The History of Painting in Italy, Vol. 4 (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. 4 (of 6): From the Period of the Revival of the Fine Arts to the End of the Eighteenth Century
Lanzi, Luigi
Painting -- Italy -- History
We ought here to add the name of Federigo Zuccari, an artist invited by the
Card. Federigo Borromeo to take up his residence at Milan, where, as well
as at Pavia, he painted, as we have mentioned, (at p. 139, vol. ii). I am
indebted to the polite and kind attention of Sig. Bernardo Gattoni,
chaplain and rector of the other Borromean college at Pavia, for correcting
an error into which I had fallen, from following the local tradition rather
than the written authority of the same Zuccheri, in his "Passaggio per
l'Italia," a very rare work, and which I had not seen at that time. In it
are described the pictures of the Borromean college at Pavia; and it
appears, that Zuccari produced no other besides the principal picture, that
of S. Carlo, who is seen in the Consistory in the act of receiving the
cardinal's hat; the rest being from the hand of Cesare Nebbia, who
flourished at the same period. In order to have them retouched at leisure,
while they were left to dry, the cardinal Federigo despatched the two
artists to visit the sacred mount of Varallo, whence they passed to Arona,
and next to the Isola Bella, situated upon the Lago Maggiore, where the
cardinal joined them, and where each of them left a work in fresco, upon
two pilasters of the chapel at that place. There has since been found in
the archives of the college, an original letter of the cardinal, in which
he recommends to the then rector, that Nebbia should be received into the
college, and the sums of money disbursed to both, entered in the books of
account.
Proceeding next to those artists who studied at other places, I shall
briefly mention Ricci of Novara, with Paroni and Nappi of Milan, not
omitting others of the same place, commemorated in the lives of Baglioni.
Residing at Rome, they in no way contributed to the fame of their native
school, neither by their pupils, nor their example; and even at Rome, they
may be said to have added rather to the number of paintings than to the
decoration of the city. Ricci was a fresco painter, very well adapted to
the hasty temper of Sixtus V., whose works he superintended, and promoted
the effeminate taste then so prevalent; he possessed much facility and
beauty of forms. Paroni pursued the manner of Caravaggio, but his career
was short. Nappi displays great variety; and when he painted in his Lombard
manner, such as in his Assumption, at the cloister of the Minerva, with
other pieces at the Umiltà, he shewed himself a naturalist far more
pleasing than the mannerists of his time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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