ZOPPO, Marco

Italian painter (originally Marco di Ruggero). The earliest dated notice of Zoppo is an agreement of 24 May 1455 concerning his legal adoption by the Paduan painter Francesco Squarcione. The document indicates that at the time it was drawn up Zoppo had been living in Squarcione’s house for about two years and at 23 years old was already recognized as a painter of considerable ability. According to the agreement, Squarcione, who was childless and had recently become a widower, acknowledged Zoppo as his sole heir in return for Zoppo’s work in painting. The contract, however, was short-lived. By October of the same year, Zoppo had left Squarcione and was living in Venice. Two documents record the terms by which the adoption agreement was to be annulled and the arrangements drawn up not only to compensate Zoppo for work he had executed for which Squarcione had received payment, but also to cover Squarcione’s costs for having provided Zoppo with lodging and artists’ materials. Clearly Zoppo quickly discovered that the conditions placed on him by Squarcione were not to his advantage. Like other young artists who came into contact with Squarcione, most notably Andrea Mantegna, who had a similar experience in the late 1440s, Zoppo soon realized that his success as an artist rested on gaining his freedom, even though this could be achieved only by relinquishing his rights to Squarcione’s substantial estate.

Zoppo was active in Venice (1455, 1468-73) and executed further works in Bologna, including a triptych for the Collegio di Spagna, and a number of Madonna Enthroned with Infant and Saints. Influenced by Mantegna and by Jacopo and Giovanni Bellini, Zoppo produced paintings in a distinctively harsh and precise style and an album of drawings formerly attributed to Mantegna (British Museum, London).

Francesco Francia was one of his pupils.