(b Siena, 13 Sept 1436; d Siena, after 1518).
Italian painter. He was the son of a bricklayer and lived and worked in or near Siena all his life. . . . Among his extant works, nine are signed and dated altarpieces, four are identifiable through documents and many others can be attributed to him on stylistic grounds. Their dates span 43 years, and they include panel paintings, frescoes, manuscripts and designs for the decorative pavement of Siena Cathedral. . . . Benvenuto was probably trained in Vecchietta’s workshop, although stylistic affinities with Sano di Pietro suggest that he might also have worked for him. Benvenuto’s early works show that he gathered inspiration from sources both in and outside Siena. . . . Benvenuto’s imaginative archaistic use of Trecento motifs underlined the religious significance and civic associations of his art.
Cynthia Coté