,,the            ,,history ,,of         
,,painting                    ,,in      
,,italy4                  ,,vol4 ,,iv4  
,,the           ,,history ,,of          
,,painting                   ,,in       
,,italy1       ,,from ,,the ,,period    
,,of ,,the ,,revival ,,of               
,,the ,,fine ,,arts     ,,to ,,the ,,end
 ,,of ,,the ,,eighteenth ,,century3     
,,translated         ,from the ,original
 ,italian                  ,,of ,,the   
,,abate ,,luigi ,,lanzi4                
,,by ,,thomas ,,roscoe4             ,,in
 ,,six ,,volumes4                       
,,vol4 ,,iv4  ,,containing ,,the        
,,schools ,,of ,,lombardy1 ,,mantua1    
,,modena1 ,,parma1 ,,cremona1 ,,and     
,,milan4                  ,,london3     
,,printed ,,for         ,w4 ,,simpkin   
,,and ,r4 ,,marshall1                   
,,stationers'-,,hall ,,court1 ,,ludgate 
,,street4                  #ahbh4       
,j4 ,m',creery1 ,tooks ,court1          
,chancery ,lane1 ,london4               
,,contents                    ,,of      

,,the ,,fourth ,,volume4     ,,history  
,,of ,,painting ,,in ,,upper ,,italy4   
,,book ,,the ,,second4                  
,,schools ,,of ,,lombardy4              
,,chap4 ,i4               ,,mantuan     
,,school4                               
,page    ,,epoch ,i4   ,of ,mantegna and
 his successors                #e       
,,epoch ,,ii4  ,giulio ,romano and his  
school                 #ad    ,,epoch   
,,iii4 ,decline of the school1 and      
foundation of              an academy in
 order to restore it             #bf    
,,chap4 ,,ii4               ,,modenese  
,,school4    ,,epoch ,i4   ,the old     
masters                              #cb
    ,,epoch ,,ii4  ,imitation of        
,raffaello and ,coreggio in             
the sixteenth century                   
#db    ,,epoch ,,iii4 ,the ,modenese    
artists of the seventeenth              
century chiefly follow the example of   
the              ,bolognese             
#eg                   ,,chap4 ,,iii4    
,,school ,,of ,,parma4    ,,epoch ,i4   

,the ancients                           
#gd    ,,epoch ,,ii4  ,coreggio1 and    
those who succeeded him in              
his school                              
#gi    ,,epoch ,,iii4 ,parmese school of
 the ,caracci1 and of              other
 foreigners until the period of the     
foundation of the academy               
#acd                   ,,chap4 ,,iv4    
,,school ,,of ,,cremona4    ,,epoch ,i4 
,the ancients                           
#adh    ,,epoch ,,ii4  ,camillo         
,boccaccino1 ,il ,soiaro1 the ,campi    
#afc    ,,epoch ,,iii4 ,decline of the  
school of the ,campi4                   
,trotti and other artists support it    
#ahb    ,,epoch ,,iv4  ,foreign manners 
introduced into ,cremona     #aid       
,,chap4 ,v4               ,,school ,,of 
,,milan4    ,,epoch ,i4   ,account of   
the ancient masters until the           
time of ,vinci                          
#bjf    ,,epoch ,,ii4  ,vinci           
establishes an academy of design at     
,milan4 ,his pupils and the best native 

artists              down to the time of
 ,gaudenzio                #bch         
,,epoch ,,iii4 ,the ,procaccini and     
other foreign and              native   
artists form a new academy1 with new    
styles1 in the city and state of ,milan 
#bhc    ,,epoch ,,iv4  ,after the time  
of ,daniele ,crespi the art             
declines4 ,a third academy is founded   
for              its improvement        
#cje                       ,,history    
,,of ,,painting                         
,,in                      ,,upper       
,,italy4                         ,,book 
,,ii4    ,,the ,,schools ,,of           
,,lombardy4   ,after a consideration of 
the principles and progress of painting 
in ,lombardy1 ,i came to the conclusion 
that its history ought to be treated and
 arranged in a manner altogether        
different from the rest of the schools4 
,indeed those of ,florence1 of ,rome1 of
 ,venice1 and of ,bologna1 may be almost
 considered in the light of so many     
dramas1 in which there occurs an        

interchange of acts and scenes1 for such
 are the epochs of each school2 and     
there is also a change of actors1 for   
such are the masters of each new period2
 but the unity of place1 which is no    
other than the capital city1 is         
invariably preserved2 while the         
principal actors1 and as it were        
protagonists of the story1 always       
continue in action1 at least in the way 
of example4 ,every capital1 it is true1 
is in possession of its own state1 and  
in that ought to be comprehended the    
various other cities1 and the           
revolutions in each2 but these are in   
general so nearly connected with those  
of the metropolis as to be easily       
reducible to the same leading law1      
either because the state artists have   
acquired the art in the principal city1 
or because they have taught it there1 as
 may easily be gathered from the history
 of the ,venetian ,school2 while the few
 who wander out of the usual routine1   
cannot be said to infringe greatly upon 

the unity of the school and the         
succession of its histories4 ,but it    
happens differently in the history of   
,lombardy1 which1 in the happier periods
 of the art1 being divided into many    
more districts than it now is1 possessed
 in each state a school distinct from   
all the others2 enumerated also distinct
 eras2 and when the style of one        
influenced that of another1 such a      
circumstance occurred neither so        
universally1 nor so near in regard to   
time1 as to admit of the same epoch     
being applied to many of them4 ,hence it
 is1 that even from the outset of this  
book1 ,i renounce the received manner of
 speaking which would mention the       
,lombard ,school1 as if in itself       
constituting one school1 in such a way  
as to be compared for instance with the 
,venetian1 which in every place         
acknowledged the sway of its sovereign  
masters2 of the ,bellini first1 next of 
,titian and his noblest contemporaries1 
and then of ,palma2 and moreover        

established several characteristics of  
design1 of colouring1 of composition1 of
 the use of the pencil1 so as easily to 
distinguish it from every other school4 
,but in that which is called the        
,lombard the case is otherwise4 ,for its
 founders1 such as ,lionardo1 ,giulio1  
the ,campi1 and ,coreggio1 are too      
widely opposed to each other to admit of
 being brought under one standard of    
taste1 and referred to the same epoch4  
,i am aware that ,coreggio1 being by    
birth a ,lombard1 and the originator of 
a new style that afforded an example to 
many artists in that part of ,italy1 has
 conferred the name of ,lombard ,school 
upon the followers of his maxims2 and   
according to these characteristics the  
contours were to be drawn round and     
full1 the countenance warm and smiling1 
the union of the colours strong and     
clear1 the foreshortenings frequent1    
with a particular regard to the         
chiaroscuro4 ,but the school thus       
circumscribed1 where shall we find a    

place for the ,mantuans1 the ,milanese1 
the ,cremonese1 and the many others who1
 having been born1 and having flourished
 in ,lombardy1 and moreover being the   
tutors of a long extended line1 justly  
deserve a rank among the ,lombards4     
,from such considerations ,i have judged
 it most advisable to treat severally of
 each school1 enlarging upon them more  
or less1 according as the number of the 
professors and the information          
respecting them may seem to render it   
requisite4 ,for the accounts of some of 
these schools have been already         
separately compiled2 ,zaist having      
treated of the ,cremonese painters1 and 
,tiraboschi of the ,modenese2 thus      
conferring upon artists the same        
obligations which he so richly conferred
 upon the literati in a still greater   
work2 a rare writer1 for whose loss we  
yet indulge a mournful recollection4 ,in
 the rest of the schools ,i shall be    
supplied with ample materials from      
,vasari1 from ,lomazzo1 and the ,guides 

of the cities1 besides some authors to  
be cited when requisite1 together with  
my own observations and sources of      
information borrowed from different     
places2 whence it is hoped that the     
pictoric history of ,lombardy1 the least
 known amongst all the schools of       
,italy1 may by my means have at least   
some additional light thrown upon it4   
,,chapter ,i4    ,,mantuan ,,school4    
,,epoch ,i4       ,of ,mantegna and his 
,successors4   ,i shall first commence  
with ,mantua1 from which there emanated 
two sister schools1 those of ,modena and
 of ,parma4 ,were any one desirous of   
investigating the most ancient remains  
that the art of colouring in that state 
can boast1 he might record the          
celebrated anthem book1 still preserved 
at ,s4 ,benedetto at ,mantua1 a gift of 
the ,countess ,matilda to that          
monastery1 which being founded by her   
long preserved her remains1 transferred 
during the late century into the        
,vatican4 ,in this book1 shewn me by the

 learned and courteous ,abbate ,mari1   
are exhibited several little histories  
of the life and death of the ,virgin1   
which1 notwithstanding the barbarous    
period in which they were produced1     
display some taste1 insomuch that ,i do 
not remember having seen any work of the
 same age at all equal to it4 ,upon this
 subject it may not be useless to       
observe1 that in ages less uncivilized1 
and nearer our own1 the art of miniature
 was practised in ,mantua by a great    
number of professors1 among whom is     
,gio4 de ,russi1 who1 about the year    
#adee1 illustrated for the ,duke ,borso 
of ,modena1 the ,bible of ,este1 in     
large folio1 one of the rarest specimens
 of that distinguished collection4 ,but 
in regard to pictures1 ,i have been able
 to discover no artist who flourished in
 that place previous to ,mantegna2 and  
it is only some anonymous productions   
belonging to the fourteenth and         
fifteenth centuries1 that can be        
mentioned as remaining to this day4 ,of 

the former age1 ,i saw in the cloister  
of ,s4 ,francesco1 a sepulchre1 erected 
in #acjc1 with a ,madonna among various 
angels1 all rude and disproportioned    
figures1 though coloured with such      
strong and animated tints as to appear  
truly surprising4 ,i doubt not but that 
the revival of painting in ,lombardy1   
through the genius of its natives1 might
 be fairly proved from the existence of 
this monument1 as its age is anterior to
 that of the followers of ,giotto1      
scattered throughout ,italy2 besides the
 style is different4 ,of the fifteenth1 
,i have seen another ,madonna upon an   
altar likewise of ,s4 ,francesco2 and   
whoever may have been the author1 he has
 shewn that the art1 even in those days1
 had already emerged from its infancy1  
without arriving at that rank to which  
the great ,andrea ,mantegna conducted   
it1 of whom we have twice already had   
occasion to speak shortly in the course 
of this work2 a subject which we now    
resume1 and shall enlarge upon more     

fully4  ,although the honour of having  
given birth to ,mantegna can no longer1 
as formerly1 be denied to ,padua1 his   
school was1 nevertheless1 established in
 ,mantua1 where1 under the auspices of  
,marchese ,lodovico ,gonzaga1 he settled
 with his family1 without1 however1     
ceasing to exert his talents elsewhere1 
and more particularly in ,rome4 ,the    
chapel which he painted at the desire of
 ,innocent ,,viii4 in the ,vatican still
 exists1 though injured by time2 and it 
is clear that in the imitation of the   
antique constantly pursued by him he    
greatly improved1 through the number of 
examples to be found throughout the     
city4 ,he never varied his manner1 which
 ,i described when ,i treated of him as 
a pupil of ,squarcione in ,padua2 but he
 still continued to perfect it4 ,several
 works produced during his latter years 
are yet extant at ,mantua2 and far      
surpassing the rest is his picture of   
,victory1 painted upon canvass4 ,another
 is the ,virgin1 amidst various saints1 

among whom ,s4 ,michele the ,archangel1 
and ,s4 ,maurizio1 are seen holding her 
mantle1 which is stretched over         
,francesco ,gonzaga2 he is in a kneeling
 posture1 while the ,virgin extends her 
hand over him in sign of protection3    
more in the background appear the two   
patrons of the city1 ,s4 ,andrea and ,s4
 ,longino1 and the infant ,st4 ,john    
before the throne1 with ,s4 ,anna1 as is
 supposed at least by ,vasari and       
,ridolfi1 little exact in their         
description of this picture1 inasmuch as
 the rosary held in her hand            
distinguishes her for the princess1     
consort of the ,marchese1 kneeling at   
her husband's side4 ,mantua1 perhaps1   
boasts no other specimen equally sought 
after and admired by strangers2 and     
though produced in #adie1 it is still   
free1 in a conspicuous degree1 from the 
effects of three ages1 which it has     
already survived4 ,it is truly wonderful
 to behold carnations so delicate1 coats
 of armour so glittering1 draperies so  

finely varied1 with ornamental fruits   
still so fresh and dewy to the eye4     
,each separate head might serve as a    
school1 from its fine character and     
vivacity1 and not a few from imitation  
of the antique2 while the design1 as    
well in its naked as in its clothed     
parts1 expresses a softness which       
sufficiently repels the too general     
opinion1 that the stiff style and that  
of ,mantegna are much the same thing4   
,there is also an union of colours1 a   
delicacy of hand1 and a peculiar grace1 
that to me appears almost the last stage
 of the art towards that perfection     
which it acquired from ,lionardo4 ,his  
works upon canvass remind us of that    
exquisite taste to which he had been    
habituated by ,squarcione1 who supplied 
him with pictures of the same kind from 
various places1 and indeed the whole of 
the above specimen discovers him to have
 been an artist who spared neither his  
colours nor his time1 to produce works  
that might satisfy his own ideas1 as    

well as the eye of the spectator4  ,his 
great masterpiece1 nevertheless1        
according to the judgment of ,vasari1 is
 the ,triumph of ,caesar1 represented in
 different pictures1 which1 becoming the
 prey of the ,germans in the sackage of 
the city1 were finally sent into        
,england4 ,they belonged to a great hall
 in the palace of ,s4 ,sebastiano1 which
 was completed1 says ,equicola1 an      
historian of his native place1 by       
,lorenzo ,costa1 an excellent artist1   
who added to it all that pomp which used
 to attend upon a triumph1 besides the  
spectators before wanting4 ,but these   
pictures having perished1 there yet     
remain other considerable relics from   
the works of ,andrea1 in a saloon of the
 castle1 entitled by ,ridolfi the       
,camera degli ,sposi4 ,we there behold  
copious productions executed in fresco1 
and among them several portraits of the 
,gonzaga family1 still in good          
preservation2 and some ,genii drawn over
 a door-way1 so joyous1 animated1 and   

airy1 that nothing can be supposed to   
surpass them4 ,among collections of art 
we more rarely meet with specimens of   
him than is really believed1 his genuine
 hand being recognized1 not only by its 
lightness1 by its rectilinear folds1 or 
by its yellowish landscape1 spread with 
certain minute and broken little stones2
 but by the skill of its design and the 
delicacy of its pencil4 ,it does not    
appear that he produced many pictures   
for private exhibition1 engaged as he   
was in works of greater magnitude1 and  
upon many engravings4 ,more than fifty  
of these last have been enumerated1 for 
the chief part abounding with figures2  
labours which must have occupied a large
 portion of his best time4 ,but there   
are some persons1 as ,i have observed1  
7vol4 i4 p4 #acf17 who would            
considerably reduce this number1 whether
 correctly or not posterity will1       
perhaps1 ascertain4  ,the style of      
,andrea greatly influenced that of his  
age1 and imitations of it are to be seen

 even beyond his school1 which was      
extremely flourishing in ,mantua4 ,we   
enumerate among his most distinguished  
disciples ,francesco1 and one of his    
other sons4 ,there is a paper yet       
extant1 in which they undertake to      
complete the chamber of the castle just 
alluded to1 of which their father       
,andrea had only painted the walls4 ,to 
these they added the beautiful vaulted  
recess4 ,whoever examines it must       
confess that the science of             
foreshortening1 originally attributed to
 ,melozio1 was here improved and nearly 
brought to perfection by ,mantegna and  
his sons4 ,in the same work appear      
several exquisitely drawn infantine     
figures1 under different points of view1
 and admirably shortened1 so as to lose 
nothing in comparison with those of     
,melozio1 though his painting of        
,paradise1 drawn for the church of ,,ss4
 ,apostoli1 was afterwards cut down and 
placed in the grand ,palazzo ,quirinale4
 ,the same sons of ,mantegna likewise   

added lateral pictures to an altar-piece
 of their father1 in a family chapel    
they had1 attached to the church of ,s4 
,andrea2 and in the same place they     
raised a beautiful monument to his      
memory in #aeag1 which has been falsely 
supposed by some to be the year of his  
death1 whereas it appears1 from many    
authentic works1 that he closed his days
 in #aeje4  ,after the death of         
,mantegna1 ,lorenzo ,costa held the     
first rank1 an artist of whom we shall  
treat more at length in the ,bolognese  
,school4 ,he adorned the palace with    
various histories1 and the churches with
 many of his pictures1 continuing under 
,francesco to reside in the same place1 
and afterwards under ,federigo1 until   
beyond the year #aebe1 in which time he 
produced also his picture for his family
 chapel4 ,there too1 like ,mantegna1 he 
wished to have his remains deposited4   
,following his example1 he established  
his family in ,mantua1 where some of his
 descendants will again appear at a more

 modern epoch4 ,but the young ,mantegni 
must be referred to this more ancient   
period1 and along with them ought to be 
mentioned ,carlo del ,mantegna1 who     
having studied some length of time under
 ,andrea1 and cultivated a complete     
acquaintance with his style1 afterwards 
introduced it1 as we shall shew1 into   
,genoa4 ,carlo is supposed to have      
assisted in the labours of the palace   
and the chapel above mentioned1 as well 
as in many others ascribed to the       
disciples of ,mantegna1 among which are 
two histories of the ark preserved in   
the monastery of ,s4 ,benedetto at      
,mantua1 where ,andrea's manner appears 
somewhat more amplified1 though boasting
 less beautiful forms4 ,but few certain 
productions of his followers can be     
fixed upon1 their labours being         
confounded by connoisseurs1 from their  
resemblance of their style and name to  
those of their master4 ,and it has thus 
happened in an extremely interesting    
historical point2 for ,coreggio having  

studied1 it appears1 under ,francesco   
,mantegna1 was believed a scholar of    
,andrea1 already deceased before        
,allegri had attained his twelfth year4 
,still more celebrated than the         
preceding were the names of             
,gianfrancesco ,carotto and ,francesco  
,monsignori1 of ,verona4 ,such was the  
progress made by the former1 that       
,andrea was in the habit of sending     
forth his labours as the work of his own
 hand4 ,he was celebrated for his       
portraits2 and for his composition1     
equally excellent in large as in small  
pieces2 and he was employed by the      
,visconti1 at ,milan1 as well as in the 
court of ,monferrato1 and to a still    
greater extent in his native place4     
,although an artist who flourished at so
 early a period1 in a few of his        
pictures he might be pronounced more    
great and harmonious than ,andrea       
himself2 as we may gather from his fine 
altar-piece of ,s4 ,fermo1 at ,verona1  
and from that of his ,angioli1 at ,santa

 ,eufemia1 whose side pictures represent
 two virgins1 very manifestly imitated  
from ,raffaello4 ,he is not to be       
confounded with ,giovanni ,carotto1 his 
brother and his pupil1 and very greatly 
inferior to him4 ,francesco ,monsignori 
ought not to be referred to ,verona1 but
 to ,mantua1 where he established       
himself1 honoured by the ,marchese      
,francesco with his confidence1 and     
remunerated in the most liberal manner4 
,if this artist1 also1 does not exhibit 
the beautiful forms1 and the purity of  
design so remarkable in the works of his
 master1 he approaches nearer to the    
modern taste2 his contours more full1   
his drapery less trite1 and his softness
 more finely studied4 ,in his drawings  
of animals1 he was also considered the  
,zeuxis of his age2 insomuch that he    
succeeded in imposing upon a real dog   
with a copy of the animal4 ,in          
perspective he was a master2 and in the 
refectory of the ,franciscans1 there is 
a picture of our ,lord amidst the       

apostles1 exhibiting an architecture1   
which1 however much retouched1 does not 
fail to produce great effect4 ,in the   
pulpit of the same church is also a ,s4 
,bernardino1 with a ,s4 ,lodovico1 one  
of his most beautiful pieces2 and       
elsewhere altar-grades1 with figures    
which appear like miniature4 ,he had a  
brother of the name of ,girolamo1 of the
 order of ,s4 ,domenico1 also an        
excellent artist4 ,the ,last ,supper1 to
 be seen in the grand library of ,s4    
,benedetto1 copied from that of         
,leonardo1 in ,milan1 is from his hand4 
,by many it is esteemed the best copy of
 that miracle of art1 which now remains 
to us4 ,i have before treated of several
 of ,andrea's scholars1 natives of      
,vicenza2 and another of ,cremona1 ,i   
shall have to mention in due time4 ,yet 
the entire series of this school will   
not be completed with these names1 as   
there are specimens of many unknown     
artists executed in fresco1 interspersed
 throughout different places in ,mantua4

 ,they are for the most part to be met  
with on the facades of buildings1 and in
 the churches2 while in several of the  
galleries we may observe pictures in    
oil1 which appear to exhibit more of the
 defects than of the excellences of a   
,mantegna4     ,,mantuan ,,school4      
,,epoch ,,ii4       ,giulio ,romano and 
his ,school4   ,the school of the       
,mantegni becoming extinct in ,mantua1  
another of a more beautiful and         
distinguished character arose1          
sufficient to excite the envy even of   
,rome4 ,duke ,federigo had succeeded to 
,francesco1 a prince of much enlargement
 of mind1 and so much devoted to the    
fine arts1 that no artist of common     
genius would have been equal to execute 
his ideas4 ,through the interest of     
,baldassar ,castiglione1 then extremely 
intimate with ,raffaello1 ,giulio       
,romano was prevailed upon to visit     
,mantua1 where he became at once        
engineer and painter to ,duke ,frederic4
 ,the duties1 however1 of the first1    

occupied him more than those of the     
second4 ,for the city having been       
damaged by the waters of the ,mincio1   
the buildings being insecure or badly   
planned1 and the architecture inferior  
to the dignity of a capital1 he was thus
 furnished with sufficient materials on 
which to employ his talents1 and to     
render him as it were a new founder of  
,mantua2 insomuch1 that its ruler1 in a 
transport of gratitude1 was heard to    
exclaim1 that ,giulio was in truth more 
the master of the city than he himself4 
,the whole of these works are           
extensively recorded in different books 
of architecture4 ,the duty here required
 of me is to point out to the reader the
 originality of this artist's character2
 a solitary instance perhaps in history1
 of one who1 having erected the most    
noble and beautiful palaces1 villas1 and
 temples1 painted and ornamented a      
considerable portion of them with his   
own hand2 while at the same time a      
regular school of his pupils and        

assistants was formed in ,mantua1 which 
continued for a length of years to do   
equal honour to the country and to the  
city of ,lombardy4  ,we have already    
considered ,giulio1 in treating of the  
,roman ,school1 in the character of     
scholar1 as well as heir and continuator
 of the works of ,raffaello2 but here he
 is to appear in that of a master1      
pursuing the method of the head of this 
school1 both in teaching and            
composition4 ,when he came to ,mantua he
 found abundance of ancient marbles1 to 
which he continued to add specimens1 out
 of which the statues1 the busts1 and   
the bassi-relievi1 still preserved in   
the academy1 are mere relics4 ,to such  
materials1 collected by the ,gonzaghi1  
he united some of his own4 ,he was      
abundantly furnished with designs1 as   
well copied from the antique in ,rome1  
as executed by the hand of ,raffaello4  
,nor were his own immediate studies less
 valuable1 no designer having better    
succeeded in uniting freedom of         

invention with selection1 rapidity with 
correctness1 a knowledge of fable and of
 history with a certain popular manner1 
and facility in treating them4 ,upon the
 death of his master he began to give a 
freer scope to his natural genius1 which
 inclined rather to the bold than to the
 beautiful1 and induced him more to     
adopt the experience acquired by many   
years of application1 than his own      
knowledge of nature and of truth4 ,he   
considered it1 therefore1 mere amusement
 to adorn the palace of ,mantua1 and the
 great suburban of the ,te1 7to say     
nothing of his numerous other works17 in
 the style that ,vasari relates1 and    
which is1 in part1 to be seen at the    
present day4 ,so many chambers with     
gilded entablatures2 such a variety of  
beautiful stucco work1 the figures of   
which have been removed for the         
instruction of youth2 so many stories   
and capricci finely conceived and       
connected with one another1 besides such
 a diversity of labours adapted to      

different places and subjects1          
altogether form a collection of wonders1
 the honour of which ,giulio divided    
with no other artist4 ,for he himself   
conceived1 composed1 and completed these
 vast undertakings4  ,he was accustomed 
himself to prepare the cartoons1 and    
afterwards having exacted from his      
pupils their completion1 he went over   
the entire work with his pencil1 removed
 its defects1 impressing at the same    
time upon the whole the stamp of his own
 superior character4 ,this method he    
acquired from ,raffaello2 and he is     
commended by ,vasari as the best artist 
known for his production of             
distinguished pupils4 ,it was the       
misfortune of ,giulio to have the       
touches of his own hand in his labours  
at the ,te1 modernized by other pencils1
 owing to which the beautiful fable of  
,psyche1 the moral representations of   
human life1 and his terrible war of the 
giants with ,jove1 where he appeared to 
compete with ,michelangiolo himself in  

the hardihood of his design1 still      
retain1 indeed1 the design and          
composition1 but no longer the colours  
of ,giulio4 ,in these last his hand will
 more truly appear in his ,war of ,troy1
 preserved at the royal court2 in his   
history of ,lucretia2 and in those      
little cabinets ornamented by him with  
grotesques and other ingenious fancies4 
,there we might sometimes pronounce him 
a ,homer1 treating of arms1 or sometimes
 an ,anacreon1 celebrating the delights 
of wine and love4 ,nor did he employ his
 powers less nobly in sacred subjects1  
more particularly for the dome1 which1  
by commission of the ,cardinal ,gonzaga1
 brother to ,federigo1 and guardian of  
his young nephew1 he not only built1 but
 in part ornamented1 though his death   
occurred before he was enabled to       
complete his celebrated work4 ,the      
paintings produced for other churches by
 his own hand are not very numerous2    
such1 consisting more particularly of   
his ,three ,histories of the ,passion1  

coloured in fresco1 at ,s4 ,marco2 of   
his ,santo ,cristoforo1 in the large    
altar of that church1 in which he is    
represented with an uncommon degree of  
strength1 yet groaning under the burden 
of the ,lord of the ,universe1 who in   
the figure of an infant is borne upon   
his shoulders2 an incident originating  
in the name itself of ,cristoforo4 ,but 
let us come to the school of ,giulio1 in
 ,mantua4 ,it will not occupy many      
pages2 since it did not mix the style of
 this artist1 as in other places has    
happened1 with foreign styles1 being    
peculiarly true to its prototype1 so    
that in each countenance we may trace1  
as it were1 his own exact features1     
although copied unequally4  ,in his     
,mantuan ,school there appeared several 
foreigners1 among whom ,primaticcio     
proved the most celebrated2 an artist   
whom ,giulio employed to work in stucco1
 and whom1 on being invited into the    
service of the king of ,france1 he sent 
to that country in his stead4 ,but we   

shall take no further notice of him     
here1 having to treat of him more fully 
in our account of the ,bolognese4 ,the  
,veronese1 who are in possession of a   
beautiful fresco1 in the ,piazza delle  
,erbe1 with the name of ,alberto        
,cavalli ,savonese1 have supposed this  
painter a scholar of ,giulio1 but       
without any other foundation beyond a   
strong resemblance to the style of      
,pippi1 in the naked parts4 ,it is      
strange that no other specimen of such a
 distinguished hand should be known in  
,italy1 nor any memorial of him1        
notwithstanding the great researches    
that have been made2 nor is it very     
improbable that he also may have changed
 his country1 and died in foreign parts4
 ,benedetto ,pagni from ,pescia had     
already tried his abilities in ,rome1   
together with ,bartolommeo da           
,castiglioni1 with ,paparello da        
,cortona1 and with ,gio4 da ,leone2     
artists of whom ,i know not if there    
exist any thing beyond the name2 while  

,pagni1 who accompanied ,giulio into    
,mantua1 has been as highly esteemed by 
,vasari as any other name4 ,from his    
hand1 besides what remains in his native
 place1 we possess a ,s4 ,lorenzo1      
painted in ,s4 ,andrea1 at ,mantua1     
which does credit to such a school4     
,companion to him in the numerous works 
of the ,te1 we find ,rinaldo ,mantovano1
 considered by ,vasari the most         
celebrated painter of the city1 while he
 laments the untimely termination of his
 days4 ,his altar-piece of ,s4          
,agostino1 at the ,trinita1 proves him  
to have been great even in his youth1 so
 much is the design beyond the          
expectation of such an age2 and it has  
by some been pronounced the work of his 
master4 ,fermo ,guisoni had a longer    
career2 he painted in the cathedral the 
,vocation of ,s4 ,pietro and ,s4        
,andrea1 copied from one of the most    
beautiful and studied cartoons of       
,giulio4 ,other pieces of his are       
extant1 in part designed by ,bertani1   

and in part from his own hand4 ,such is 
a picture of the ,crucifixion at ,s4    
,andrea1 which both in point of design  
and force of colouring is indeed        
admirable4  ,in this series ,vasari has 
omitted to mention several others whom  
the ,mantuans have enumerated as        
belonging to the school of ,giulio1 and 
as natives of their country4 ,among     
these is a ,teodoro ,ghigi1 a ,mantuan1 
as he subscribes himself1 an excellent  
designer1 and so familiar with the      
manner of the leader of his school1 that
 on the decease of the latter1 he was   
employed in the service of the prince1  
to complete his labours in the city1 and
 in the country4 ,ippolito ,andreasi    
also painted a good deal upon the       
cartoons of ,giulio1 and produced       
pictures of merit in ,s4 ,barbara as    
well as elsewhere4 ,there are moreover  
two frescos in the dome1 at the chapel  
of ,s4 ,lorenzo1 attributed to one      
,francesco ,perla2 an altar-piece at ,s4
 ,cristoforo by ,gio4 ,batista          

,giacarolo1 neither of them greatly     
celebrated in this class4 ,raffaello    
,pippi was a son of the head of the     
school2 and there only remains of him   
the honourable recollection of the very 
promising efforts of his youthful       
genius1 cut off in its happiest spring4 
,following ,giulio1 his pupil1 the      
cavalier ,gio4 ,batista ,bertani        
continued to labour1 and to instruct the
 school4 ,he had accompanied his master 
to ,rome2 he was a great architect1 and 
an excellent writer on the subject1 as  
well as a painter of no ordinary talent4
 ,assisted by his brother of the name of
 ,domenico1 he ornamented several       
chambers in the castle of the court2 and
 he committed various altar-pieces to   
different painters1 in the dome erected 
by ,giulio1 in ,sta4 ,barbara1 which is 
the work of ,bertani himself1 and in    
other churches of the place4 ,to some of
 these artists he gave his designs4 ,he 
was esteemed almost as another ,giulio  
by ,duke ,vincenzio1 though very        

inferior to his predecessor4 ,for what  
,vasari observes of him1 that his       
knowledge did not equal that of his     
master1 is no less true1 than that the  
chief part of his own assistants        
surpassed him4 ,his assistants were     
,gio4 ,batista del ,moro1 ,geronimo     
,mazzuola1 ,paol ,farinato1 ,domenico   
,brusasorci1 ,giulio ,campi1 ,paol      
,veronese2 whose works1 displayed in    
that cathedral1 do no less honour to the
 sanctuary than to the city4 ,yet let   
this be said without the least          
reflection upon his merit1 which1       
particularly in design1 was undoubtedly 
very great4 ,this1 indeed1 we gather    
from his picture of the ,martyrdom of   
,sta4 ,agata1 which1 executed from the  
design of ,bertani by ,ippolito ,casta1 
approaches much nearer to the           
composition of ,giulio than other works 
of ,ippolito1 drawn from his own        
invention4  ,there is reason to believe 
that ,ippolito was of the family of     
,lorenzo ,costa1 together with ,luigi1  

and another ,lorenzo1 both named ,costa1
 and both ,mantuans4 ,orlandi states    
,ippolito to have been a pupil of       
,carpi4 ,baldinucci includes him in the 
school of ,giulio1 either from his      
having frequented his academy1 or in    
other ways having availed himself of his
 instructions and his models2 and1      
indeed1 his style betrays no slight     
traces of them4 ,lamo1 who wrote an     
account of the artists of ,cremona1     
describes him to us as a master1 who    
about #aech instructed ,bernardino      
,campi2 and moreover gives us reason to 
suppose that his brother ,luigi was     
likewise initiated by him in the art4   
,but he proved an inferior artist1 and  
drew his chief celebrity from his       
surname4 ,among the assistants of       
,taddeo ,zuccari1 about #aefj1 ,vasari  
mentions ,lorenzo ,costa1 a ,mantuan2   
and it seems likely that he sprung      
either from ,luigi or from ,ippolito2   
and had such name conferred upon him1 as
 was usual1 in memory of ,lorenzo       

