Domenico La Bruna
Domenico La Bruna | |
|---|---|
| Born | Domenico La Bruna 24 February 1699 Trapani,Kingdom of Sicily |
| Died | 19 June 1763 (aged 64) Trapani, Kingdom of Sicily |
| Occupations | Painter; priest |
| Known for | Frescoes; altarpieces; devotional paintings |
| Notable work | Fresco cycle, Casa Santa di San Francesco di Sales (Erice); Madonna del Buon Consiglio (Mazara del Vallo); San Vito incoronato; Glory of St Ignatius of Loyola (Monreale) |
| Movement | Sicilian Baroque |
Domenico La Bruna (1699–1763) was an Italian painter of the Sicilian Baroque, active mainly in western Sicily.[1] Works include the Casa Santa di San Francesco di Sales in Erice and several ecclesiastical commissions in Trapani.[2]
He was born in Trapani in 1699, the son of Domenico, a merchant originally from Messina, and Rosalia, and was later ordained as a priest.[2] His output included altarpieces and fresco cycles for churches and convents in Trapani, Erice, Custonaci and other towns of the province.[3] He died in Trapani in 1763.[2]
Works
La Bruna’s output consists largely of frescoes, altarpieces and devotional paintings for churches and religious orders in western Sicily. His works are concentrated in Trapani and its province, with additional commissions in Palermo and other Sicilian towns.[2][3]
- Erice – the oratory Casa Santa di San Francesco di Sales (church of San Cataldo) preserves a major fresco cycle including the Descent of the Holy Spirit and St Francis de Sales distributing Communion. Other works from the Carmelite convent of Santa Teresa, such as the Education of the Virgin and Madonna della Pera, are now in the Cordici Museum.
- Trapani – paintings and frescoes survive in several churches, including Trapani Cathedral, San Francesco d’Assisi, and Santa Maria dell’Itria. Altarpieces formerly in Sant’Agostino and Santa Elisabetta are now in the Pepoli Museum.
- Mazara del Vallo – a series of commissions for the Jesuit church of Sant’Ignazio di Loyola (1740s), later transferred to the Diocesan Museum of Mazara del Vallo, includes the Madonna del Buon Consiglio and San Vito crowned.
- Alcamo – works in the basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and in the former Jesuits' College, including scenes from the Passion.
- Calatafimi Segesta, Castellammare del Golfo, Custonaci, Marsala – cycles of frescoes and altarpieces for local churches, often on Carmelite or Jesuit themes.
- Palermo – early works include the Glory of St Ignatius of Loyola (1737) in Monreale and decorations at the Jesuit Collegio Massimo.
Private commissions – La Bruna executed allegorical frescoes for noble palaces in Trapani, including Palazzo Riccio di San Gioacchino, Palazzo Saura, and Palazzo Fardella, combining religious and mythological themes.[2]
Gallery
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La lapidazione di Santo Stefano, Trapani Cathedral
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La Gloria dell'Immacolata, Ex Jesuits' College
References
- ^ "Il Museo «A. Cordici» di Erice" (PDF). IRIS Università di Palermo (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Di Ferro, Giuseppe M. (1831). Biografia degli uomini illustri trapanesi dall'epoca normanna sino al corrente secolo (in Italian). Vol. 3. Trapani: Pietro Mannone e Solina. pp. 50–66. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ a b Scuderi, Vincenzo. "Pittori trapanesi del Settecento: Giuseppe Felici, Giuseppe La Francesca, Domenico La Bruna". Le arti in Sicilia nel Settecento. Studi in memoria di Maria Accascina (in Italian). Palermo. pp. 553–560.