Antonio Palma Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Antonio Negretti (1510 - 1575), nicknamed Antonio Palma, was the nephew of Palma the Elder and the pupil of Bonifacio de' Pitati. He subsequently became his uncle's collaborator and inherited the shop upon his death. Read the full biography

Antonio Negretti (1510 - 1575), nicknamed Antonio Palma, was the nephew of Palma the Elder and the pupil of Bonifacio de' Pitati. He subsequently became his uncle's collaborator and inherited the shop upon his death. This professional collaboration turned into a strong personal bond, so much so that Negretti married Bonifacio's niece in 1545.
Starting in 1554, Negretti became a famous figure in the Venetian art scene and received numerous public commissions, some of which are today preserved in the Gallerie dell'Accademia. From 1554 he received commissions for artistic works, such as the creation of sacred paintings in the sacristy of S. Sebastiano in Venice. He was also a member of the Scuola Grande di S. Marco until 1562. In this period, Negretti seems to have assumed a leading role in a group of painters who followed the tradition of Boniface and his style oriented towards the Central Italian manner. His openness towards stylistic innovations is highlighted in the work “Giacobbe's Dream”. Negretti continued to be involved in the civil magistracies of Venice, creating canvases such as "Queen of Sheba before King Solomon", "Adoration of the Magi" for the Mount of Subsidies and "Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon" for the Mint. He was also the author of a processional banner with the Pietà created for the church of the Annunciata in Serina in 1565. Some of his works, however, were lost over time. Negretti's last known work is a large canvas with Esther and Ahasuerus dated 1574, created for the Contarini family.