At least thirteen secular frescoes characterized by a red background, instead of a common blue one, have been preserved up to the present day in Lombardy. In this essay, alongside the best-known examples dated around the middle of 15th century, such as the Games cycle of Palazzo borromeo in Milan or the one at the Castello di Masnago (Varese), other frescoes from the beginning of the same century have been brought to light, which were never considered before for the background colour. these latter allow to backdate the spread of this pattern. the long-lasting statements for the red colour used as a preparatory base for the blue background is here questioned. Instead, it is suggested that the red background has its own role. Since these cycles must depend on a distinguished example, it is proposed to find it in the Castello visconteo of Pavia, for its prestige. Furthermore, the study offers an interpretation of the presence of the red background as the intent to imitate tapestries, especially French ones, which presence is documented in the Castle of Pavia itself.
This article proposes various questions on possible characteristics of works of art made specifically for the female branch of the Franciscan Observance. Several peculiarities of the frescoes (some of which are unpublished) in the Santa Maria delle Grazie nunnery – which is known as Santa Clara and was built from the 1470s by reusing and adapting Cistercian structures – are presented. Studies of a wooden Crucifix and of a series of panels depicting Scenes from the Passion of Christ are brought to attention, putting forward the hypothesis that they may have been made for the Santa Clara nuns. KeywOrdS: Pavia, Santa Clara; 15th century; Female Franciscan Observance; wooden crucifix; Scenes from the Passion of Christ
This study originates from analysis of a painting signed and dated by Antonius de Lario, a name that recalls the presence in Genoa of an altar painting attributed to Antonio da Como. Stylistic analysis seems to confirm identification between the “two”, not otherwise known painters, while iconographic reading allows us to discern an early orientation of Franciscan images towards a manifestation of devout, personal, mysticism. At the same time, it is observed that the increasingly influential brotherhood associations directed their preferences towards artists from the Po Valley, in accordance with the prevailing taste in Liguria at the beginning of the sixteenth century. these choices are at the origin of Antonio da Como’s activity (and of an even more mysterious Baptista de Cumo), as well as of the betterknown Filippo da Verona. Part of the argument is dedicated to the latter in order to support, through examination of the details, the attribution of several erratic tables preserved in a church in eastern Genoa, once also the site of a secular oratory.
The paper aims at clarifying the attributions related to Pozzo di Loggio Valsolda’s paintings in the churches of the province of Cuneo. The goal is pursued by crossing the data that emerged from the most recent studies on the Lombard family with the ones found in the vast Piedmontese artistic bibliography. Alongside the comparison of the sources, a photographic campaign was made in order to analyse the style of the individual artists. The activity of the Pozzo family in southern Piedmont turns out to be revised and cleaned of attributive errors handed down over time.
The author analyzes the drawings by Giuseppe Bossi previously belonging to the collection of Count Gian Giacomo Attendolo Bolognini, now largely preserved at the Gabinetto dei Disegni of the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. After an overview of the Attendolo Bologninis’ graphic collection, the paper underlines the preference of the family towards neoclassical and romantic production, and then focuses on Bossi’s drawings. The analysis of the manuscripts compiled by Gian Giacomo made it possible to trace some of the artist’s drawings now in private collections (Incontro di Dante con Paolo e Francesca and Leonida e Cleombroto), as well as highlighting the links between the Attendolo Bolognini and other collectors of Bossi’s artworks (the heir Giuseppe Bossi jr. and the merchant Tiburzio Fumagalli). Finally, the last part of the paper focuses on two drawings traditionally attributed to Pelagio Palagi, here reassigned to Bossi and linked to Villa Melzi in Bellagio. The artworks are in fact studies for two of the four paintings depicting episodes from the life of Francesco Melzi, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci, made by the artist between 1808 and 1813 for one of the rooms of the villa.
The Casa Littoria, or Casa del Fascio, represents one of the most particular examples of architecture in the rich building season that distinguished Italy during the Fascist regime. Administrative headquarters of the National Fascist Party with a high symbolic value, it was divided into different typologies, which reflected the complex hierarchical structure of the party. Casa Littoria “Antonio Locatelli” in bergamo (1937-1939) designed by Alziro bergonzo represents an emblematic case within the vast and heterogeneous repertoire present on the national territory. Defined by bergonzo as a “typical building of its time”, it is located within the new city center of the lower city of bergamo which, at that time, was taking form at the expense of ancient buildings. the Casa, in its monumentality, has its greatest peculiarity in the continuous and refined dialogue between architecture, arts and décor that defined the character of each room and office. the essay, after framing the theme of the Casa Littoria nationwide, describes both the historical events and the original architectural conformation of the bergamasque building. through the use of photographic documentation of the time, it is possible to define the original character of the main rooms, and of the decorative cycles contained therein, before the transformations which affected the architecture after the war.
This article proposes a partial addition to the catalog of the Cremonese painter Giovan battista trotti called il Malosso. A signed and dated painting by Malosso (Madonna of the Rosary with St. Dominique and St. Stephen, private collection) offers an opportunity to reflect on the artist’s creative processes, investigating his relationship with the workshop, with an approach that has characterized the recent monograph on the painter. the painting allows to verify the reuse of the same models, according to the usual approach by the artist. The author also presents an unpublished document, which clarifies the painter’s relationship with Gambara family, one of his main clients.
This study presents two unknown large canvases depicting the Stories of the life and miracles of Saint Columbanus, painted by Milanese painter Gaetano Dardanone for the church of Saint Columbanus in biandrate. As a result of conservative restoration on one of the two canvases, it was possible to retrieve the original date, 1743, and the signature of the artist, known so far almost exclusively as a portraitist painter in Lombardy. the focus of this study is to provide an indepth analysis of the paintings and explore their iconography, commissioning, and style, as well as to try to revise and expand Dardanone’s historical-critical profile.
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