,costa1 his grandfather1 or from some   
other relationship to him4 ,we          
frequently read in the ,guide of        
,mantua1 written by ,cadioli1 that such 
a painting is from the hand of ,costa1  
without giving his proper name2 and it  
appears probable1 that pursuing their   
labours in the same studio1 they may    
have contracted a sort of family style1 
not indeed very correct or learned1 but 
of a practical kind4 ,there is a        
pleasing air about the heads1 and some  
care in the colours2 for the rest it is 
minute2 not exact1 nor sufficiently     
shaded2 and in fine1 modelled upon the  
composition of one who aimed at         
imitating the grace1 not of rivalling   
the power of ,giulio4 ,the ,costa are   
esteemed in ,mantua among the last      
disciples of the great school2 nor do ,i
 know of their having produced any pupil
 besides ,facchetti1 who devoted himself
 altogether to portraits4  ,it will here
 be proper to state that ,giulio in     
imitation of ,raffaello gave rise1 by   

the influence of his taste1 to a great  
number of artificers1 who ornamented    
other professions4 ,he was possessed of 
those general ideas of beauty and       
proportion1 from which he drew his rules
 for the particular direction of every  
work2 an enviable distinction of that   
age1 in which the leading men were at   
once painters1 modellers1 and           
architects1 extending their influence   
even from the noblest works of art down 
to vases and plates of earthenware1 and 
cornices of wood4 ,i am not certain     
whether ,giulio1 like ,raffaello1 formed
 the taste of another ,gio4 da ,udine1  
in drawing fruits and trees1 c43 but ,i 
know that ,camillo1 a ,mantuan1 declared
 by ,vasari to be most excellent in     
point of landscape1#a flourished about  
this period4 ,some specimens in fresco  
still continue to adorn his native      
place2 but he chiefly produced his works
 in ,venice1 in ,urbino1 and at the     
ducal palace in ,pesaro1 where1 in a    
chamber1 since changed into an          

armour-room1 he painted a grove1        
executed with so much taste and truth1  
that it would not be difficult to number
 every separate leaf upon the trees4 ,it
 is certain that ,giulio educated a     
pupil as his ,perino1 for his stuccos2  
and this was1 besides ,primaticcio1 a   
,gio4 ,batista ,briziano1 commonly      
called ,mantovano1 who likewise became  
his ,marc ,antonio1 engraving on copper 
many of the pictures of his master1 as  
well as of other distinguished artists  
of his day4 ,to him ought to be added   
,giorgio ,ghisi1 or ,ghigi1 who         
flourished at the same period2 and to   
these succeeded ,diana1 daughter of     
,gio4 ,batista1#b celebrated for her    
fine engravings2 and this branch of art1
 introduced into ,mantua by that eminent
 artist1 continued to prosper there for 
a long course of years4    ,footnote #a3
 ,in the ,life of ,genga4    ,footnote  
#b3 ,she is also called ,civis          
,volaterrana1 from her      connexion   
with that city2 an instance that ought  

to be      present to our recollection1 
when we find that different      writers
 ascribe different countries to the same
 painter4  ,another branch of the fine  
arts1 that of miniature1 seemed to      
attain its perfection under one of      
,giulio's scholars4 ,his name was ,d4   
,giulio ,clovio1 of ,croazia1 a regular 
,scopetine ,canon1 afterwards becoming a
 layman by a dispensation from the      
,pope4 ,he had first turned his         
attention to the higher branches of the 
art1 but ,giulio1 who saw he possessed a
 peculiar talent for diminutive figures1
 prevailed upon him to apply himself to 
these2 and taught him the first of any  
in ,rome1 the method of applying tints  
and colours in gum and water colours1   
while in miniature he obtained          
instructions from ,girolamo da' ,libri  
of ,verona4 ,he is esteemed at the head 
of his profession in this line4 ,in his 
design he displays a good deal of study 
of ,michelangiolo1 and of the ,roman    
,school1 though approaching nearer to   

the practice of a good naturalist1      
exquisitely graceful in his colours1 and
 admirable in his exactness of drawing  
the minutest objects4 ,great part of his
 labours were undertaken for sovereigns 
and princes1 in whose libraries may be  
found books ornamented by him in        
miniature with such a degree of truth   
and spirit1 that we appear to view these
 diminutive objects rather through some 
camera-optica1 than in a picture4 ,it is
 related by ,vasari1 that in an ,office 
of the ,virgin1 made for the ,cardinal  
,farnese1 there were figures which did  
not exceed the size of a small ant2 and 
that each part was nevertheless         
distinctly drawn4 ,it is worth while1   
indeed1 to read the whole description   
given by that historian of the          
miniatures there inserted1 in which he  
likewise selected subjects adapted for a
 multitude of figures1 such as the      
procession of the ,corpus ,domini at    
,rome1 and the feast of the ,monte      
,testaceo3 a labour of nine years1 which

 was distributed into twenty-six little 
histories4 ,he produced numerous small  
portraits painted for private people2   
7an art in which he is said by ,vasari  
to have equalled ,titian7 besides a few 
little pictures4 ,these are rarely to be
 met with in collections4 ,there is one 
of the ,deposizione1 in the library of  
the ,padri ,cisterciensi1 at ,milan1 a  
piece quite original in its composition1
 but which breathes altogether the taste
 of the golden period4 ,indeed1 ,i am   
inclined to be of opinion that ,giulio  
promoted this very study in ,mantua2    
having myself seen there some exquisite 
miniatures1 though by unknown hands4 ,it
 is also worthy of notice1 as ,vasari   
remarks1 that by means of ,giulio1 the  
art advanced towards perfection1 not    
only in ,mantua1 but throughout all     
,lombardy1 7a state which1 in the native
 acceptation of the term1 includes also 
a portion of the modern ,venetian       
territories74 ,this we have already in  
part seen2 and in part shall continue to

 see more clearly in the course of this 
history4     ,,mantuan ,,school         
,,epoch ,,iii4       ,decline of the    
,school1 and ,foundation of an ,academy 
in      order to restore it4            
,subsequent to the period in which      
,giulio flourished1 the school of       
,mantua produced no new names which at  
all approached the reputation of the    
first4 ,the disposition of its          
sovereigns was always inclined rather to
 invite painters of celebrity from      
elsewhere1 with a sure prospect of being
 speedily and well served1 than to      
promote the education of their young    
subjects in the study of an art1 slow in
 producing fruits1 and subject to rapid 
decay4 ,we have already recounted a     
tolerable number assembled by ,duke     
,vincenzio for the object of ornamenting
 his churches2 of several of whom he    
also availed himself for the decoration 
of the palaces4 ,antonmaria ,viani1     
called il ,vianino1 a native of ,cremona
 and a scholar of the ,campi1 thus      

filled the double capacity of an artist 
and an architect4 ,the frieze           
surrounding the gallery of the court    
presents a specimen of their style1     
where1 in a ground of gold1 are seen a  
group of most beautiful boys1 painted in
 chiaroscuro1 and playing amidst        
luxuriant festoons of flowers4 ,in the  
same taste of the ,campi he produced    
several sacred pieces2 such as the      
picture of ,s4 ,michele at ,sta4        
,agnese2 the ,paradiso at the ,orsoline2
 and subsequent to ,duke ,vincenzio1 he 
was employed by his three successors1   
and died in ,mantua1 after having       
established his family in that city4    
,not very long afterwards1 ,domenico    
,feti from ,rome was declared painter of
 the same court1 an artist of whose     
education1 received under ,cigoli1 ,i   
have treated elsewhere4 ,cardinal       
,ferdinando1 succeeding to the dukedom  
of ,mantua1 had brought him from ,rome  
to his own court1 where he had          
opportunities of improving himself1 by  

studying the finest ,lombard models1    
along with several of the ,venetians4   
,he produced many pictures in oil1 for  
various temples and galleries2 one of   
which1 representing the ,multiplication 
of ,loaves1 exists in the ,mantuan      
academy1 abounding with figures rather  
truly noble than large2 but varied1     
shortened1 and coloured in a very       
masterly style4 ,a still more copious   
work was that in the choir of the       
cathedral1 though his pieces in fresco1 
like those of ,cigoli1 have less merit  
than those painted in oil4 ,with all the
 excellence of his compositions1 he has 
certainly the fault of being too        
symmetrical in his groups1 which        
consequently seem to correspond in an   
exact order1 calculated in architecture 
to please both the eye and the mind1 but
 by no means so in painting4 ,his own   
youthful excesses deprived ,venice of   
this fine genius1 and distinguished     
ornament of his art1 in the very flower 
of his age4 ,the names of other artists 

likewise engaged in the service of the  
same court1 where a relish for the fine 
arts seems to have been almost          
indigenous1 were ,titian1 ,coreggio1    
,genga1 ,tintoretto1 ,albani1 ,rubens1  
,gessi1 ,gerola1 ,vermiglio1            
,castiglione1 ,lodovico ,bertucci1 with 
others of eminent abilities2 some of    
whom were invited for particular        
commissions1 and others permanently     
engaged for a length of time4 ,thus the 
city of ,mantua became one of the most  
richly ornamented in all ,italy2        
insomuch that after suffering the       
sackage of #afcj1 in which the ducal    
palace was despoiled of the noble       
collection1 now dispersed abroad1 it    
still can boast1 both in private and    
public exhibitions1 sufficient to engage
 the curiosity of cultivated strangers  
for a period of many days4  ,the city in
 the meanwhile was not deficient in     
native artists of superior genius1 such 
as ,venusti1 ,manfredi1 and ,facchetti2 
all of whom1 on account of their        

residence in ,rome1 we have treated of  
in that school2 while in that of ,parma 
we shall have occasion to insert the    
name of ,giorgio del ,grano1 supposed to
 be of ,mantua1 and of ,andrea          
,scutellari in that of ,cremona1 in     
which he became fixed4 ,francesco       
,borgani is one of those who resided in 
his native place1 and who adopted a good
 style from the paintings of            
,parmigianino1 in which he composed     
several pictures in ,s4 ,pietro1 in ,s4 
,simone1 in ,s4 ,croce1 as well as in   
other places1 by which he deserves to be
 better known than he now is4 ,this     
artist flourished until the latter half 
of the past century4  ,towards the same 
period ,giovanni ,canti1 while yet      
young1 came from ,parma and settled in  
,mantua1 an artist whose merits1        
consisting in his landscapes and        
battle-scenes1 are to be sought for in  
galleries of art1 not in the specimens  
of his altar-pieces in churches1 which  
are very inferior4 ,he was one of those 

who lay too much stress on their        
rapidity of hand4 ,schivenoglia1 whose  
proper name was ,francesco ,ranieri1 was
 one of his scholars1 equally           
distinguished for his battles as for his
 landscape2 superior to his master in   
design1 but inferior in point of        
colouring4 ,next to him ,giovanni       
,cadioli was considered a good landscape
 painter1 and better in fresco than in  
oils4 ,he wrote an account of the       
pictures of ,mantua1 and at the same    
period was one of the earliest founders 
and the first director of the academy   
for design at that place4  ,giovanni    
,bazzani1 a pupil of ,canti1 was endowed
 with a higher genius for the art than  
his master1 and laid a better foundation
 for excellence by the cultivation of   
his mind1 by careful study1 and by      
copying from the most esteemed models4  
,he more particularly directed his      
attention towards ,rubens1 whose        
footsteps he diligently pursued to the  
end of his career4 ,he was long employed

 in ,mantua and in its adjacent         
monastery1 principally in works of      
fresco1 displaying an easy1 spirited1   
and imaginative character1 in a manner  
that does credit to his genius4 ,he was 
universally allowed to possess uncommon 
powers1 but being crippled and infirm1  
he was unable to exhibit them as he     
wished2 and besides1 the rapid manner   
acquired from ,canti1 diminished1 for   
the most part1 the value of his works4  
,giuseppe ,bottani of ,cremona1 educated
 at ,rome under ,masucci1 afterwards    
established himself in ,mantua1 where he
 acquired the reputation of a good      
landscape painter in the manner of      
,poussin1 and of a good figurist in that
 of ,maratta4 ,his best pictures are    
found beyond the confines of the city2  
in a church at ,milan1 dedicated to     
,saints ,cosma and ,damiano1 is to be   
seen a ,santa ,paola by his hand1 taking
 farewell of the domestics1 a piece by  
no means inferior to that of ,batoni1   
which is placed at its side4 ,it had    

been well for his reputation as an      
artist had he always exerted himself    
with equal care1 for in every           
composition he might have approved      
himself an excellent disciple of the    
school of ,rome4 ,his extreme haste1    
however1 rendered him inconsistent with 
himself1 so that in the city where he   
taught1 there can hardly be enumerated  
one or two specimens among the great    
number he produced in public1 which can 
at all vie with the ,milanese4 ,the     
reader may have already learned1 in the 
course of this work1 that of all faults 
celerity is one of the most fatal to the
 reputation of artists2 the rock upon   
which many of the finest geniuses have  
struck4 ,to few1 indeed1 has it been    
given to produce with rapidity and to   
produce well4  ,the academy of ,mantua  
not only still exists1 but has been     
furnished by the princes of the house of
 ,austria with splendid rooms1 with     
select casts1 and other advantages for  
the improvement of youth1 so as to      

render it one of the finest academies in
 ,italy4#c ,there have appeared1 under  
the auspices of ,signor ,volta1 one of  
its members1 compendious notices of the 
artists of ,mantua1 down from the year  
#aggg2 an earnest of a more extended    
work that we are in hopes of receiving  
from his able and accomplished pen4     
,with these notices1 as well as others  
afforded us in conversation with the    
same enlightened scholar1 we have been  
glad to enrich the present chapter4 ,nor
 have we failed to keep in view the two 
,discourses upon the ,letters and the   
,arts of ,mantua1 recited in the        
academy1 and afterwards made public by  
the ,sig4 ,abate ,bettinelli1 in which  
his character1 as a fluent orator1 and a
 diligent historian1 in the various     
notes he has added1 appears to equal    
advantage4    ,footnote #c3 ,upon the   
establishment of the ,italian republic1 
according to what ,i have recently heard
 from the learned ,p4      ,pompilio    
,pozzetti ,scolopio1 public librarian at

 ,modena1 the      academies were       
reduced to two2 the one in ,bologna1 the
 other      in ,milan2 and in the rest  
of the cities they continue to          
exist as schools of the fine arts4 ,to  
both of these the      government is    
extremely favourable1 as well as to     
letters1      both very interesting     
objects of public education4 ,and now1  
by the union of the ,venetian states1   
the academy of ,venice      is greatly  
strengthened and increased1 established 
by decree      of the government in the 
year #agbd4       ,,chapter ,,ii4       
,,the ,,modenese ,,school4     ,,epoch  
,i4       ,the ,ancients4   ,the state  
of ,modena1 such as it is now reunited  
under the happy government of the house 
of ,este1 will form the subject of the  
following chapter2 and no other portion 
of my work can be pronounced superior in
 point of interest to this4 ,since the  
feeble attempts of ,vedriani1 and of    
other writers1 more eager than          
sagacious1 the pictoric history of the  

entire dominion has been recently       
illustrated1 as ,i observed at the      
commencement1 by a distinguished        
historian4 ,i have no further object in 
view than to adapt it to my usual       
method1 omitting at the same time a few 
names1 which1 either from their         
mediocrity1 from the loss of their      
works1 or other reasons1 cannot be      
presumed to be greatly interesting to my
 readers4  ,the antiquity of this school
 may be sought for as far back as #abce1
 at least if it may be supposed that    
,berlingeri of ,lucca1 certainly the    
author of a ,s4 ,francesco remaining in 
the castle of ,guiglia1 painted in the  
above year1 likewise produced pupils to 
the state of ,modena1 a matter which is 
still involved in doubt4 ,there is      
another sacred figure1 also the         
production of a ,modenese1 consisting of
 the ,blessed ,virgin1 between two      
military saints1 a picture brought from 
,prague into the ,imperial ,gallery at  
,vienna4 ,we read inscribed upon it in  

ancient character the two following     
lines3--       ,quis opus hoc finxit8   
,thomas de ,mutina pinxit2      ,quale  
vides ,lector ,rarisini filius auctor2  
in which we ought to read ,barisini1    
both on account of ,sig4 ,garampi1 who  
is profoundly skilled in the ancient    
characters1 having thus understood it1  
and because this name approaches nearer 
to those which1 though certainly        
different1 are known to apply to the    
father of ,tommaso1 as well in ,modena  
as in ,trevigi4 ,in the former ,i know  
not that there now remains any thing of 
him but the name2 but in the latter is  
to be seen a very extensive work in the 
chapter of the ,padri ,predicatori4     
,here are represented the saints and    
scholars of the order1 and the artist's 
name also appears with the date of      
#aceb4d ,the design of this piece is    
tolerably good for those times1 as      
appears from the engravings taken of it 
by the ,domenican1 ,father ,federici1   
the same who presented us with a learned

 work upon the ,antiquities of ,trevigi4
 ,he discovered that the father of      
,tommaso1 by name ,borasino or          
,bizzarrino1 an abbreviation he says of 
,buzzaccarino1 became nominated to the  
citizenship1 and to the public          
notaryship of ,trevigi1 in #acae2 in all
 which his family was called di ,modena1
 as that of ,girolamo ,ferrarese was    
called di ,carpi4 ,on the strength of   
these documents ,trevigi may1 perhaps1  
dispute with ,modena the honour of      
producing such an artist2 but ,i shall  
take no share in the question4 ,i would 
here merely observe that the            
superscription does not say ,thomas de  
,mutina1 from which we might gather that
 ,modena was the cognomen of the family2
 but that ,thomas pictor de ,mutina     
pinxit istud2 whence to conclude that he
 there gave the name of his real        
country1 either because he was born in  
,modena1 or because1 descended from a   
,modenese family1 he retained his       
citizenship1 and rather wished to appear

 a native of ,modena than of ,trevigi4  
,however this may be1 it is a signal    
honour for ,italy to have given such an 
artist to ,germany1 a name of which the 
historians of that great nation have    
mistakenly availed themselves1 in the   
outset of the historic series of their  
painters1 tracing his origin to         
,muttersdorff1 and making him the master
 of ,theodoric of ,prague1 followed in  
succession by ,wumser1 ,schoen1         
,wolgemut1 and ,albert ,durer4          
,footnote #d3 ,it was believed some time
 ago that this painting      was        
produced in #abig1 this date being found
 on the picture1      and ,sig4 ,mechel 
having thus published it in his         
catalogue of      the ,royal ,gallery at
 ,vienna4 ,whether it still remains thus
      inserted ,i know not2 but         
undoubtedly it ought not to be          
there4  ,next to the pictures of        
,tommaso1 ought to be enumerated an     
altar-piece by ,barnaba da ,modena1     
preserved together with the author's    

name in ,alba1 and dated #acgg1 a piece 
by one writer supposed anterior to      
,giotto2 and in addition to this an     
,ancona1 from the hand of ,serafino de' 
,serafini da ,modena1 containing various
 busts and entire figures1 with the name
 also of the painter1 and the year      
#ache4 ,it is placed in the cathedral1  
and its principal subject is the        
,incoronation of the ,virgin4 ,in its   
composition it very nearly resembles    
that of ,giotto and his school1 of      
which1 indeed1 more than of any other1  
the whole character of the piece        
partakes1 only the figures are1 perhaps1
 a little more full1 and as it were     
better fed than those of the ,florentine
 ,school4 ,if the origin of such        
resemblance should be sought for1 let us
 consider that ,giotto not only employed
 himself in the adjacent city of        
,bologna1 but likewise in ,ferrara1     
which1 together with ,modena1 was then  
subject to the house of ,este1 so that  
one city might easily afford precepts   

and examples to another4  ,vasari       
remarked at ,modena some ancient        
paintings at ,s4 ,dominico1 and he might
 have seen more in possession of the    
,padri ,benedettini1 and elsewhere2 from
 which he judged1 that in every age     
there had been excellent artists in that
 place4 ,their names1 which were unknown
 to ,vasari1 have in part been collected
 from ,,mss41 consisting of a ,tommaso  
,bassini1#e whose age and productions   
are uncertain1 and some others of the   
fourteenth century1 approaching nearer  
to a more improved era4 ,one of these   
was ,andrea ,campana1 to whom a work1   
bearing the initials of his name1 in the
 ,colorno ,villa of the ,duke of ,parma1
 has been attributed1 representing the  
acts of ,s4 ,piero ,martire1 a piece    
extremely pleasing and well coloured4   
,another is ,bartolommeo ,bonasia1      
excellent both in painting and inlaid   
work1 a specimen of which he left in a  
picture placed in the convent of ,s4    
,vincenzo4 ,there are1 moreover1 in     

,sassuolo1 some notices of ,raffaello   
,calori of ,modena1 beginning in #adeb  
and terminating in #adgd2 besides a     
picture of the ,virgin in the best      
manner of those times1 during which he  
was in the service of ,duke ,borso4     
,later than him flourished ,francesco   
,magagnolo1 an artist who terminated his
 career early in the sixteenth century1 
and one of the first who drew           
countenances in such a manner as to     
appear looking at the spectator1 in     
whatever point of view he might observe 
them4 ,his contemporaries1 it appears1  
were ,cecchino ,setti1 whose labours    
have wholly perished1 with the exception
 of a few altar-ornaments1 in the most  
finished taste2 ,nicoletto da ,modena1  
at once a painter1 and one of the very  
earliest engravers1 whose prints are    
much sought after for cabinets1 and are 
placed at the head of collections2      
,giovanni ,munari1 commended by         
historians1 and distinguished for the   
great name of his son and pupil         

,pellegrino2 and finally ,francesco     
,bianchi ,ferrari1 who died in #aeaj4   
,to this last has been ascribed the     
honour of instructing ,coreggio1 which1 
however1 can by no means be asserted    
beyond dispute4 ,one of his altar-pieces
 was formerly to be seen in ,s4         
,francesco1 executed with some degree of
 modern softness1 though still partaking
 of the ancient stiffness1 and the eyes 
designed without a due regard to        
rotundity4    ,footnote #e3 ,this       
information1 taken from ,tiraboschi1    
does not      seem to favour the system 
of ,father ,federici1 who says1 that    
in the fourteenth century names were    
frequently shortened1      adducing1 at 
the same time1 several examples1 7vol4  
i4 p4      #ec74 ,he thus explains how  
,buzzaccarino became      ,bizzarrino1  
,barisino1 ,borasino1 with many more    
strange      terms in ,trevigi4 ,now why
 might not this artist's name           
become ,bassino1 in ,modena8 ,and if in 
reading ,tommaso di      ,bassino da    

,modena in the authorities of           
,tiraboschi1 every      one perceives   
the name of the painter1 that of the    
father1      and of the country to which
 he belonged2 then why1 on      reading 
upon pictures ,tommaso di ,barisino1 or 
,borisino1      da ,modena1 are we bound
 to believe this last the name of a     
family2 and so much more1 as there were 
then few families      distinguished by 
their surnames8 ,tommaso1 therefore1    
wished      it to be understood that he 
came from ,modena2 and if this          
became a surname which distinguished his
 family in ,trevigi1      it must have  
been at a later period1 when he knew    
nothing of      it4  ,in the smaller    
capitals1 also1 about this period1      
flourished artists of considerable      
merit4 ,reggio still boasts a ,madonna  
of ,loreto1 painted in the dome by the  
hand of ,bernardino ,orsi1 with the date
 of #aeja2 while in ,s4 ,tommaso1 and   
elsewhere1 we meet with some paintings  
of ,simone ,fornari1 also called        

,moresini1 and of ,francesco ,caprioli4 
,i mention them here1 not so much on    
account of the period which they        
adorned1 as for the resemblance of their
 manner to the two ,francia1 more       
especially ,fornari2 many of his        
pictures having been attributed to those
 distinguished ornaments of ,bologna4   
,carpi1 likewise1 preserves several     
relics of the ancient arts3 besides a   
frieze in the rudest style of sculpture1
 in the facade of the old cathedral1 a  
work of the twelfth century4 ,to the    
same church is attached two chapels1    
exhibiting the commencement and the     
progress of painting in those parts4 ,in
 one is seen the spousals of ,santa     
,caterina1 a piece so extremely         
infantile1 that it would be difficult to
 find a similar example in ,italy4 ,the 
painting upon the walls is1 however1    
superior2 displaying an original style1 
no less in the drapery than in the      
ideas1 and forcible in its action4 ,the 
other chapel is divided into various    

niches1 with the effigy of a saint in   
each2 and in this work1 which is the    
latest of the two1 appear some traces of
 the style of ,giotto4 ,there is no     
nomenclature giving us any account of   
artists so very ancient4 ,the list of   
the school commences with ,bernardino   
,loschi1 who1 sprung from a family in   
,parma1 signs his own name1 ,carpense1  
in some of his pictures4 ,without such  
elucidation1 these might have been      
pronounced the works of one or other of 
the ,francia4 ,loschi was employed in   
the service of ,alberto ,pio2 and there 
exist memorials of him from the year    
#adie until #aecc4 ,there remains on    
record the name of one of his           
contemporaries1 ,marco ,meloni1 one of  
the most accurate of artists1 of whom   
every thing may be included in the      
observation1 that his pictures at ,s4   
,bernardino1 and elsewhere1 partake in  
the same degree of the ,bolognese       
manner4 ,probably he was a pupil of that
 school1 as well as ,alessandro da      

,carpi1 enumerated by ,malvasia among   
the disciples of ,costa4  ,finally1     
,coreggio likewise cultivated the fine  
arts before ,antonio ,allegri came into 
the world4 ,for not many years ago a    
fresco of tolerable execution was       
discovered in that cathedral1 ascribed  
by tradition1 to ,lorenzo ,allegri1 who1
 in a letter of donation1 subscribed by 
him in #aebg1 is called ,magister       
,laurentius ,filius ,magistri ,antonii  
de ,allegris ,pictor4 ,this artist is   
believed to have been the first         
instructor of ,antonio ,allegri1 his    
brother's son2 and it is1 at least1     
certain that he had a school in which he
 taught the rules of art to another of  
his nephews1 as ,i have heard from the  
learned ,dottore ,antonioli1 who is     
busied in preparing a life of his very  
distinguished fellow citizen4 ,at       
present there are few paintings in      
,coreggio displaying the taste of the   
artists of the fourteenth century1 from 
which we might judge of that school4 ,a 

,madonna1 painted in #aeaa1 when        
,antonio ,allegri had attained his      
seventeenth year1 is1 however1 to be met
 with in the ,catalogue of the ,este    
,gallery1 whither it had been           
transferred4 ,it is attributed to       
,antonio ,allegri1 but there is no      
sufficient evidence of the fact2 and we 
should have about equal authority for   
giving it to ,lorenzo4 ,the style is but
 middling1 and in point of forms1 the   
ancient character is not wholly laid    
aside in the folds of the drapery3 it   
may1 however1 be pronounced of a softer 
tone than that of the chief part of its 
contemporaries1 and nearer to the modern
 manner4  ,before proceeding further1 it
 will be right to inform the reader of a
 certain advantage that this tract of   
country1 and ,modena in particular1     
enjoyed from the commencement of the    
fifteenth century1 consisting in the    
abundance of its excellent modellers in 
clay4 ,of this art1 the parent of       
sculpture1 and the nurse of painting1   

that city has since produced the most   
exquisite specimens in the world2 and   
this1 if ,i mistake not1 is the most    
characteristic1 rare1 and admirable     
advantage of the school4 ,guido         
,mazzoni1 otherwise ,paganini1 a name   
highly celebrated by ,vasari1 had the   
reputation of an excellent artist from  
the time he produced his ,holy ,family1 
at ,st4 ,margherita1 in #adhd1          
presenting statues of a vivacity and    
expression truly surprising4 ,this great
 artificer was employed by ,charles     
,,viii41 both in ,naples and ,france1   
where he remained upwards of twenty     
years1 retiring at length into his      
native country1 full of honours1 to     
terminate his days4 ,no slight          
commendation has likewise been bestowed 
by the historian ,lancillotto1 upon     
,gio4 ,abati1 father of ,niccolo1 and   
his contemporary1 whose sacred images in
 chalk were held in the highest esteem2 
more particularly the crucifixions1     
executed with a knowledge of anatomy1   

most exact in every separate vein and   
nerve4 ,he was nevertheless far         
surpassed by ,antonio ,begarelli1       
probably his pupil1 who by his works in 
clay1 with figures even larger than     
life1 has succeeded in bearing away the 
palm from all his competitors4 ,in the  
church and monastery of the ,padri      
,benedettini1 there is preserved a noble
 collection of them4 ,as he flourished  
during a long period1 he filled those   
churches with monuments1 groups1 and    
statues1 to say nothing of others which 
he produced in ,parma1 ,mantua1 and     
other places4 ,vasari praises him for   
the fine air of his heads1 beautiful    
drapery1 exquisite proportions1 and     
colour of marble2 and the same author   
continues to relate1 that they appeared 
so excellent to ,bonarruoti that he     
said1 if this clay were only to become  
marble1 woe betide the ancient statues4 
,i am at a loss to imagine what species 
of eulogy could be more desirable to an 
artist2 in particular when we reflect   

upon the profound science of            
,bonarruoti1 and how tardy he was to    
praise4 ,we ought not to omit to        
mention1 that ,begarelli was likewise   
excellent in design1 and acted as a     
master1 both of that and modelling1 in  
the instruction of youth4 ,hence he     
greatly influenced the art of painting1 
and to him we are in a great measure to 
trace that correctness1 that relief1    
that art of foreshortening1 and that    
degree of grace approaching nearly to   
,raffaello's1 in all of which this part 
of ,lombardy boasted such a conspicuous 
share4     ,,modenesse ,,school4        
,,epoch ,,ii4       ,imitation of       
,raffaello and ,coreggio1 in the        
,sixteenth      ,century4   ,such were  
the preparatory efforts throughout all  
these districts1 as far as we have      
hitherto considered them3 but the best  
preparation lay in the natural talent of
 the young artists4 ,of these we are    
told1 upon the authority of ,tiraboschi1
 that the ,card4 ,alessandro d',este    

observed1 that they appeared to have    
been born with a natural genius for the 
fine arts3 an opinion fully borne out   
during the lapse of the sixteenth       
century1 when if every province of      
,italy produced some great name in      
painting1 this little district of itself
 abounded with a sufficient number to   
reflect honour upon a whole kingdom4 ,i 
commence my account from the city of    
,modena2 no other city of ,lombardy     
earlier appreciated the style of        
,raffaello1 nor did any city of all     
,italy become more deeply attached to1  
and produce more enthusiastic imitators 
of it4 ,i have already treated of       
,pellegrino da ,modena1 7vol4 ii4 p4    
#aae7 called in the ,chronicle of       
,lancillotti degli ,aretusi1 alias de'  
,munari4 ,he received his education in  
his native place1 and produced a picture
 there as early as #aeji1 still         
preserved at ,s4 ,giovanni1 in excellent
 condition1 and creditable to the talent
 of its author1 even before he entered  

the school of ,raffaello4 ,but such was 
here his improvement1 that his master   
availed himself of his assistance in    
adorning the open galleries of the      
,vatican1 as well as in other works     
executed in ,rome1 sometimes along with 
,perino del ,vaga1 and sometimes by     
himself4 ,several of his pieces at ,s4  
,giacomo degli ,spagnuoli boasted       
figures of such a truly graceful and    
,raffaellesque air1 according to the    
account of ,titi1 that the modern       
retouches they received was a           
circumstance truly to be deplored4 ,he  
is better known in his own country than 
at ,rome1 in particular at ,s4 ,paolo1  
where there remains a ,nativity of our  
,lord which seems to breathe1 in every  
part1 the graces of ,d',urbino4 ,this   
unhappy artist had a son who1 having    
committed homicide1 was threatened with 
the vengeance of the parents of the     
deceased2 and meeting with the father1  
they directed their fury against him1   
and slew him upon the spot1 a truly     

tragic event1 which occurred in #aebc4  
,another of his sons1 ,tiraboschi       
conjectures to have been ,cesare di     
,pellegrino ,aretusi1 the same1 who by  
many writers is called ,modenese1 having
 been born in ,modena2 ,bolognese by    
others1 because he lived in ,bologna1   
and there took up his citizenship4 ,this
 artist1 to whom we shall again refer1  
formed his taste in ,bologna by copying 
,bagnacavallo1 being unable to obtain   
the instructions of ,pellegrino4 ,a     
,giulio ,taraschi1 however1 was more    
fortunate1 and benefitted much by his   
instructions1 as appears from many of   
his paintings at ,s4 ,pietro1 in        
,modena1 in the ,roman taste2 a taste   
which he is said to have cultivated in  
two of his brothers1 and transmitted to 
others whose names will appear as we    
proceed4  ,somewhat later1 also1        
,coreggio began to afford a new model   
for the school of ,modena2 he who is now
 held their master1 and whose skull is  
preserved1 upon the example set by      

