BALTIMORE, Maryland January 31, 2014 - According the National Gallery of Art in London, the artist Giorgione may well have been very tall for his time. Little is known about the great man's life, personality, beliefs or values. There is great debate as to how old he was during his brief active period. It is known that he perished in 1510, a victim of the Plague. We know this because he exchanged letters with Isabella d'Este in that year. One of those letters contains information about his death, according to the Gallery.
According to the National Gallery, the name Giorgione actually means "big George." Normally, such a tidbit would not be cause for discussion, but historians, especially art historians, are out front with their hunger for information about Giorgione. He has had an influence on art that far exceeds that normally generated by one who contributes the few paintings credited to Giorgione. Therefore, any news is big news....about the big man.
The Este family ruled the Northern Italian City of Ferarra in the 15th and 16th centuries. Isabella d'Este wrote to the artist seeking to acquire one of his paintings. The National Gallery of Art in London's post concerning Giorgione is at http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/giorgione. The Gallery provides information about the d'Este family and their artistic acquisitions - quite a few of which now hang in London in the National Gallery - at http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/glossary/este.
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