Francesco da Ponte, called Francesco Bassano

(Bassano 1549–1592 Venice)
Winter,
oil on canvas, 77.5 x 113 cm, framed
Literature:
A. Ballarin, Jacopo Bassano, Francesco Bassano, Inverno, in: Altomani 2004, Milan/Pesaro 2004, illustrated p. 71

The present depiction of Winter is by Francesco Bassano, the son of Jacopo da Ponte (circa 1510-1592). The composition derives from a work by the artist’s father executed around 1573, thereby supplying a terminus post quem for the dating of the present painting. When compared to Jacopo’s version which is a nocturnal scene (see lot 28, 10 November 2021, Part I: Jacopo Bassano, Winter), Francesco’s painting appears to be set in early morning light. Another compositional variation, compared to his father’s work, concerns the domestic scene on the right of the canvas: the family group which in Jacopo’s work is seen gathered around a fire, is in the present version by Francesco, instead engaged in preparing food, as a pan hangs over the fire, near by a butcher who cuts the carcass of a pig, while the figure of a mother holding her child has been omitted.

The fragment of a canvas representing Winter, signed by Francesco Bassano, is conserved in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 4288): this work was part of a cycle of the Seasons which is distinctive for representing the signs of the zodiac in the sky.

Francesco Bassano served his apprenticeship during the 1560s in his father’s studio. His style developed alongside that established by the master, especially the rural subjects and market scenes, as well as in the execution of biblical themes, in which the sacred is steeped in everyday life. In the family studio the replication of subjects that were popular with collectors was frequent, and especially the subjects of the Allegories of the Elements, the Months, and the Four Seasons.

In 1579 Francesco left Bassano for Venice where he fulfilled the prestigious commission for ceiling paintings for the Sala del Maggior Consiglio in the Palazzo Ducale. After 1580 Francesco Bassano developed paintings of nocturnal scenes producing works such as the Christ in the Garden now in the Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice, which are reminiscent of the works of Luca Cambiaso and Antonio Campi.
Specialist: Mark MacDonnell