Domenico Alfani

Eternal Blessing, initially attributed to Raphael but later determined to be by Domenico Alfani, 1507
Cathedral of Città della Pieve, Madonna and Child between Saint Martin and Saint Mary Magdalene

Domenico Alfani di Paride (c. 1483 – c. 1553) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active chiefly in his native Perugia.

Life

He was born in Perugia in 1483.[1] He was a contemporary of Raphael, with whom he studied in the school of Pietro Perugino. The two artists were close friends, and the influence of Raphael is so evident in the works of Alfani that they have frequently been attributed to the more famous artist. He utilized the design given by Raphael for an altarpiece in the Church of San Simone dei Carmini, Perugia, now it is called as Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria.[2][3] Towards the end of his life Alfani gradually changed his style and approximated to that of the later Florentine school. The picture representing the Madonna and Child is one of his earliest known works, which is at the Collegio Gregoriano at Perugia.[1] His works are also found in the old Augustinian Church along with that of Girolamo da Cremona, Pietro Perugino and Dono Doni.[4] The date of his death, according to some, was 1540, while others say he was alive in 1553. Pictures by Alfani may be seen in collections at Florence and in several churches in Perugia,[5] including San Francesco in Deruta.

His son, Orazio Alfani, was also a prominent painter in Perugia, and founder of the academy of painting in that city. Since father and son were in the habit of painting in conjunction, it is difficult to determine the true authorship of some of the well-known works. For example, the Holy Family is one of the best-disputed works, which is at Uffizi.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Viardot, Louis (16 September 2019). A Brief History of the Painters of All Schools. London: Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. p. 79. ISBN 978-3-337-84202-4. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ O'Neill, John P. (1 November 1992). Masterworks from the Musée Des Beaux-arts, Lille. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-870-99649-8. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  3. ^ Cook, Herbert (1906). "The Nation's New Raphael" (PDF). The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs. 10 (43): 29–30. JSTOR 856839. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Menganna, Clara; Pesante, Luca (2017). "The Galleria of Giacomo Oddi in Perugia: its inventory and dispersal". Journal of the History of Collections. 29 (3): 375–379. doi:10.1093/jhc/fhw035. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  5. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Alfani, Domenico". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 580.


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