Bertolami Fine Art - Piazza Lovatelli 1, 00186 Roma
Presale 371 - DIPINTI ANTICHI DAL XIV AL XIX SECOLO 371 - DIPINTI ANTICHI DAL XIV AL XIX SECOLO
Thursday 5 March 2026 hours 15:00 (UTC +01:00)
Tommaso Bona (Brescia 1548 - 1614)
Tommaso Bona
(Brescia 1548 - 1614)
Saint Benedict of Nursia Oil on canvas cm. 192x124. Framed The painting is accompanied by an expertise by Dr Giuseppe Sava.
The painting depicts Saint Benedict of Nursia in full figure, isolated within a broad landscape, holding the Rule and the abbatial crozier, following a traditional iconography enriched with symbols alluding to penance and monastic life, such as the rugged terrain and the raven with bread. The saint’s monumental presence, combined with the highly plastic rendering of the folds of his cowl and the careful descriptive naturalism, reveals a solid Brescian foundation.
On the basis of formal quality, compositional design, and treatment of light, the work is attributable to Tommaso Bona, active in the second half of the sixteenth century and trained within the tradition of Savoldo and Moretto. The isolated figure, controlled chromatic contrasts, and atmospheric landscape recall the artist’s early phase, still rooted in Renaissance models, in a cultural context preceding full engagement with Venetian Mannerism.