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
foreigners, is thus likewise accounted for.
Footnote 7: See Father Affò, pp. 27-124.
From the school of Lelio, in all probability, sprung Jacopo Borbone, of
Novellara, who, in the year 1614, painted a portion of the cloister at the
church of the Osservanti, in Mantua; also, Orazio Perucci, of whom there
remain various pictures in private houses, and an altar-piece at S.
Giovanni. Raffaello Motta was undoubtedly a pupil of Orsi, better known
under the name of Raffaellino da Reggio, who left in his native place a few
of his productions in fresco; an astonishing genius, deserving of Rome for
his theatre of action, as indeed I before observed, and of being lamented
like a new Raffaello, prematurely passing away.
At this period Carpi had to boast the name of Orazio Grillenzone, who
resided mostly in Ferrara, where enjoying the acquaintance of Tasso, he was
honoured and immortalized by his pen, being rendered the subject of that
dialogue, bearing for its title, _Il Grillenzone_, or the _Epitaph_. But
none of his paintings are now to be found in that city; and even what
remains of his in Carpi is of a very disputable character. I do not here
speak of the celebrated Girolamo of Carpi; because he was in fact a native
of Ferrara, as I elsewhere observed. There is little to be said of Ugo da
Carpi, as a painter: he was of an inferior genius when he applied himself
to his pencil; and fell still further below mediocrity when he became
whimsical enough to paint with his fingers, recording the exploit upon the
canvass, as he did in the figure of the Volto Santo, the Holy Face, at S.
Pietro, in Rome. Still we ought to bear honourable testimony to his merit,
as the inventor of wood engraving in two, and next in three blocks, or
pieces, by which he expressed the three different tints, the shade, the
middle tints, and the light.[8] In this way he produced many designs and
inventions of Raffaello, with greater clearness than even Marc Antonio had
before done; besides opening to posterity a new path, as it were, of
painting in chiaroscuro, very easily imitated and multiplied. Vasari
particularly treats upon it at the close of his Introduction; and there, no
less than in other places, commends the genius of Ugo as one of the most
acute that was ever directed towards the fine arts.
Footnote 8: The Germans claim the invention of the art of
engraving in wood, in _chiaroscuro_, before Ugo announced it
to the Italians. For this, they produce the cards of Gio.
Ulderico Pilgrim, which, although _Gothic_, observes Huber,
(p. 89) _produce an admirable effect in regard to
chiaroscuro_. They make out the inventor to be very ancient,
enumerating Mair and others, equally celebrated at the same
period. We are told nothing, however, in regard to their
mechanism, which was probably not the same as that of Ugo.
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