The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 2 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth CenturyLanzi, Luigi
History
The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 2 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century
Lanzi, Luigi
Painting -- Italy -- History
With Canini worked Giambatista Passeri, a Roman, a man of letters, and
who became afterwards a secular priest. It is recorded, that in the
early part of his life he lived on very intimate terms with Domenichino
at Frescati, and he adhered much to his style. There exists by him a
Crucifixion between two Saints at S. Giovanni della Malva, but no other
work in public, as most of his pictures are in private collections. In
the Palazzo Mattei are some pictures representing butcher's meat, birds,
and game, touched with a masterly pencil; to these are added some half
figures, and also some sparrows (_passere_), in allusion to his name.
There is also, by his hand, at the academy of S. Luke, the portrait of
Domenichino, painted on the occasion of his funeral; on which occasion
Passeri, and not Passerino, as Malvasia states, recited a funeral
oration, and probably paid some poetical tribute to his memory, since he
was accustomed to write both verse and prose as Bellori did; and his
silence on the Lives of Bellori, which had then appeared, and which he
had numerous opportunities of noticing, probably arose from feelings of
jealousy. He is esteemed one of the most authentic writers on Italian
art; and if Mariette expressed himself dissatisfied with him, (v. Lett.
Pitt. tom. vi. p. 10,) it probably arose from his having seen only his
Life of Pietro da Cortona, which was left unfinished by the author. He
possessed a profound knowledge of the principles of art, was just in his
criticisms, accurate in his facts; if, indeed, as has been pretended by
a writer in the _Pittoriche Lettere_, he did not in some degree
depreciate Lanfranc, in order to raise his own master, Zampieri. His
work contains the lives of many painters, at that time deceased, and was
published anonymously, it is supposed, by Bottari, who in many places
shortened it, and improved the style, which was too elaborate,
containing useless preambles, and was occasionally too severe against
Bernino and others, on which account the work remained unedited for more
than a century.
Vincenzio Manenti, of Sabina, who was first the scholar of Cesari, and
afterwards of Domenichino, left many works in his native place. Some
pictures by him are to be seen in Tivoli, as the S. Stefano in the
Duomo, and the S. Saverio at the Gesù, which do not exhibit him as an
artist of very great genius, but assiduous and expert in colouring. Of
Ruggieri, of Bologna, we shall speak elsewhere.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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