved from Venice to Mantua in 1487, joined Mantegna's workshop in 1490 and between 1491 and 1492 assisted him in the decoration of the palace at Marmirolo, becoming increasingly linked to the reigning family, the Gonzagas, who gave him, alongside his master, the position of court painter until 1505. A child of art - his father Alberto was an amateur painter - and brother of Bernardino and Girolamo, who were also painters, Bonsignori perfected his skills in Verona under Francesco Benaglio (c. 1430-1492) until 1480, and then in Venice where he was influenced by the Bellinis. (... read more: complete card in the pdf catalogue at https://goforarts.com/doc/VB_IT_2_2/Meraviglie_Atto_II_HR.pdf . The catalogue also includes lots not available on online platforms, including many of the most prestigious).