,rome1 7vol4 ii4 p4 #adc71 in the       
academy recently opened with so much    
splendour4 ,he employed himself a good  
deal in ,parma1 in which school we shall
 more decidedly treat of him1 though he 
also1 in some measure1 adorned ,modena1 
,reggio1 ,carpi1 and ,coreggio2 drawing 
scholars from all these places1 who will
 appear in a catalogue with the rest in 
their appropriate chapter4 ,in this way 
he early began to exercise an influence 
over the school of ,modena1 and to be   
esteemed in it a sort of master1 whose  
manner might be pursued with advantage1 
either in emulating it altogether1 or   
uniting it with that of ,raffaello4     
,this became more particularly the case 
when his fame increased1 after his      
decease2 and when the best specimens he 
left behind him were collected by       
degrees1 both from the capital and from 
the adjacent cities1 by different dukes 
of ,este1 to adorn their ,gallery1 where
 they were to be seen until nearly the  
middle of the present century4#f ,at    

that period ,modena was thronged with   
artists of every country1 coming to take
 copies of those great productions1 and 
to study the rules of their composition2
 an object in which the natives         
themselves were not remiss2 insomuch    
that we trace vestiges of their         
imitation in every separate hand4 ,in   
regard1 however1 to the earliest and    
more ancient1 it would appear that their
 predilection and their genius were more
 decidedly directed towards ,raffaello1 
and the ,roman manner2 whether it be    
that exotic commodities are more highly 
valued than those of native growth1 or  
whether it were that the successors of  
,pellegrino alone continued for a length
 of time to instruct youth1 and to      
maintain a reputation in those parts4   
,footnote #f3 ,francesco ,,iii4 disposed
 of one hundred pictures to      the    
court of ,dresden2 among which were five
 from the hand of      ,coreggio1 for   
#acj1jjj zechins1 which were coined in  
,venice4  ,it would be desirable in the 

history of so excellent a school1 that  
writers should inform us by whom many of
 those masters were educated who        
flourished towards the middle1 or latter
 half of the century4 ,observation1     
however1 may in some degree serve to    
supply the omission of historians1 as   
the style in many approaches so nearly  
that of ,raffaello1 as to lead us to    
conclude1 that they must have imbibed it
 from ,munari himself1 or from the      
,taraschi1 who succeeded him in his     
school4  ,among the works of ,gaspare   
,pagani1 who was also a                 
portrait-painter1 the picture of ,s4    
,chiara is the only remaining specimen4 
,of ,girolamo da ,vignola1 a few frescos
 remain at ,s4 ,piero4 ,both were       
professed imitators of ,raffaello2 but  
the last one of the most happy whom that
 age produced4 ,alberto ,fontana        
displayed equal excellence in his       
frescos1 and ornamented both within and 
without the public market-place2        
pictures1 says ,scanelli1 which appear  

like ,raffaello's1 while he erroneously 
ascribes them to the hand of ,niccolo   
dell' ,abate4 ,and in truth1 from the   
observation of ,vedriani1 the style of  
one very much resembles that of the     
other2 whether they may have both       
equally imbibed it from ,begarelli1     
which the same historian seems to       
insinuate1 or whether they derived it   
through some other channel1 in the      
academy of ,munari4 ,still the          
similitude of their manner is not such  
as to merge their more peculiar         
distinctions2 so that if the heads of   
,alberto's figures are remarkable for a 
fine air1 and for tints that rival those
 of ,niccolo1 we can easily point out   
less perfect design1 and occasionally a 
certain rudeness and heaviness4 ,but let
 us turn to his competitor1 and dwell   
upon the subject more at length1 as     
becomes the character of a painter1     
enumerated by ,algarotti among the first
 who have adorned the world4  ,he is    
supposed by some to have been instructed

 by ,coreggio1 an assertion which cannot
 wholly be discredited1 when we cast our
 eye upon some instances of his         
foreshortening1 and of his fine relievo4
 ,but ,vasari no where mentions such a  
circumstance2 and it is only on         
adverting to the ,martyrdom of the      
chiefs of the ,apostles1 painted by him 
at the ,monaci ,neri1 that he remarks1  
that the figure of an executioner is    
taken from a picture by ,coreggio at ,s4
 ,giovanni of ,parma4 ,whoever may have 
been the tutor of ,niccolino1 he very   
evidently betrays his enthusiasm for the
 ,roman ,school1 in his frescos at      
,modena1 supposed to be one of his      
earliest works4 ,the same might be      
averred of his twelve fresco pictures   
upon the twelve books of the ,a,eneid1  
removed from the fortress of ,candiano1 
and now adorning the ducal palace2      
sufficient of themselves to exhibit him 
as an excellent hand in figures1 in     
landscape1 in architecture1 and in      
animals2 in every merit requisite to a  

distinguished disciple of ,raffaello4   
,proceeding at a maturer age to         
,bologna1 he painted under the portico  
of the ,lions1 a ,nativity of our ,lord1
 in such a manner that neither in those 
of ,raffaellino del ,borgo1 nor of any  
other artist educated in ,rome1 do ,i   
recollect meeting with so decided a     
resemblance to the head of the school4  
,i know that a distinguished professor  
was in the habit of pronouncing it the  
most perfect painting in fresco that the
 city of ,bologna possessed4 ,it formed 
likewise the admiration and model of the
 ,caracci1 no less than other works of  
,niccolino1 remaining in the city4      
,among these1 the most admired by       
strangers1 is that fine ,conversazione  
of ladies and youths1 which serves for a
 frieze in the hall of the ,institute4  
,next to ,raffaello this artist did not 
refuse to imitate some others4 ,there is
 recorded1 and indeed impressed upon the
 memory of most painters1 a sonnet of   
,agostino ,caracci1 from which we learn1

 that in ,niccolino alone was assembled 
the symmetry of ,raffaello1 the terror  
of ,michelangiolo1 the truth of ,titian1
 the dignity of ,coreggio1 the          
composition of ,tibaldi1 the grace of   
,parmigianino2 in a word1 the best of   
every best professor1 and of every      
school4 ,such an opinion1 though to be  
taken with some grains of allowance1    
from a poet passionately attached to the
 honour of his native school1 might     
perhaps obtain more supporters1 did the 
pieces of ,abati appear somewhat more   
frequently in different collections4    
,but they are extremely rare2 no less   
because of the superior number of his   
frescos1 than from the circumstance of  
his having passed into ,france at the   
age of forty4 ,he was invited thither by
 the ,abate ,primaticcio to assist him  
in some of his greatest works1 intended 
for ,charles ,,ix41 nor did he ever     
return into ,italy4 ,hence arose the    
story of his having been a pupil of     
,primaticcio1 and taking from him his   

cognomen of ,abate2 when in fact he drew
 that title from his own family4 ,about 
#agdj there were remaining at           
,fontainebleau the ,histories of        
,ulysses1 to the number of thirty-eight1
 painted by ,niccolo from designs of    
,primaticcio2 the most extensive of any 
of his works executed in ,france4       
,according to ,algarotti1 it was        
afterwards destroyed1 though engravings 
of it1 from the hand of ,van-,thulden1 a
 pupil of ,rubens1 still remain4        
,niccolo's family1 also1 for a long     
period1 continued to maintain a         
reputation in many branches of the art4 
,one of his brothers1 ,pietro ,paolo1   
distinguished himself by his happy      
manner of representing warlike          
skirmishes1 in particular the terrific  
charges of horse3 several small pictures
 in the ducal gallery1 from their       
peculiar character1 are thus ascribed to
 his hand2 and they are to be seen      
placed immediately below those of the   
,a,eneid4 ,in the chronicle of          

,lancillotto we meet with ,giulio       
,camillo1 son of ,niccolo1 who          
accompanied his father into ,france2 his
 name thus remaining nearly unknown in  
,italy4 ,the most distinguished name in 
the family after ,niccolo1 is that of   
,ercole1 son of ,giulio1 though its     
lustre was impaired by an abandoned     
course of life1 productive of great     
unhappiness4 ,he painted a good deal2   
but1 as is too frequently the case with 
persons of his character1 he diminished 
the value of his productions by the     
haste and inaccuracy of his hand4 ,of   
his superior merit1 however1 we are     
assured by the number of commissions    
bestowed upon him by the ,modenese      
court1 to which we are inclined to give 
more credit than to the venal strains of
 ,marino1 who extols him to the skies4  
,his picture of the marriage of ,cana1  
remaining in the ducal gallery1 would be
 sufficient to establish his fame2 it is
 in his finest manner1 and1 in many     
points1 displays much of the taste of   

the ,venetian ,school4 ,his most        
extensive work was produced for the hall
 of council1 where he had a companion   
and rival in ,schedone1 assisting him in
 those pictures which they undertook in 
conjunction1 and vieing with him in his 
separate works4 ,nor ought it to be     
esteemed any diminution of his merit to 
have been surpassed by so great a       
competitor4 ,the last of these family   
artists is ,pietro ,paolo1 son of       
,ercole1 who died in his eight and      
thirtieth year1 #afcj4 ,i include his   
name here1 in order not to separate him 
from his ancestors1 of none of whom he  
was unworthy4 ,though hardly with equal 
genius1 he pursued the manner of his    
father2 there is a tame expression in   
several of his best authenticated       
pieces3 ,i say best authenticated1      
because it is doubtful whether we should
 consider some pictures1 attributed to  
him1 as the inferior specimens of his   
father1 or the best of his own4         
,besides the disciples and imitators of 

,raffaello1 ,i find other artists of    
,modena1 who1 during the sixteenth      
century1 became attached to a different 
style2 and no one among these is to be  
preferred to ,ercole de' ,setti1 an     
excellent engraver1 as well as a painter
 of considerable merit4 ,a few of his   
altar-pieces remain at ,modena2 and ,i  
have seen1 though very rarely1 some     
little pieces painted for galleries1    
dignified rather than beautiful in point
 of design4 ,he is cautious and studied 
in the naked parts1 nearly equal to the 
style of the ,florentines1 spirited in  
his attitudes1 and strong in his        
colouring4 ,we find his name subscribed 
,ercole de' ,setti1 and also in ,latin1 
,hercules ,septimius4 ,along with his   
name ,vedriani enumerates that of a     
,francesco ,madonnina1 entitling him one
 of the most celebrated artists in the  
city2 but there is too little of his    
remaining in ,modena to form a judgment 
of his style4 ,as little also remains of
 ,giovanni ,battista ,ingoni1 a rival of

 ,niccolo1 as he is termed by ,vasari2  
and what yet exists is by no means to be
 held in high estimation4 ,i have       
discovered nothing from the hand of     
,gio4 ,batista ,codibue1 though ,i have 
read of his ,nunziata at the ,carmine   
being highly esteemed1 besides other    
productions both in painting and        
sculpture4 ,high commendations have     
likewise been bestowed upon ,domenico   
,carnevale for his frescos1 that have   
now perished1 though a few oil paintings
 still exist1 held in much esteem2 one  
of the ,epiphany1 belonging to one of   
the prince's collections1 and another of
 the ,circumcision1 in the palace of the
 ,conti ,cesi4 ,he also distinguished   
himself at ,rome2 and it will be        
sufficient to add1 that he was the      
artist selected to restore the pictures 
of ,michelangiolo1 as we find recorded  
in the notes to ,vasari4  ,reggio boasts
 the honour of having derived its first 
school from ,raffaello2 and ,bernardino 
,zacchetti is supposed to have been one 

of his disciples1 though the authorities
 cited to this effect by most           
historians1 are not entirely conclusive4
 ,perhaps his picture at ,s4 ,prospero1 
designed and coloured in the taste of   
,garofolo1 and others which partake of  
that of ,raffaello1 may have given rise 
to this opinion4 ,but ,italy then       
abounded with the disciples of that     
great master1 no longer instructed1     
indeed1 by his voice1 but by his        
paintings and engravings4 ,the works1   
said to have been produced by him in    
,rome1 and the assistance afforded to   
,bonarruoti1 in his labours at the      
,sistine ,chapel1 are assertions of     
,azzari1 contained in his ,compendio1   
which remain unquestioned by any ancient
 writer4 ,we might more easily1 however1
 grant him the proposition of ,giarola  
having been a pupil of ,coreggio1 and as
 such ,i have reserved him for the      
school of ,parma4  ,not long after these
 flourished ,lelio ,orsi1 of ,reggio4   
,banished from his native place1 he took

 up his residence at ,novellara1 a city 
then in the possession of the ,gonzaghi1
 where he established himself1 and      
derived his name of ,lelio da           
,novellara4 ,this distinguished         
character1 of whom no account had been  
given1 beyond a slight notice in the    
,abbecedario1 has recently been honoured
 with an excellent life1 from the pen of
 the ,cavalier ,tiraboschi1 compiled    
from a variety of sources4 ,whether he  
was really a disciple of ,coreggio still
 remains a disputed point with          
historians1 though it is certain he     
flourished sufficiently near1 both in   
regard to time and place1 to have become
 acquainted with him4 ,he1 at least1    
studied and copied his works1 of which  
there is an instance in a copy of the   
celebrated ,notte1 in possession of the 
noble house of ,gazzola1 at ,verona4    
,nor are there wanting writers who      
maintain that ,parma1 likewise1 was     
embellished by his hand1 a city in which
 the chief ornaments of that school     

employed themselves4 ,and there are     
false accounts1 still in some measure   
credited1 of his having been a pupil of 
,michelangiolo2 of ,coreggio having     
corresponded with him1 and even         
consulted him in his designs4 ,it is    
true1 indeed1 he is an ingenious1       
accurate1 and powerful designer4        
,whether he imbibed his taste at ,rome1 
as ,tiraboschi1 upon the authority of a 
,,ms41 seems to believe2 or from ,giulio
 in the city of ,mantua2 or1 again1 from
 studying the designs and models of     
,michelangiolo2 a knowledge of the path 
being itself sufficient to enable       
enlightened spirits to run the same     
career with success4 ,decidedly his     
design is not of the ,lombard ,school2  
and hence arises the difficulty of      
supposing him one of the scholars of    
,coreggio1 in which case his earlier    
pieces1 at least1 would have partaken of
 a less robust character4 ,he has       
admirably succeeded1 however1 in        
attaining the same grace in his         

chiaroscuro1 in the spreading of his    
colours1 and in the beauty and delicacy 
of his youthful heads4 ,both ,reggio and
 ,novellara possess many of his pictures
 in fresco1 now1 for the most part1     
perished2 and we are indebted to the    
glorious memory of ,francesco ,,iii4 for
 such as are now to be seen at ,modena1 
in the palace of his highness1          
transferred thither from the fortress of
 ,novellara4 ,few of his altar-pieces   
remain in public in either of the       
cities1 the rest being removed2 one of  
which last1 representing the ,saints    
,rocco and ,sebastiano1 along with ,s4  
,giobbe1 ,i happened to meet with in the
 studio of ,signor ,armanno1 at         
,bologna4 ,a few others attributed to   
him at ,parma1#g at ,ancona1 and at     
,mantua1 are by no means of so authentic
 a character2 and there is every reason 
to believe that ,lelio1 dividing his    
time between ,reggio and ,novellara1    
never absented himself from those places
 long together2 and has thus remained   

less known than many other painters of  
inferior rank4 ,the silence of ,vasari1 
of ,lomazzo1 of ,baldinucci1 as well as 
the chief part of foreigners1 is thus   
likewise accounted for4    ,footnote #g3
 ,see ,father ,affo1 pp4 #bg-abd4  ,from
 the school of ,lelio1 in all           
probability1 sprung ,jacopo ,borbone1 of
 ,novellara1 who1 in the year #afad1    
painted a portion of the cloister at the
 church of the ,osservanti1 in ,mantua2 
also1 ,orazio ,perucci1 of whom there   
remain various pictures in private      
houses1 and an altar-piece at ,s4       
,giovanni4 ,raffaello ,motta was        
undoubtedly a pupil of ,orsi1 better    
known under the name of ,raffaellino da 
,reggio1 who left in his native place a 
few of his productions in fresco2 an    
astonishing genius1 deserving of ,rome  
for his theatre of action1 as indeed ,i 
before observed1 and of being lamented  
like a new ,raffaello1 prematurely      
passing away4  ,at this period ,carpi   
had to boast the name of ,orazio        

,grillenzone1 who resided mostly in     
,ferrara1 where enjoying the            
acquaintance of ,tasso1 he was honoured 
and immortalized by his pen1 being      
rendered the subject of that dialogue1  
bearing for its title1 ,il ,grillenzone1
 or the ,epitaph4 ,but none of his      
paintings are now to be found in that   
city2 and even what remains of his in   
,carpi is of a very disputable          
character4 ,i do not here speak of the  
celebrated ,girolamo of ,carpi2 because 
he was in fact a native of ,ferrara1 as 
,i elsewhere observed4 ,there is little 
to be said of ,ugo da ,carpi1 as a      
painter3 he was of an inferior genius   
when he applied himself to his pencil2  
and fell still further below mediocrity 
when he became whimsical enough to paint
 with his fingers1 recording the exploit
 upon the canvass1 as he did in the     
figure of the ,volto ,santo1 the ,holy  
,face1 at ,s4 ,pietro1 in ,rome4 ,still 
we ought to bear honourable testimony to
 his merit1 as the inventor of wood     

engraving in two1 and next in three     
blocks1 or pieces1 by which he expressed
 the three different tints1 the shade1  
the middle tints1 and the light4#h ,in  
this way he produced many designs and   
inventions of ,raffaello1 with greater  
clearness than even ,marc ,antonio had  
before done2 besides opening to         
posterity a new path1 as it were1 of    
painting in chiaroscuro1 very easily    
imitated and multiplied4 ,vasari        
particularly treats upon it at the close
 of his ,introduction2 and there1 no    
less than in other places1 commends the 
genius of ,ugo as one of the most acute 
that was ever directed towards the fine 
arts4    ,footnote #h3 ,the ,germans    
claim the invention of the art of       
engraving in wood1 in chiaroscuro1      
before ,ugo announced it      to the    
,italians4 ,for this1 they produce the  
cards of ,gio4      ,ulderico ,pilgrim1 
which1 although ,gothic1 observes       
,huber1      7p4 #hi7 produce an        
admirable effect in regard to           

chiaroscuro4 ,they make out the inventor
 to be very ancient1      enumerating   
,mair and others1 equally celebrated at 
the same      period4 ,we are told      
nothing1 however1 in regard to their    
mechanism1 which was probably not the   
same as that of ,ugo4       ,it will not
 here be thought irrelevant to record   
the new      method of engraving in the 
,dutch manner1 in imitation of          
coloured designs1 though not executed by
 process of wood1      but of copper4   
,it has been introduced into ,tuscany1  
through      the efforts of the         
distinguished ,cosimo ,rossi1 a         
gentleman      of ,pistoia1 and         
vice-president of the academy4 ,after   
various      experiments1 and making the
 first trials upon some                 
representations of tombs1 in the solid  
,egyptian style of his      own         
invention1 it soon became also imitated 
in other modes      of engraving1 and   
more especially in the ,viaggio         
,pittorico      of ,traballesi4 ,it were

 desirable that the before-mentioned    
gentleman should continue to apply the  
same in works of      architecture and  
perspective2 in which he succeeds       
admirably      also with his pencil1    
very happily emulating the style of     
,canaletto4 ,the method ought to be     
explained very minutely2      but it is 
both too complicate and too extensive to
 be      adapted to the degree of       
brevity we have bound ourselves to      
observe upon similar subjects4          
,,modenese ,,school4     ,,epoch ,,iii4 
,the ,modenese ,artists of the          
,seventeenth ,century chiefly           
follow the example of the ,bolognese4   
,the taste introduced by ,munari into   
,modena and the state1 together with the
 example of ,coreggio and ,lelio1 did   
not become wholly extinct in the        
seventeenth century4 ,it was in some    
measure continued by several of their   
pupils and imitators1 but in proportion 
as those of the ,caracci grew into      
greater credit1 gradually extending     

their influence over the other schools  
of ,italy1 it began to decline apace4   
,it is well known that some of the      
,modenese frequented their academy1 and 
,bartolommeo ,schedone is included by   
,malvasia among the scholars of the     
,caracci4 ,if such be the fact1 we must 
conclude1 either that his first         
productions are not known1 or that he   
merely saluted that school1 as it were1 
from the threshold2 inasmuch as the     
larger works which are pointed out as   
his1 betray few traces of the style of  
the ,caracci4 ,it seems more probable   
that he employed himself in following   
the successors of ,raffaello in his     
native place1 and in particular         
,coreggio1 of whom there remained so    
many original pieces4 ,his pieces in    
fresco1 executed in competition with    
,ercole ,abati1 about #afjd1 still exist
 in the public palace2 and among these  
is the beautiful history of ,coriolanus1
 and the ,seven ,sisters1 who are meant 
to represent ,harmony3 whoever observes 

these will find they possess a mixture  
of the two characters before alluded to4
 ,there is1 moreover1 in the cathedral1 
a half figure of ,s4 ,geminiano1 with an
 infant boy restored by him to life1    
supporting himself by the saint's staff1
 and apparently returning his thanks4   
,it may be enumerated among the best of 
his works1 and bears a striking         
resemblance to those of ,coreggio4 ,the 
same resemblance was affirmed from that 
period in other of his pictures         
transferred elsewhere2 and ,marini      
mentions them in one of his letters as a
 kind of phenomenon4 ,scanelli1 who     
wrote about forty years after the death 
of ,schedone1 also confirms such an     
opinion2 though to make the imitation   
complete1 he would have wished a little 
more practice and solidity1 in which ,i 
rather think he alludes to his          
perspective and design1 not always quite
 correct4 ,for the rest his figures1    
both in their character and their       
action1 are very pleasing1 while his    

colouring in fresco is very vivid and   
lively2 in oils he is more serious1 but 
more harmonious1 though not always free 
from the ill effect produced by the bad 
grounds usual in the age of the         
,caracci4 ,his pictures on a larger     
scale1 such as his ,pieta1 now in the   
academy of ,parma1 are extremely rare1  
and also his history-pieces1 as the     
,nativity of our ,lord and that of the  
,virgin1 placed for lateral ornaments to
 an altar-piece by ,filippo ,bellini4   
,of his ,holy ,families1 and little     
sacred pieces1 there are some remaining2
 such as are found in galleries being   
highly valuable1 so much so1 that       
,tiraboschi records the sum of #d1jjj   
crowns having been required for one of  
them4 ,the court of ,naples is extremely
 rich in them1 having1 together with the
 other ,farnesian pictures1 obtained    
also those painted by ,schedone1 while  
in the service of ,duke ,ranuccio1 his  
most liberal patron4 ,this artist       
produced but little1 being seduced by   

the love of gambling2 nor did he survive
 very long after losing a large sum of  
money1 about the end of the year #afae4 
,the three following names belong to the
 school of the ,caracci1 also in regard 
to style4 ,giacomo ,cavedone1 born in   
,sassuolo1 but absent from the state    
after the period of youth1 was esteemed 
one of the best disciples of ,lodovico4 
,giulio ,secchiari1 of ,modena1 resided 
also at ,rome1 and in ,mantua1 where he 
produced several excellent pictures for 
the court1 which perished in the sack of
 #afcj4 ,what remains of him in his     
native place1 and in particular the     
,death of the ,virgin1 in the           
subterranean part of the cathedral1 with
 four crowns around1 is calculated to   
give rise to lively regret1 that ,giulio
 should not be equally well known in    
different collections1 with the other   
disciples of the ,caracci4 ,camillo     
,gavassetti1 likewise of ,modena1 may   
boast also of a greater degree of merit 
than of fame2 no less because he died   

young1 than because of his attaching    
himself to works in fresco1 which1      
confined to the place in which they are 
produced1 confine also the reputation of
 the artist4 ,he is better known in     
,piacenza than in ,modena1 ,parma1 or1  
indeed1 any other city4 ,one of his     
paintings adorns the presbytery of the  
church of ,s4 ,antonino1 accompanied    
with figures taken from the ,apocalypse1
 so finely executed as to induce        
,guercino1 when coming to ,piacenza to  
complete his finest work1 to bestow the 
highest commendation upon it2 and it is 
still enumerated among the chief        
ornaments of that rich and ornate city4 
,there is something so grand1 spirited1 
and choice1 in its whole expression1    
combined with so much grace and harmony 
of tints1 that it equally surprises us  
when viewed together1 and satisfies us  
when examined part by part4 ,the action 
only is sometimes too extravagant1 and  
some of the figures are hardly          
sufficiently studied4 ,in fact1 this    

artist preferred expedition to high     
finish2 and held a dispute1 reported by 
,baldinucci1 with ,tiarini1 who         
practised and maintained the contrary1 a
 plan by which1 in all works of         
importance1 he was preferred to him in  
,parma4 ,in ,santa ,maria di ,campagna1 
at ,piacenza1 however1 where they both  
painted scriptural histories in         
opposition1 ,gavassetti maintains his   
ground against ,tiarini1 and other      
competitors1 very numerous and          
distinguished for that period4  ,when   
the pupils of the ,caracci succeeded    
their masters in ,bologna1 the young    
artists of the neighbouring state of    
,modena continued to receive            
instructions from them1 being highly    
esteemed in the court of ,este4 ,at that
 period flourished ,francesco ,i41 and  
,alfonso ,,iv41 both of whom1 according 
to the history of ,malvasia1 were       
greatly attached to the followers of the
 ,caracci2 some of these they invited   
into their service1 others they employed

 in their palaces1 and at their public  
festivals2 and from all they were       
anxious to obtain designs and pictures  
which they might exhibit in their       
churches1 or in their grand collection  
of paintings1 rendered by their means   
one of the richest in ,europe4 ,hence   
the artists who next follow1 with the   
exception of a very few1 among whom is  
,romani of ,reggio1 will be included in 
one school4 ,it seems certain that      
,romani studied in ,venice1 and there   
became attached to ,paolo1 whose style  
he adopted in the ,mysteries of the     
,rosario2 and even more so to           
,tintoretto1 whose rules he usually     
practised1 and very successfully4       
,guido ,reni was either the master or   
the prototype of ,gio4 ,batista ,pesari2
 if this artist1 who resembles ,guido in
 his ,madonna at ,s4 ,paolo1 imitated   
him as closely in his other works4 ,but 
of this we cannot judge1 as he          
flourished only during a short period1  
and part of that time in ,venice1 where 

he died before enjoying any degree of   
fame4 ,guido himself undoubtedly        
bestowed his instructions on ,luca da   
,reggio1 and on ,bernardo ,cervi da     
,modena4 ,luca ,i have mentioned in the 
preceding book4 ,the second according to
 the judgment of ,guido1 was possessed  
of distinguished talents for design2 and
 though meeting with a premature fate in
 the pestilence of #afcj1 he left behind
 him works in the cathedral1 and other  
churches1 not inferior1 perhaps1 to     
those of ,luca4 ,from the same school   
sprung ,giovanni ,boulanger1 of ,troyes1
 painter to the court of ,modena1 and   
master in that city4 ,we find1 in the   
ducal palace1 various specimens of his  
pencil truly delicate1 though his want  
of good grounds in many pictures1       
occasionally casts some reflection upon 
his merit4 ,he is happy in his          
inventions1 warm and harmonious in his  
colours1 spirited in his attitudes1 but 
not without some touch of excessive     
enthusiasm4 ,the sacrifice of           

,iphigenia1 if a genuine production1 is 
sufficient to establish his character2  
although the figure of ,agamemnon may   
appear veiled in a capricious style1    
scarcely adapted to an heroic subject4  
,two of his best imitators and disciples
 are ,tommaso ,costa1 of ,sassuolo1 and 
,sigismondo ,caula1 of ,modena2 the     
first of whom succeeded as a powerful   
colourist1 of very general talent1 and  
was eagerly employed by the neighbouring
 courts and cities in perspective1 in   
landscape1 and in figures4 ,reggio1     
where he usually resided1 retains many  
of his productions3 ,modena has several1
 and in particular the cupola of ,s4    
,vincenzo bears proud testimony to his  
merit4 ,caula left his native place1    
only in order to improve his knowledge  
in ,venice4 ,thence he returned with the
 acquisition of a copious and richly    
coloured style1 as ,orlandi very justly 
remarks1 in regard to his great picture 
of the ,plague1 at ,s4 ,carlo4 ,he      
subsequently changed his tints1 which   

became more languid1 and in such taste  
are most of the pictures he produced for
 the ornament of altars and cabinets4   
,many artists of ,reggio were initiated 
in the art by ,lionello ,spada1 and by  
,desani1 his pupil1 and assistant in the
 numerous labours he executed at that   
place4 ,among these are ,sebastiano     
,vercellesi1 ,pietro ,martire ,armani1  
and in particular ,orazio ,talami1 who1 
not content1 like the rest1 to remain in
 his native place1 traversed ,italy1    
studied with unwearied care the models  
of the ,caracci1 and succeeded so well  
in his figures1 that he might be        
mistaken for one of their scholars4     
,while at ,rome1 which he twice visited1
 he devoted himself much to perspective1
 and very scrupulously observes its     
rules in the noble and extensive        
representations of architectural        
objects1 which he introduced into his   
compositions4 ,in all respects his style
 is inclined rather to solidity than to 
amenity4 ,his native place boasts many  

of his labours1 and more especially two 
large pictures abounding in figures1    
preserved in the presbytery of the      
cathedral4 ,jacopo ,baccarini was an    
imitator of his style1 two of whose     
pictures have been engraved by          
,buonvicini2 a ,riposo di ,egitto1 and a
 ,s4 ,alessio ,morto1 both of which are 
to be seen at ,s4 ,filippo4 ,this       
artist's manner displays much judgment1 
accompanied with a good deal of grace4  
,mattia ,benedetti1 a priest of ,reggio1
 commended in the ,abbecedario1 was     
instructed in the art of perspective by 
,talami himself1 and1 together with his 
brother ,lodovico1 occupies an          
honourable place in this class4 ,paolo  
,emilio ,besenzi1 a particular imitator 
of ,albano1 either from natural taste or
 education1 differs a good deal in the  
former from ,lionello4 ,reggio retains  
many pieces1 especially at ,s4 ,pietro1 
highly creditable to this artist's      
talents2 besides statues and buildings  
in very good taste2 as he succeeded in  

uniting1 like some of the best among the
 ancients1 the various qualities of the 
three sister arts4  ,guercino1 likewise1
 presented the state with an excellent  
scholar in ,antonio ,triva di ,reggio4  
,he distinguished himself in various    
cities of ,italy1 and even in ,venice1  
whither he conducted his sister         
,flamminia1 who possessed a genius for  
the art4 ,here they both employed       
themselves in several public works1     
which acquired for them the commendation
 of ,boschini4 ,occasionally he adheres 
so faithfully to his master1 as in the  
,orto at ,piacenza1 as not even to yield
 to ,cesare ,gennari4 ,in other pieces  
he is more free2 though still his manner
 retains strong traces of his school1   
really beautiful1 as it is pronounced by
 ,zanetti1 and1 if ,i mistake not1 full 
of truth4 ,he finally visited the court 
of ,bavaria1 where he was employed until
 the period of his death4  ,to          
,guercino1 also1 we must refer another  
imitator of his style1 in ,lodovico     

,lana4 ,he was instructed1 however1 by  
,scarsellini1 and from that             
circumstance1 has been enumerated by    
some among the artists of ,ferrara4 ,but
 ,lana1 most likely1 was born in the    
state of ,modena1 in whose city he      
resided and held his school4 ,his       
reputation there is great1 as well on   
account of many very beautiful pieces1  
as more particularly for that in the    
,chiesa del ,voto1 in which he          
represented ,modena freed from the      
scourge of the plague4 ,it is generally 
agreed that he never produced a finer   
specimen of his art1 and there are few1 
at this time1 in those churches1 that   
can be said to rival it in point of     
composition1 in force of colouring1     
harmony1 and a certain novelty and      
abundance of images1 that produce       
surprise in the spectator4 ,lana is one 
of the freest among the imitators of    
,guercino2 his touch is the same1 though
 less strong1 and in taste they exactly 
coincide4 ,in his motions he has        

something of ,tintoretto1 or more       
properly of ,scarsellini2 but in his    
colours1 and the expressions of his     
countenances1 he preserves an           
originality of character4 ,pesari and he
 were rivals1 as were the masters whom  
they respectively followed1 on account  
of their contrast of style4 ,pesari1    
however1 seemed to yield1 as he         
transferred his talents to ,venice1     
while his competitor became the director
 of an academy in ,modena1 which        
supported by his credit1 then became    
celebrated throughout ,italy4 ,the name 
of ,lana continues to maintain its      
ground in ,bologna1 and other adjacent  
places1 while it is not unknown in lower
 ,italy4 ,the chief part of his         
specimens to be met with in collections1
 consist of heads of aged men1 full of  
dignity1 and touched with a certain     
boldness of hand1 which declares the    
master4  ,those who flourished after    
him1 belonging to the city of ,modena   
and the state1 were for the most part   

educated elsewhere4 ,bonaventura        
,lamberti1 of ,carpi1 as ,i have        
observed in the ,roman ,school1 was     
instructed by ,cignani2 and there he had
 a noble theatre for the display of his 
powers4 ,at the same period flourished  
,francesco ,stringa1 in ,modena1 where  
he painted a good deal in a style1 if ,i
 mistake not1 that approached1 or seemed
 rather ambitious of approaching1 that  
of ,lana1 and ,guercino himself4 ,by    
some1 he is supposed to have been a     
pupil of the first2 by others1 of the   
second of these artists2 but it is known
 only with certainty1 that he formed    
himself upon their model1 and that of   
other excellent masters1 whose works1   
during his superintendance of the great 
,este ,gallery1 he might consult at his 
pleasure4 ,endowed with a rich          
imagination1 spirited and rapid in      
execution1 he produced much1 which was  
greatly commended1 both in the cathedral
 and in the churches4 ,his              
distinguishing characteristic is the    

depth of his shades1 the somewhat       
disproportioned length of his figures1  
and an inclination to the capricious in 
his actions and composition4 ,when in   
advanced years he began to deteriorate  
in style1 a case common to most artists4
  ,he was the first master of ,jacopo   
,zoboli1 who1 proceeding from ,modena   
into ,bologna1 and thence to ,rome1     
settled there1 and died in #agfa1 with  
the reputation of a good artist4 ,this  
he in a high degree acquired by his     
labours in the church of ,s4 ,eustachio1
 where he is distinguished amongst the  
more modern productions by his ,s4      
,girolamo1 displaying singular          
diligence1 polish1 and harmony of       
colours1 by no means general in those   
times4 ,the ,primaziale of ,pisa also   
boasted a grand picture by his hand1    
representing ,s4 ,matteo1 in the act of 
dedicating a young princess to a holy   
life1 by the imposition of the sacred   
veil4 ,two other artists of ,modena1    
,francesco ,vellani and ,antonio        

