Cima da Conegliano facts for kids

Christ among the doctors, painted in 1504. It is now in the National Museum in Warsaw.

Sleeping Endymion, a mythological painting by Cima.

Cima often painted the Madonna and Child in different ways.

Giovanni Battista Cima, also known as Cima da Conegliano (born around 1459 – died around 1517), was a famous Italian painter. He lived during the Renaissance, a time when art, science, and learning greatly grew in Europe. Cima mostly worked in Venice, a beautiful city in Italy.

He was part of the Venetian school of painting. This means he followed the style of other artists from Venice. His paintings often show peaceful landscapes in the background. Once he found his unique style, it did not change much. He mostly painted religious scenes, often for people's homes instead of big churches. He also painted a few smaller scenes about myths.

Cima often painted the same popular subjects many times. He would make small changes in each version. For example, he painted many pictures of the Madonna and Child (Mary and baby Jesus). He also painted different versions of Saint Jerome in a Landscape.

About Cima's Life

This painting shows Nicodemus with Christ's body, with Saint John on the right and Mary on the left.

Giovanni Battista Cima was born in a town called Conegliano in 1459 or 1460. This town was then part of the Republic of Venice. His father worked with cloth and died in 1484.

In 1488, Cima was working as a painter in Vicenza. By 1492, he had moved to Venice to continue his work. He stayed there for many years, but by 1516, he had returned to his hometown. Cima was married twice and had several children.

His earliest known painting with a date is the Madonna of the Arbour from 1489. This painting shows that he might have learned from another artist named Bartolomeo Montagna. Even in this early work, Cima's calm and peaceful style was clear. Later, he was influenced by the famous painter Giovanni Bellini. Cima became one of Bellini's best followers, helping to connect Bellini's style with that of Titian, another great artist.

Cima's early figures in his paintings were a bit rough. But over time, they became softer and more graceful, while still looking grand. He was one of the first Italian painters to give a special place to landscapes in his art. He was good at showing how light and shadows work in a scene.

For example, his painting Baptism of Christ (1492) in Venice shows this well. His colors were rich and had a unique silvery glow. Later, this glow turned into a soft gold. Cima's paintings are usually calm and not very dramatic. Most of his religious scenes show "holy conversations," meaning peaceful gatherings of saints.

His Incredulity of St. Thomas in London and his beautiful Nativity (1509) are good examples. Many of his paintings show the Madonna (Mary) sitting on a throne with saints around her. These scenes often have a gentle balance and give a feeling of deep peace.

Some of Cima's students included his son, Carlo da Conegliano, and Vittore Belliniano. It is not clear if another painter, Francesco Beccaruzzi, was directly taught by Cima.

Famous Artworks

Satyrs, painted between 1505 and 1510.

David and Jonathan, another work from 1505–1510.

The Presentation of the Virgin, painted between 1496 and 1497.

Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Clare, from the 1510s.

Three Saints: Roch, Anthony Abbot, and Lucy, painted in 1513.

Here are some of Cima da Conegliano's well-known paintings:

• Baptism of Christ (1492) - Found in San Giovanni in Bragora, Venice.
• Annunciation (1495) - Located at the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
• St. Helena (1495) - At the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
• Maria with Child, Mary Magdalene and St. Hieronymus (around 1495) - In the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
• Madonna of the Orange Tree (around 1495) - At the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.
• Madonna and Child Enthroned with St. Peter, St. Romuald, St. Benedict, and St. Paul (around 1495–1497) - In the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
• Madonna and Child (1496–1499) - At the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
• Madonna and Child in a Landscape (around 1496–1499) - At the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh.
• Virgin and Child (1496–1499) - At the National Gallery, London.
• Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple (around 1497–1500) - In the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.
• The Virgin and Child (1499–1502) - At the National Gallery, London.
• Madonna and Child with Michael the Archangel and St Andrew (late 15th century) - In the Galleria nazionale di Parma.
• Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and John the Baptist (around 1500) - At the National Art Gallery, Washington, D.C.
• The Virgin and Child with Saints Francis and Anthony of Padua (around 1500) - At The Wallace Collection, London.
• Incredulity of St Thomas with St Magnus Bishop (around 1505) - At the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.
• St Sebastian and Saint Roch (1500–1502) - A two-part painting at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg.
• St Catherine of Alexandria and Madonna and Child (1500–1502) - The middle part of a painting at the Wallace Collection, London.
• Christ among the Doctors - At the Warsaw National Museum, Poland.
• Saints Peter Martyr, Nicholas of Bari, Benedict and an Angel Musician (1504) - At the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
• Madonna and Child (around 1504) - At the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
• Virgin and Child (1504–1507) - At the Louvre, Paris.
• Christ Enthroned (before 1505) - At the Pushkin Museum, Moscow.
• Virgin and Child (around 1505) - At the National Gallery, London.
• Theseus Killing the Minotaur (around 1505) - At the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.
• St Peter Martyr with St Nicholas and St Benedict (around 1505–1506) - At the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
• Bacchic Cassone (around 1505–1510) - A wooden panel painting, now in four pieces.
• Montini Altarpiece (around 1506–1507) - At the Galleria Nazionale, Parma.
• Virgin and Child with Saints Paul and Francis (1508–1530) - At the National Gallery, London.
• Adoration of the Shepherds (around 1509–10) - At Santa Maria del Carmini, Venice.
• Virgin and child with St George and St James (1510–1511) - At the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen.
• Virgin and Child withs St John the Baptist and St Mary Magdalene (1511–1513) - At the Louvre, Paris.
• Virgin and Child with Saints Sebastian, Francis, John the Baptist, Jerome, Anthony of Padua, and an Unidentified Female Saint, and Two Donors (around 1515) - At the Harvard University Art Museums, Massachusetts.
• Virgin with Child and St John the Baptist and St Francis - At the Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon.
• Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors (around 1515) - At the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio.
• Saint Peter Enthroned with Saints John the Baptist and Paul (around 1516) - At the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
• The Deposition - At the Pushkin Art Museum, Moscow.
• The Archangel Raphael and Tobias with Two Saints (undated) - At the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.

See also

In Spanish: Cima da Conegliano para niños