Leandro Bassano 400th anniversary

Also called Leandro dal Ponte, Leandro Bassano (10 June 1557-15 April 1622) was an Italian artist from Bassano del Grappa who was awarded a knighthood by the Doge of Venice.

Leandro was the son of the painter Jacopo Bassano and was active in his father’s workshop from a young age. When his elder brother Francesco left for Venice in 1578, Leandro became his father’s principal assistant.

Leandro painted with fine, smoothly applied brushstrokes, which differed from his father’s more vigorous technique. It is more difficult to distinguish Leandro’s work from that of the other artists in his father’s workshop, largely because of their continual close collaboration. In 1588 Leandro followed his brother to Venice, where he enjoyed a successful career as a painter of portraits and large history paintings. Upon his father’s death in 1592, Leandro inherited the family workshop.