Schiavone, Andrea Medula (or Medola)

Schiavone, Andrea Medula (Or Medola)

an Italian painter and engraver, was born at Sebenico, in Dalmatia, in 1522. He was of obscure parentage, and went to Venice at an early age, where he gained a livelihood as a house painter. In his leisure hours he studied the works of Giorgione and Titian. The latter artist, hearing of his poverty and seeing his ability, employed him, with Tintoretto and others, in ornamenting the grand hall of the library of San Marco. His designs were good, but the drawing so defective as to render him unable to compete successfully with his rival Tintoretto. It was only after his death that his works were appreciated. His life was miserable. He died in Venice in 1582. His principal works are, The Eternal Father among the Angels: — John the Baptist in the Desert: — The Visit of the Virgin to Elizabeth: — The Death of Abel: — and The Assumption of the Virgin. Etchings by him are found after his own compositions, and copies of Raphael and others.