Piermatteo was born in
Amelia, in
Umbria. He is first recorded as being part of the circle of
Filippo Lippi, active between 1467 and 1469, working on the decoration of the
Spoleto Cathedral. From 1479 until 1480 he was in
Rome, where he was one of the painters working in the
Sistine Chapel; he contributed to the decoration of the stars on the ceiling. From 1480 until 1482 he was active in
Orvieto, painting statues and decorating church fixtures and clocks. It was at this time that he did some work for the church of
Sant'Agostino; these pieces have since been removed and are scattered among a number of collections. He returned to Rome, but was recalled in 1482 by the Council of Works for the
Orvieto Cathedral, and was commissioned to help decorate the
San Brizio Chapel. Ultimately this work was later offered to
Luca Signorelli. A
fresco in
Narni, depicting the
Madonna and Child with Saints Lucy and Apollonia, has been dated to 1483. In 1485 Piermatteo was in Rome, working for
Popes Innocent VIII and
Alexander VI. Stylistically, his later works are similar to those of
Antoniazzo Romano. In 1497 he was nominated to the conservatory in
Fano; by 1503 he had been made superintendent of the Papal factories at
Civita Castellana. in Boston Piermatteo is also known as the
Master of the Gardner Annunciation for a series of works depicting the
Annunciation which were painted for the
convent of Santissima Annunziata in Amelia; in 1880 these came into the possession of
Isabella Stewart Gardner, from whom the name comes. The anonymous painter was identified when the contract for the work was discovered in
Terni; it indicated that Piermatteo da Amelia was contracted for the paintings on September 23, 1483. A
Mary Magdalen and a
John the Baptist (circa 1480-1481) are displayed in the collections of the
Lindenau museum in Altenberg. ==References==