,consetti1 who died near the same time1 
not very long ago1 were instructed in   
the art by ,stringa and his school4     
,both are in a taste much resembling    
that of the ,bolognese of their own age4
 ,the former however1 is not so accurate
 in point of design as the latter1 a    
strict and commendable master in that   
art4 ,it is true1 he has a crudeness of 
colours1 not very pleasing to the eye2  
no new circumstance in an artist        
educated in the school of ,creti4 ,both 
,modena and the state are in possession 
of many of their pieces4  ,still more   
modern artists have supported with      
honour the reputation of such           
predecessors2 but ,i could not here1    
without deviating from my original      
system1 venture to mention them4 ,the   
place will invariably serve to forward  
instruction2 a collection of designs and
 paintings being now exhibited in the   
ducal gallery1 which does honour to     
,italy1 no less than to the noble taste 
of the family of ,este that established 

it4 ,nor has it omitted1 from time to   
time1 to provide for young artists the  
assistance of the academy1 which        
continued to flourish there1 from the   
times of ,lana1 often closed1 and       
afterwards re-opened1 until beyond the  
age of ,consetti4 ,but it proved too    
difficult an attempt1 to support another
 academy so near that of ,bologna1 so   
widely distinguished and attended4#i    
,footnote #i3 ,the latest attempt to    
restore it was made in #aghf1      when 
it continued to flourish with some      
credit1 during ten      years4 ,in the  
close of the year #agif it assumed the  
name of      school1 as ,i before       
remarked1 directed by a master in the   
art of designing figures1 together with 
an assistant4  ,the same celebrated     
state1 so fruitful in every kind of     
merit1 produced also able professors in 
other branches of the art4 ,lodovico    
,bertucci1 of ,modena1 was a painter of 
capricci1 which were at that period much
 admired and admitted even into palaces2

 and perhaps there are many of his      
specimens still preserved there1 but    
known under other names4 ,a ,pellegrino 
,ascani1 of ,carpi1 was an admirable    
flower-painter1 and was succeeded1 after
 a long interval1 by ,felice ,rubbiani4 
,this last was a scholar of ,bettini1   
the companion of his travels1 and the   
imitator of his taste4 ,he was a        
favourite at court1 in the cities1 and  
the vicinity2 and had commissions       
bestowed upon him to the number of      
thirty-six pictures1 by the ,marchesi   
,riva1 of ,mantua1 all of which he      
varied in the most astonishing manner4  
,there was1 moreover1 a ,matteo         
,coloretti1 from ,reggio1 excellent in  
portraits1 and a lady of the name of    
,margherita ,gabassi1 who succeeded     
admirably in humourous pieces4 ,nor     
ought we to omit the name of ,paolo     
,gibertoni1 of ,modena1 who settled at  
,lucca1 and for this reason less known  
in his native place4 ,his grotesques in 
fresco boast no ordinary merit2 and     

these he varied with every species of   
strange animals1 executed with great    
spirit4 ,he was likewise very pleasing  
in his landscapes1 which rose in value  
after his death1 and are still much     
esteemed4  ,most part of the artists of 
the ,modenese state distinguished       
themselves in ornamental work and in    
architecture2 such as ,girolamo ,comi1  
whose fine perspectives deserved to have
 been accompanied with superior figures2
 and ,gio4 ,batista ,modonino1 called by
 mistake ,madonnino in the ,dictionary  
of ,artists1 who acquired a high        
reputation in ,rome1 and probably left  
several frescos in the ,palazzo ,spada4 
,he died of the plague1 in ,naples1     
#afef4 ,antonio ,ioli met with a better 
fate there1 about the same period2      
having acquired the theory of           
architecture1 he passed into ,rome1 and1
 entering the school of ,pannini1 he    
became one of the most celebrated       
painters in architecture and ornamental 
work1 known to the present century4     

,applauded in the theatres of ,spain1   
,england1 and ,germany1 all of which he 
adorned1 he afterwards went to ,naples1 
and became painter to ,carlo ,,iii41 and
 to his successor4 ,giuseppe ,dallamano1
 a weak man1 and1 as it is said1        
unacquainted with his alphabet1 was     
ignorant even of the common principles  
of the art2 though by an extraordinary  
sort of talent1 and especially in       
colouring1 he attained a degree of      
excellence truly surprising1 even to the
 learned2 by which he continued to live1
 employing himself in the service of the
 royal family at ,turin4 ,his pupil     
,fassetti was1 likewise1 an             
extraordinary character2 applying       
himself1 at the age of twenty-eight1 to 
the grinding of colours1 he soon began  
to imitate his master2 and ultimately1  
with the assistance of ,francesco       
,bibiena1 he became one of the most     
skilful among the theatrical painters of
 ,lombardy4 ,he came from ,reggio1 as   
well as his contemporary ,zinani1 and   

the younger ,spaggiasi1 both educated in
 the school of ,bibiena2 although of the
 father of ,spaggiasi1 who died in the  
service of the king of ,poland1 the     
master's name remains unknown4 ,to these
 we might add the name of ,bartoli1     
,zannichelli1 ,bazzani1 and of others1  
either yet flourishing or deceased2     
names by which the cavalier ,tiraboschi 
is justified in observing1 that ,reggio 
had the honour of having at all times   
produced excellent theatrical painters4 
,carpi enjoys a different kind of       
honour1 though as great in its way4 ,for
 there were first commenced the works   
termed a scagliola1 or a mischia1 of    
mixed workmanship1 the first inventor of
 which was ,guido ,fassi1 or del        
,conte4#aj ,the stone1 called selenite1 
forms the first ingredient in it4 ,it is
 pounded and mixed with colours1 and by 
the application of a certain glue1 the  
composition becomes as hard as stone1   
forming a kind of marble1 capable1 with 
further care1 of taking a gradual       

polish4 ,the first trial was made upon  
cornices1 which thus assume the         
appearance of fine marbles2 and there   
remain also in ,carpi1 of the same      
composition1 two altars by the hand of  
,guido himself4 ,his fellow citizens    
began to avail themselves of this       
discovery2 some adding one thing to it1 
and some another4 ,annibal ,griffoni1 a 
pupil of ,guido1 applied it to          
monuments1 and even ventured upon the   
composition of pictures1 intended to    
represent engravings upon copper1 as    
well as pictures in oil2 an attempt not 
very successful1 insomuch that the      
specimens by his son ,gaspero are not   
valued beyond a few tabernacles1 and    
things in a similar taste4 ,giovanni    
,gavignani afforded assistance first to 
,guido1 and next to ,griffoni1          
surpassing both in a skilful application
 of the art4 ,thus1 the altar of ,s4    
,antonio1 in the church of ,s4 ,niccolo1
 at ,carpi1 is still pointed out as     
something extraordinary1 consisting of  

two columns of porphyry1 and adorned    
with a pallium embroidered with lace2 an
 exact imitation of the covers of the   
altar1 while it is ornamented in the    
margin with medals1 bearing beautiful   
figures4 ,nor is the monument from the  
hand of one ,ferrari in the cathedral1  
less perfect in its kind2 where the     
marbles are so admirably counterfeited1 
that several tourists of the best taste 
have been induced to break a small      
portion1 to convince themselves of the  
fact4 ,there are1 also1 pictures        
preserved in private houses thus drawn  
by ,gavignani2 one of which consists of 
the ,rape of ,proserpine1 executed with 
much elegance1 in possession of ,signor 
,cabassi4    ,footnote #aj3 ,in the     
,novelle ,letterarie of ,florence1      
#agga1 it      is asserted that this art
 was introduced about two ages back     
into ,tuscany1 giving rise to imitations
 of marbles1 besides      some fancy    
pieces4 ,i have diligently sought after 
specimens      thus antique1 both at    

,florence and at ,vallombrosa1 where    
this art was in great vogue2 but what ,i
 have seen are very      trivial in     
their character1 nor do they appear of  
so ancient      a date4  ,leoni1 who    
resided in ,cremona1 was a disciple of  
the ,griffoni1 and the artificer of two 
very beautiful desks1 preserved in the  
,ducal ,museum at ,modena1 as well as   
,paltronieri and ,mazzelli1 who         
introduced the art into ,romagna1 where 
it still continues to flourish4 ,we     
there meet with altars1 that equally    
deceive the eye by their colour1 and the
 touch by the freshness of the marble4  
,but the most celebrated pupil of the   
,griffoni was a priest called ,gio4     
,massa1 who1 together with ,gio4        
,pozzuoli1 produced wonderful specimens 
of the art in his native place1 in the  
adjacent cities1 in ,guastalla1         
,novellara1 and elsewhere4 ,the priest  
proved equally successful in drawing    
distant views1 gardens1 and in          
particular architecture1 besides        

adorning with it tablets1 and coverings 
of altars1 in such a manner as to reach 
the very perfection of the art4 ,the    
most dignified objects possessed by     
,rome were those which he most delighted
 in for his views2 such as the facade of
 the temple of the ,vatican1 its        
colonnade1 and its piazza4 ,it appears  
the ,duke of ,guastalla took singular   
pleasure in similar works2 and at his   
desire were prepared those two little   
tables1 in the possession of ,signor    
,alberto ,pio1 cited by ,tiraboschi1 and
 which were1 perhaps1 the masterpieces  
of ,massa4 ,no objects appeared to me   
more remarkable than such works         
abounding almost in every church        
throughout those parts2 and it would be 
very desirable that the plan of         
representing architectural views1 by    
this process1 should become more        
frequent4 ,massa also included figures1 
the honour of perfecting which has      
fallen upon ,florence2 a subject ,i have
 treated in my first volume1 7p4 #cdf74 

,i shall merely notice here1 that after 
the practice of modelling had been      
brought to vie with sculpture2 and after
 engraving upon wood had so well        
counterfeited works of design1 we have  
to record this third invention1         
belonging to a state of no great        
dimensions4 ,such a fact is calculated  
to bring into still higher estimation   
the geniuses who adorned it4 ,there is  
nothing of which man is more ambitious1 
than of being called the inventor of new
 arts3 nothing is more flattering to his
 intellect1 or draws a broader line     
between him and the animals that are    
incapable of such inventions1 or of     
carrying them beyond the limits         
prescribed by instinct4 ,in short1      
nothing was held in higher reverence    
among the ancients2 and hence it is1    
that ,virgil1 in his ,elysian fields1   
represented the band of inventors with  
their brows crowned with white chaplets1
 equally distinct in merit as in rank1  
from the more vulgar shades around them4

       ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,parma4     
,,epoch ,i4       ,the ,ancients4       
,next in order to the school of ,modena1
 ,i rank that of ,parma and its state2  
and ,i should very gladly have united   
them together1 as other writers have    
done1 if in addition to the distinction 
of dominions there did not also exist an
 evident distinction in point of taste4 
,for it appears to me1 as ,i have before
 had occasion to observe1 that in the   
former of these cities the imitation of 
,raffaello prevailed2 in the second that
 of ,coreggio4 ,this last indeed is the 
founder of the ,school of ,parma1 which 
preserved a series of disciples for     
several generations1 so strongly        
attached to his examples as to bestow no
 attention upon any other model4 ,the   
situation in which he found the city on 
his first arrival1 is apparent from the 
ancient figures scattered throughout1   
which by no means discover a progress in
 the art of painting equal to that of   
many other cities in ,italy4 ,not that  

this arose from any want of acquaintance
 with the arts of design2 for there     
flourished there as early as the #abth  
century an artist named ,benedetto      
,antelani1 of whom a basso-relievo1     
representing the ,crucifixion of our    
,lord1 is in the cathedral1 which1      
though the production of a rude age1 had
 nothing in sculpture equal to it that  
,i have been able to meet with1 until   
the period of ,giovanni ,pisano4        
,respecting the art of painting1 the    
celebrated ,father ,affo has extracted  
very interesting notices from published 
documents and ,,mss41 in order to shew1 
that before #abcc1 both figures and     
historical pieces had been painted in   
,parma4#aa ,upon the completion of the  
baptismal font1 about #abfj1 that       
assemblage of paintings was there       
executed1 which may now be regarded as  
one of the finest remaining monuments of
 the ancient manner that upper ,italy   
has to boast4 ,the subjects are in the  
usual taste of those times2 the style is

 less angular and rectilinear than that 
of the ,greek mosaicists2 and displays  
some originality in the draperies1 in   
the ornamental parts1 and in the        
composition4 ,above all1 it shews very  
skilful mechanism in regard to gilding  
and colouring1 which1 notwithstanding   
the distance of five centuries1 retain  
much of their original strength4        
,footnote #aa3 ,the notices of the      
artists of ,parma communicated      by  
him to the public1 are in part contained
 in the ,life of      ,parmigianino1 and
 partly in a humorous little work1      
entitled      ,il ,parmigiano servitor  
di ,piazza2 and some further            
information on this subject ,i have     
myself received from the      lips of   
this learned ecclesiastic4  ,down from  
that period there appear in several     
places1 both at ,piacenza and ,parma1   
further specimens of the ,trecentisti1  
sometimes with annexed dates1 and       
sometimes without any4 ,such as belong  
to ,piacenza1 are in the church and     

cloister of the ,predicatori2 but the   
best preserved of all is an altar-piece 
at ,san ,antonio ,martire1 with         
histories of the titular saint in small 
figures1 tolerably well drawn1 and in   
costume which seems to have been        
borrowed1 as it were1 from some         
municipal usages peculiar to the place4 
,parma1 likewise1 possesses some of the 
same date1 besides a few others         
remaining at ,san ,francesco1 in a      
somewhat more polished style1 attributed
 to ,bartolommeo ,grossi1 or to ,jacopo 
,loschi1 his son-in-law1 both of whom   
were employed there in #adfb4           
,subsequent to these flourished         
,lodovico da ,parma1 a pupil of         
,francia1 whose ,madonnas1 executed in  
his master's manner1 are easily         
recognized in ,parma2 and a ,cristoforo 
,caselli 7not ,castelli1 as he is termed
 by ,vasari17 or ,cristoforo ,parmense1 
enumerated by ,ridolfi among the pupils 
of ,gian ,bellino4 ,he produced a very  
beautiful painting for the hall of the  

,consorziali1 bearing the date of #adii2
 and he is much commended by ,grappaldo 
in his work ,de partibus ,a,edium1 who  
next to him ranks ,marmitta1 of whom    
there is no authentic specimen          
remaining4 ,still his name ought to be  
recorded1 were it for no other reason   
than his being the supposed master of   
,parmigianino4 ,along with these we may 
mention ,alessandro ,araldi1 one of the 
scholars of ,bellini1 of whom there     
remains a ,nunziata1 at the ,padri del  
,carmine1 with his name1 besides        
altar-pieces in different churches4 ,he 
was indisputably a good artist in the   
mixed manner1 that is now called antico 
moderno4 ,the family of the ,mazzuoli   
was much employed about the same period 
in ,parma1 consisting of three brother  
artists1 ,michele and ,pierilario1      
falsely supposed to have been the first 
masters of ,coreggio1 and ,filippo1     
called dalle ,erbette1 from succeeding  
better in fruits and flowers than in    
figure pieces4 ,there remains an        

altar-piece of ,pierilario in the       
,sacristy of ,santa ,lucia1 executed in 
a method very superior to that of the   
,baptism of ,christ1 painted for the    
baptismal font by his brother ,filippo4 
,but1 however inferior to his other     
brothers in this line himself1 ,filippo 
may be pronounced at least more         
fortunate in his posterity1 being the   
father of ,parmigianino1 whom we have so
 lately had occasion to commend4  ,yet  
the two most excellent of the ,mazzuoli 
could not1 any more than their          
contemporaries1 have been considered    
artists upon a great scale1 when the    
,padri ,cassinensi1 instead of availing 
themselves of their services to decorate
 the tribune and cupola of their        
magnificent temple1 dedicated to ,st4   
,john1 preferred inviting ,antonio      
,allegri da ,coreggio1 a foreigner and a
 youth1 to undertake the immense task2 a
 choice which may be said to have       
conferred a lasting obligation upon     
posterity4 ,for ,coreggio1 like         

,raffaello1 stood in need of some       
extensive undertaking in order to bring 
his powers into full play1 and to open a
 new path for labours upon a grand      
scale1 as he had before done in those of
 a smaller class4 ,but of an artist who 
forms an era in ,italian painting       
itself1 not in this particular school   
only1 it becomes us to treat1 as well as
 of his imitators1 in a separate        
chapter4     ,,school ,,of ,,parma4     
,,epoch ,,ii4       ,coreggio1 and those
 who succeeded him in his ,school4   ,we
 are at length arrived at one of those  
distinguished characters1 whom1 from his
 high reputation1 and the influence he  
exercised over the style of painting in 
,italy1 we can by no means dismiss with 
our accustomed brevity4 ,his name1      
however1 must still be confined within  
compendious limits1 adding whatever new 
information and reflections we may think
 best adapted for the illustration of   
such a subject2 the life of ,coreggio   
being involved in so much obscurity1 as 

to admit1 beyond that of any other      
artist1 of fresh discussion4 ,the more  
curious may consult the notices of him  
by the ,cavalier ,mengs1 contained in   
his second volume1 a little work by     
,cavalier ,ratti1 upon the life and     
works of ,allegri1 published in ,finale 
in #agha1 and ,tiraboschi in his        
,notices of the professors of ,modena1  
besides ,padre ,affo1 in his works      
already cited1 the most accurate1       
perhaps1 of any in point of chronology4 
,the whole of these writers1 following  
the example of ,scannelli and ,orlandi1 
have complained of ,vasari for having   
falsely asserted the abject condition of
 ,antonio1#ab sprung1 in fact1 from a   
tolerably good family in an illustrious 
city1 and not destitute of those        
conveniences of fortune that might      
enable him from the first to obtain an  
education adapted to the success of his 
future efforts4 ,they have also in      
particular reproached him with his      
excessive credulity1 in representing him

 to us as a suffering and unhappy       
object1 burdened with a numerous family1
 little appreciated and badly rewarded  
for his labours4 ,on the contrary they  
observe1 we know that he was respected  
by the great1 richly recompensed1 and   
enabled to leave a fair heritage for his
 family4 ,now ,i admit that ,vasari is  
guilty of much exaggeration1 though not 
without some shew of truth2 for we only 
need to compare the commissions and     
gains of ,coreggio with those of        
,raffaello1 of ,michelangiolo1 of       
,titian1 and even of ,vasari himself1 to
 divest us of all surprise at the honest
 commiseration of the historian4        
,annibal ,caracci did not only          
compassionate his condition1 but is said
 to have bewailed it with his tears4#ac 
,besides1 if we reflect that the terms  
made use of by ,vasari1 of ,coreggio    
having become si misero1 so wretched1   
that nothing could be worse1 do not     
exactly signify miserabile1 miserable1  
as interpreted by some of his critics1  

but rather mean1 miserly1 and sparing1  
renouncing certain conveniences of life1
 in order to spend as little as         
possible1 it will alter the complexion  
of the case4 ,in the same manner he     
states1 or rather as some think1        
imagines that ,antonio1 though enabled  
to travel like others1 by water1 mounted
 horse during the summer solstice1 and  
shortly after died4 ,and1 indeed1 if we 
consider the singular deprivations to   
which very wealthy people1 for the same 
reason1 will submit1 we do not see how a
 reference to the possessions of the    
,allegri family1 not without some degree
 of exaggeration1 as has more than once 
been done1 can disprove this charge of  
meanness and extreme parsimony4 ,we     
trust that the ,signor ,dottor          
,antonioli will inform us more          
distinctly respecting the amount of     
,antonio's property1 though we are      
inclined to believe it could not have   
exceeded the limits of mediocrity4 ,the 
highest salaries received by him have   

been ascertained4 ,for the cupola and   
larger nave of the church of ,san       
,giovanni1 he was paid four hundred and 
seventy-two gold ducats1 or ,venetian   
zecchins1 and for the cupola of the     
cathedral1 three hundred and fifty2     
doubtless considerable sums1 though we  
should consider he was occupied from the
 year #aebj until #aecj1 in the designs 
and labours requisite for works of such 
magnitude1 and which prevented him from 
accepting other offers of any account   
during the interval4 ,he earned forty   
gold ducats by his celebrated picture of
 ,night2 his ,san ,girolamo brought him 
forty-seven ducats1 or zecchins1 besides
 his subsistence during six months he   
was employed on it2 and thus1 in equal  
proportion1 we may suppose him to have  
been recompensed for the time bestowed  
upon his lesser pieces4 ,the two which  
he painted for the ,duke of ,mantua we  
may reckon at something more2 but these 
were the only ones he produced at the   
request of sovereigns4 ,thus much being 

certain1 it is hardly credible1 that    
after deducting the expense of colours1 
of models1 and of assistants1 including 
the maintenance of his family1 there    
should still have remained enough to    
leave that family in a state of         
affluence4    ,footnote #ab3 ,in the    
opening of the ,life we find--,he was of
 a      very timid disposition1 and with
 extreme inconvenience      devoted     
himself to incessant labour in order to 
provide for      a numerous family4     
,towards the conclusion he adds--,like  
those who have a numerous family1       
,antonio was desirous1 7he      had four
 sons17 of hoarding his money1 and thus 
soon became      one of the most        
miserable of men4 ,elsewhere it is      
observed--,he held himself in slight    
esteem1 and was      satisfied with     
little4    ,footnote #ac3 ,it almost    
drives me mad with grief to think of    
the wretchedness of poor ,antonio2 to   
think that so great a      man1 if he   
were not an angel in human shape1 should

 be thus      lost in a country which   
could not appreciate him1 and though    
with a reputation reaching to the skies1
 destined to die in      such a place so
 unhappily4 ,in a letter to ,lodovico1  
written      from ,parma1 #aehj1        
7,malvas4 vol4 i4 p4 #cff74 ,annibal    
likewise      exaggerated1 because the  
,padri ,benedettini1 as well as         
others1 were aware of the value of      
,antonio4  ,but although we admit the   
reality of his supposed indigence1 it   
can form no reproach1 no drawback upon  
the excellences of so great a man1      
crowning him rather with additional     
honour1 in particular when we reflect1  
that with such limited means he was     
invariably lavish of his colours1 to a  
degree beyond example4 ,there is not a  
single specimen1 whether executed on    
copper1 on panels1 or on canvass1 always
 sufficiently choice1 that does not     
display a profusion of materials1 of    
ultramarine1 the finest lake and green1 
with a strong body1 and repeated        

retouches2 yet for the most part laid on
 without ever removing his hand from the
 easel before the work was completed4   
,in short he spared neither time nor    
expense1 contrary to the custom of all  
other painters1 with very few           
exceptions4 ,such liberality1 calculated
 to do honour to a rich amateur1        
painting for amusement1 is infinitely   
more commendable in an artist of such   
circumscribed resources4 ,it displays1  
in my opinion1 all the grandeur of      
character that was supposed to animate  
the breast of a ,spartan4 ,and this we  
would advance1 no less in reply to      
,vasari1 who cast undue reflections upon
 ,coreggio's economy1 than as an example
 for such young artists as may be       
desirous of nourishing sentiments worthy
 of the noble profession they embrace4  
,it is still current in ,coreggio that  
,antonio commenced his first studies    
under his uncle ,lorenzo4 ,subsequent to
 which1 according to ,vedriani1 he      
entered into the school of ,francesco   

,bianchi1 called ,il ,frari1 who died in
 #aeaj1 a school established in ,modena4
 ,there also it appears he acquired the 
art of modelling1 at that time in great 
repute2 and he thus prepared in clay1   
along with ,begarelli1 the group of that
 ,pieta1 in ,santa ,margherita1 where   
the three most beautiful figures are    
attributed to ,coreggio4 ,in the same   
highly distinguished city it is most    
probable that he also laid the          
foundation of that learned and          
cultivated taste so conspicuous in his  
works2 the geometrical skill exhibited  
in his perspective1 the architectural   
rules of his buildings1 and the poetry  
of his warm and lively conceptions4     
,thus his historians1 judging from the  
specimens of his early style1 assert    
that he must have sought it in the      
academy of ,andrea ,mantegna at ,mantua2
 but the recently discovered fact of    
,andrea's having died in #aejf1 does    
away with such a supposition4 ,it is1   
nevertheless1 extremely probable that he

 acquired it by studying the works left 
by ,andrea at ,mantua1 for which ,i can 
adduce various arguments4 ,i have       
described pretty fully the character of 
,mantegna's picture of ,victory1 the    
most extraordinary of all he produced2  
imitations of this are to be met with in
 many of the works of ,coreggio1 but    
most evidently so in the picture of his 
,st4 ,george at ,dresden4 ,the manner in
 which ,coreggio could have imbibed so  
exquisite a taste1 was always considered
 surprising and unaccountable1          
prevailing every where1 as we find it in
 his canvass1 in his laying on his      
colours1 in the last touches of his     
pictures2 but let us for a moment       
suppose him a student of ,andrea's      
models1 surpassing all others in the    
same taste as we before observed1 and   
the wonder will be accounted for4 ,let  
us moreover consider the grace and      
vivacity so predominant in the          
compositions of ,coreggio2 that rainbow 
as it were of colours1 that accurate    

care in his foreshortenings1 and of     
those upon ceilings2 his abundance of   
laughing boys and cherubs1 of flowers1  
fruits1 and all delightful objects2 and 
let us then ask ourselves whether his   
new style does not appear an exquisite  
completion of that of ,mantegna1 as the 
pictures of ,raffaello and ,titian      
display the progress and perfection of  
those of ,perugino and ,giovanni        
,bellini4  ,in regard to his education  
in the studio of ,mantegna1 the         
generally received opinion in ,lombardy 
is1 that ,vedriani must have been       
mistaken in a name2 and that in place of
 ,andrea1 he ought to have pronounced   
his son ,francesco1 the master with whom
 it is maintained ,coreggio resided1    
either in quality of pupil or assistant4
 ,mantegna's school1 indeed1 had risen  
into great reputation1 having given     
striking proof of its excellence even in
 foreshortening from above2 besides     
surpassing ,melozio1 as ,i elsewhere    
observed1 so as only to leave another   

step before reaching the modern manner4 
,this was reserved for the genius of    
,coreggio1 in common with the master    
spirits of every other school1 who      
flourished during the same period4 ,in  
truth from his very first attempts1 he  
appears to have aimed at a softer and   
fuller style than ,mantegna's2 and      
several1 among whom is the ,abate       
,bettinelli1 have pointed out some such 
specimens in ,mantua4 ,signor ,volta1   
member of the ,royal ,academy there1    
assured me that ,coreggio is named in   
the books of the ,opera di ,s4 ,andrea1 
for which reason1 several of the figures
 on the outside of the church1 and in   
particular a ,madonna1 better preserved 
than the rest1 a youthful essay1 but    
from the hand of one freed from the     
stiffness of the quattrocentisti1 have  
been attributed to him4#ad ,in ,mantua  
likewise ,i saw a little picture in     
possession of the ,abate ,bettinelli1   
about to be engraved1 representing a    
,holy ,family1 in which1 if we except a 

degree of stiffness in the folds1 the   
modern manner is complete4 ,a few other 
of ,coreggio's ,madonnas1 to be referred
 to this period1 are to be seen in the  
ducal gallery at ,modena1 with other    
works mentioned in various places4      
,among these is a picture of our ,lord1 
taking farewell of the ,virgin mother1  
previous to his passion1 a piece        
recognized as a genuine ,coreggio by the
 ,abate ,carlo ,bianconi at ,milan4#ae  
,doubtless many of his other early      
productions were of an inferior         
description1 and are dispersed abroad1  
either unknown1 or disputed1 ,vasari    
having recorded of him that he completed
 many pictures and works4    ,footnote  
#ad3 ,there is a document existing in   
the same archives1      where ,francesco
 ,mantegna binds himself to ornament the
      outside of the church4 ,it may    
thus be conjectured1 that the           
picture of the ,ascension1 placed over  
the gateway1 is from      his hand1     
while the ,madonna1 evidently from      

another1 is the      work of ,coreggio4 
,the master1 in executing his           
commissions1      often employed his    
pupil or his assistant4    ,footnote    
#ae3 ,this excellent judge of art1 more 
particularly in      point of           
engravings1 and also extremely skilful  
in portraits      drawn with the pen1   
departed this life at the beginning of  
#ahjb4  ,wherefore is it then that in   
the published catalogues we meet with so
 very scanty a list of his pictures1    
nearly all esteemed excellent8 ,it is   
because whatever does not appear        
superlatively beautiful has been        
doubted1 denied1 and cast aside as      
unworthy of him1 or attributed to some  
of his school4 ,mengs himself1 who      
investigated the relics of this great   
artist1 and was very cautious of        
admitting any disputed productions1     
declares that he had only seen one      
specimen of his early style1 that of his
 ,s4 ,antony1 in the gallery of         
,dresden4 ,this1 as well as a ,s4       

,francis and the ,virgin1 he painted in 
#aeab1 in ,carpi1 when he was eighteen  
years of age4#af ,from the stiffness    
apparent in this last1 and the          
contrasted softness of the others1 he   
was led to conjecture that ,coreggio    
must have suddenly altered his manner1  
and attempted to penetrate into the     
unknown cause of it4 ,he suspected1     
therefore1 that what de ,piles1 followed
 by ,resta1 and some other writers1     
first advanced in his ,dissertations1   
against the authority of ,vasari1 must  
be correct1#ag namely1 that ,coreggio   
visited ,rome1 and having observed the  
ancient style1 and that of ,raffaello   
and ,michelangiolo1 along with          
,melozio's pictures in the sotto in su1 
or foreshortening1 he returned into     
,lombardy with a different taste        
acquired during his stay in the capital4
    ,footnote #af3 ,thus conjectures    
,tiraboschi1 with arguments that        
prove the fact rather than shew its     
probability4    ,footnote #ag3 ,ortensio

 ,landi1 in his ,observations1 had put  
on      record that ,coreggio died      
young1 without seeing ,rome4            
,tiraboschi4  ,yet this able scholar    
proposes such a view of the case1 with  
singular deference to the contrary      
opinion of others1 and even presents his
 reader with arguments against that     
view1 to the following effect3--,if he  
did not behold the antique1 7and the    
same may be averred of the two          
distinguished moderns17 such as it      
exists in ,rome1 he may still have seen 
it as it appears at ,modena and ,parma2 
and the mere sight of an object is      
enough to awaken in fine spirits the    
idea of what it ought to be4 ,and my    
readers1 indeed1 will be at no loss to  
find examples to confirm such an        
opinion2 ,titian and ,tintoretto1 by the
 mere use of modelling1 having far      
surpassed those who designed statues2   
and ,baroccio happening to cast his eye 
upon a head of ,coreggio1 soon          
distinguished himself in the same style4

 ,and if we may farther adduce an       
example of the power of sovereign       
genius1 from the sciences1 let us look  
at ,galileo watching the oscillations of
 a bell in a church at ,pisa1 from which
 he drew the doctrine of motion and the 
principles of the new philosophy4 ,so   
likewise might this great pictorial     
genius conceive the idea of a new style1
 from a few faint attempts of art1 and  
thus won the applauses of the world of  
art1 bestowed upon him from the time of 
,vasari1 as something due less to a     
mortal than to a god4 ,doubtless in the 
first instance he received no slight    
impulse from the finer works of ,andrea1
 from the collection of ancient relics  
in ,mantua and ,parma1 from the studio  
of the ,mantegni1 and that of           
,begarelli1 equally rich in models and  
designs4 ,to these we may add an        
acquaintance with artists1 familiar with
 ,rome1 with ,munari1 with ,giulio      
,romano himself2 and finally the general
 influence of the age1 every where      

dissatisfied with the meanness of the   
late style1 and aiming at a more soft1  
full1 and clear development of the      
contours4 ,all these united in          
facilitating the progressive step which 
,coreggio had to take1 though his own   
genius was destined to achieve the task4
 ,this it was that first led him to     
study nature1 with the eye of the       
ancient ,greeks1 and that of his great  
,italian predecessors4 ,the leading     
geniuses of their age have often pursued
 the same career1 unknown to each other1
 as ,tully has expressed himself1 ,et   
quadam ingenii divinitate1 in eadem     
vestigia incurrerunt4 ,but we must here 
check ourselves1 in regard to this      
portion of the subject1 having to treat 
of it anew at the distance of not many  
pages4 ,at present we have only to      
inquire whether ,coreggio really adopted
 the modern style at once1 as has been  
asserted1 or by gradual study4  ,upon   
this point it is much to be regretted1  
that the ,cavalier ,mengs did not obtain

 a sight of some paintings in fresco1   
executed by ,coreggio1 as it is said1 in
 his early youth1 during the period he  
was employed by the ,marchesa ,gambara2 
but which have now perished4 ,for1      
doubtless1 he would thus have been      
enabled to throw much light upon the    
subject2 and at least ,i could have     
wished that he had met with two pictures
 produced by ,antonio in his native     
place1 though but recently discovered1  
as in these1 perhaps1 he might have     
detected that sort of middle style1     
which is seen to exist between his ,st4 
,antony and his ,st4 ,george at         
,dresden4 ,the first of these has been  
called in question by ,tiraboschi1 on   
the ground of there being no authentic  
document assigning it to ,coreggio2     
though ,i think it ought to be admitted 
as his1 until stronger arguments1 or the
 authority of experienced professors of 
the art1 compel us to deny it4 ,this    
picture was formerly placed in the      
chapel of ,la ,misericordia1 and very   

old copies of it are still preserved in 
many private houses at ,coreggio4 ,it   
represents a beautiful landscape1       
together with four figures of saints1   
,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,margherita1 the      
,magdalen1 and another1 most likely ,st4
 ,raimond1 yet unborn4#ah ,the figure of
 ,st4 ,peter bears some resemblance to  
one of ,mantegna1 in his ,ascension of  
,st4 ,andrew1 just alluded to2 while the
 wood and the ground are extremely like 
that master's composition4 ,this fine   
piece was much damaged by the lights1   
or1 as some suspect1 by the varnish1    
purposely laid on1 in order1 by         
decreasing its value1 to prevent its    
being carried away2 but1 on the         
contrary1 it appears for this very      
reason to have been removed from the    
altar1 and a copy substituted1 in which 
the last of the above figures was       
exchanged for one of ,st4 ,ursula4 ,the 
original afterwards came into the       
possession of ,signor ,antonio ,armanno1
 one of the best connoisseurs at this   

time known1 in respect to the value of  
engravings1 as well as of other         
productions of our best artists1 which  
he has likewise1 in a singular degree1  
the art of restoring even when much     
defaced4 ,so in this instance1 by the   
most persevering care1 during a whole   
year1 he at length succeeded in removing
 this ugly veil1 which concealed the    
beauty of the work1 now renewed in all  
its pristine excellence1 and attracting 
crowds of accomplished strangers to gaze
 upon its merits4 ,it is generally      
allowed to exhibit a softer expression1 
in the modern style1 than the ,st4      
,antony1 of ,dresden2 though yet far    
distant from the perfection of the ,st4 
,george and others1 produced about the  
same time4    ,footnote #ah3            
,tiraboschi1 p4 #beg1 gives a different 
account of      it1 and appears to      
confound the original with the copy1    
which for a long time has been placed on
 the altar1 also      considerably      
defaced and discoloured4 ,respecting    

this      picture1 likewise1 we hope we 
shall be better informed by      the    
,dottor ,antonioli1 to whom we here     
confess our      obligations for much   
information inserted in this chapter1   
obtained from his own mouth upon the    
spot4  ,about this period1 ,allegri     
painted in the church of the            
,conventuals1 at ,coreggio1 what is     
termed an ancona1 a small altar-piece in
 wood1 consisting of three pictures4 ,it
 appears certain1 that the two          
altar-pieces already mentioned1 opened  
the way also to this fresh commission2  
for from the written agreement1 he seems
 to have been in his twentieth year1 and
 the price fixed upon was one hundred   
gold ducats1 or one hundred zecchins1   
which proves the esteem in which his    
talents were held4 ,he here represented 
,st4 ,bartholomew and ,st4 ,john1 each  
occupying one side2#ai while in the     
middle department1 he drew a ,repose of 
the ,holy ,family flying into ,egypt1 to
 which last was added a figure of ,st4  

