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Pisanello (PISANO), Antonio, first name formerly wrongly called VITTORE (b. c. 1395, Pisa, Italy—d. 1455), medalist and painter whose work reflects the transition in Italy from the International Gothic to the Early Renaissance style. His early work suggests that he was the pupil of Stefano da Zevio, a Veronese artist, and was familiar with the style of the Lombard school.
Pisanello collaborated with Gentile da Fabriano on frescoes in the Doges’ Palace in Venice (c. 1415—22) and in St. John Lateran in Rome (after 1427). After Gentile’s death, Pisanello probably completed the Roman frescoes, known only through drawings, which show Gentile’s great influence over the young Pisanello. His only surviving frescoes are an Annunciation at the tomb of NiccolO di Brenzoni in S. Fermo in Verona (c. 1423—24), and the legend of St. George in the Pellegrini Chapel in S. Anastasia, Verona (c. 1433—38). These works are characterized by the curvilinear design, calligraphic draperies, and decorative detail typical of the International Gothic style from which Pisanello never completely freed himself. Even a mature work such as his “St. Eustace” (National Gallery, London) is encrusted with rich detail that has been thought to detract from the compositional unity of the painting. The “Madonna with SS. Anthony and George” (National Gallery) dis
plays a simpler conception. it is dominated by the monumental figures of the two saints and the bust of the Virgin in a mandorla, or almond-shaped aureole.
Pisanello’s fame and his importance in court circles rested more upon his medals than upon his painting. They are thought to have resulted from his study of ancient Greek and Roman numismatic portraits.
He had virtually no recent predecessors and, with him, the art reached its highest point. His work includes the medal of the Greek emperor John VIII Palaeologus (1438), the wedding medal of Lionello d’Este (1444), Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (1445), and the medal of Alfonso of Aragon (1448), generally cited as his most successful work in the genre. Most of Pisanelb’s painted portraits, such as the “Margherita Gonzaga” (c. 1438; Louvre, Paris), and “Lionello d’Este” (c. 1440; Accademia Carrara, Bergamo), show the sitter in profile (a convention of Pisanello’s portrait medals) against a background of delicate, colourful flowers and butterflies.
Pisanello’s drawings have been preserved in the Codex Vallardi (Louvre, Paris). This is the only instance in which the drawings of a 15th- century workshop have been preserved virtually intact. They are of unique value, therefore, for the study of the style and techniques of draftsmanship of the period. Pisanello uses a large variety of techniques and materials to produce masterful drawings (some coloured) of animals, plants, costume design, and perspective studies. His drawings of various views of horses are particularly well known. He was one of the first 15th-century artists to draw from life instead of adhering to the medieval tradition of copying the drawings of others. The drawings reveal Pisanello’s breadth of interest and his sensitive eye. They combine delicately rendered Early Renaissance naturalism with the beauty of Late Gothic line and are one of his most important contributions to the history of art.
