Bartolomeo Veneto

Bartolomeo's later works, and especially those done on commission in Milan, indicate an influence from the artist Leonardo da Vinci.

Bartolomeo changed his subject matter to suit his patrons as the interest in portraiture grew in Venice and the Veneto.

Bartolomeo’s earliest dated work, Virgin and Child from 1502, bears an interesting signature important to our understanding of the painter’s developing style, "Bartolamio mezo venizian e mezo cremonexe" (“Bartolomeo half-Venetian and half-Cremonese.”) The inscription sheds light on the painter’s citizenship, as well as a reference to his diverse stylistic influence.

What is left is "7 April 15... bartolamio s...o de z...be..." It is assumed that Bartolomeo inscribed the painting to indicate that he was a pupil of Gentile (Zentile) Bellini.

Bartolomeo placed the figure in front of a black background, a theme that would follow in his later paintings such as Saint Catherine, Salome with the Head of the St. John the Baptist, and Lady playing a Lute.

Leonardo da Vinci had recently been to Milan, where he transformed the current mundane portraiture into one of intrigue and sfumato.

Leonardo's effect is evident in Bartolomeo's developing style when juxtaposing Flora and Lady playing a Lute.