Ex Voto: An Account of the Sacro Monte or New Jerusalem at Varallo-Sesia: With Some Notice of Tabachetti's Remaining Work at the Sanctuary of CreaButler, Samuel
Religion
Ex Voto: An Account of the Sacro Monte or New Jerusalem at Varallo-Sesia: With Some Notice of Tabachetti's Remaining Work at the Sanctuary of Crea
Butler, Samuel
Art -- Italy -- Varallo-Sesia; Sacro Monte di Varallo (Sanctuary); Tabaguet, Jean Baptiste, 1568 -1615
Fassola, Torrotti, and Bordiga all call this one of the best chapels, but
neither Jones nor I could see that it was nearly so successful as the
preceding. The seventeen modelled figures are by Giovanni D’Enrico, and
the frescoes by his brother Antonio or Tanzio. One or two of the
figures—especially a man putting his finger to his mouth derisively, are
excellent, but the Pilate is a complete failure; and it is hard to think
it can have been done, as it probably nevertheless was, by the sculptor
of the Caiaphas and Herod figures. Bordiga says that a contract was made
with Caccia (not the historian), called Moncalvo, for the frescoes. This
was the painter who did the backgrounds for the Crea chapels, but the
contract was never carried out, probably because Antonio D’Enrico
returned from Rome. It was dated November 1616, so that the terra-cotta
figures probably belong to this year or to those that immediately
preceded it.
CHAPEL NO. 35. CHRIST CONDEMNED TO DEATH.
This is better than the preceding chapel, and contains some good
individual figures. The statues are twenty-seven in number, and were
modelled by D’Enrico prior to the year 1614, in which year Morazzone was
paid twelve hundred imperiali for having painted the frescoes, so that it
was one of his earlier works, but the Pilate is again a failure. People
who have been badly treated, and who have suffered from some injustice,
are more especially recommended by Fassola “to try this Christ, who moves
the pity of all who look upon Him.”
He continues that it was the intention to add some other chapels at the
end of the portico of the Palazzo di Pilato, but this intention was not
carried out. Bordiga calls attention to the view on the right, looking
over Varallo and the Mastallone, as soon as the portico is passed.
CHAPTER XIII.
_MYSTERIES OF THE PASSION AND DEATH_.
[Picture: Plate XII. Tabachetti’s “Journey to Calvary.” General view to
the right]
THE Palazzo di Pilato is now ended, and we begin with the mysteries of
the Passion and Death of the Redeemer, the first of which is set forth in
CHAPEL NO. 36. THE JOURNEY TO CALVARY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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