Pensaben, Fra Marco, and Fra Marco Maraveia

Pensaben, Fra Marco, And Fra Marco Maraveia, his assistant, two old painters of the Order of the Dominicans at Venice, flourished in the first half of the 16th century. Pensaben was born at Venice in 1486, Of his parents and boyhood nothing is known. The earliest account takes his back to 1510, when he was a priest at the Dominican convent of Sts. Paul and John in Venice, having only a short time previous to this taken the Dominican habit. In the capitular acts of 1514 he is called sub-prior, and in those of 1524 head sacristan. Lanzi says Pensaben was an artist of singular merit, wholly unknown in the history of art till Frederici discovered some documents relating to him in the convent of the Dominicans at Trevigi, whither he had been invited from Venice. "'In this style, partaking of the ancient and modern taste, is a large picture of St. Nicholas in a church of the Dominicans at Trevigi, in which the cupola, the columns, and the perspective, with a throne, on which is seated the Virgin with the infant Jesus, surrounded by saints standing, the steps ornamented by a harping seraph, all discover the composition of Bellini. It was painted by P. Marco Pensaben, assisted by P. Marco Maraveia, both Dominican priests engaged for this purpose from Venice." Nothing further is- known of their works. Pensaben died in 1530.