,francis4 ,so greatly was ,francesco ,i4
 ,duke of ,modena1 delighted with this  
picture1 that he sent the artist        
,boulanger with orders to copy it for   
him2 and thus obtaining possession of   
the original1 he dexterously contrived  
to substitute his own copy in its place1
 a deception which he afterwards        
repaired by presenting the convent with 
some fresh lands4 ,it is believed that  
it was afterwards presented to the      
,medicean family1 and by them was given 
in exchange1 to the house of ,este1 for 
the ,sacrifice of ,abraham1 from the    
hand of ,andrea del ,sarto4 ,it is      
certain that it was to be seen in the   
royal gallery at ,florence1 from the end
 of the last century1 and was there     
commended by ,barri1 in his ,viaggio    
,pittoresco1 as original4 ,in progress  
of time1 it began to be less esteemed1  
because less perfect1 perhaps1 than some
 of the masterpieces of ,coreggio1 and  
not long after1 assuming another name1  
it began to be pointed out by some as a 

,baroccio1 and by others as a ,vanni4   
,the same ,signor ,armanno1 before      
mentioned1 who was the first to recall  
to mind the copy remaining at ,coreggio1
 presented us1 also1 with this hidden   
treasure4 ,its originality1 however1 was
 disputed from the first1 it being      
objected1 in particular1 that ,allegri  
had depicted the subject upon board1    
whereas this ,medicean painting was     
found to be upon canvass4 ,but this     
doubt was removed on comparing the work 
with the copy of ,boulanger1 made upon  
canvass2 for certainly if the genuine   
production were really painted upon     
board1 the imitator could hardly have   
succeeded in palming upon the holy      
brethren one of his copies upon canvass4
 ,the probability of its genuineness is 
still greater when we reflect1 that no  
gallery was ever in possession of a     
,repose similar to it1 so as to have    
contested with the city of ,florence the
 possession of the original2 so frequent
 an occurrence1 both now and in other   

times1 with works of art repeated in    
different places4 ,besides1 the hand of 
the master is1 in itself1 nearly enough 
to pronounce it genuine2 we see the     
remains of a varnish peculiar to the    
author2 a tone of colouring perfectly   
agreeing with his pictures at ,parma2   
insomuch1 that many very experienced    
judges of art1 and among others ,gavin  
,hamilton1 whose opinion carries great  
weight1 have united in giving it to     
,coreggio4 ,at the same time1 they      
admit1 that it is a piece partaking of  
an union of his styles1 during the      
progress of the second2 and if we are   
careful in comparing it with his other  
representation of the ,repose1 at ,s4   
,sepolcro1 in ,parma1 commonly entitled 
the ,madonna della ,scodella1 we shall  
discover much the same difference as    
between ,raffaello's paintings in ,citta
 di ,castello and those at ,rome4 ,such 
a distinction was noticed by some very  
respectable professors1 even during the 
heat of the controversy1 who agreed in  

declaring1 that the ,medicean picture in
 part resembled ,coreggio in his best   
manner1 and in part differed from it4   
,footnote #ai3 ,these two saints had    
already been withdrawn from      the    
altar1 7,tiraboschi1 p4 #bec17 nor does 
a copy of them      remain at ,san      
,francesco4 ,that made by ,boulanger is 
in the      convent1 and was evidently  
produced in haste1 and upon a bad       
ground2 hence it is neither very exact1 
nor in good      preservation4 ,it is1  
nevertheless1 valuable as throwing      
light upon ,coreggio's history1 and his 
different styles2      while it also    
tends to prove1 that if the ancona was  
made of      wood1 the picture was made 
portable1 and painted on      canvass4  
,there are two other pictures of his1   
mentioned by the ,cavalier ,mengs1 which
 may be referred to the same class4 ,one
 of them is the ,noli me tangere1 in the
 ,casa ,ercolani1 but which subsequently
 passed into the ,escurial2 the other a 
picture of the ,virgin in the act of    

adoring the ,divine ,infant1 which      
adorns the royal gallery in ,florence2  
both of which he declares are in a taste
 which he failed to discover in the most
 sublime and celebrated pictures of     
,coreggio4 ,to these we may add the     
,marsyas of the ,marchesi ,litta1 at    
,milan1 with a few other works of       
,coreggio's1 inserted in the catalogue  
of ,tiraboschi1 which is the most       
copious extant4 ,from such evidence it  
must1 in short1 be admitted1 that this  
artist was possessed of a sort of middle
 style1 between that which he formed as 
a scholar and that which he completed as
 a master4 ,and we have equal reason for
 believing what has been stated         
respecting ,coreggio's having attempted 
a variety of styles1 before he made     
choice of the one by which he so greatly
 distinguished himself1 and thus laid   
the foundation for his pieces being     
attributed1 as they have been1 to       
different masters4 ,in fact1 his        
conceptions of the beautiful and the    

perfect were deduced in part from other 
artists1 and in part created by himself2
 conceptions that could not be matured  
without much time and labour2 on which  
account he was compelled1 as it were1 to
 imitate those natural philosophers who 
try an infinite number of different     
experiments to discover some single     
truth which they have in view4  ,during 
a progress thus gradually pursued1 and  
by an artist who in every new production
 succeeded in surpassing himself1 it is 
difficult to fix the precise epoch of   
his new style4 ,i once saw in ,rome a   
very beautiful little picture1          
representing1 in the background1 the    
taking of ,christ in the garden2 and in 
the fore part1 the youth ,joseph1 who1  
in the act of flying1 leaves his mantle 
behind him2 the original of which is in 
,england1 and a duplicate at ,milan1 in 
possession of ,count de ,keweniller2 the
 picture at ,rome bore in ancient       
character the date of #aeje1            
indisputably false4 ,a more correct one1

 however1 is to be found upon that of   
the ,marriage of ,st4 ,catherine1 in    
possession of ,count ,brull1 late prime 
minister to the king of ,poland1 which  
is every way corresponding to the other1
 remaining at ,capo di ,monte2 it bears 
the date of #aeag4 ,it is probable1 that
 in this year1 when the artist was just 
twenty-three1 he had already            
sufficiently mastered his new style1    
from the fact of his having about #aeah1
 or #ai1 produced in ,parma the picture 
which is still in existence at the      
monastery of ,st4 ,paul4 ,this1 after   
various disputes1 has recently been     
acknowledged to be one of the most      
grand1 spirited1 and laboured           
productions that ever proceeded from    
that divine hand2 and it has been       
illustrated with its real epoch1 from an
 excellent little work of the celebrated
 ,padre ,affo4 ,such a work1 indeed1    
confers a benefit upon history4 ,he     
there explains the manner in which      
,coreggio might have imitated the       

ancients with such advantages only as he
 found in ,parma2 and endeavours to     
account for the difficulty presented to 
us in the silence of ,mengs1 who1 having
 beheld this very picture1 omitted to   
mention it among ,antonio's other works4
 ,we are relieved1 also1 from another   
difficulty in respect to the manner in  
which a piece representing the ,chase of
 ,diana1 abounding with such a variety  
of loves and cupids1 could have been    
painted for a holy monastery1           
accompanied by those profane            
representations distributed throughout  
the same chamber1 in various circular   
pieces1 such as the ,graces1 the ,fates1
 the ,vestals2 a naked ,juno1 suspended 
from the heavens1 in the method         
described by ,homer1 in his fifteenth   
book of the ,iliad2 with other similar  
objects1 still less becoming the sphere 
of a cloister4 ,but our wonder will     
cease when we reflect1 that the same    
place was once the residence of a lady  
abbess1 at a time in which the nuns of  

,s4 ,paolo lived unguarded by grates2 in
 which every abbess sought to enjoy     
herself2 held jurisdiction over lands   
and castles1 and1 independent of the    
bishop1 lived altogether as a secular   
personage1 a license in those days      
extremely general1 as is justly observed
 by ,muratori1 in his ,italian          
,antiquities1 tom4 iii4 p4 #ccb4 ,the   
above work was a commission given by a  
,donna ,giovanna di ,piacenza1 who was  
then the superior of the monastery2 and 
whatever degree of learning we meet with
 in the painting1 and in the devices or 
conceits1 was1 most probably1           
communicated to the artist by ,giorgio  
,anselmi1 a celebrated scholar1 whose   
own daughter belonged to the same       
establishment4 ,but we must not allow   
ourselves to proceed further in our     
notice of a dissertation1 assuredly one 
of the most profound and ingenious that 
we ever recollect to have read4 ,the    
pictures are about to be engraved by the
 hand of ,signor ,rosaspina1 after those

 of ,s4 ,giovanni1 in which the learned 
,abate ,mazza is at present so laudably 
engaged1 no less to the advantage of the
 arts than of his own reputation4  ,the 
vast undertaking1 so finely executed by 
,coreggio1 at ,s4 ,paolo1 obtained for  
him so high a name1 that the ,padri     
,cassinensi invited him to engage in the
 equally extensive one of ,san          
,giovanni1 entered upon in #aebj1bj and 
completed in #aebd1 as we find mentioned
 in the books4 ,there1 also1 in addition
 to several minor works1 he decorated   
the tribune1 which being afterwards     
removed1 in order to extend the choir1  
and rebuilt1 was repainted1 as we shall 
notice elsewhere1 by ,aretusi4 ,on the  
demolition of the tribune1 the picture  
of the ,incoronation of the ,virgin1 the
 leading subject in the fresco1 was     
saved1 and is now exhibited in the royal
 library2 and various heads of angels1  
which in like manner escaped the same   
destruction1 are preserved in the       
,palazzo ,rondanini at ,rome4 ,there    

are1 now1 in the church of ,san         
,giovanni1 two pictures in oil1 placed  
opposite to one another1 in one of the  
chapels2 one1 a ,christ taken from the  
,cross2 the other1 the ,martyrdom of    
,st4 ,placidus1 both painted on canvass 
made for the purpose1 like some of the  
pictures of ,mantegna4 ,on the exterior 
of one of the other chapels is a figure 
of ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1 executed 
in the noblest manner4 ,and1 finally1   
there is the grand cupola1 where the    
artist represented the ,ascension of    
,jesus to his ,father2 the apostles     
looking on in mingled veneration and    
surprise2 a production in which1 whether
 we regard the proportion1 and the      
shortening of the figures1 the naked    
parts1 or the draperies1 or gaze upon it
 as a whole1 we must alike confess that 
it was an unexampled specimen of the    
art1 in its kind2 the terrific ,judgment
 of ,michelangiolo1#ba not having then  
assumed its place in the ,vatican4      
,footnote #bj3 ,tiraboschi was unable to

 discover any certain      work from the
 hand of ,antonio1 between the years #ag
 and #bj1      of the same age4 ,this   
gave rise to the assertion of ,vasari's 
annotator1 that he remained in ,rome in 
quality of      ,raffaello's pupil      
during this interval1 and on his        
master's      death1 in #aebj1 returned 
to ,lombardy4 ,such a supposition       
becomes utterly void1 after the above   
epochs adduced by us4    ,footnote #ba3 
,it is worth notice1 that ,ratti1       
persuaded of      ,coreggio's residence 
at ,rome1 has availed himself of the    
argument of certain figures being       
borrowed by him from the      ,judgment1
 before ,michel ,angiolo had painted it4
 ,equally      valid is his conjecture1 
founded upon several figures of         
,raffaello's1 which he detected in      
,coreggio1 as if these two      artists 
had never studied from the same book of 
nature4 ,such      an opinion is        
asserted also by ,padre della ,valle1   
cited in      our second volume1 p4     

#aba4 ,but writers will always be liable
      to these mistakes1 as long as they
 pretend to make      discoveries and   
throw light upon ancient facts1 without 
adhering to historical dates1 and in    
their conjectures      rather consult   
novelty and their own vanity than truth4
 ,but      this fault1 brought into     
vogue about the middle of the           
eighteenth century1 has produced no     
little evil1 both in      letters and   
religion1 and surely cannot continue to 
receive      encouragement at this      
enlightened period4 ,let us rather      
trust1 that the love of truth1 never    
altogether      extinguished1 will      
resume its former influence in the      
investigation of historical points1 and 
that one of its      leading objects    
will be to free both sacred and profane 
history from those foolish sophisms that
 so much obscure      it4  ,astonishing1
 however1 as such a production must be  
allowed to be1 it will still be found to
 yield the palm to another1 which the   

hand of ,coreggio alone could have      
rendered superior4 ,this is the         
celebrated ,assumption of the ,virgin1  
in the cathedral of ,parma1 completed in
 the year #aecj4 ,it is indisputably    
more ample2 and in the background the   
figures of the same apostles are        
reproduced1 as was customary1 expressing
 feelings of surprise and piety1 though 
in a manner altogether different from   
the former4 ,in the upper part is       
represented an immense crowd of happy   
spirits1 yet distributed in the finest  
order1 with a number of angels of all   
dimensions1 all full of action2 some    
employed in assisting the flight of the 
,virgin1 others singing and dancing1 and
 the rest engaged in celebrating the    
triumph with applause1 songs1 torches1  
and the burning of celestial perfumes4  
,in all1 the countenances beam with     
mingled beauty1 hilarity1 and triumph2 a
 halo of light seems to envelope the    
whole1 so that notwithstanding the piece
 is much defaced1 it is still calculated

 to awaken such an enchantment of the   
soul1 that the spectator almost dreams  
he is in elysium4 ,these magnificent    
works1 as it has been observed of the   
chambers of ,raffaello1 were calculated 
to promote the dignity of his manner1   
and led the way to that height of       
perfection he attained in the difficult 
art of working in fresco4 ,to estimate  
it aright1 we ought to approach near1 to
 mark the decision and audacity as it   
were of every stroke2 the parts1 that at
 a distance appear so beautiful1 yet    
effected by few lines2 and that         
colouring1 and that harmony which unites
 so many objects in one1 produced1 as it
 were1 in sportful play4 ,the renowned  
artist survived only four years1        
subsequent to the completion of the     
cupola2 without commencing1 during the  
interval1 the painting of the tribune1  
for which he had pledged himself1 and   
received part of the remuneration1 which
 was afterwards restored to the revenues
 of the cathedral by his heirs4 ,it has 

been conjectured1 that the conductors of
 the works must1 in some way1 have given
 him offence2 since the artist ,soiaro1 
on being invited to paint at the        
,steccata1 objects to it in the         
following terms3 ,not wishing to remain 
at the discretion of so many different  
heads2 for you know1 he continues to his
 friend1 what was said to ,coreggio in  
the dome4 ,now this1 it would appear1   
must have consisted of some expressions 
derogatory to his talents2 probably some
 words which one of the artificers is   
said to have applied to the             
diminutiveness of his figures3 ,ci avete
 fatto un guazzetto di rane4 ,you have  
presented us with a hash of frogs4      
,words from a workman1 for which        
,coreggio might easily have consoled    
himself1 as they did not express the    
opinion of the city of ,parma4  ,he     
died1 however1 about four years         
afterwards1 at his native place1 before 
he had completed his undertaking2 and   
without leaving any portrait of himself 

which can be considered genuine4        
,vasari's editor1 at ,rome1 produces one
 of a bald old man1 little agreeable to 
our ideas of ,coreggio1 who died at the 
age of forty4 ,it is taken from a       
collection of designs by the ,padre     
,resta1 which he entitled1 the ,portable
 ,gallery1 and which both the ,cavalier 
,tiraboschi and the ,padre della ,valle 
mentioned as having been lost4          
,nevertheless it exists in the          
,ambrosian collection1 and contains1    
among other designs1 one which ,resta1  
in the notes added thereto1 declares to 
be the family of ,coreggio1 consisting  
of the portrait of himself1 his wife1   
and his sons2 altogether forming one    
female and three male heads1 poor1 and  
wretchedly attired4 ,but it betrays     
evident marks of its want of            
genuineness1 and not the least in the   
description of the family2 inasmuch as  
,antonio is known to have had one son   
and three daughters1 two of whom appear 
to have died at an early age4 ,the      

portrait remaining at ,turin1 in the    
,vigna della ,regina1 engraved by the   
very able ,valperga1 bears an           
inscription1 in part obliterated by the 
cornice4 ,still ,i contrived to decypher
 the words1 ,antonius ,corrigius1       
f--7that is1 fecit71 one of the first   
arguments for not admitting it1 as some 
have done1 to be a head of ,coreggio4 ,a
 further one may be derived from the    
inscription itself being written in     
large letters1 and in a space occupying 
the whole length of the canvass1 a      
method occasionally adopted to explain  
the subject of the piece1 but never the 
name of the artist4 ,there was another  
portrait sent from ,genoa into ,england1
 with an inscription upon the back1     
indicating it to be that of ,antonio da 
,coreggio1 drawn by ,dosso ,dossi1 which
 is to be found in the memoirs of       
,ratti4 ,i have no sort of ground for   
asserting such a signature to have been 
introduced several years subsequent2 a  
plan which was1 and still is frequently 

adopted1 by an accurate imitation of the
 ancient characters2 ,i would merely    
observe1 that there was also a          
distinguished painter in miniature1 of  
the name of ,m4 ,antonio da ,coreggio1  
who traversed ,italy about the time of  
,dosso1 and whose merits ,i shall treat 
of hereafter4 ,of the portrait taken of 
,coreggio1 by ,gambara1 in the cathedral
 of ,parma1 it would here be improper to
 speak1 otherwise than as an idle       
popular rumour4 ,in conclusion1         
therefore1 ,i am inclined to admit the  
seeming truth of what is advanced by    
,vasari1 that this noble artist         
entertained no idea of transmitting his 
likeness to posterity1 not justly       
estimating his own excellence1 but      
adding to his numerous other            
accomplishments that of a remarkable    
modesty1 conferring real honour upon our
 history4  ,the latest and most perfect 
style of ,coreggio has been minutely    
analysed by the ,cavalier ,mengs1 in the
 same manner as he examined that of     

,raffaello and of ,titian4 ,and in this 
famous triumvirate he accorded to him   
the second rank1 after ,raffaello1      
observing1 that this last depicted more 
exquisitely the affections of the soul1 
though inferior to him in the expression
 of external forms4 ,in this1 indeed1   
,coreggio was a true master1 having     
succeeded by his colouring1 and yet more
 by his chiaroscuro1 in introducing into
 his pictures an ideal beauty1          
surpassing that of nature1 and at the   
same time attracting the admiration of  
the most learned1 by an union of art and
 nature in its rarest forms1 such as    
they never before beheld4 ,and such     
admiration1 and such applauses1 were in 
particular bestowed upon his ,st4       
,jerome1 preserved in the academy at    
,parma4 ,algarotti declares1 that he was
 inclined to prefer it to any other of  
his productions2 and to exclaim in his  
heart3 ,tu solo mi piaci6 ,thou alone   
pleasest me6 ,annibal ,caracci himself1 
upon first beholding this picture1 as   

well as a few others from the same hand1
 declares1 in the letter already cited  
to his brother ,lodovico1 that he would 
not even exchange them with the ,st4    
,cecilia of ,raffaello1 which is still  
to be seen in the city of ,bologna4 ,and
 it may be truly said1 that the same art
 that had been carried to such a pitch  
of sublimity by ,michelangiolo2 to such 
an exquisite degree of natural grace and
 expression by ,raffaello2 and from     
,titian received such inimitable        
perfection in its tones of colouring2   
displayed in ,coreggio such an union of 
excellences1 as in the opinion of       
,mengs1 carried the whole of these to   
their highest point of perfection1      
adding to all their dignity and truth   
his own peculiar elegance1 and a taste  
as captivating to the eye as to the     
heart of the spectator4  ,in design he  
exhausted not all that depth of         
knowledge1 so conspicuous in            
,bonarruoti2 but it was at once so great
 and so select1 that the ,caracci       

themselves adopted it for their model4  
,i am aware1 that ,algarotti considered 
him to be somewhat incorrect in the     
expression of his contours2 while       
,mengs1 on the other hand1 defends him  
very warmly from such a charge4 ,truly1 
there does not appear the same variety  
in his lines as is to be found in       
,raffaello and the ancients1 inasmuch as
 he purposely avoided angles and        
rectilinear lines1 preserving1 as much  
as lay in his power1 an undulating sweep
 of outline1 sometimes convex and       
sometimes concave2 while it is          
maintained1 that his grace results1 in a
 great measure1 from this practice3 so  
that ,mengs in uncertainty appears at   
one time to commend1 and at another to  
excuse him for it4 ,he is lavish of his 
praises on the design of his draperies1 
on whose masses ,coreggio bestowed more 
attention than on the particular folds2 
he being the first who succeeded in     
making drapery a part of the            
composition1 as well by force of        

contrast as by its direction2 thus      
opening a new path which might render it
 conspicuous in large works4 ,in        
particular1 his youthful and infantile  
heads are greatly celebrated2 the faces 
beaming with so much nature and         
simplicity1 as to enchant1 and to compel
 us1 as it were1 to smile as they       
smile4#bb ,each separate figure may be  
pronounced original1 from the infinite  
variety of foreshortenings he has       
introduced2 there is scarcely a single  
head that is not seen from a point of   
view either above or below2 not a hand1 
not a whole figure1 whose attitude is   
not full of an ease and grace of motion1
 beyond example4 ,by his practice of    
foreshortening figures upon ceilings1   
which was avoided by ,raffaello1 he     
overcame many difficulties still        
remaining to be vanquished after the    
time of ,mantegna1 and in this branch of
 perspective is justly entitled to the  
merit of having rendered it complete4   
,footnote #bb3 ,this is an expression of

 ,annibal ,caracci4      ,elsewhere he  
observes3 ,this kind of delicacy and    
purity1      which is rather truth      
itself than verisimilitude1 pleases me  
greatly4 ,it is neither artificial nor  
forced1 but quite      natural4  ,his   
colouring is allowed to correspond      
beautifully with the grace and selection
 of his design1 ,giulio ,romano having  
been heard to assert that it was        
altogether the best he had ever seen2   
nor was he averse to the ,duke of       
,mantua giving the preference to        
,coreggio above himself1 when about to  
make a presentation of pictures to the  
emperor ,charles ,v4 ,equal commendation
 is bestowed upon him by ,lomazzo1 when 
he pronounces that1 among the           
colourists1 he is to be considered      
rather as unique than as rare in point  
of merit4 ,no artist before him ever    
bestowed so much attention upon his     
canvass1 which1 after a slight covering 
of chalk1 received his colours1 both in 
point of quantity and quality1 as we    

have before stated1 from a lavish       
hand4#bc ,in the impasto1 or laying on  
his colours1 he approaches the manner of
 ,giorgione1 in their tone he resembles 
,titian1 though in their various        
gradations1 in the opinion of ,mengs1 he
 is even more expert4 ,there prevails   
likewise in his colouring a clearness of
 light1 a brilliancy rarely to be met   
with in the works of others2 the objects
 appear as if viewed through a glass1   
and towards evening1 when the clearness 
of other paintings begins to fade with  
the decay of light1 his are to be seen  
as it were in greater vividness1 and    
like phosphoric beams shining through   
the darkness of the air4 ,of the kind of
 varnish for which ,apelles has been so 
commended by ,pliny1 we appear to have  
no idea since the revival of the art1 or
 if1 indeed1 we at all possess it1 we   
must confess our obligations to         
,coreggio4 ,some there have been who    
could have liked more delicacy in his   
flesh tints2 but every one must allow1  

that according to the age and the       
subjects he had to deal with1 he has    
succeeded in varying them admirably1    
impressing them at the same time with   
something so soft1 so juicy1 and so full
 of life1 as to appear like the truth   
itself4    ,footnote #bc3 ,one of the   
professors being employed in restoring  
a piece of ,coreggio1 analyzed the mode 
of colouring4 ,upon      the chalk1 he  
said1 the artist appeared to have laid a
      surface of prepared oil1 which    
then received a thick mixture      of   
colours1 in which the ingredients were  
two thirds of oil      and one of       
varnish2 that the colours seemed to have
 been      very choice1 and particularly
 purified from all kind of      salts1  
which in progress of time eat and       
destroy the      picture2 and that the  
before-mentioned use of prepared oil    
must have greatly contributed to this   
purification by      absorbing the      
saline particles4 ,it was1 moreover1 his
      opinion1 that ,coreggio adopted   

the method of heating his      pictures1
 either in the sun1 or at the fire1 in  
order that      the colours might become
 as it were interfused1 and             
equalized in such a way as to produce   
the effect of having      been poured1  
rather than laid on4 ,of that lucid     
appearance      which1 though so        
beautiful1 does not reflect objects1 and
 of      the solidity of the surface1   
equal to the ,greek pictures1 he        
remarks1 that it must have been obtained
 by some strong      varnish unknown to 
the ,flemish painters themselves1 who   
prepared it of equal clearness and      
liveliness but not of      equal        
strength4 ,see vol4 i4 p4 #di4  ,but his
 grand and mastering quality1 his       
crowning triumph and distinction above  
all other artists known to us1 is his   
thorough knowledge of lights and shades4
 ,like nature herself he does not       
present objects to us with the same     
force of light1 but varied according to 
the surfaces1 oppositions1 and          

distances2 it flows in a gradation      
insensibly increasing and diminishing1 a
 distinction essential in aerial        
perspective1 in which he is so great1   
and contributing finely to the general  
harmony4 ,he observed the same principle
 in his shades1 representing the        
reflection of colour upon each1 in so   
delicate a degree1 that though using    
them so abundantly1 his shadows are     
always varied like nature's1 never      
monotonous4 ,this quality is eminently  
conspicuous in his night-piece in the   
,dresden gallery2#bd and in his         
,magdalen1 there seen reposing in a     
cave2 a small picture it is true1 but   
estimated in the purchase at            
twenty-seven thousand crowns4 ,by the   
use of his chiaroscuro he not only gave 
superior softness and rotundity to his  
forms1 but displayed a taste in the     
whole composition1 such as had never    
been witnessed before4 ,he disposed the 
masses of his lights and shades with an 
art1 purely natural in its foundation1  

but in the selection and effect         
altogether ideal4 ,and he arrived at    
this degree of perfection by the very   
same path pursued by ,michelangiolo1    
availing himself of models in clay and  
wax1 the remains of some of which are   
said to have been found in the cupola at
 ,parma not many years ago4 ,it is also 
currently reported1 that while employed 
in that city1 he engaged the assistance 
of the famous modeller ,begarelli1 whom 
he conducted thither at his own expense4
    ,footnote #bd3 ,it is more          
accurately entitled by others the       
,opening of ,day4  ,though excellent in 
all1 in other portions of his art he    
cannot be pronounced equally excellent4 
,his conceptions were good1 but         
occasionally they betrayed a want of    
unity1 representing as he did one and   
the same story in different parts4 ,thus
 in the fable of ,marsyas1 in the       
,palazzo ,litta at ,milan1 his contest  
with ,apollo1 ,minerva consigning him   
over to punishment1 and the punishment  

itself1 are distributed into separate   
groups4 ,the same kind of repetition    
will1 ,i think1 be found in the story of
 ,leda1 executed for ,charles ,v4 in    
which the swan is twice brought into    
view1 proceeding by degrees to          
familiarize himself with her charms1    
until in the third group he wholly      
possesses her4 ,in fact his inventions1 
for the most part1 are like the strains 
of ,anacreon1 in which the young loves1 
and in sacred themes the angels1 are    
introduced under the most agreeable     
forms and actions4 ,thus in the picture 
of ,s4 ,george1 they are seen sporting  
about the sword and helmet of the saint2
 and in ,s4 ,jerome an angel is engaged 
in shewing our ,lord the book of that   
great doctor of our holy church1 while  
another is holding under his nose the   
uncovered vase of ointment belonging to 
the ,magdalen4 ,of his powers of        
composition we have a proof in the      
execution of the cupola1 already so     
highly commended1 in which it appears as

 if the architecture had been formed for
 the effect of the painting1 so         
admirably is this last adapted1 and not 
the production for the place4 ,he was   
fond of contrasts1 no less in whole     
figures than their parts2 but he never  
arbitrarily affected them1 or carried   
them to the extravagant degree we have  
since beheld1 in violation of all       
decorum and truth4 ,in force of         
expression1 more particularly upon      
tenderer subjects1 he stands1 perhaps1  
without a rival or an example2 such is  
his ,magdalen just alluded to1 as she is
 seen bending to kiss the feet of the   
,holy ,child1 with a countenance and    
action expressive of all the different  
beauties1 scattered over the works of   
many other artists1 a sentiment more    
fully expressed by ,mengs3 of this      
picture we may truly say with ,catullus1
 ,omnibus una omnes surripuit ,veneres4 
,grief was a passion likewise depicted  
by him with singular power2 admirably   
varied according to circumstances in his

 ,dead ,christ at ,parma1 most heartfelt
 in that of the ,magdalen1 profound in  
the ,virgin1 and in a middling degree in
 the other female face4 ,and though we  
do not meet with many examples of a     
loftier cast1 still he could depict the 
fiercer passions with sufficient power1 
as witness the ,martyrdom of ,s4        
,placidus1 in which piece an executioner
 is so nobly drawn1 that ,domenichino   
avowedly imitated it in his celebrated  
picture of ,s4 ,agnes4  ,finally the    
costume of his sacred history-pieces is 
deficient in nothing we could desire2   
though in his fables1 indeed1 he might  
have improved it1 by adhering1 like     
,raffaello and the moderns1 more closely
 to the ancients4 ,thus in his ,leda he 
has represented ,juno in the guise of an
 elderly lady1 full of spite and        
jealousy1 secretly beholding the stolen 
embraces of her lord4 ,she approaches in
 nothing to the antique1 either in her  
countenance or in her symbols1 and hence
 in the usual interpretations she is    

considered as a mere cypher4 ,in the    
fable of ,marsyas1 he bears no          
resemblance to the ,faun2 ,minerva has  
no ,a,egis1 nor any other of her usual  
attributes2 while ,apollo is endued     
neither with the limbs nor aspect which 
are awarded him at this day2 and so far 
from boasting of his lyre1 he plays upon
 a violin4 ,here again we might adduce a
 fresh argument for ,coreggio having    
never visited ,rome1 where even artists 
of mediocrity1 instructed in a knowledge
 of the antique1 knew how to avoid      
similar errors4 ,in him1 however1 they  
are scarcely blemishes1 and rather      
flattering to the name of ,coreggio1    
inasmuch as they serve more fully to    
convince us that he partakes not the    
glory of his sovereign style with many  
masters or many assistants1 standing    
great and alone4 ,regarded in this view 
he appears indeed something more than   
mortal2 and in his presence1 as ,annibal
 ,caracci truly wrote1 ,parmigianino and
 others of his rank seem to shrink into 

nothing4#be ,but the productions of this
 great master are daily becoming more   
rare in ,italy1 such are the prices     
offered1 such is the eagerness of       
strangers to obtain them1 and the esteem
 in which he is held4 ,we are still     
consoled for their loss by several      
ancient copies1 more especially of his  
smaller pictures1 such as the ,marriage 
of ,s4 ,catherine1 the ,reposing        
,magdalen1 the ,young ,man's ,escape1   
pieces already mentioned2 but to which  
we may add his ,christ praying in the   
,garden1 placed in the ,escurial1 and   
his ,zingherina1 the ,gipsey ,girl1 in  
the gallery at ,dresden4 ,the most      
estimable among the old copies are by   
,schidone1 ,lelio da ,novellara1        
,girolamo da ,carpi1 and by the         
,caracci1 who1 by dint of copying       
,coreggio's pieces1 approached very     
nearly the style of the originals2      
though more in point of design than in  
skill and delicacy of colouring4        
,footnote #be3 ,his words are1 ,it is my

 unalterable opinion that               
,parmigianino in no way approaches      
,coreggio1 whose thoughts      and fine 
inventions are all clearly drawn from   
himself1      always original4 ,all     
other artists look out for some         
support1 some foundations for their     
efforts taken from other      sources2  
one to models1 one to statues1 another  
to cartoons3      all their productions 
are represented such as they might      
have been1 ,coreggio's such as they     
really are4 7,see second      ,letter to
 ,lodovico1 ,malvasia1 vol4 i4 p4 #cfg47
  ,hitherto ,i have treated of the      
manner of ,antonio1 and in so doing have
 described the manner of his school2    
not1 indeed1 that any single artist at  
all equalled or approached him1 but that
 all held very nearly the same maxims1  
mixed1 in some instances1 with different
 styles4 ,the prevailing character of   
the school of ,parma1 by way of         
distinction likewise called the ,lombard
 school1 is the excellence of its       

shortenings1 like the delineation of the
 nerves and muscles in that of          
,florence4 ,nor is it any reproach that 
its artists1 in some instances1 have    
become extravagant and affected in their
 foreshortening1 as the ,florentines in 
their representations of the naked      
limbs3 to imitate well is in all places 
a difficult art4 ,its character may     
further be said to consist in a fine    
study of the chiaroscuro and of         
draperies1 rather than of the human     
figure1 in which few artists of the     
school can boast much excellence4 ,their
 contours are broad1 their countenances 
selected rather from among the people1  
than of an ideal cast1 being well       
rounded1 high coloured1 and exhibiting  
those features and that joyousness      
esteemed so original in ,coreggio1 as it
 has been well remarked by a professor  
long resident in ,parma4 ,there we have 
reason to believe that our artist       
instructed more pupils than have been   
recorded by ,vasari1 to whose           

observations and opinions much          
additional matter has been supplied by  
writers of the present age1 though      
doubts continue to prevail respecting   
some of his reputed scholars4 ,i shall  
treat this great master as others have  
done in regard to ,raffaello1           
comprehending1 within the limits of his 
school1 all those assistants and others 
who1 educated in different academies1   
subsequently attached themselves to his1
 availing themselves of his instructions
 and examples4  ,first upon the list1   
therefore1 ,i place his own son1        
,pomponio ,allegri4 ,he had hardly time 
to benefit by his father's instructions1
 or to receive his earliest rudiments1  
having lost him at the age of twelve4   
,his grandfather then took him under his
 care1 until the period of his death1   
occurring five years after1 when he left
 a pretty handsome provision for the    
orphan1 who boasted likewise no common  
degree of talent4 ,with whom he pursued 
his education1 however1 is not known1   

whether with ,rondani1 a faithful       
disciple of his father1 or with some    
other of the same school4 ,it is certain
 he was a youth of fair abilities1 and  
that with the aid of his father's       
studies he acquired some reputation1 and
 established himself at ,parma4 ,in the 
cathedral there appears1 wrought upon a 
large earthen bason1 the story of the   
,israelites awaiting the arrival of     
,moses1 to whom the ,lord has just      
consigned the tablets of the law4       
,though not very successful as a whole1 
the work displays great merit in        
particular parts2 many of the heads are 
beautiful1 many of the motions spirited1
 and there are tones of colouring       
extremely clear and natural4 ,it was    
believed that ,pomponio had early       
abandoned the use of his pencil1        
disposing of his property in ,coreggio1 
and afterwards dying in great poverty at
 an early age4 ,these false or uncertain
 reports1 however1 have been rendered   
nugatory by authentic documents brought 

forward by ,father ,affo1 stating him to
 have enjoyed1 in ,parma1 high          
reputation and honourable public        
commissions1 and confirmed by a public  
decree recording him1 while the best    
disciples of the school of ,parma were  
yet alive1 as being ottimo pittore4  ,we
 now proceed to other artists belonging 
to the city and state of ,modena4 ,among
 these we find the name of ,francesco   
,cappelli1 a native of ,sassuolo1 who   
established himself in ,bologna1        
without1 however1 leaving there any     
public specimen of his labours4 ,most   
probably he was employed by private     
persons1 or1 as ,vedriani is led to     
conjecture1 also by princes2 though in  
respect to their names he is certainly  
mistaken4 ,there is an altar-piece in   
,s4 ,sebastiano at ,sassuolo1 commonly  
attributed to his hand1 representing a  
figure of the ,virgin1 with some saints1
 among which last appears the ,titular1 
the most noble and conspicuous of the   
whole1 in such fine impasto and relief1 

as to be attributed to the pencil of his
 master4  ,another of the school is     
,giovanni ,giarola da ,reggio1 whose    
productions there in fresco are to be   
seen in the ,palazzo ,donelli and other 
places1 though they have perished in    
,parma4 ,he cannot1 however1 be         
pronounced exempt from the usual        
negligence of fresco painters in their  
contours2 still he was much esteemed1   
while he flourished1 for the spirit and 
delicacy of his manner4 ,although       
epitaphs are by no means the most       
desirable sort of testimony to the worth
 of the deceased1 it will be1           
nevertheless1 worth while to recall that
 of ,giarola1 from which1 if we deduct  
even nine parts of the commendation1 the
 tenth will confer upon him no slight   
honour2--,io4 ,gerolli1 qui adeo        
excellentem pingendi artem edoctus      
fuerat1 ut alter ,apelles vocaretur2 who
 had arrived at such a masterly degree  
of excellence in this noble art that he 
was entitled to the name of another     

