(Bassano 1584–1654)
Portrait of Matthio Zamberlani, in a black coat, at a table with an open book,
signed lower centre on the paper roll: Jacobus. Apollonius. Bassanesis,
inscribed on the letter lower right: Al Molto Magco et Eccmo Sigr: mio/OsSmo. il Sigr: Matthio Zamber-/lani/Bassano,
oil on canvas, 113.5 x 95 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Vienna

The present picture is a rare example of a signed portrait from a member of the Bassano workshop. Giacomo Apollonio, who signed this work in full, was the son of Jacopo Bassano’s daughter Marina and her husband, Apollonio Apolloni. As far as we know, Giacomo spent the whole of his career in his native town of Bassano del Grappa, to the North of Venice. He died there in 1654 aged 70 after a career as a painter of mostly religious works. A number of churches in the Bassano del Grappa area still contain pictures by his hand. They are all in the Bassanesque style, but betray brighter colour schemes than those used by the founder of the school, Jacopo, and his two sons, Francesco and Leandro.

Similar and relatively clear chromatic features characterise the present picture, which otherwise follows the stylistic and typological features of the half-length portraits by the three main painters of the Bassano family: Jacopo, Francesco and Leandro. The work, which is of excellent quality, reveals even stronger echoes of Jacopo’s younger son Leandro, who might indeed have been Apollonio’s teacher. As far as we know, this is the only portrait by Apollonio that has come to light. Nothing is known of the sitter, who was a member of the well-known Zamberlan family of Bassano del Grappa (Francesco Zamberlan, who lived from 1529 until after 1606, was an architect of some note). Judging from his attire, Matteo Zamberlan may have been a magistrate.

We are grateful to Bernard Aikema for his help in cataloguing the present painting.