Ambrogio di Stefano da Fossano was called Bergognone (or Borgognone). 'Da Fossano' might imply that he was originally from Fossano in Piedmont. The first reference to him establishes that he was in Milan by 1471.
He subsequently worked in the Certosa di Pavia, a new Carthusian monastery patronised by the Duke of Milan which provided much work for painters and sculptors. From 1488 to 1491 Bergognone worked on numerous frescoes and altarpieces there, including the Gallery's 'Virgin and Child with Saints'.
Bergognone's style derives chiefly from Vincenzo Foppa, whose art he would have encountered in Milan. Like Foppa, but unlike most Milanese painters, Bergognone remained comparatively uninfluenced by the work of Leonardo da Vinci.
Ambrogio Bergognone
active 1481; died 1523?
Paintings by Ambrogio Bergognone
Christ, barefoot and weeping but dressed in rich red and blue, is bent under the weight of the Cross. The spikes of the crown of thorns dig into his flesh, and crystal tears drip down his cheeks. He is dragging the Cross to his own crucifixion.The setting is not first-century Palestine, but Renai...
Not on display
Christ kneels in prayer. He gazes up at an angel, who presents him with a chalice containing the instruments of the Passion (Christ’s torture and crucifixion). To the right, in a walled garden, three of the apostles sleep while a group of soldiers, led by Judas, peer furtively through an arched g...
Not on display
The Virgin Mary stands behind a stone parapet, supporting her infant son with one hand; Christ balances on a green cloth lying over the sill. In the background you can see monks in white habits strolling in the grounds of a large church – one is accompanied by a layman and his dog.The monks are C...
We are clearly looking into heaven in this large painting. The Virgin Mary sits on a carved and gilded throne, the Christ Child standing on her lap. They are flanked by Saints Catherine of Alexandria, dressed as a princess, and Catherine of Siena in the habit of a Dominican nun. The figures are l...
Not on display
Style of Ambrogio Bergognone
An elderly, bearded saint, wearing a bishop’s mitre and holding a book and a crosier, gazes directly, almost challengingly, out at us. We are not sure exactly who he is. He has traditionally been identified as Saint Ambrose, the fourth-century patron of Milan, but he lacks the saint’s traditional...
Not on display
Style of Ambrogio Bergognone
A bearded saint stands reading a book, his left hand resting on a sword, in this quietly contemplative picture. We know, from his dark hair and beard and from the objects he holds, that this is Saint Paul: the sword is the weapon with which he was martyred and the book represents his many writing...
Not on display