Carlo Crivelli

Born in Venice around 1430, he trained in Padua under Squarcione. He blended Venetian traditions with the rigorous Paduan style to develop a unique, decorative artistic language.¹

In 1457, he was imprisoned for six months due to an affair with a married woman and subsequently left Venice. This scandal led him to spend most of his career in the March of Ancona.¹

The 1473 altarpiece in Ascoli Piceno Cathedral is his only polyptych that survives entirely in its original frame and location, making it a rare and precious survival.¹

Ignored by Vasari and forgotten after his death, he was rediscovered in 19th-century Britain by the Pre-Raphaelites, such as Burne-Jones, who admired his detail and decorativeness.¹

Modern critic Susan Sontag cited Crivelli's excessive decoration and trompe-l'œil elements as an early example of 'Camp,' bringing renewed attention to his artifice.¹