Piero Della Vecchia: The Forgotten Venetian Master Rediscovered

Piero Della Vecchia (1603-1678), a Venetian Baroque painter nicknamed 'Simia de Zorzon' (Giorgione's monkey) by Marco Boschini, is the subject of a rediscovery article on Artribune. Born in Vicenza to painter Gasparo, he trained under Alessandro Varotari (il Padovanino). His early commissions included a gonfalone for the Carmelite confraternity in San Marco, Pordenone. Marriage to painter Clorinda Régnier, daughter of French painter Nicolas, boosted his career. At 27, he created cartoon designs for two mosaics at St. Mark's Basilica, where he served as 'pitor ducal' from 1640 to 1674, overseeing new mosaics and restorations. His style blended Caravaggio and Trophime Bigot (Maestro delle candele). Della Vecchia opened an academy at home, frequented by young artists for painting and art commerce. He was an expert in old master drawings, selling them alongside his father-in-law to Paolo del Sera, agent for Leopoldo de' Medici. As a copyist, he produced hundreds of replicas of Giorgione, Titian, Romanino, Palma il Vecchio, and Bassano, which Boschini called 'interpretations' rather than copies. Despite a penchant for caricature, he had ties to the Accademia degli Incogniti (founded by Giovan Francesco Loredano), evidenced by paintings on mathematical and cabalistic themes (1650-1660). His works are in Veneto museums, with a notable selection at Palazzo Chiericati, Vicenza.