Bernardino Capitelli

Bernardino Capitelli (1589–1639) was an Italian painter and etcher of the Baroque period.

He was born in Siena. He became a pupil of Alessandro Casolani, and then of Rutilio Manetti, and between the years 1622 and 1637 was active in both at Rome and at Siena. Among his etchings are a Portrait of Alessandro Casolani, a St. Anthony of Padua (1637), a Marriage of St. Catharine after Correggio, a nocturnal Repose in Egypt after Rutilio Manetti, a Lot and his Daughters after Manetti. He also made a Ceres drinking in the Cottage of the old and a set of twelve plates of the Life of St. Bernard of Siena. He also etched a set of friezes and basso-relievi, among them, the Aldobrandini Marriage from an antique painting.

Capitelli overcame his shortcomings as a draughtsman and achieved the unique position of virtually the only tenebrist etcher in Italy. The use of abrupt contrasts of light and dark is characteristic of Capitelli's work.