,apelles4 ,to him we have to add a      
fellow citizen and namesake of          
,coreggio1 called ,antonio ,bernieri1   
sprung from a noble stock1 and who      
having lost his master at the age of    
eighteen years1 inherited1 in a manner1 
the appellation of ,antonio da          
,coreggio1 thus giving rise to several  
historical doubts and inaccuracies4 ,he 
is enumerated by ,landi1 and by ,pietro 
,aretino1 among the most distinguished  
of the miniature painters2 and also     
mentioned by ,d4 ,veronica ,gambara1    
,marchioness of ,coreggio4 ,there is no 
genuine painting by him1 however1 in    
oil1 though ,i have no reason for       
refusing him the degree of reputation so
 general among the miniaturists2 and the
 portrait at ,turin1 described in the   
present volume 7p4 #aja71 ought         
certainly ,i think to be attributed to  
him rather than to ,antonio ,allegri4   
,he long flourished in ,venice1 visited 
,rome1 and died at his native place4    
,the next ,i have to add to this list is

 a name unknown1 as far as ,i can learn1
 to history1 and one which ,i only      
discovered from a beautiful design ,i   
happened to meet with in a collection by
 ,father ,fontana ,barnabita1 a         
collection mentioned by me with         
commendation in my first volume 7p4     
#ge74 ,his name is ,antonio ,bruno1 a   
native of ,modena1 and an artist who    
ably emulated the genius of ,coreggio in
 his grace1 his nature1 his             
foreshortenings1 and his broad lights1  
though with far less correct a pencil4  
,further1 among the scholars of ,parma1 
there remain several who acquired less  
fame4 ,a ,daniello de ,por is mentioned 
by ,vasari in his life of ,taddeo       
,zuccaro1 who1 according to his account1
 received some assistance from          
,daniello1 more in the way of           
instructions than example4 ,yet he      
records no other of his productions     
besides a piece in fresco1 to be seen at
 ,vito1 near ,sora1 where he invited    
,zuccaro to join him as an assistant2   

nor does it appear that he commends him 
for any thing beyond having acquired    
from ,coreggio and ,parmigianino a      
tolerable degree of softness of manner4 
,in fact he must have rather occupied   
the place of a journeyman than of an    
assistant of ,coreggio1 and ,i suspect  
he is the same from whom ,vasari        
obtained some information respecting    
this artist1 in particular1 such as     
related to his avarice1 which the       
historian had assuredly no reason either
 for disbelieving or inventing4 ,but a  
superior pupil of the same school will  
be found in ,m4 ,torelli1 called a      
native of ,milan in the ,,ms4 of ,resta1
 where he is mentioned as the companion 
of ,rondani1 in executing the ,frieze at
 ,san ,giovanni in ,parma1 painted in   
chiaroscuro4 ,it was taken from the     
design of ,coreggio1 who received       
likewise the proceeds from the work4 ,it
 is added by ,ratti1 that the first     
cloister of the same monastery was also 
adorned with singular felicity by the   

same hand4  ,the names of the following 
artists all enjoy more or less celebrity
 in ,italy at the present day2 but it is
 not therefore certain that they were   
all the pupils of ,coreggio1 nor that   
they all observed the same manner4 ,like
 young swimmers1 some of them seem      
cautious of leaving the side of their   
master1 while others appear fearful only
 of being seen to approach him too      
nearly1 as if proud of the skill they   
had already acquired4 ,to the first     
class belongs ,rondani1 who was employed
 along with ,coreggio at the church of  
,s4 ,giovanni1 and to him is chiefly    
attributed a grotesque contained in the 
monastery1 assigned to the school of    
,antonio1 though we may detect some     
figures of cherubs which appear from the
 master's hand4 ,yet ,rondani was       
accustomed to imitate his master pretty 
accurately in his individual figures2   
and on the exterior of the church of ,s4
 ,maria ,maddalena1 he drew a ,madonna1 
that in want of historical evidence1    

might have been attributed to ,coreggio4
 ,there is also an altar-piece at the   
,eremitani1 representing saints         
,agostino and ,geronimo1 so much in the 
,coreggio manner as to be esteemed one  
of the best pictures in ,parma4 ,but    
,rondani was unable to reach the        
grandeur of the head of the school2 he  
is accused on the other hand of having  
been too careful and minute in the      
accessaries of his art1 which we gather1
 indeed1 from one of his frescos in a   
chapel of the cathedral1 and in general 
from his other works4 ,they are rarely  
to be met with in collections1 though ,i
 have seen one of his ,madonnas1 with a 
,child1 in possession of the ,marchesi  
,scarani at ,bologna1 the figure bearing
 a swallow in her hand1 in allusion to  
the painter's name2 besides the portrait
 of a man1 draped and designed in the   
,giorgione taste1 at the house of the   
,sig4 ,bettinelli in ,mantua4  ,i have  
already alluded to ,michelangiolo       
,anselmi1 in the school of ,siena1 and  

,i again prepare to treat of him more   
fully1 from documents since published1  
or which ,i have since read4 ,upon the  
authority of these it is very certain   
that he traced his family several       
generations back to the city of ,parma2 
though he is denominated da ,lucca1 from
 the circumstance of his having been    
born at that place1 according to ,ratti1
 in #aeia2 and he has been also called  
da ,siena1 because1 as ,i am inclined to
 conjecture1 he may have resided and    
pursued his studies there while young4  
,resta1 in the ,,ms4 ,i have so         
frequently cited1 contends that he      
acquired his art from ,sodoma2          
,azzolini1 from ,riccio1 son-in-law to  
,sodoma1 both of whom are known to have 
remained a considerable time at ,lucca4 
,there he may have been instructed in   
the first rudiments1 and afterwards have
 completed his studies at ,siena1 where 
he produced the altar-piece of          
,fontegiusta1 which bears no traces of  
the ,lombard style4 ,when practised in  

the art he returned to ,parma1 he was   
older than ,coreggio1 and then only     
capable of improving his style by       
availing himself of his advice and      
example1 in the same way as ,garofolo   
and many others1 by the example of      
,raffaello4  ,when in the year #aebb    
,coreggio was engaged to paint the      
cupola of the cathedral and the great   
tribune1 ,anselmi1 together with        
,rondani1 and ,parmigianino1 were fixed 
upon to adorn the contiguous chapels4   
,the undertaking was never executed2 but
 such a selection shews that he was     
esteemed capable of accompanying the    
style of ,coreggio1 and his works       
sufficiently attest that he became a    
devoted follower of it4 ,he is full in  
his outlines1 extremely studied in the  
heads1 glowing in his tints1 and very   
partial to the use of red1 which he     
contrives to vary and to break as it    
were into different colours in the same 
picture4 ,perhaps his least merit       
consists in his composition1 which he   

sometimes overloads with figures4 ,he   
painted in various churches at ,parma2  
and one of the most pleasing of his     
productions1 approaching nearest to his 
great model1 is at ,s4 ,stefano1 in     
which ,s4 ,john the ,baptist1 along with
 the titular saint1 is seen kneeling at 
the feet of the ,virgin4 ,his largest   
work1 however1 is to be met with at the 
,steccata1 where1 upon the testimony of 
,vasari1 he executed the cartoons of    
,giulio ,romano4 ,but this is disproved 
by the contract1 which assigns to       
,anselmi himself a chamber in which to  
compose his cartoons2 nor did ,giulio do
 more than send a rough sketch of the   
work to ,parma4 ,in collections his     
specimens are rare and valuable1        
although he flourished1 to say the      
least1 as late as the year #aeed1 in    
which he added a codicil to his will4   
,bernardino ,gatti1 named from his      
father's profession ,soiaro1 of whom ,i 
shall again make mention in the         
,cremonese ,school1 is an artist1 who1  

in different countries1 left various    
specimens of his art4 ,parma1 ,piacenza1
 and ,cremona abound with them4 ,he     
ranks among the least doubtful disciples
 of ,coreggio1 and was strongly attached
 to his maxims1 more especially in      
regard to the subjects treated by the   
hand of his master4 ,his picture of a   
,pieta1 at the ,magdalen1 in ,parma1    
that of his ,repose in ,egypt1 at ,s4   
,sigismond1 in ,cremona1 with his       
,christ in the ,manger1 at ,s4 ,peter's1
 in the same city1 afford ample evidence
 of his power of imitating ,coreggio    
without becoming a servile copyist4 ,no 
one has emulated him better in the      
delicacy of his countenances4 ,his young
 girls and his boys appear animated with
 the spirit of innocence1 grace1 and    
beauty4 ,he is fond of whitish and clear
 grounds1 and infuses a sweetness into  
his whole colouring which forms one of  
his characteristics4 ,nor does he want  
relief in his figures1 from which1 like 
the head of the school1 he seems never  

to have removed his hand until he had   
rendered them in every way perfect and  
complete4 ,he possessed singular talent 
for copying1 as well as for imitating   
those masters whom he had engaged to    
assist4 ,he succeeded to the place of   
,pordenone1 in ,piacenza1 where he      
painted the remainder of the tribune at 
,s4 ,m4 di ,campagna1 of which ,vasari  
observes1 that the whole appeared the   
work of the same hand4 ,his picture of  
,s4 ,george1 at the same church1 is     
deserving of mention1 placed opposite   
that of ,s4 ,augustine by ,pordenone1 a 
figure displaying powerful relief and   
action1 which he executed from the      
design of ,giulio ,romano1 at the       
request1 it is supposed1 of the person  
who gave the commission4 ,we may form an
 estimate of his unassisted powers by   
what he has left in the churches of     
,parma1 and more particularly in the    
cupola of the ,steccata4 ,it is an      
excellent production in every part1 and 
in its principal figure of the ,virgin  

truly surprising4 ,another of his pieces
 representing the ,multiplication of    
,loaves1 is highly deserving of mention4
 ,it was executed for the ,refectory of 
the ,padri ,lateranensi at ,cremona1 and
 to this his name1 with the date of     
#aeeb1 is affixed4 ,it may be accounted 
one of the most copious paintings to be 
met with in any religious refectory1    
full of figures larger than the life1   
and varied equal to any in point of     
features1 drapery1 and attitudes1       
besides a rich display of novelty and   
fancy2 the whole conducted upon a grand 
scale1 with a happy union and taste of  
colouring1 which serves to excuse a     
degree of incorrectness in regard to his
 aerial perspective4 ,there remain few  
of his pieces in private collections1 a 
great number having been transferred    
into foreign countries1 particularly    
into ,spain4  ,giorgio ,gandini1        
likewise surnamed del ,grano1 from the  
maternal branch of his family1 was an   
artist formerly referred to ,mantua1 but

 who has since been claimed by ,padre   
,affo1 who traced his genealogy for the 
city of ,parma4 ,according to the       
account of ,orlandi he was not only a   
pupil of ,coreggio1 but one whose pieces
 were frequently retouched by the hand  
of his master4 ,p4 ,zapata1 who         
illustrated in a latin work the churches
 of ,parma1 ascribes to him the         
principal painting in ,s4 ,michele1 the 
same which1 in the ,guide of ,ruta1 was 
attributed by mistake to ,lelio di      
,novellara4 ,it is one calculated to    
reflect honour upon that school1 from   
its power of colouring1 its relief1 and 
its ease and sweetness of hand1 though  
it occasionally displays a somewhat too 
capricious fancy4 ,how highly he was    
esteemed by his fellow citizens may be  
inferred from the commission which they 
allotted him to paint the tribune of the
 cathedral1 as a substitute for         
,coreggio1 who died before he commenced 
the task which he had accepted4 ,the    
same happened to ,gandini1 and the      

commission was bestowed upon a third    
artist1 ,girolamo ,mazzuola1 whose      
genius was not then sufficiently matured
 to cope with such vast undertakings4   
,the names of ,lelio ,orsi and ,girolamo
 da ,carpi1 ,i assign to another place1 
both of whom are enumerated by other    
writers in the school of ,parma4 ,for   
this alteration ,i shall give a         
sufficient reason when ,i mention them4 
,the last belonging to the present      
class1 are the two ,mazzuoli2 and ,i    
commence with ,francesco1 called        
,parmigianino1 whose life1 by ,father   
,affo1 has been already written4 ,this  
writer does not rank him in the list of 
,coreggio's scholars1 but in that of his
 two uncles1 in whose studio he is      
supposed to have painted his ,baptism of
 ,christ1 which is now in possession of 
the ,conti ,sanvitali1 and as the       
production of a boy of fourteen years of
 age1 it is indeed a wonderful effort of
 genius4 ,it is remarked by the same    
historian of his life1 that having seen 

the works of ,coreggio1 ,francesco began
 to imitate him2 and there are some     
pictures ascribed to him at that period1
 which are evidently formed upon that   
great model4 ,of such kind1 is a ,holy  
,family1 belonging to the ,president    
,bertioli1 and a ,s4 ,bernardino1 at the
 ,padri ,osservanti1 in ,parma4         
,independently of these1 the fact of    
,francesco's having been chosen1        
together with ,rondani and ,anselmi1 to 
decorate a chapel near the ,cupola of   
,coreggio1 shews1 that he must have     
acquired great similarity of style1 and 
possessed docility1 equal to the other  
two1 in following the directions of such
 a master4 ,he had too much confidence1 
however1 in his own powers1 to be second
 in the manner of another artist1 when  
he was capable of forming one of his    
own4 ,and this he subsequently achieved2
 for owing to the delays experienced in 
the above undertaking1 he had time to   
make the tour of ,italy1 and meeting    
with ,giulio1 in ,mantua1 and           

,raffaello1 at ,rome1 he proceeded to   
form a style that has been pronounced   
original4 ,it is at once great1 noble1  
and dignified2 not abounding in figures1
 but rendering a few capable of filling 
a large canvass1 as we may observe in   
his ,s4 ,rocco1 at ,san ,petronio1 in   
,bologna2 or in his ,moses1 at the      
,steccata of ,parma1 so celebrated a    
specimen of chiaroscuro4  ,the          
prevailing character1 however1 in which 
this artist so greatly shone1 was grace 
of manner2 a grace which won for him at 
,rome that most flattering of all       
eulogies1 that the spirit of ,raffaello 
had passed into ,parmigianino4 ,among   
his designs are to be seen repeated     
specimens of the same figure1 drawn for 
the purpose of reaching the highest     
degree of grace1 in the person1 in the  
attitudes1 and in the lightness of his  
drapery1 in which he is admirable4 ,it  
is the opinion of ,algarotti1 that he   
sometimes carried his heads to an       
extreme1 so as to border upon           

effeminacy2 a judgment analogous to the 
previous observation of ,agostino       
,caracci1 that he could wish a painter  
to have a little of ,parmigianino's     
grace2 not all1 because he conceived    
that he had too much4 ,in the opinion of
 others1 his excessive study of what was
 graceful led him sometimes to select   
proportions somewhat too long1 no less  
in respect to stature than in the       
fingers and the neck1 as we may observe 
in his celebrated ,madonna1 at the      
,pitti ,palace1 which1 from this defect1
 obtained the appellation of collo      
lungo1 or long neck2#bf but it boasted  
likewise of its advocates4 ,his         
colouring1 also1 evidently aims at      
grace1 and for the most part is         
preserved moderate1 discreet1 and well  
tempered1 as if the artist feared1 by   
too much brilliancy1 to offend the eye2 
which1 both in drawings and paintings1  
is apt to diminish grace4 ,if we admit  
,albano as a good judge1 ,parmigianino  
was not very studious of expression1 in 

which he has left few examples2 if1     
indeed1 we are not to consider the grace
 that animates his cherubs and other    
delicate figures1 as meriting the name  
of expression1 or if that term apply    
only to the passions1 as very abundantly
 supplying its place4 ,it is1 in truth1 
on account of this rare exhibition of   
grace1 that every thing is pardoned1 and
 that in him defects themselves appear  
meritorious4    ,footnote #bf3 ,he might
 have pleaded the example of the        
ancients1      who in their draped      
statues1 observed similar proportions1  
in order to avoid falling into          
vulgarity4 ,the length of the           
fingers was rather subject of praise1 as
 is noticed by the      commentators on 
,catullus4 7,see his #ddth ,ode47 ,a    
long neck in      virgins is inculcated 
by ,malvasia1 as a precept of the art1  
7tom4 i4 p4 #cjc72 and the ,can4        
,lazzarini drew his ,madonnas           
according to this rule4 ,these          
observations are all intended      to be

 applied with that judgment1 which1 in  
every art1 is      not presumed to be   
taught1 but understood4  ,he would seem 
to have been slow in his conceptions1   
being accustomed to form the whole piece
 in idea1 before he once handled his    
pencil2 but was then rapid in his       
execution4 ,strokes of his pencil may   
sometimes be traced so very daring and  
decided1 that ,albano pronounces them   
divine1 and declares1 that to his       
experience in design1 he was indebted   
for that unequalled skill1 which he     
always united to great diligence and    
high finish4 ,his works1 indeed1 are not
 all equally well and powerfully        
coloured1 nor produce the same degree of
 effect2 though there are several which 
are conducted with so much feeling and  
enthusiasm as to have been ascribed to  
,coreggio himself4 ,such is the picture 
of ,love1 engaged in fabricating his    
bow1 while at his feet appear two       
cherubs1 one laughing and the other     
weeping2 a piece1 of which a number of  

duplicates1 besides that contained in   
the imperial gallery1 are enumerated1 so
 great a favourite was it either with   
the artist or some other person4 ,in    
regard to this production1 ,i agree with
 ,vasari1 whose authority is further    
confirmed by ,father ,affo and other    
judges1 whom ,i have consulted upon the 
subject2 although it is true that this  
,cupid1 together with the ,ganymede1 and
 the ,leda1 which are mentioned in the  
same context1 7p4 #cjb71 have been      
positively assigned by ,boschini to     
,coreggio1 an opinion that continues to 
be countenanced by many other persons4  
,his minor paintings1 his portraits1 his
 youthful heads1 and holy figures1 are  
not very rare1 and some are found       
multiplied in different places4 ,one    
that has been the most frequently       
repeated in collections1 is a picture of
 the ,virgin and ,infant with ,s4       
,giovanni2 while the figures of ,st4    
,catherine and ,zaccarias1 or some      
similar aged head1 are to be seen very  

near them4 ,it was formerly met with in 
the ,farnese gallery1 at ,parma1 and is 
still to be seen1 sometimes the same1   
and sometimes varied1 in the royal      
gallery1 at ,florence2 in the           
,capitoline2 in those of the princes    
,corsini1 ,borghesi1 and ,albani1 at    
,rome4 ,in ,parma1 also1 it is in       
possession of the ,abate ,mazza1#bg and 
is found in other places2 insomuch1 that
 it is difficult to suppose that they   
could all have been repeated by         
,parmigianino1 however old in           
appearance4 ,he produced few copious    
compositions1 such as the ,preaching of 
,christ to the ,crowd1 which is         
contained in a chamber of the royal     
palace1 at ,colorno1 forming a real     
jewel of that beautiful and pleasant    
villa4 ,his altar-pieces are not        
numerous1 of which1 however1 none is    
more highly estimated than his ,st4     
,margarita1 at ,bologna4 ,it is rich in 
figures1 which the ,caracci were never  
weary of studying2 while ,guido1 in a   

sort of transport of admiration1        
preferred it even to the ,st4 ,cecilia  
of ,raffaello4 ,his fresco1 which he    
began at the ,steccata1 is a singular   
production2 besides the figure of       
,moses1 exhibited in chiaroscuro1 he    
painted ,adam and ,eve1 with several    
,virtues1 without1 however1 completing  
the undertaking for which he had been   
remunerated4 ,the history of the affair 
is rather long1 and is to be found in   
,father ,affo1 where it is divested of  
many idle tales1 with which it had been 
confounded4 ,i shall merely state1 that 
the artist was thrown into prison for   
having abandoned his task1 and          
afterwards led a fugitive life in       
,casale1 where he shortly died1 in his  
thirty-seventh year1 exactly at the same
 age as his predecessor ,raffaello4 ,he 
was lamented as one of the first        
luminaries1 not only of the art of      
painting1 but of engraving2 though of   
this last ,i must say nothing1 in order 
not to deviate from the plan ,i have    

laid down4    ,footnote #bg3 ,it is     
mentioned and compared with that of the 
,borghesi1 7in both the virgin is seen  
on one side7 by ,p4      ,affo1 in a    
letter edited by the ,advocate          
,bramieri1 in the      notes to the     
,elogio d',ireneo ,affo1 composed by ,p4
 ,d4      ,pompilio ,pozzetti2 a very   
excellent scholar1 7no less than        
his annotator17 and deserving to stand  
high in the      estimation of all      
learned ,italians4  ,parma was in some  
degree consoled for the loss of         
,francesco1 by ,girolamo di ,michele    
,mazzuola1 his pupil and his cousin4    
,they had been intimate from the year   
#aebj1 and apparently had contracted    
their friendship some years before      
,francesco set out for ,rome1 which was 
continued unabated after his return4    
,most probably1 however1 it at length   
experienced an interruption1 owing to   
which ,francesco named two strangers his
 heirs1 omitting his cousin4 ,this last 
is not known beyond ,parma and its      

confines1 though he was deserving of    
more extensive fame1 in particular for  
his strong impasto1 and his knowledge of
 colouring1 in which he has few equals4 
,there is reason to suppose1 that some  
of the works ascribed to ,francesco1    
more especially such as displayed warmer
 and stronger tints1 were either        
executed or repeated by this artist4    
,not having been in ,rome1 ,girolamo was
 more attached to the school of         
,coreggio1 than ,francesco1 and in his  
style composed his picture of the       
,marriage of ,st4 ,catherine1 for the   
church of the ,carmine2 a piece that    
proves how well he could exhibit that   
great master's character4 ,he was       
excellent in perspective1 and in the    
,supper of our ,lord1 painted for the   
refectory of ,s4 ,giovanni1 he          
represented a colonnade so beautiful1   
and well adapted to produce illusion1 as
 to compete with the best specimens from
 the hand of ,pozzo4 ,he could1         
moreover1 boast ease and harmony1 with a

 fine chiaroscuro2 while in his larger  
compositions in fresco1 he was          
inventive1 varied1 and animated4 ,no    
single artist1 among his fellow         
citizens1 had the merit of decorating   
the churches of ,parma with an equal    
number of oil paintings2 no one produced
 more in fresco for the cathedral and   
for the ,steccata2 to say nothing of his
 labours at ,s4 ,benedetto1 in ,mantua1 
and elsewhere4 ,it is from this rage for
 accomplishing too much1 that we find so
 many of his pieces that are calculated 
to surprise us at first sight1 diminish 
in merit upon an examination of their   
particular parts4 ,not a few defects are
 observable amidst all his beauties2 the
 design in his naked figures is         
extremely careless2 his grace is carried
 to a degree of affectation1 and his    
more spirited attitudes are violent4    
,but these faults are not wholly        
attributable to him1 inasmuch as he     
occasionally painted the same work in   
conjunction with other artists4 ,this   

occurred in his large picture of the    
,multiplication of ,loaves placed at ,s4
 ,benedetto1 in ,mantua1 in which1 from 
documents discovered by the ,ab4 ,mari1 
,girolamo would appear to have been     
assisted in his labours2 there are in it
 groups of figures1 whose beauty would  
confer credit upon any artist2 while1 on
 the other hand1 there are faults and   
imbecilities that must have proceeded   
from some other pencil4 ,it is true that
 he has admitted the same in other of   
his works1 and there they are wholly to 
be ascribed to his haste4 ,we likewise  
find mention of an ,alessandro          
,mazzuola1 son of ,girolamo1 who painted
 in the cathedral1 in #aega2 but he is a
 weak imitator of the family style2 the 
usual fate of pictoric families1 when   
arrived at the third generation4  ,such 
was the state of the art in ,parma about
 the middle of the sixteenth century1 at
 which period the ,farnese family       
acquired dominion there1 and greatly    
contributed to promote the interest of  

that school4 ,coreggio's disciples had  
already produced pupils in their turn2  
and though it be difficult to ascertain 
from what school each artist proceeded1 
it is easy to conjecture1 from their    
respective tastes1 that they were all   
inclined to pursue the career of the two
 most illustrious masters of the school 
of ,parma2 yet ,mazzuola was1 perhaps1  
more followed than ,coreggio4 ,it is too
 favourite an opinion1 both with        
dilettanti and artists1 that the new    
style must invariably be the most       
beautiful2 permitting fashion even to   
corrupt the arts4 ,parmigianino1        
perhaps1 educated no other pupil besides
 his cousin2 ,daniel da ,parma had      
studied also under ,coreggio2 and       
,batista ,fornari1 after acquiring      
little more than a knowledge of design  
from ,francesco1 turned his attention to
 sculpture1 producing1 among other fine 
statues1 for the ,duke ,ottavio         
,farnese1 the ,neptune1 which is now    
placed in the royal gardens4 ,the name  

of ,jacopo ,bertoia1 7often written by  
mistake ,giacinto7 has been added by    
some to this list4 ,he was a good deal  
employed by the court at ,parma and     
,caprarola2 and not very long ago1 some 
of his small paintings were transferred 
from the palace of the royal garden into
 the academy4 ,the subjects are         
fabulous1 and both in the figures of his
 nymphs1 and in every thing else1 the   
grace of ,francesco is very perceptible4
 ,yet the memorials discovered by ,p4   
,affo1 do not permit us to name         
,parmigianino as his master4 ,he was    
still young in #aegc1 and ,lomazzo1 in  
his ,tempio1 calls him the pupil of     
,ercole ,procaccini4 ,he produced many  
small pictures for private ornament1    
which were at one time in great repute2 
nor does ,parma possess any large       
painting by his hand1 excepting two     
banners for companies or associations4  
,it is rather1 likewise1 from a         
resemblance of style1 than upon         
historical authority1 that one ,pomponio

 ,amidano has been enumerated among the 
pupils of ,parmigianino4 ,he may be     
mentioned1 however1 as one of his most  
strenuous followers2 insomuch as to have
 had one of his altar-pieces1 which     
adorns the church of ,madonna del       
,quartiere1 attributed even by no common
 artists to the hand of ,francesco4 ,it 
is the most beautiful work of its author
 that the city of ,parma has to boast4  
,the style of this artist is full and   
noble1 were it not1 adds the ,cav4      
,ratti1 that it is sometimes apt to     
appear somewhat flat4  ,pier ,antonio   
,bernabei1 called della ,casa1 does not 
belong to the school of ,parmigianino1  
but is to be referred to some other     
assistant or pupil of ,coreggio4 ,i     
cannot account for the slight praise    
bestowed upon him by ,orlandi1 when his 
painting of the cupola at the ,madonna  
del ,quartiere is calculated to impress 
us with the opinion that his powers were
 equal to those of any artist who then  
flourished in ,lombardy1 or even in     

,italy1 as a painter of frescos4 ,he    
there represented1 as was very common   
upon the cupolas1 a ,paradise1 very     
full1 but without any confusion2 with   
figures in the ,coreggio his tints are  
powerful1 and relieved with a force     
which might be pronounced superfluous in
 the more distant figures1 from a       
deficiency of the due gradations4 ,this 
cupola still remains perfectly entire   
after the lapse of more than two        
centuries1 and is his great masterpiece1
 though some of his other paintings     
likewise produce a great effect4        
,aurelio ,barili1 and ,innocenzio       
,martini1 of ,parma1 must have enjoyed  
very considerable reputation in their   
day1 having been employed at ,s4        
,giovanni and the ,steccata3 some       
specimens of their fresco work are still
 pointed out1 but are cast into the     
shade by the vicinity of more attractive
 beauties4  ,about the same period      
another subject of the same state       
painted1 in his native place of         

,piacenza4 ,his name was ,giulio        
,mazzoni1 at one time pupil to ,daniel  
da ,volterra1 in the life of whom he is 
much commended by ,vasari4 ,some figures
 of the ,evangelists still remain in the
 cathedral by his hand1 though the      
ceiling of ,s4 ,m4 di ,campagna1 which  
he adorned with histories1 has been     
renewed by another pencil4 ,he did not  
acquire a knowledge of foreshortening in
 the school of ,daniello1 and here he   
failed1 however respectable in other    
points4     ,,school ,,of ,,parma4      
,,epoch ,,iii4       ,parmese ,pupils of
 the ,caracci1 and of other ,foreigners1
      until the period of the           
,foundation of the ,academy4   ,in the  
year #aegj1 when the most celebrated    
imitators of the ,coreggio manner were  
either greatly advanced in years1 or    
already deceased1 the ,parmese ,school  
began to give place to that of ,bologna2
 and ,i proceed to explain the mode1 and
 the causes which1 partly by design and 
partly by chance1 led to that event4 ,it

 was intended to ornament a chapel in   
the cathedral1 a commission bestowed    
upon ,rondani and ,parmigianino1 but    
which1 through a variety of             
interruptions1 had been so long         
deferred1 that both artists died before 
undertaking it4 ,orazio ,sammachini was 
then invited from ,bologna2 he gave     
satisfaction1 and if ,i mistake not1    
derived great improvement from his study
 of ,coreggio1 whom he more nearly      
resembled than any other ,bolognese     
artist of that age4 ,ercole ,procaccini1
 likewise1 painted in the dome itself2  
nor was it long before ,cesare ,aretusi 
was invited from ,bologna1 to become    
court painter to ,duke ,ranuccio4 ,this 
artist1 as we before observed1 was      
employed in restoring the painting of   
the tribune at ,s4 ,giovanni4 ,in order 
to lengthen the choir1 it was resolved  
to destroy the old tribune2 but such    
parts as ,coreggio had there painted1   
were to be correctly repeated to adorn  
the new2 an example that deserves to be 

adopted as a law1 wherever the fine arts
 are held in esteem4 ,we are informed by
 ,malvasia1 that ,aretusi undertook this
 task1 though he refused to take a copy 
of it upon the spot2 observing1 that    
such an employment was more adapted for 
a pupil than for a master4 ,annibal     
,caracci was in consequence of this     
called in1 and assisted by his brother  
,agostino1 he took a copy of that vast  
work in various portions1 which are now 
at ,capo di ,monte4 ,guided by these1   
,aretusi was afterwards enabled to      
repaint the new edifice in the year     
#aehg4 ,to this account ,affo opposes   
the contract of ,aretusi1 drawn out in  
#aehf1 where he binds himself to make an
 excellent copy of the ,madonna         
,coronata2 and provision is promised him
 for a boy who is to prepare the        
cartoons3 a circumstance that cannot be 
made applicable to ,annibal1 who        
appeared in the character of a master as
 early as #aehf4 ,what conclusion we are
 to draw from such a fact1 no less than 

from the cartoons so generally          
attributed to ,annibal1 and which are   
pronounced worthy of his hand1 quaerere 
distuli2 nec scire fas est omnia4 ,hor4 
,i shall merely observe1 that ,annibal1 
after spending several months in        
studying and copying ,coreggio during   
#aehj1 frequently returned again to     
admire him1 and that such devoted       
enthusiasm was of wonderful advantage to
 him in acquiring the character of his  
model4 ,it was at this time that he     
painted the picture of a ,pieta for the 
,capuchin friars1 at ,parma1 approaching
 the nearest that ever was seen to that 
at ,s4 ,giovanni1 and from that period  
the ,duke ,ranuccio gave him several    
commissions for pictures1 which are now 
to be met with at ,naples4  ,the duke   
was a great lover of the arts1 as we    
gather from a selection of artists      
employed by him1 among whom were        
,lionello ,spada1 ,schedoni1 ,trotti1   
and ,gio4 ,sons1 an able figure and a   
better landscape painter1 whom ,orlandi 

believes to have been instructed in     
,parma1 and perfected in the art at     
,antwerp4 ,it appears1 that he also had 
much esteem for ,ribera1 who painted a  
chapel1 which is now destroyed1 at      
,santa ,maria ,bianca1 in so fine a     
style1 that according to ,scaramuccia1  
it might have been mistaken for         
,coreggio's1 and it awakened emulation  
even in the breast of ,lodovico         
,caracci4#bh ,the chief merit1 however1 
of the duke1 and of his brother1 the    
cardinal1 consisted in estimating and   
employing the genius of the ,caracci4   
,in that court they were both fairly    
remunerated1 and held in esteem2 though1
 owing to the arts of some courtiers1   
history has preserved circumstances     
regarding these great men1 calculated to
 move compassion4#bi ,to this early     
patronage we may trace the events which 
we find in the history of the ,caracci1 
at different periods3 ,annibal engaged  
to paint the ,farnese ,gallery at ,rome2
 ,agostino called to ,parma1 in quality 

of its court-painter1 an office in which
 he died2 and ,lodovico sent to         
,piacenza1 along with ,camillo          
,procaccini1 in order to decorate the   
cathedral of that city4 ,hence also     
arose the principles of a new style at  
,parma1 or rather of several new styles1
 which during the seventeenth century   
continued to spread both there and      
throughout the state1 and which were    
first introduced by the artists of      
,bologna4    ,footnote #bh3 ,see        
,lettere ,pittoriche1 tom4 i4 p4 #baa4  
,footnote #bi3 ,bellori1 in his ,life of
 ,annibal1 pp4 #cd1 #ce4      ,see also 
,malvasia1 tom4 i4 pp4 #ccd1 #djd1 #dje1
 #ddb4 ,and      ,orlandi under the head
 ,gio4 ,batt4 ,trotti4  ,their scholars1
 besides ,bertoia1 were ,giambatista    
,tinti1 pupil to ,sammachini1 ,giovanni 
,lanfranco1 and ,sisto ,badalocchi1 who1
 having been acquainted with the younger
 ,caracci1 at ,parma1 became first      
attached to the school of ,lodovico1 in 
,bologna1 and afterwards followed       

