VERONESE, vii'reina'zil, PAUL ( properly PAOLO CA MART Or CAGLIARI ) ( I528-88). A painter of the school, who be came one of the chief masters of the Venetian Renaissance. lie was horn at Verona, the son of Gahriele Caliari. a sculptor. from whom lie learned modeling before taking up painting with Antonio Badile. lie was, perhaps, even more influenced by painters of the previous generation, especially by Domenico Bruxacorsi. In I548 he was summoned. with other Veronese artists, to decorate the Cathedral of Mantua. None of these decorations survive. On his return to Verona lie was employed to fresco a room in the Contarini Palace with antique historical subjects, which have recently been uncovered. In 1551 he was charged by the arehitect Sammicheli with the decoration of Villa Soranza, near Castelfranco. and soon afterwards he decorated Villa Emo (now Fanzolo) in the same vicinity. Fragments of the former frescoes are preserved in Castel franco and in England. but the latter remain in sitn, though in a damaged condition. They represent scenes from ancient history, classic myths, and contemporary life. In both of these tasks he was assisted by Battista Zelotti.
Veronese's early works are in the silver-gray tone peculiar to Veronese art, and the decoration just mentioned already contained the character istic qualities of his fully developed style. He was summoned to Venice in 1555 by his coun tryman, the prior of San Sebastiano, from whom he received the i•ononissions which have made this little church a museum of his works. lie began (1555) the decoration of the ceiling of the sacristy with the "Coronation of the Virgin" and in the pendentive;; the "Four Evangelists:" in 1556 he finished the three panels of the ceil ing of the nave with subjects from the "Life of Esther:" and in 155s the altar-piece, a "Ma donna in Glory, with Four Saints," and the walls of the church with scenes from the "Life of Saint. Sebastian," etc. In 1560 he completed the paintings on the doors of the organ, the "Pool of Bethesda," the "Purification of Mary," and a "Nat ivity ;" he also modeled the ornament of the organ. For several years following he was
engaged in other work. and not until 1565 did he complete the splendid paintings of the ehoir walls, "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" and "Saints Mark and Macellinns Going to Their Execution." Besides these decorations there are some fine altar-pieces by Paolo in the church. In eompetition with the great Venetian masters he greatly improved his work, both as to color, which became Heller and more harmonious, and as to form, which became nobler.
In 1556 Veronese visited his native city, where he portrayed Pace Cuarienti in full armor (Pina coteca. Verona), and painted the "Deposition front the Cross" in Santa Maria della Vittoria. A sec ond visit in 1566 was the occasion of his marriage to the daughter of his former master, Badile. In 1560 he decorated the villa at Tiene, near Vicenza, with a series of historical frescoes, which are among the most remarkable of his works. Among the best subjects represented are "Cleo patra's Banquet" and "Sophronisba, meeting Masinissa." Veronese's frescoes in San Sebastiano had met with the hearty approval of Titian, who assigned to him an important part of the decoration of the Library (now the Royal Palace), which San sovino hail just completed. His subjects. the al legories of "Music," "Mathematics," and "Fame," treated in the form of episodes. were by general consent pronounced the best in the library. To this period (1561-62) also belong his earlier paintings in the Sala de' Dieci ( Ducal Palace) ; of these "Jupiter Destroying the Giants" is in the Louvre, and "juno Showering Treasores upon Venice" at Brussels; only an ''Old Man with a Voting Woman" remains: His principal decora tion in the Sala della Bussola, "Saint Mark with the Lion," is also in the Louvre: but his grand painting of the "Homage of Frederick I." in the Hall of the Great Council was destroyed in the fire of 1577.