ALTOMONTE, Austrian family of artists
Martino Altomonte was the son of Michael Hohenberg, a baker who had emigrated from the Tyrol to Naples, and it was Martino who changed the family name to its Italian form in 1684. Martino and his son Bartolomeo Altomonte both became celebrated for their decorative paintings in Austria, which continued the traditions of the Viennese school of late Baroque fresco. Of Martino's other sons, Franz Lorenz Altomonte (c. 1693-1765), an engraver, studied under Antonio Maria Gennaro (1679-1744) in Vienna. From 1727 he worked as an engraver at the Mint in Prague. Examples of his work can be found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Andreas [Andrea] Altomonte (1699-1780), an architect, studied at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Vienna from 1726 to 1728. Another possible family member, Giacomo Altomonte (first half of the 18th century), was presumably related to Martino Altomonte as there is a painting by him at St Florian Abbey. He also produced frescoes and paintings for the churches of San Antonio (1721) and San Domenico (1722), both in Cagliari.
