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
The style of Andrea greatly influenced that of his age, and imitations of
it are to be seen even beyond his school, which was extremely flourishing
in Mantua. We enumerate among his most distinguished disciples Francesco,
and one of his other sons. There is a paper yet extant, in which they
undertake to complete the chamber of the castle just alluded to, of which
their father Andrea had only painted the walls. To these they added the
beautiful vaulted recess. Whoever examines it must confess that the science
of foreshortening, originally attributed to Melozio, was here improved and
nearly brought to perfection by Mantegna and his sons. In the same work
appear several exquisitely drawn infantine figures, under different points
of view, and admirably shortened, so as to lose nothing in comparison with
those of Melozio, though his painting of Paradise, drawn for the church of
SS. Apostoli, was afterwards cut down and placed in the grand Palazzo
Quirinale. The same sons of Mantegna likewise added lateral pictures to an
altar-piece of their father, in a family chapel they had, attached to the
church of S. Andrea; and in the same place they raised a beautiful monument
to his memory in 1517, which has been falsely supposed by some to be the
year of his death, whereas it appears, from many authentic works, that he
closed his days in 1505.
After the death of Mantegna, Lorenzo Costa held the first rank, an artist
of whom we shall treat more at length in the Bolognese School. He adorned
the palace with various histories, and the churches with many of his
pictures, continuing under Francesco to reside in the same place, and
afterwards under Federigo, until beyond the year 1525, in which time he
produced also his picture for his family chapel. There too, like Mantegna,
he wished to have his remains deposited. Following his example, he
established his family in Mantua, where some of his descendants will again
appear at a more modern epoch. But the young Mantegni must be referred to
this more ancient period, and along with them ought to be mentioned Carlo
del Mantegna, who having studied some length of time under Andrea, and
cultivated a complete acquaintance with his style, afterwards introduced
it, as we shall shew, into Genoa. Carlo is supposed to have assisted in the
labours of the palace and the chapel above mentioned, as well as in many
others ascribed to the disciples of Mantegna, among which are two histories
of the ark preserved in the monastery of S. Benedetto at Mantua, where
Andrea's manner appears somewhat more amplified, though boasting less
beautiful forms. But few certain productions of his followers can be fixed
upon, their labours being confounded by connoisseurs, from their
resemblance of their style and name to those of their master. And it has
thus happened in an extremely interesting historical point; for Coreggio
having studied, it appears, under Francesco Mantegna, was believed a
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