Venusti's first important commission was to copy Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment' in the Sistine Chapel. This secured his reputation as an artist and began his long friendship with Michelangelo, who allowed him to produce many small paintings based on his designs. Venusti also often added the settings to Michelangelo's figure studies.
Marcello Venusti
born 1512-15; died 1579
Paintings by Marcello Venusti
The subject of the Purification of the Temple is taken from the New Testament (Matthew 21: 12–13). Jesus drove the traders out of the Temple in Jerusalem, accusing them of turning a house of prayer into a den of thieves.Venusti painted numerous small-scale copies of drawings and frescoes by Miche...
Not on display
Marcello Venusti, after Michelangelo
Christ lies across his mother’s lap in a position intended to recall the pietà, when his dead body was returned to her after the Crucifixion. Saint Joseph watches him sleeping and the infant John the Baptist raises his finger to his lips, asking us for silence.The Virgin holds open a Bible. The p...
Not on display