,annibal to ,rome1 where they continued 
to reside with him4 ,these1 although    
they were educated by the ,bolognese1   
resemble certain characters who1 though 
they may abandon their native soil1 are 
never able to divest themselves of its  
memory or its language4 ,in respect to  
,lanfranco1 it is agreed by all1 that no
 artist better imitated the grandeur of 
,coreggio in works upon a large scale2  
although he is neither equal to him in  
colouring1 nor at all approaches him in 
high finish1 nor is destitute of an air 
of originality peculiar to the head of a
 school4 ,at ,parma1 he produced a      
picture representing all the saints in  
the church that bears their name2 and in
 ,piacenza1 besides his saints ,alessio 
and ,corrado at the cathedral1 works    
highly commended by ,bellori1 he painted
 an altar-piece of ,st4 ,luke1 at the   
,madonna di ,piazza1 as well as a       
cupola1 so avowedly imitated from that  
of ,s4 ,giovanni at ,parma1 that it can 
scarcely escape the charge of servility4

 ,sisto ,badalocchi1#cj no way inferior 
to ,lanfranco in point of facility1 and 
other endowments of the art1 approached 
very nearly to his style4 ,it was even  
doubted in ,parma1 whether the picture  
of ,s4 ,quintino1 in the church of that 
name1 was the production of ,lanfranco  
or his4 ,of the rest who flourished for 
the most part among the disciples of the
 ,caracci1 beyond the limits of their   
own state1 we shall treat more          
opportunely under the ,bolognese        
,school4    ,footnote #cj3 ,by          
,malvasia1 tom4 i4 p4 #eag1 he is called
      ,sisto ,rosa4  ,giambatista ,tinti
 acquired the art of design and of      
colouring from ,sammachini at ,bologna2 
he studied ,tibaldi with great          
assiduity1 and painted upon his model at
 ,s4 ,maria della ,scala1 not without   
marks of plagiarism4#ca ,having         
subsequently established himself at     
,parma1 he selected for his chief model 
the works of ,coreggio1 and next        
proceeded to the study of ,parmigianino4

 ,the city retains many of his          
productions1 both in private and in     
public1 among which that of the         
,assumption in the cathedral1 abounding 
with figures1 and the ,catino1 at the   
old ,capuchin ,nuns1 are accounted some 
of the last grand works belonging to the
 old school of ,parma4    ,footnote #ca3
 ,malvasia1 tom4 i4 p4 #bab4  ,from the 
time these artists ceased to flourish1  
the art invariably declined4 ,towards   
the middle of the seventeenth century we
 find mention1 in the ,guide of ,parma1 
of ,fortunato ,gatti and ,gio4 ,maria   
,conti1 both ,parmese1 who were shortly 
followed1 if ,i mistake not1 by ,giulio 
,orlandini4 ,they are better qualified  
to shew the succession of ,parmese      
artists than of great painters4 ,the    
name of one ,girolamo da' ,leoni1 of    
,piacenza1 is also recorded1 who was    
employed along with ,cunio1 a ,milanese1
 about the time of the ,campi4 ,at      
,piacenza likewise1 after the middle of 
the century1 appeared one ,bartolommeo  

,baderna1 pupil to the ,cavalier        
,ferrante1 whose works display more     
diligence than genius2 whence           
,franceschini took occasion to say1 that
 he had knocked loudly at the door of   
the great painters without being able to
 gain admission4 ,in the mean while the 
court continued to promote the study of 
the fine arts throughout the state4 ,it 
even sent a young man of talent1 named  
,mauro ,oddi1 under the direction of    
,berettini1 with a salary to ,rome4 ,he 
fulfilled the expectations of his       
patrons by his productions at the villa 
of ,colorno1 and he adorned some        
churches with specimens of his          
altar-pieces2 but still he aimed more at
 the fame of an architect than of a     
painter4 ,at the same time there was    
employed at court an artist named       
,francesco ,monti1 who painted likewise 
for churches and private collections4   
,he was mentioned in the ,venetian      
,school1 and exercised a more marked    
influence over the art at ,parma4       

presenting it in ,ilario ,spolverini    
with a disciple of merit4 ,ilario1 no   
less than his master1 acquired          
reputation from his battle-pieces2 and  
whether owing to exaggeration or to     
truth1 it was commonly said that the    
soldiers of ,monti threatened1 and that 
those of ,spolverini seemed to kill4 ,he
 threw no less fierceness and terror    
into some of his assassin scenes1 which 
are esteemed equal to his battles4 ,he  
painted chiefly for the ,duke           
,francesco1 though there are some of his
 works on a larger scale1 in oil and in 
fresco1 placed in the cathedral1 at the 
,certosa1 and other places throughout   
the city and the state4  ,spolverini    
instructed in the art ,francesco        
,simonini1 a distinguished              
battle-painter of that period4 ,orlandi 
says he was a scholar of ,monti1 and    
educated at ,florence upon the model of 
,borgognone4 ,he long resided at        
,venice1 where1 in the ,sala ,cappello1 
and in different collections1 he left   

pictures which abound in figures1       
ornamented with fine architecture1 and  
varied with every kind of skirmish and  
military exploits4 ,ilario instructed   
several young ,parmese in the art1 among
 whom1 perhaps1 were ,antonio ,fratacci1
 ,clemente ,ruta1 and more indisputably 
the ,ab4 ,giuseppe ,peroni4 ,the first  
under ,cignani became a better copyist  
of his master than a painter1 being     
called pittor pratico1 a mechanical     
hand1 by ,bianconi in his ,guide to     
,milan1 where1 as well as in ,bologna1 a
 few of his pictures are to be seen4 ,at
 ,parma he was not employed in public1  
as far as ,i can learn1 but for         
collections1 in which he holds a pretty 
high rank4 ,ruta was likewise educated  
in the academy of ,cignani at ,bologna4 
,returning to his native state1 whose   
paintings he has described1 he there    
entered into the service of the ,infant 
,charles of ,bourbon1 as long as he     
remained at ,parma1 after which he      
accompanied his patron to ,naples4      

,subsequently returning to ,parma2 he   
continued to employ himself with credit1
 until1 near the period of his decease1 
he lost the use of his eyes4  ,the ,ab4 
,peroni1 in the first instance1 repaired
 to ,bologna1 where he received the     
instructions of ,torelli1 of ,creti and 
of ,ercole ,lelli4 ,he next visited     
,rome1 where he became pupil to         
,masucci2 though it is probable that he 
was struck with the colouring of ,conca 
and ,giacquinto1 who were then much in  
vogue1 as his tints partake more or less
 of their verds1 and other false use of 
colouring4 ,for the rest he could design
 well1 and in elegant subjects partakes 
much of ,maratta1 as we perceive from   
his ,s4 ,philip in ,s4 ,satiro at       
,milan1 and from the ,conception1 in    
possession of the ,padri dell'          
,oratorio1 at ,turin4 ,in ,parma his    
productions are to be seen at ,s4       
,antonio ,abbate1 where his frescos     
appear to advantage1 and there is an    
altar-piece of ,christ ,crucified1      

placed in competition with ,battoni and 
,cignaroli1 and here more than elsewhere
 he is entitled to rank among the good  
painters of this last age4 ,he adorned  
his native place and its academy with   
his pictures1 and died there at an      
advanced age4 ,the career of ,pietro    
,ferrari was much shorter1 although he  
had time to produce several fine        
pictures for the public1 besides that of
 his ,b4 da ,corleone in the church of  
the ,capuchins1 as well as more for     
private collections4 ,he imitated the   
ancient manner of his school1 no less   
than more recent styles4#cb    ,footnote
 #cb3 ,i wish here to offer a brief     
tribute to the merit      of his        
deceased master1 7he died two years     
since7 who1      though a native of     
,pavia1 resided a long period at ,parma4
 ,he      studied in ,florence under    
,meucci1 next at ,paris1 where one      
of his pictures was greatly applauded1  
and the artist      elected to a place  
in that distinguished academy of art4   

,on      his return he became first     
painter to the court at ,parma1      and
 produced works no less than pupils     
calculated to reflect      credit on his
 country4 ,his ,prometheus freed by     
,hercules1      placed at the academy1  
his large portrait-piece of the         
family of ,philip1 ,duke of ,parma1     
which is pointed out in the             
,guardarobas as his best specimen1 fully
 justify the      reputation he enjoyed 
while living1 and which continues       
beyond the tomb4 ,the name of this      
artist was ,giuseppe      ,baldrighi1   
and he died at ,parma1 aged eighty      
years4  ,in ,piacenza there flourished  
,pier ,antonio ,avanzini1 educated by   
,franceschini at ,bologna4 ,he is said  
to have been wanting in imagination1    
which led him1 for the most part1 to    
copy from his master's designs4 ,gio4   
,batista ,tagliasacchi1 from ,borgo ,s4 
,donnino1 sprung from the school of     
,giuseppe del ,sole1 and displayed a    
fine genius for elegant subjects1 which 

induced him to study ,coreggio1         
,parmigianino1 and ,guido4 ,he was      
particularly ambitious of adding        
,raffaello to the list1 but his parents 
would not permit him to visit ,rome4 ,he
 resided and employed himself chiefly at
 ,piacenza1 where there is a ,holy      
,family much admired in the cathedral1  
which1 in its ideal cast of features1   
partakes of the ,roman style1 and is not
 inferior to the ,lombards in point of  
colouring4 ,he was an artist1 if ,i     
mistake not1 of far greater merit than  
fortune4  ,finally1 the state was never 
in want of excellent masters in minor   
branches of the art4 ,fabrizio          
,parmigiano is commended by ,baglioni   
amongst the landscape painters of his   
age4 ,he was assisted by his wife       
,ippolita in drawing for ,italian       
collections1 and he visited a variety of
 places previous to his arrival at      
,rome1 where he also adorned a few of   
the churches with his wood-scenes1 and  
views1 with hermits1 c4 and died there  

at an early age4 ,his style was1        
perhaps1 more ideal than true1 as it    
prevailed before the time of the        
,caracci2 but it was spirited and       
diligent4 ,there is known also one      
,gialdisi1 of ,parma1 whom1 from his    
residence in ,cremona1 ,zaist enumerates
 among the professors of that school as 
a celebrated painter of flowers4 ,he    
frequently represented them upon small  
tables covered with tapestry1 and he    
added also musical instruments1 books1  
and playing-cards1 the whole depicted   
with an air of truth and a fine         
colouring1 that obtained for him from   
such inconsiderable objects a large     
portion of fame4 ,i must also record    
,felice ,boselli of ,piacenza1 who      
became1 under the direction of the      
,nuvoloni1 a tolerable artist in        
figures1 though he succeeded best in    
copying ancient pictures1 even so as to 
deceive the eye of experienced judges by
 the exactness of his imitations4       
,following the bent of his genius1 he   

began to draw animals1 sometimes with   
their skins1 and at others1 as they are 
exposed to view in the shambles2 besides
 collections of birds and fishes1       
arranging them in order1 and all        
coloured from the life4 ,the palaces in 
,piacenza abound with them1 ,boselli1   
having survived beyond his eightieth    
year1 and despatching them with facility
 and mechanically1 whence all his       
productions are not equally entitled to 
esteem4 ,gianpaolo ,pannini belonged to 
the ,roman ,school1 in which he both    
learned and taught1 and in treating of  
which ,i rendered him that justice which
 the public admiration of his           
perspective views1 and of his peculiar  
grace in small figures1 seemed to       
require4 ,many fine specimens were sent 
from ,rome to his native country1 and   
among these the ,signori della ,missione
 possess a very rare picture1 inasmuch  
as the figures are on a larger scale    
than those which he in general drew4 ,it
 represents the ,money ,changers driven 

out of the ,temple by our ,lord2 the    
architecture is truly magnificent1 and  
the figures full of spirit and variety4 
,the governor1 ,count ,carasi1 the able 
illustrator of the public paintings in  
,piacenza1 declared that he was the only
 artist then deceased1 of whom the city 
could justly boast4 ,such deficiency    
ought not to be ascribed to its climate1
 abounding as it does with genius1 but  
to the want of a local school1 a want1  
however1 which was converted into a     
source of great utility to the city4 ,if
 we examine the catalogue of painters   
who flourished there1 with which the    
,count ,carasi closes his work1 we shall
 find that1 with the exception of the   
capitals1 no other city of ,italy was so
 rich in excellent painters belonging to
 every school4 ,had it possessed        
masters1 they would have produced for   
every excellent disciple1 at least      
twenty of only middling talent1 whose   
works would have filled its palaces and 
churches1 as it has happened to so many 

other secondary cities4  ,like one      
university for letters1 one academy for 
the fine arts is usually found          
sufficient for a single state2 and in   
particular1 where it is established1    
supported1 and encouraged in the manner 
of that at ,parma4 ,it owed its origin  
to ,don ,philip of ,bourbon1 in #ageg1  
the tenth year of his government2 and   
his son1 who at this time bears sway1   
continues to promote the interests of   
the institution4#cc ,nothing can be     
better calculated to revive among us the
 noble genius of the art of painting1   
than the method there adopted in the    
distribution of premiums4 ,the subject  
of the painting being proposed1 the     
young artists invited to the competition
 are not confined to those of the state2
 and consequently the industry of the   
most able and best matured students is  
laid under contribution1 in every place1
 for the service of ,parma4 ,the method 
of holding the assembly1 the skill and  
integrity of the umpires1 and the whole 

form of the decision1 excludes every    
doubt or suspicion respecting the       
superiority of the piece adjudged4 ,the 
artist is largely remunerated2 but his  
highest ambition is gratified in having 
been pronounced the first among so many 
competitors1 and before such an         
assemblage4 ,this is of itself always   
sufficient to raise the successful      
candidate above the common standard1 and
 often leads to fortune4 ,the prize     
painting assumes its perpetual station  
in one of the academic halls1 along with
 the favourite pieces of previous years1
 forming a series which already excites 
a warm interest among the lovers of the 
fine arts4 ,since the period when the   
,cortona manner began to lose ground in 
,italy1 a manner that1 under such a     
variety of names and sects1 had usurped 
so wide a sway1 the art in our own times
 has approached a sort of crisis1 which 
as yet forms an essay of new styles1    
rather than any prevailing one          
characteristic of this new era4 ,it is  

in such a collection1 better than in any
 book1 that we may study the state of   
our existing schools2 what maxims are   
now enforced2 what kind of imitation1   
and with how much freedom1 is allowed2  
from what source we are to look for a   
chance of recovering the ancient art of 
colouring2 what profit painting has     
derived from the copies of the best     
pictures published in engravings1 and   
from the precepts of the masters        
communicated through the medium of      
prints4 ,i am aware that a variety of   
opinion is entertained on this head1 nor
 would my own1 were ,i to interpose it1 
give weight to any of the conflicting   
arguments in this matter4 ,but ,i am    
happy to say1 that finding at length    
appeals made to reason1 which were      
formerly referred to practice1 ,i feel  
inclined rather to indulge hopes than   
doubt or diffidence in regard to the    
future4    ,footnote #cc3 ,the          
professors who reflect credit upon it   
are      enumerated by ,p4 ,affo in the 

works cited in this chapter4            
,,chapter ,,iv4    ,,school ,,of        
,,cremona4     ,,epoch ,i4       ,the   
,ancients4   ,i have never perused the  
history of ,bernardino1 and the rest of 
the pictoric family of the ,campi1      
written some time since by ,baldinucci1 
and more recently by ,giambatista       
,zaist1 without thinking that ,i see in 
the school which these artists          
established at ,cremona1 a sketch of    
that which was subsequently formed by   
the ,caracci in ,bologna4 ,in both these
 cities a single family projected the   
formation of a new style of painting1   
which should partake of all the ,italian
 schools1 without committing plagiarism 
against any2 and from each family in its
 respective city sprung a numerous      
series of excellent masters1 who partly 
by themselves and partly by means of    
their disciples1 adorned their country  
with their works1 the art by their      
example1 and history itself with their  
names4 ,why the ,cremonese ,school did  

not keep pace with that of ,bologna in  
reputation1 nor continue so long as the 
,caracci's1 and why the latter completed
 in a manner what the other only        
essayed1 was occasioned by a variety of 
causes which ,i shall gradually explain 
in the course of the present chapter4   
,in the outset1 agreeably to my usual   
plan1 ,i mean to investigate the origin 
and principles of this school1 nor shall
 we need to go farther back than the    
foundation of the magnificent cathedral 
in #aajg1 which as speedily as possible 
was decorated with all that sculpture   
and painting could afford4 ,its         
specimens of both are such as to gratify
 the eye of the antiquary1 who may wish 
to trace through what channels1 and by  
what degrees1 the arts first began to   
revive in ,italy4 ,the sculpture there  
does not indeed present us with any     
works that may not likewise be found in 
,verona1 in ,crema1 and other places2   
whereas the paintings remaining in the  
ceiling of the two lateral naves1 may be

 considered uniques1 and deserve the    
trouble of examining them more nearly1  
on account of the smallness of the      
figures and the want of light4 ,they    
consist of sacred histories2 the design 
is extremely dry1 the colours are       
strong1 and their drapery wholly novel1 
except that some of them still continue 
to be seen in the modern masks and      
theatres of ,italy4 ,some specimens of  
architecture are introduced1 presenting 
only right lines1 like what we see in   
our oldest wood engravings1 and         
explanations are also inserted1         
indicating the principal figures1 in the
 manner of the more ancient             
mosaic-workers1 when the eye1 yet       
unaccustomed to behold pictoric         
histories1 required some such           
illustration of the subject4 ,yet we can
 gather no traces of the ,greek mosaics2
 the whole is ,italian1 national1 and   
new4 ,the characters leave us in doubt  
whether we ought to ascribe them to the 
age of ,giotto1 or to that preceding    

him1 but the figures attest that their  
author was indebted neither to ,giotto  
nor his master for what he knew4 ,i can 
learn nothing of his name from the      
ancient historians of the school1       
neither from ,antonio ,campi1 ,pietro   
,lamo1 nor ,gio4 ,batista ,zaist1 whom  
,i have already cited1 and who compiled 
two volumes of memoirs of the old       
artists of ,cremona1 edited by ,panni in
 the year #aggd4  ,i may1 however1      
safely assert that there were painters  
who flourished in the ,cremonese as     
early as #abac2 for on occasion of the  
city obtaining a victory over the people
 of ,milan1 the event was commemorated  
in a picture1 in the palace of          
,lanfranco ,oldovino1 one of the leaders
 of the ,cremonese army1 and for this we
 have the testimony of ,flameno in his  
,history of ,castelleone4#cd ,there is  
also recorded by the ,ab4 ,sarnelli1 in 
his ,foreigner's ,guide to ,naples1 as  
well as by the ,can4 ,celano1 in the    
,notices of the ,beauties of ,naples1 a 

,m4 ,simone of ,cremona1 who1 about     
#acce1 painted in ,s4 ,chiara1 and is   
the same mentioned by ,surgente1 author 
of the ,naples ,illustrated1 as ,simon  
da ,siena1 and by ,dominici as ,simone  
,napolitano4 ,in a former volume ,i     
adhered to the opinion of ,dominici1    
inasmuch as he cites ,criscuolo and his 
archives2 but let the authority rest    
with them4 ,other names might be added1 
which ,zaist has in part collected from 
,,mss41 and in part from published      
documents1 such as ,polidoro ,casella1  
who flourished about #acde1 ,angelo     
,bellavita in #adbj1 ,jacopino ,marasca1
 mentioned in #adcj1 ,luca ,sclavo1     
named by ,flameno1 subsequent to #adej1 
among excellent painters1 and among the 
friends of ,francesco ,sforza1 besides  
,gaspare ,bonino1 who became celebrated 
about the year #adfj4 ,hence it may be  
perceived that this school was not      
destitute of a series of artists1 during
 a long period1 although no specimens of
 their art survive to confirm it4       

,footnote #cd3 ,see ,zaist1 p4 #ab4     
,the earliest that is to be met with    
bearing a name and certain date1 is a   
picture which belonged to ,zaist1       
representing ,julian 7afterwards the    
saint7 killing his father and mother1   
whom he mistakes for his wife and her   
paramour4 ,below the couch on which they
 are found1 are inscribed the two       
following verses3--       ,hoc quod     
,manteneae didicit sub dogmate clari1   
,antonii ,cornae dextera pinxit         
opus4--,,mcccclxxviii4  ,the name of    
,antonio della ,corna is handed down to 
us by history1 and from this monument he
 is discovered to have been a pupil of  
,mantegna1 and a follower of the first  
rather than the second style of his     
master4 ,but he does not appear to have 
flourished a sufficient time1 or he was 
not in repute enough to have a place    
among the painters of the cathedral1 in 
the fourteenth century1 who left there a
 monument of the art that may vie with  
the ,sistine chapel2 and if ,i mistake  

not the figures of those ancient        
,florentines are more correct1 those of 
the cathedral more animated4 ,there is a
 frieze surrounding the arches of the   
church1 divided into several squares1   
each of which contains a scriptural     
history painted in fresco4 ,upon this   
work a number of ,cremonese artists1 all
 of high repute1 were successively      
employed4  ,the first in this list1     
subscribed in one of these compartments1
 ,bembus incipiens1 and in the other    
compartment #ad-- 444  under his        
paintings of the ,epiphany and the      
,purification4 ,the remaining figures   
after the above1 have long been         
concealed by a side wing of the organ4  
,but the sense is very clear1 the name  
and the date of the centuries appearing 
together2 nor are we at a loss to       
perceive that the artist1 in an         
undertaking to be conducted by many1 and
 during many years1 was desirous of     
commemorating his name1 as the first who
 commenced it1 and in what year4 ,some1 

nevertheless1 have wished to infer1 by  
detaching the words ,bembus incipiens   
from the rest1 that the artist meant to 
inform us he was then first entering    
upon his profession2 as if the people of
 ,cremona1 in the decoration of their   
finest temple1 which was long conducted 
by the most celebrated painters1 would  
have selected a novice to begin4 ,it is1
 however1 a question whether the        
inscription refers to ,bonifazio ,bembo1
 or to ,gianfrancesco his younger       
brother2 but apparently we ought to give
 it1 with ,vasari1 to the former1 a     
distinguished artist who was employed by
 the court of ,milan as early as #adfa1 
while ,gio4 ,francesco flourished later1
 as we shall shortly have occasion to   
shew4 ,in the two histories with which  
,bembo commenced his labours1 as well as
 in those that follow1 he shews himself 
an able artist1 spirited in his         
attitudes1 glowing in his colours1      
magnificent in his draperies1 although  
still confined within the sphere of the 

naturalists1 and copying from the truth 
without displaying much selection1 if he
 does not occasionally transgress it by 
want of correctness4 ,both our          
dictionaries of artists and ,bottari    
have confounded this ,bonifazio with a  
,venetian of the same name1 whom we have
 mentioned in his place4  ,opposite to  
those of ,bembo is a painting1 a history
 of the ,passion1 representing our      
,redeemer before his judges1 painted by 
,cristoforo ,moretti1#ce the same1      
according to ,lomazzo1 who was employed 
with ,bembo in the court of ,milan1 and 
also painted at the church of ,s4       
,aquilino4 ,one of his ,madonnas is     
still to be seen there1 seated amid     
different saints1 and upon her mantle ,i
 was enabled to decipher1 ,christophorus
 de ,moretis de ,cremona1 in characters 
interweaved in the manner of gold lace4 
,cremonese writers call him the son of  
,galeazzo ,rivello1 and father and      
grandfather to several other ,rivelli1  
all artists1 ,moretti being only an     

assumed appellation4 ,from the          
inscription ,i have adduced1 there      
appears some difficulty in the way of   
such a tradition1 since de ,moretis is  
an expression importing a family name1  
not an acquired one4 ,whatever may be   
thought on this head1 it is certain that
 he was one of the reformers of the art 
in ,lombardy1 and particularly in the   
branches of perspective and design2 and 
in this history of the ,passion1 in     
which he excluded all kind of gilding1  
he is seen to approach the moderns4     
,footnote #ce3 ,see ,lomazzo1 ,treatise 
on ,painting1 p4 #dje4  ,somewhat later1
 and not before #adig1 ,altobello       
,melone and ,boccaccio ,boccaccino1 two 
,cremonese artists1 were employed in    
completing the frieze of the cathedral4 
,the former1 according to ,vasari1      
painted several histories of the        
,passion1 truly beautiful and deserving 
of commendation4 ,but he was the least  
consistent in point of style1           
introducing1 as it has been observed1   

figures of small and large proportions  
in the same piece1 and also least       
excellent in his frescos1 colouring them
 in a manner that now gives them the    
look of tapestry4 ,but he excelled in   
his oil paintings1 as we gather from his
 altar-piece of ,christ descending into 
,limbo1 which is preserved in the       
sacristy of the ,sacramento1 a piece for
 which the canons refused to receive a  
large sum that was offered for it4 ,the 
figures are very numerous1 of somewhat  
long proportions1 but coloured with     
equal softness and strength4 ,his       
knowledge of the naked figure is beyond 
that of his age1 combined with a grace  
of features and of attitudes that       
conveys the idea of a great master4 ,in 
the ,notizia of ,morelli1 his picture of
 ,lucretia1 painted for private         
ornament1 is mentioned4 ,it is executed 
in the ,flemish style1 and he is said to
 have been the pupil of ,armanino1      
perhaps an artist of that nation4       
,boccaccio ,boccaccino bears the same   

character among the ,cremonese as       
,grillandaio1 ,mantegna1 ,vannucci1 and 
,francia1 in their respective schools1  
the best modern among the ancients1 and 
the best of the ancients in the list of 
the moderns4 ,he had the honour of      
instructing ,garofolo during two years  
previous to his visiting ,rome in #aejj4
 ,in the frieze of the cathedral1       
,boccaccino painted the ,birth of the   
,virgin1 along with other histories1    
relating to her and the ,divine ,infant4
 ,the style is in part original1 and in 
part approaches that of ,pietro         
,perugino1 whose pupil ,pascoli says he 
was4 ,but he is less regular in his     
composition1 less beautiful in the air  
of his heads1 and less powerful in his  
chiaroscuro1 though richer in his       
drapery1 with more variety of colours1  
more spirit in his attitudes1 and       
scarcely less harmonious or less        
pleasing in his architecture and        
landscape4 ,he is1 perhaps1 least       
attractive in some of his figures1 which

 are somewhat coarse1 owing to their    
having a fulness of drapery1 and not    
being sufficiently slender1 a defect    
carefully avoided by the ancient        
statuaries1 as ,i have formerly         
observed4#cf ,it is remarked by ,vasari 
that he visited ,rome1 in which ,i agree
 with him1 both because it is in some   
degree alluded to by ,antonio ,campi1   
and because there are evident traces of 
his imitation of ,pietro1 as in his     
,marriage of the ,virgin ,mary1 and in a
 very magnificent temple1 that appears  
erected upon lofty steps1 a subject     
repeated by ,pietro several times4 ,it  
has been also noticed that his ,madonna 
at ,s4 ,vincenzo1 with the titular      
,saint and ,s4 ,antonio1 seems like the 
work of ,vannucci1 and he certainly     
approaches very near him in other       
figures4 ,i can easily believe1         
therefore1 that ,boccaccino was at      
,rome2 but ,i also believe that what is 
written of him by ,vasari and by        
,baldinucci1 if not fictitious1 is at   

least wide of the mark4    ,footnote    
#cf3 ,chapter iii4  ,let us briefly     
examine this matter4 ,it is said that he
 there attempted to depreciate the works
 of ,michelangiolo1 and that after      
exhibiting his own productions at the   
,traspontina1 which met with ridicule   
from the ,roman professors1 in order to 
escape from the hisses they excited on  
all sides1 he was compelled to return to
 his native place4 ,this story1 added to
 others of a like nature1 irritated the 
,lombard artists4 ,hence ,scanelli in   
his ,microcosm1 ,lamo in his ,discourse 
on ,painting1 and ,campi in his         
,history1 renewed the complaints of the 
other schools against ,vasari4 ,these   
are recorded by ,zaist 7p4 #gb7 with the
 addition of his own refutation of this 
account4 ,the refutation rests upon the 
epochs which ,vasari himself points out1
 and which of themselves1 say his       
opponents1 afford a decided negative to 
the story of ,boccaccino's journey to   
,rome in time to have cast reflections  

upon the paintings of ,michelangiolo4   
,it is the custom of less accurate      
historians1 when they give the substance
 of a fact1 to add to it circumstances  
of time1 of place1 or of manner1 that   
had really no existence4 ,ancient       
history is full of such examples1 and   
the severest criticism does not presume 
to discredit facts on the strength of   
some interpolated circumstance1 provided
 there be others sufficiently strong to 
sanction them4 ,in this instance1 the   
historian1 and a great friend of        
,michelangiolo1 narrates an affair      
relating to that friend1 and which is   
supposed to have taken place at ,rome1  
only a short period before the author   
wrote4 ,we can hardly then believe it to
 have been a mere idle report without   
any foundation in truth4 ,i would reject
 indeed some of its accessaries1 and in 
particular condemn those unwarranted    
reflections in which ,vasari indulges at
 the expense of one of the most         
distinguished artists who at that time  

flourished in ,lombardy4  ,next to the  
four historical paintings just          
mentioned1 follow those conducted by    
,romanino di ,brescia and by ,pordenone1
 two master spirits of their age1 who   
left examples of the ,venetian taste at 
the cathedral1 which were not neglected 
by the ,cremonese1 as will be seen4 ,we 
ought in justice to add1 that their city
 has always shewn a laudable wish to    
preserve these ancient productions from 
the effects of age1 as far as in her    
power4 ,when towards the close of the   
sixteenth century they began to exhibit 
marks of decay1 they were instantly     
ordered to be examined and restored by a
 painter and architect of some          
reputation1 called ,il ,sabbioneta1 his 
real name being ,martire ,pesenti4 ,the 
same degree of care and attention has   
been shewn them in the present day by   
the ,cav4 ,borroni4  ,two other citizens
 exhibited specimens in the same place1 
of the style which is now called antico 
moderno4 ,alessandro ,pampurini1 as it  

is said1 drew some figures of cherubs1  
round a cartellone1 or scroll for       
inscriptions1 together with a kind of   
arabesques1 bearing the date of #aeaa2  
and in the subsequent year ,bernardino  
,ricca1 or ,ricco1 produced a similar   
work opposite to it1 which owing to its 
having been executed with too much      
dryness1 perished in a few years1 and   
was renewed by a different hand4 ,but   
there still exists his picture of a     
,pieta at ,s4 ,pietro del ,po1 with some
 specimens likewise by his companion1   
sufficient to prove that both are worthy
 of commemoration for their time4       
,having thus described the series of    
artists who decorated the cathedral1    
there remain a few other names          
unconnected with that great undertaking1
 but which1 nevertheless1 enjoyed       
considerable celebrity in their day4    
,such are ,galeazzo ,campi1 the father  
of the three distinguished brothers1 and
 ,tommaso ,aleni4 ,this last so nearly  
resembled ,campi in his manner1 that    

their pictures can with difficulty be   
distinguished1 as may be seen at ,s4    
,domenico1 where they painted in        
competition with each other4 ,it is     
loosely conjectured by many that they   
were the pupils of ,boccaccino1 an      
opinion which ,i cannot entertain4 ,the 
disciples of the best masters in the    
fourteenth century continued to free    
themselves1 the longer they flourished1 
from the dry manner of their early      
education4 ,galeazzo1 on the other hand1
 the only one we need here mention1     
approaches less closely to the modern   
style than his supposed master1 as we   
perceive in the suburban church of ,s4  
,sebastiano1 where he painted the       
tutelar saint and ,s4 ,rocco standing   
near the throne of the ,virgin with the 
,infant ,christ4 ,the picture bears the 
date of #aeah1 when he was already a    
finished master1 and nevertheless he    
there appears only a weak follower of   
the ,perugino manner4 ,his colours are  
good and natural1 but he is feeble in   

