Fra Bartolomeo O.P.

Born in 1483 in Tuscany the young Bartolomeo di Pagholo displayed a keen eye and skill as an artist. He impressed the sculptor Benedetto da Maiano, who recommended him to the painter Cosimo Rosselli. Rosselli accepted Bartolomeo as an apprentice in his Florence workshop. During his time in Florence Bartolomeo was attracted to the teachings of the Dominican Girolamo Savonarola, who denounced much of the art of the time as corrupt, indulgent and vain, and stated that the main purpose of art was to educate the illiterate in the faith. Bartolomeo painted the most famous portrait of Savonarola before the latter’s downfall in 1498. In 1500 Bartolomeo renounced his craft and entered the Dominican priory of San Marco in Florence, which less that fifty years before had been the home of Bl. Guido di Pietro, more commonly known as Fra Angelico.

He would not lift a brush again until 1504, when under obedience to the Prior, he headed the convent’s workshop and began to work on a piece for the Bianco family chapel showing the vision of St Bernard. In 1507 the young Raphael befriended him and taught him perspective. Between 1508 and 1513 he travelled from Florence to Venice, Lucca and Rome to work on numerous commissions, including some fine altar pieces at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Lucca.

He returned to Florence and created what is considered his masterpiece, St Mark the Evangelist at Palazzo Pitti. He also did some frescoes at the Dominican house of Pian di Mugnone. He died in 1517 in Florence.