Where to See Cima da Conegliano

Cima da Conegliano's paintings are held in collections across Europe and North America. In Italy, you can find his work in Venice at the Gallerie dell'Accademia; and in Parma, at the Galleria Nazionale. Other locations include the Museo Civico in Conegliano, his birthplace; and the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Further afield, Cima's art can be viewed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria; and the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany. In France, visit the Musée du Louvre in Paris. In the United Kingdom, the National Gallery in London possesses several works. In the United States, museums holding his paintings include the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These are just some of the public collections where you can view paintings by Cima da Conegliano.

Cima da Conegliano was a Venetian Renaissance painter; however, he does not seem to have produced any prints himself. Printmaking in Venice during Cima's era (roughly 1480-1518^[3]) was more commonly a reproduction medium. Other artists created prints based on paintings or drawings by artists such as Titian. These prints allowed wider distribution of Titian's compositions. For example, Titian employed Cornelis Cort as his principal engraver. Cort made superb prints after Titian's work, collaborating with the painter during two sojourns in Venice (1555-1556 and 1571-1572). Martin Rota also created a print of Titian's *Martyrdom of Saint Peter Martyr*, likely made in Titian's workshop. The inscription states that Rota engraved it, but the composition belongs to Titian. This demonstrates the continued fame of the altarpiece, even decades after its completion. These prints were made to benefit painters, sculptors, and other knowledgeable people.

Giovanni Battista Cima (circa 1459^[3]/60-1517^[3]/18), also known as Cima da Conegliano, spent his career in the area around Venice. Conegliano is the small provincial town that gave him his name. Cima's work shows the influence of Mantegna, and also Giovanni Bellini early on. His paintings possess a spontaneous innocence, as well as a sense of the fitting. Although not considered a great painter, and despite his work not developing significantly, Cima's art provides insight into Venetian art history; his artistic choices influenced his contemporaries. For example, Cima's altarpiece in the Church of San Giovanni in Bragora at Venice, dated 1494, is related to other works of the period. The size, distribution, arrangement, and characterisation of the groups are similar. His 'Incredulity of Saint Thomas' in the National Gallery shows a similar conception. Cima's earlier work has a definite relation to that of Bartolommeo Montagna.

Cima da Conegliano, along with other Venetian painters such as Giovanni Bellini and Titian, shifted from egg tempera to oil paint. This change allowed for softer outlines and more expressive brushwork. Venetian artists mixed colours by layering distinct hues, a technique known as 'broken colour'. This approach allowed variations in colour, texture, and focus depending on the viewer's distance from the painting. Pigments used in Venice came from various sources. Mineral pigments like azurite blue came from Germany and Hungary, while ultramarine blue was imported from present-day Afghanistan. Shops specialising in art supplies, including pigments, canvases, and solvents, appeared in Venice around 1500^[3]. The dyeing industries of Venice aided pigment manufacturing, which supported local pigment merchants. Cima may have used thin surface glazes, a technique for which Titian is known.

Cima da Conegliano's work had an impact on Venetian painting, particularly regarding the depiction of Christ. His altarpiece in the Church of San Giovanni in Bragora, Venice, dated 1494, influenced later artists. One such artist is Titian, who completed a picture in 1510^[3] with a similar subject. The composition and characterisation of the groups in Titian's work appear to borrow from Cima's earlier altarpiece. Cima's representation of Christ, with a perfect, manly beauty and divine meekness, predates similar depictions by Gian Bellini, whose preferred type is more passionate. Cima's Incredulity of Saint Thomas in the National Gallery also presents a similarly conceived Christ. The Man of Sorrows, also in the National Gallery, is thought to be by an artist influenced by Cima. Marco Basaiti, initially connected with Alvise Vivarini, later adopted characteristics similar to those of Giovanni Bellini. Cima's technical processes align more with the Vivarini group than the Bellini group, but he was still overshadowed by his contemporary.

Giovanni Battista Cima (circa 1459^[3]/60-1517^[3]/18), also known as Cima da Conegliano, spent his life in the area around Venice. Two artists had an impact on him. Andrea Mantegna was the strongest influence, though Giovanni Bellini also affected Cima's work early in his career. However, some believe that Cima's influence on Bellini has been underestimated. One writer has suggested that Bellini borrowed from Cima's altarpiece in San Giovanni in Bragora, Venice (dated 1494). The writer notes similarities in size, arrangement, and characterisation between the two works. They argue that Cima's type of Christ, with manly beauty and meekness, predates Bellini's more passionate, human portrayal. The writer also sees the influence of Cima in the National Gallery's *Incredulity of Saint Thomas* and *Man of Sorrows*. Cima's earlier work also has a relationship to that of Bartolommeo Montagna.

It is difficult to identify one single most famous work by Cima da Conegliano, as several of his paintings are well known. These include: Adoration of the Magi (1462), Camera degli Sposi (1473), The Lamentation over the Dead Christ (circa 1480), Saint Sebastian (1480), and Madonna with the Cherubim (1485). Adoration of the Magi is located in the Galleria degli Uffizi, in Florence, Italy. The Camera degli Sposi is located in the Palazzo Ducale, in Mantua, Italy. The Lamentation over the Dead Christ is in the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan, Italy. Saint Sebastian is located in the Musée du Louvre, in Paris, France. Madonna with the Cherubim is also in the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan, Italy.

Cima da Conegliano (circa 1459^[3]/60-1517^[3]/18) was an Italian^[3] Renaissance painter who spent his career in the environs of Venice. His art shows the influence of Mantegna, though he was also influenced early on by Giovanni Bellini. Cima lived his entire life in Conegliano, a small provincial town, from which he took his name. His 1494 altarpiece in the Church of San Giovanni in Bragora at Venice is similar to Bellini's later treatment of the same subject. Some scholars claim that Bellini borrowed from Cima, rather than the other way around. Cima's *Incredulity of Saint Thomas* (in the National Gallery) presents a similar conception of Christ. Also, the *Man of Sorrows* in the same collection, while nominally ascribed to Bellini, may be the work of Cima or someone under his influence. Cima's earlier work has a definite relation to that of Bartolommeo Montagna.