Fra Carnevale

Fra Carnevale OP ( 1420–25 – 1484) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in Urbino. Widely regarded as one of the most enigmatic artists, there are only nine works that can be definitively attributed to Carnevale known of today. Most of these have even been contested as authentic to Carnevale at various points in history.

He is cited by a number of names, including Bartolomeo di Giovanni Corradini, Bartolomeo Coradini, and Fra' Carnevale.

Historical background

He was born in Urbino, and entered the order of Dominicans in 1449 under the name of Fra’ Carnevale or Carnovale. He was a pupil of the Ferrarese painter Antonio Alberti. Farquhar claims he was the teacher of Giovanni Santi. Between 1445 and 1446, he worked in the studio of Filippo Lippi in Florence. He therefore arrives in Florence in 1445 "as a pupil not an apprentice which implies his early training was in the Marshes, possibly under the monk Jacopo Veneto; however another document connects him with Antonio Alberti. This painting shows Carnevale's strong sense and knowledge of architecture. The linear perspective and the three-dimensional details of the building's facades are impeccable, all very much in the style of Carnevale's work.

Only one of Fra Carnevale's works appears in its original location: in Urbino, Carnevale painted the Federico da Montefeltro alcove in the Palazzo Ducale. The eight other works attributed to Carnevale include the Santa Maria della Bella altarpiece (also known as the Barberini panels or The Birth of the Virgin), an oblong panel in Palazzo Staccoli, The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, The Annunciation, The Coronation of the Virgin with Lippi, The Crucifixion, Saint John the Baptist in the Desert, and A Portrait of Man. Several of these works are often contested in regard to Carnevale's hand-- The Coronation of the Virgin with Lippi, The Crucifixion, Saint John the Baptist in the Desert, and A Portrait of Man all have conflicting opinions regarding their origin. The altarpiece became known as the Barberini panels when they were taken to Rome by Antonio Barberini in 1632. Both pieces are contemporary in conceptualisation while showing humanist-antiquarian interests. The architectural aspects are once again strong and in the forefront, and there is great detailing in the Roman-style reliefs of the buildings. These reliefs reflect the architecture of the ducal palace at Urbino. The play of light on the draping of the clothing and the shadow and light of the buildings is another signature Carnevale trait. The Birth of the Virgin is non-conventional in its composition as the infant is not in the forefront and the focal point of the painting, while in The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple Carnevale chooses to place three figures at the high altar instead of the traditional Jewish priest. The story of the Virgin's life is shown in the reliefs on the buildings, while showing symbolism of a pagan past.

In 1930, the Barberini panels appeared in the "Exhibition of Italian Art" at the Royal Academy of London. They were well-received and acclaimed, due in part to their uncertain attribution.

A Portrait of a Man, one of the controversial works, looks almost like a Roman relief from one of the buildings in Carnevale's other paintings, but with colour added. The deep, chiselled details of the hair are reminiscent of the painting style used for the heavy undulating fabric in the Barberini panels. The detail of the muscles and veins in the neck is very naturalistic. This painting does, however, lack the usual vibrancy of colour that is known in Carnevale's work.

Libro de’ Disegni contains another drawing likely completed by Fra Carnevale. This depiction of eleven male nudes was originally attributed to Domenico Veneziano, but instead was likely completed between 1445 and 1450 when Fra Carnevale apprenticed with Filippo Lippi.

Another set of drawings has a more controversial attribution to Fra Carnevale, coming out of Filippo Lippi's Coronation of the Virgin. Within this body of art, there are two reproductions that may possibly have been completed by Fra Carnevale: a woman standing and a monk kneeling. Due to the fact that these are reproductions of other works, the attribution to Fra Carnevale is less certain.