Biography

Butinone was from Treviglio in Lombardy, east of Milan. He produced mainly religious works for his native town and around, and for churches in Milan. He is said to have been a pupil of Vincenzo Foppa, and his early works from the 1480s also show the influence of Andrea Mantegna and Cosimo Tura. From 1485 until the end of the century he frequently collaborated on commissions with another painter from Treviglio, Bernardino Zenale (about 1456–1526). Products of this partnership include the Saint Martin altarpiece in the church of San Martino, Treviglio, and lost mural decorations in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, a prestigious commission from Ludovico Sforza. Butinone’s style is attractive if somewhat old-fashioned, with many of his altarpieces consisting of multi-panel polyptychs set in elaborate carved wooden frames.