chiaroscuro1 dry in design1 cold in his 
expression2 his countenances have not a 
beam of meaning1 while that of the holy 
infant seems as if copied from a child  
suffering under an obliquity of the     
eyes1 those of the figure are so badly  
drawn4 ,the observation1 therefore1 of  
,baldinucci1 or of his continuator1 that
 he had rendered himself celebrated even
 beyond ,italy1 would seem in want of   
confirmation2 nor do ,i know whence such
 confirmation can be derived4 ,certainly
 not from the ancients1 for even his own
 son ,antonio ,campi only remarks of    
,galeazzo1 that he was a tolerable      
painter for his age4  ,nor did some     
others of ,galeazzo's contemporaries    
rise much above mediocrity4 ,to this    
class belonged ,antonio ,cigognini and  
,francesco ,casella1 a few of whose     
productions remain in their native      
place2 ,galeazzo ,pesenti1 called ,il   
,sabbioneta1 a painter and sculptor2    
,lattanzio of ,cremona1 who having      
painted at the school of the ,milanese  

in ,venice1 has been recorded by        
,boschini in his ,miniere della         
,pittura1 besides ,niccolo da ,cremona1 
who was employed1 according to ,orlandi1
 in #aeah at ,bologna4 ,there are two1  
however1 who merit a larger share of    
consideration1 having produced works of 
a superior character which still exist1 
and belong in some degree to the golden 
period of the art4 ,the name of the     
first is ,gio4 ,batista ,zupelli1 of    
whom the ,eremitani possess a fine      
landscape with a ,holy ,family4 ,his    
taste1 although dry1 is apt to surprise 
the eye by its originality1 and attracts
 us by a natural and peculiar grace1    
with which all his figures are designed 
and animated1 as well as by a certain   
softness and fulness of colouring4 ,if  
,soiaro had not acquired the principles 
of his art from ,coreggio1 we might     
suppose that this ,zupelli had          
instructed him in regard to the strong  
body of his colouring1 which is         
remarkable both in him and in his       

school4 ,the second is ,gianfrancesco   
,bembo1 the brother and disciple of     
,bonifazio1 highly commended by ,vasari1
 if1 indeed1 he be1 as is supposed1 the 
same ,gianfrancesco1 called ,il         
,vetraro1 who is recorded by the        
historian in his ,life of ,polidoro da  
,caravaggio4 ,it appears certain that he
 must have visited ,lower ,italy1 from  
the style which he displays in one of   
his altar-pieces1 representing saints   
,cosma and ,damiano1 at the ,osservanti1
 to which his name with the date of     
#aebd is affixed4 ,i have not observed  
any thing in a similar taste1 either in 
,cremona or in its vicinity4 ,it retains
 very slight traces of the antique1 much
 as may be observed in those of ,f4     
,bartolommeo della ,porta1 whom he      
greatly resembled in point of colouring1
 however inferior in the dignity of his 
figures and his draperies4 ,a few more  
of his specimens are met with in public 
places and the houses of noblemen1 which
 exhibit him as one of those painters   

who added dignity to the style of       
painting in ,lombardy1 and improved upon
 the ancient manner4     ,,school ,,of  
,,cremona4     ,,epoch ,,ii4            
,camillo ,boccaccino1 ,il ,soiaro1 ,the 
,campi4   ,after the time of ,vetraro1  
nothing occurs worthy of putting on     
record until we reach the moderns2 and  
here we ought to commence with the three
 distinguished artists1 who1 according  
to ,lamo1 were employed in ,cremona in  
the year #aebb4 ,these were ,camillo    
,boccaccino1 son of ,boccaccio1 ,soiaro1
 recorded in the preceding chapter1 and 
,giulio ,campi1 who subsequently became 
the head of a numerous school4 ,other   
,cremonese artists1 it is true1         
flourished about the same period1 such  
as the two ,scutellari1 ,francesco and  
,andrea1 who have been referred by some 
writers to the state of ,mantua2 but as 
few of their works remain1 and those of 
no great merit1 we shall proceed at once
 to the great masters of the school whom
 we have mentioned above4 ,the grand    

undertaking of the cathedral proved     
useful likewise in the advancement of   
these artists1 and in particular the    
church of ,s4 ,sigismondo1 already      
erected by ,francesco ,sforza at a      
little distance from the city1 where    
these artists and their descendants1    
painting as it were in competition1     
rendered it a noble school for the fine 
arts4 ,we may there study a sort of     
series of these artists1 their various  
merit1 their prevailing tastes in the   
,coreggio manner1 their different style 
of adapting it1 and their peculiar skill
 in fresco compositions4 ,with these    
they not only decorated temples1 but by 
applying them to the facades of palaces 
and private houses they gave an         
appearance of splendour to the state1   
which excited the admiration of         
strangers4 ,they were surprised1 on     
first entering ,cremona1 to behold a    
city arrayed as if for a jubilee1 full  
of life1 and rich in all the pride of   
art4 ,strange then that ,franzese1 who  

wrote the ,lives of the best painters   
7in four volumes7 should have compiled  
nothing relating to the ,cremonese1 far 
more deserving of commemoration than    
many others in his collection whom he   
has greatly praised4  ,camillo          
,boccaccino was the leading genius of   
the school4 ,grounded in the ancient    
maxims of his father1 though his career 
was short1 he succeeded in forming a    
style at once strong and beautiful1     
insomuch that we are at a loss to say   
which is the prevailing feature of his  
character4 ,lomazzo pronounces him1 very
 able in design1 and a noble colourist1 
placing him1 as a model for the graceful
 power of his lights1 for the sweetness 
of his manner1 and for his art of       
drapery1 on a level with da ,vinci1     
,coreggio1 ,gaudenzio1 and the first    
painters in the world4 ,according to the
 opinion of ,vasari1 against whom the   
,cremonese have so bitterly inveighed1  
,camillo was a good mechanical hand1 and
 if he had flourished for a longer      

period would have had extraordinary     
success1 but he produced few works      
except such as are small1 and of little 
importance4 ,in respect to his paintings
 at ,s4 ,sigismondo1 he adds1 not that  
they are1 but are only believed by the  
,cremonese to be1 the best specimens of 
the art they have to boast4 ,they are   
still to be seen in the cupola1 in the  
grand recess1 and on the sides of the   
great altar4 ,the most distinguished    
pieces are the four ,evangelists in a   
sitting posture1 excepting the figure of
 ,s4 ,john1 who1 standing up in a       
bending attitude1 with an expression of 
surprise1 forms a curved outline opposed
 to the arch of the ceiling1 a figure   
greatly celebrated1 no less on account  
of the perspective than the design4 ,it 
is truly surprising how a young artist  
who had never frequented the school of  
,coreggio1 could so well emulate his    
taste1 and carry it even farther within 
so short a period2 this work1 displaying
 such a knowledge of perspective and    

foreshortening1 having been executed as 
early as the year #aecg4  ,the two side 
pictures are also highly celebrated1    
both in ,cremona and abroad4 ,one of    
these represents the ,raising of        
,lazarus1 the other the ,woman taken in 
,adultery1 both surrounded with very    
elegant ornaments1 representing groups  
of cherubs1 which are seen in the act of
 playing with the mitre1 the censer1 and
 other holy vessels in their hands4 ,in 
these histories1 as well as in their    
decorations1 the whole of the figures   
are arranged and turned in such a way1  
as scarcely to leave a single eye in the
 figures visible1 a novelty in respect  
to drawing by no means to be            
recommended4 ,but ,camillo was desirous 
of thus proving to his rivals that his  
figures were not1 as they asserted1     
indebted for their merit to the animated
 expression of the eyes1 but to the     
whole composition4 ,and truly in        
whatever way disposed1 they do not fail 
to please from the excellence of the    

design1 their fine and varied attitudes1
 the foreshortening1 the natural        
colouring1 and a strength of chiaroscuro
 which must have been drawn from        
,pordenone1 and which makes the         
surrounding paintings of the ,campi     
appear deficient in relief4 ,had he     
exhibited a little more choice in his   
heads of adults1 with a little more     
regularity in his composition1 there    
would1 perhaps1 have been nothing       
farther to desire4 ,we may1 moreover1   
mention his painting on a facade in one 
of the squares of ,cremona1 where1 not  
long ago1 were to be seen the remains of
 figures which ,camillo executed so as  
to excite the admiration of ,charles ,v4
 and obtain the highest commendations4  
,there remain likewise two of his       
altar-pieces1 one at ,cistello and the  
other at ,s4 ,bartolommeo1 both         
extremely beautiful4  ,the name of      
,bernardino1 or ,bernardo ,gatti1 for he
 subscribed both to his pictures1 was   
mentioned at length among the pupils of 

,parma2 and ,i have now to record it    
among the best masters of ,cremona4     
,both ,campi and ,lapi refer him without
 scruple to ,cremona1 though he is given
 by others to ,vercelli1 and supposed to
 be the same ,bernardo di ,vercelli who 
succeeded ,pordenone in painting ,s4    
,maria di ,campagna at ,piacenza1 as we 
find related in ,vasari4 ,by others he  
is supposed again to have come from     
,pavia1 where he was employed in the    
cupola of the cathedral1 and according  
to the testimony of ,count ,carasi1     
mentioned before with commendation1 he  
there subscribed his name ,bernardinus  
,gatti ,papiensis1 #aeec4 ,i leave the  
question to others1 though it seems     
hardly credible that two contemporary   
historians1 who wrote shortly after the 
death of ,bernardino1 while the public  
recollection of his native place must   
have been yet fresh1 and ready to refute
 them1 should have each fallen into     
error4 ,we might add that ,cremona is in
 possession of many of ,soiaro's        

paintings from his earliest age until he
 became an octogenarian1 and owing to a 
paralytic affection was in the habit of 
painting with his left hand4 ,at that   
advanced period he produced for the     
cathedral his picture of the            
,assumption1 fifty hands in height1 and 
which1 although he never lived to       
complete it1 is a work1 as is justly    
observed by ,lamo1 that excites our     
wonder4 ,moreover he left his           
possessions and a family at ,cremona1   
from which sprung two artists deserving 
of record1 one of whom is celebrated in 
history1 the other never before noticed4
 ,as there still remains some degree of 
foundation for attributing him to       
,pavia1 upon the authority also of      
,spelta1 who wrote the ,lives of the    
,pavese ,bishops1 and was almost        
contemporary with ,bernardino1 and what 
is more1 he himself thinks that the     
difference might be thus reconciled1 we 
may agree with him in stating that our  
artist was either derived from1 or a    

citizen of ,pavia1 and at the same time 
a citizen and a resident at ,cremona4   
,gervasio ,gatti1 ,il ,soiaro1 nephew to
 ,bernardino1 was initiated by him in   
the same maxims and principles which he 
had himself imbibed1 by studying and    
copying the models left by ,coreggio at 
,parma4 ,the advantage he derived from  
them may be known from his ,s4          
,sebastiano1 which was painted for ,s4  
,agatha1 at ,cremona1 in #aegh1 a piece 
that appears designed from the antique1 
and coloured by one of the first        
figurists and landscape painters in     
,lombardy4 ,in the same city is his     
,martyrdom of ,s4 ,cecilia1 at ,s4      
,pietro1 surrounded with angels1 in the 
,coreggio manner1 a picture nobly       
coloured1 and finished with exquisite   
care4 ,in composition it resembles those
 of his uncle1 for one of which it might
 be mistaken1 did we not find the name  
of ,gervasio and the date of #afja4 ,but
 he was not always equally diligent1 and
 sometimes betrays a mechanical hand1   

while there is often a monotony in his  
countenances1 and a want of selection in
 his heads1 no unusual fault in         
portrait-painters1 among whom he held a 
high rank4 ,it is most probable that he 
saw the works of the ,caracci1 traces of
 which ,i have discovered in some of his
 productions1 and particularly in those 
at ,s4 ,s4 ,pietro and ,marcellino4     
,perhaps it was a brother of this artist
 who left a picture of a ,crucifixion1  
surrounded by different saints1 at ,s4  
,sepolcro in ,piacenza1 bearing an      
inscription of ,uriel de ,gattis dictus 
,sojarius1 #afja4 ,it boasts great      
strength of colouring1 combined with no 
little elegance1 but the manner is      
insignificant and it is feeble in       
chiaroscuro4 ,this1 if ,i mistake not1  
is the same ,uriele who1 on the         
testimony of the ,cav4 ,ridolfi1 had    
been selected for some undertaking at   
,crema in preference to ,urbini1 as ,i  
formerly observed4 ,bernardino likewise 
instructed ,spranger1 a favourite artist

 of the ,emperor ,rodolph ,,ii4 as well 
as the ,anguissole1 of both of whom we  
shall give some account shortly4 ,what  
more peculiarly distinguishes him is his
 title to be considered the great master
 of the ,cremonese ,school1 which1      
benefitted by his presence and guided by
 his precepts and examples1 produced    
during so long a period such a variety  
of admirable works4 ,to speak frankly   
what ,i think1 ,cremona would never have
 seen her ,campi1 nor her ,boccaccino   
rise so high1 if ,soiaro had not        
exhibited his talents in that city4     
,the remaining portion of our chapter   
will be devoted almost wholly to the    
,campi1 a family that filled ,cremona1  
,milan1 and other cities of the state1  
both in private and public1 with their  
paintings4 ,they consisted of four      
individuals1 all of whom devoted        
themselves indefatigably to the art     
until they reached an extreme old age4  
,they were by some denominated the      
,vasari and the ,zuccari of ,lombardy1 a

 comparison founded on some degree of   
truth in regard to the extent and the   
vast mechanism of their compositions2   
but not just1 as far as intended to be  
applied to any desire of achieving much1
 rather than what was excellent in its  
kind4 ,giulio and ,bernardino1 the most 
accomplished of their family1 were      
accused of too great rapidity and want  
of accuracy2 but they are not very often
 liable to the charge1 and many of their
 faults must be ascribed to their       
assistants4 ,they generally produced    
good designs1 which were invariably well
 coloured1 and these still remain       
entire1 while those of ,vasari and      
,zuccari stand in need of continual     
restoration and retouching from the     
fading of their colours4 ,of both these 
masters1 however1 as well as the rest of
 the ,campi1 we must now proceed to     
treat in their individual character4    
,giulio may be pronounced the ,lodovico 
,caracci of his school4 ,the eldest     
brother of ,antonio and ,vincenzo1 and  

the relation1 or the instructor at      
least1 of ,bernardino1 he formed the    
project of uniting the best qualities of
 a number of styles in one4 ,his father1
 who was his first preceptor1#cg not    
conceiving himself equal to perfecting  
him in the art1 sent him to the school  
of ,giulio ,romano1 established at that 
period in ,mantua1 and which had begun1 
according to ,vasari1 to propagate the  
taste imbibed by its master from the    
most distinguished ornament of the art4 
,romano1 too1 instructed his pupils in  
the principles of architecture1         
painting1 and modelling1 and rendered   
them capable of directing and conducting
 all the branches of a vast and         
multiplied undertaking with their own   
hands4 ,such an education was enjoyed by
 the eldest ,campi1 and by his brothers1
 owing to his care4 ,the church of ,s4  
,margherita was wholly decorated by him2
 and the chapels at ,s4 ,sigismondo were
 all completed by him and his family4   
,they contain almost every variety of   

the art1 large pictures1 small          
histories1 cameos1 stuccos1             
chiaroscuros1 grotesques1 festoons of   
flowers1 pilasters1 with gold recesses1 
from which the most graceful forms of   
cherubs seem to rise with symbols       
adapted to the saint of the altar2 in a 
word1 the whole of the paintings and    
their decorations are the work of the   
same genius1 and sometimes of the same  
hand4 ,this adds greatly to their       
harmony and in consequence to their     
beauty1 nothing in fact being truly     
beautiful that has not perfect unity4   
,it is a real loss to the arts that     
these various talents should be divided1
 so as to compel us to seek a different 
artist for works of different sorts2    
whence it arises that in a number of    
halls and churches we meet with         
collections1 histories1 and ornaments of
 every kind1 so extremely opposite1 that
 not only one part fails to remind us of
 the other1 but sometimes repels it1 and
 seems to complain of its forced and    

inharmonious union4 ,but we must again  
turn our attention to ,giulio ,campi4   
,footnote #cg3 ,we may here correct the 
mistake of ,orlandi1 who      assigns   
the death of ,galeazzo to the year      
#aecf1 and ,giulio's      birth to      
#aedj1 when it is known that he began   
his labours as      early as #aebb4  ,it
 appears then that he laid the          
foundation of his taste and principles  
under ,giulio ,romano4 ,from him he     
derived the dignity of his design1 his  
knowledge of anatomy1 variety and       
fertility of ideas1 magnificence in his 
architecture1 and a general mastery over
 every subject4 ,to this he added       
strength when he visited ,rome1 where he
 studied ,raffaello and the antique1    
designing with a wonderful degree of    
accuracy the column of ,trajan1         
universally regarded as a school of the 
ancients always open to the present day4
 ,either at ,mantua or elsewhere he     
likewise studied ,titian1 and imitated  
him in an equal degree with any other   

foreign artist4 ,in his native state he 
met with two more models in ,pordenone  
and ,soiaro1 in whose style1 according  
to ,vasari1 he exercised himself1 before
 he became acquainted with the works of 
,giulio4 ,from such preparatory studies1
 combined with imitating whatever he met
 with in ,raffaello and ,coreggio1 he   
acquired that style which is found to   
partake of the manner of so many        
different artists4 ,on visiting the     
church of ,s4 ,margherita just alluded  
to1 in company with an able professor of
 the art1 we there noticed several of   
his heads1 each drawn after a different 
model1 insomuch that on viewing the     
works of this artist we feel inclined to
 pronounce the same opinion on him1 as  
,algarotti did on the ,caracci1 that in 
one of their pictures one kind of taste 
prevails1 and in another an opposite    
manner4 ,thus in his ,s4 ,girolamo1 in  
the cathedral at ,mantua1 and in his    
,pentecost at ,s4 ,gismondo in ,cremona1
 we meet with all the strength of       

,giulio1 though his most successful     
imitation is to be found in the castle  
of ,soragno in the territory of ,parma1 
where he represented the labours of     
,hercules in a grand hall1 which might  
be pronounced an excellent school for   
the study of the naked figure4 ,in the  
larger picture at the church of ,s4     
,gismondo1 where the duke of ,milan is  
seen with his duchess in the act of     
being presented by the patron saints to 
the ,holy ,virgin1 and also in that of  
saints ,pietro and ,marcellino at the   
church bearing their name1 ,campi       
displays so much of the ,titian manner  
as to have been mistaken for that       
artist4 ,one of his ,histories of the   
,passion1 in the cathedral1 representing
 ,christ before ,pilate1 was also       
supposed to be from the hand of         
,pordenone1 though ascertained to be    
his4 ,finally in a ,holy ,family1       
painted at ,s4 ,paolo in ,milan1        
particularly in the figure of the child 
seen caressing a holy prelate1 who      

stands lost in admiration1 we are       
presented with all the natural grace1   
united to all the skill that can be     
required in an imitator of ,coreggio4   
,the picture is exquisitely beautiful1  
and an engraving of it in large folio   
was taken by ,giorgio ,ghigi1 a         
celebrated artist of ,mantua4  ,nor did 
,giulio's admiration of great painters  
lead him to neglect the study of nature4
 ,it was nature he consulted1 and       
selected from2 a study which he         
inculcated likewise upon the rest of the
 ,campi4 ,a choice is thus perceptible  
in their heads1 more especially in those
 of their women1 evidently drawn from   
nature1 and ,i may add from national    
truth1 inasmuch as they express ideas   
and attitudes that are not usually met  
with in other artists2 the hair and     
temples often appearing bound with a    
ribbon1 as was then customary in the    
city1 and is still in use in some of the
 villages4 ,the colouring of the heads  
approaches near that of ,paul ,veronese1

 and in the whole of their paintings the
 ,campi were accustomed to make use of  
the distribution of colours that had    
prevailed before the time of the        
,caracci1 though in their manner of     
disposing and animating them they       
acquired a peculiar beauty which        
,scaramuccio pronounces wholly original4
 ,judging1 therefore1 from their        
colours1 and the air of their heads1 it 
is difficult to discern the individual  
hands of the ,campi2 but if we examine  
the design we shall more easily         
distinguish them4 ,giulio surpasses the 
rest in point of dignity2 and he        
likewise aims at displaying more        
knowledge1 both of the human frame and  
of the effects of lights and shadows4   
,in correctness too he is superior to   
his two brothers1 though he is not equal
 to ,bernardino4  ,the ,cav4 ,antonio   
,campi was instructed by his brother in 
architecture and painting1 in the former
 of which he employed himself more than 
,giulio4 ,this was useful to him in the 

distribution of his large works1 where  
he often introduced perspective views of
 great beauty1 and displayed great skill
 in foreshortening4 ,a fine specimen of 
his powers is to be seen in the sacristy
 of ,s4 ,pietro1 with that beautiful    
colonnade1 above which appears the      
chariot of ,elias in the distance4      
,antonio was also a modeller1 an        
engraver1 and the historian of his      
native state1 whose annals1 enriched    
with many of his copper-plates1 he      
published in #aehe4 ,in the ,campi      
family1 therefore1 he will be found to  
occupy the same place as ,agostino among
 the ,caracci1 an artist of great       
versatility1 conversant with polite     
letters4 ,he was well known and         
appreciated by ,agostino1 who engraved  
one of his most beautiful productions1  
the ,apostle of the ,gentiles in the act
 of raising a person from the dead4 ,it 
is placed at ,s4 ,paolo in ,milan1 a    
noble church1 where all the ,campi1 in  
the same manner as at ,s4 ,sigismondo1  

are seen in competition with each other4
 ,antonio there appears to great        
advantage1 no less in the forementioned 
picture than in that of the ,nativity1  
though the frescos adorning the chapels1
 ascribed to him1 are deficient in      
accuracy4 ,thus he also produced works  
of unequal merit at ,s4 ,sigismondo1 as 
if he wished to shew that he knew more  
than he was ambitious of expressing4    
,his most familiar model1 as is remarked
 also by ,lomazzo1 was ,coreggio1 and   
the feature that he most aimed at       
expressing was that of grace4 ,to this  
he often attained in point of colouring1
 but was less happy in design1 where1   
owing to his study of elegance1 he at   
times becomes disproportionately thin1  
and at others1 in order to display his  
power1 he exhibits a foreshortening     
somewhat out of place4 ,he is still more
 mannered in his more robust subjects1  
and occasionally borders upon heaviness 
and vulgarity1 into which his imitation 
of ,coreggio's grandeur1 more difficult1

 perhaps1 than his grace1 doubtless     
betrayed him4 ,there are many of these  
exceptions1 however1 along with his     
incorrectness of design1 so often       
discernible1 which are to be attributed 
to his numerous assistants1 employed in 
these vast undertakings4 ,but this will 
not apply to his over-grouping1 which is
 so remarkable in some of his           
compositions1 nor to the introduction of
 caricatures into his holy histories1   
which is a sort of jesting out of       
season4 ,in a word his genius was vast1 
spirited1 resolute1 but often in want of
 the rein2 and in this respect1 and     
generally in what relates to pictorial  
learning1 we should do wrong to put him 
in competition with ,lodovico ,caracci4 
,in the church of ,s4 ,paolo1 at ,milan1
 there is an inscription by ,vincenzio  
,campi1 in which he mentions ,giulio and
 ,antonio as his younger brothers4 ,most
 probably1 however1 it has been inserted
 there by some other hand1 being quite  
contradictory to what is established by 

history4 ,for he is represented by      
,antonio as the youngest of the         
brothers1 and by others as an           
indefatigable assistant in their        
labours1 and little more worthy of being
 compared with them than ,francesco     
,caracci with his brother ,annibal or   
,agostino4 ,his portraits1 however1 are 
held in esteem1 as well as his fruit    
pieces1 which he painted on a small     
scale for private rooms in a very       
natural manner1 and they are by no means
 rare at ,cremona4 ,in the colouring of 
his figures he was equal to his         
brothers1 but in point of invention and 
design greatly inferior to them4 ,he    
appears to have imitated ,antonio rather
 than ,giulio1 as far as we can judge   
from the few works he has left1 which   
are now known to be his4 ,he painted a  
few altar-pieces for his native place1  
four of which consist of ,descents from 
the ,cross4 ,that in the cathedral      
extorted the praise of ,baldinucci2 and 
truly in the figure of ,christ his      

foreshortening deceives the eye like    
that of ,pordenone in his ,dead ,christ1
 while his heads and his colouring have 
likewise been commended4 ,i cannot1     
however1 think that the attitude of the 
,virgin mother1 who is seen grasping his
 face with both her hands1 is very      
becoming2 nor do ,i approve of the      
saints ,antonio and ,raimondo1 who lived
 at a period so remote from that of     
,christ1 being here introduced1 the one 
supporting his arm1 the other kissing   
his hand4 ,it moreover betrays several  
errors1 of a kind which ,baldinucci1 so 
familiar with a more learned and severe 
school1 would not so easily have        
forgiven had he happened to have beheld 
this picture4 ,vincenzio seems to have  
possessed greater skill in small than in
 large figures1 in common indeed with a 
great number of artists4 ,mention is    
made in his ,life of six little pictures
 which he executed on slate1 and which  
were sold after his death for three     
hundred ducats4 ,zaist1 whom ,i follow  

in my index1 has presented us with the  
epochs applying to these three artists  
in such a manner as to leave them in    
considerable doubt4 ,the inscription at 
,s4 ,paolo in ,milan1 recorded in the   
,guide 7p4 #aeb7 is as                  
follows3--,vincentius una cum ,julio et 
,antonio fratribus pinxerunt an4        
,,mdlxxxviii4 ,now ,bianconi does not   
seem inclined to credit the authenticity
 of this2 nor is it improbable but it   
may have been written some years        
subsequent to the painting1 and by      
another hand4  ,bernardino ,campi1      
perhaps some way related to the other   
three ,campi1 occupied the same place in
 his family as ,annibal ,caracci amongst
 his brothers4 ,receiving his first     
instructions from the eldest ,campi1 he 
entered into similar views of forming a 
style which should include that of many 
other artists1 and in a short time he   
rivalled1 and in the opinion of many    
surpassed his master4 ,he had at first  
attached himself to the goldsmith's art 

by the advice of his father2 but        
happening to behold two tapestries1     
copied by ,giulio ,campi from           
,raffaello1 he resolved to change his   
profession1 and devoting himself to the 
school of ,campi at ,cremona1 and next  
to that of ,ippolito ,costa at ,mantua1 
he began to profess the art at the age  
of nineteen1 and acquired a great       
proficiency in it at that early age4 ,at
 ,mantua he cultivated an acquaintance  
with ,giulio ,romano and his school1 and
 we may infer1 that from the study of   
his works he was enabled to enlarge his 
views and his capacity for great        
undertakings4 ,but the love of          
,raffaello was fixed in his heart1 and  
he took delight in nothing so much as   
his pictures1 his designs1 and his      
engravings2 while in ,giulio and the    
rest he was only anxious to emulate     
those portraits which appeared to him to
 bear some resemblance to his           
,raffaello4 ,there too he applied       
himself to the study of ,titian's series

 of the ,caesars1 eleven in number2 and 
after having copied them he added a     
twelfth in a style so perfectly         
consistent1 as to exhibit no traces of  
imitation4 ,by the liberality of one of 
his patrons he was enabled also to visit
 ,parma1 ,modena1 and ,reggio1 in order 
to become acquainted with the manner of 
,coreggio2 and the advantage he thence  
derived1 his pictures at ,s4 ,gismondo  
sufficiently display4 ,from these first 
principles1 with such as he studied in  
his native place1 he derived one of the 
most original styles that is to be met  
with in the list of imitators4 ,his     
imitation is never1 like that of so many
 others1 apparent to the eye1 but rather
 resembles our poet ,sannazzaro's1 of   
the best ,roman writers1 who colours    
with them every line1 but that line is  
still his own4 ,in so great a variety of
 models1 the most beloved and the most  
honoured1 as ,virgil was by ,sannazzaro1
 was ,raffaello by ,bernardino2 but it  
was unfortunate for him that he did not 

see ,rome1 and the originals which that 
great pictoric genius there produced4   
,the want of this he supplied with      
ability1 and formed for himself several 
maxims drawn from nature and simplicity1
 which serve to distinguish him from the
 rest of his school4 ,by the side of the
 other ,campi he perhaps appears the    
most timid artist1 but the most correct2
 he has not the magnificence of ,giulio1
 but he has more ideal beauty1 and much 
more captivates the heart4 ,he resembles
 ,antonio rather than ,giulio in the    
length of his proportions2 but not so in
 other points1 for he occasionally      
borders upon dryness1 as in his         
,assumption at the cathedral1 in order  
to avoid falling into mannerism4  ,but  
it is the church of ,s4 ,sigismondo     
which inspires us with the loftiest     
ideas of this artist1 in every view4 ,we
 can imagine nothing more simply        
beautiful1 and more consistent with the 
genius of the best age1 than his picture
 of ,st4 ,cecilia1 in the act of playing

 on the organ1 while ,st4 ,catherine is 
seen standing near her1 and above them a
 group of angels1 apparently engaged    
with their musical instruments and with 
their voices1 in pouring forth in       
concert with the two innocent virgins1  
strains worthy of ,paradise4 ,this      
painting1 with its surrounding          
decoration of cherub figures1 displays  
his mastery in grace4 ,still he appears 
to no less advantage in point of        
strength in his figures of the          
,prophets1 grandly designed1 for the    
same place2 although he seems more      
anxious to invest them with dignity of  
feature and of action1 than to give     
strength and muscle to their            
proportions4 ,above all1 he shone with  
most advantage in the grand cupola1 with
 which few in ,italy will bear a        
comparison1 and still fewer can be      
preferred for the abundance1 variety1   
distribution1 grandeur1 and gradation of
 the figures1 and for the harmony and   
grand effect of the whole4 ,in this     

empyrean1 this vast concourse of the    
blessed1 belonging to the ,old and ,new 
,testament1 there is no figure that may 
not be recognised by its symbols1 and   
that is not seen in perfection from its 
own point of view1 whence all appear of 
the natural proportion1 although they   
are on a scale of seven braccia in      
height4 ,such a work is one of those    
rare monuments which serve to prove1    
that it is possible for a great genius  
to execute rapidly and well2 it was     
wholly conducted by him in seven months2
 and to satisfy the workmen1 who were   
more sensible of the brevity of the time
 than the merit of the work1 he obtained
 a written acknowledgment from ,soiaro  
and ,giulio ,campi1 that he had achieved
 a laudable task4 ,bernardino was       
younger than either of them1 or than    
,boccaccino1 and the citizens took      
pleasure in placing him in competition  
with one or the other of them in their  
public works1 in order that a noble     
emulation might call forth all their    

powers1 nor suffer them to slumber4     
,nevertheless1 the ,nativity of our     
,lord1 at ,s4 ,domenico1 has been       
pronounced his masterpiece2 a kind of   
abstract1 in which he aimed at          
comprehending the various excellences of
 the art4 ,this1 at least1 is the       
opinion of ,lamo1 who composed a diffuse
 life of this artist2 such as to render 
his information far the most copious we 
possess upon the subject4 ,he also      
compiled a correct catalogue of his     
works1 executed both in his native place
 and at ,milan1 where he passed a great 
part of his time1 and of those he       
painted in foreign parts4 ,we find a    
great number of portraits of princes1 as
 well as of private persons1 enumerated2
 his skill in this branch of the art1 in
 which very few equalled him1 greatly   
adding to his fame and fortune4 ,the    
precise period of his decease is not    
known1 though it must have been         
somewhere towards #aeij1 at which time  
the art assumed quite a new aspect at   

,cremona4     ,,school ,,of ,,cremona4  
,,epoch ,,iii4       ,decline of the    
,school of the ,campi4 ,trotti and other
      ,artists support it4   ,from the  
brief description already given1 it will
 easily be perceived how far the ,campi 
,school was a sort of sketch of that of 
the ,caracci2 and what were the causes  
which contributed to the superiority of 
the latter1 although they had both the  
same original outline4 ,the ,caracci    
were all excellent designers1 and       
invariably aimed at appearing such2 they
 were likewise united by affection1 no  
less than by their place of residence1  
and were continually engaged in         
assisting each other4 ,finally1 they    
supported an academy1 much frequented1  
the object of which was1 not so much to 
study the various manners of different  
artists1 as to examine the different    
effects produced by nature1 so as to    
render their works her real offspring1  
as it were1 and not her more distant    
relations4 ,the ,campi1 on the other    

hand1 did not so uniformly aspire to the
 same excellence1 nor did they reside1  
and unite together in forming so        
methodical and well-established an      
academy2 each maintaining a separate    
school and residence1 and teaching1 if  
,i mistake not1 rather how their pupils 
should imitate them1 than how they      
should paint4 ,hence it arose1 that     
while ,domenichino1 ,guido1 ,guercino1  
and others of the ,caracci ,school1     
distinguished themselves by their       
novelty and originality of manner1 the  
scholars of the ,campi were confined to 
the sphere of imitating1 as nearly as   
lay in their power1 the painters of     
their own city1 either severally or in a
 select number4 ,and thus1 as man is    
every where the same1 it here ensued1 as
 in the rest of the ,italian schools1   
that having acquired a tolerable degree 
of skill in imitating their             
predecessors1 artists began to slacken  
their industry4 ,the first had          
accustomed themselves to copy only from 

the life2 they drew cartoons1 they      
modelled in wax1 and carefully arranged 
all the divisions of their folds1 with  
every accessary2 but the second         
contented themselves with making a few  
sketches1 and some heads taken from     
nature1 executing the rest of their work
 in a mere mechanical manner1 and as    
they judged to be most convenient4 ,thus
 by degrees this great school           
degenerated1 and it happened also about 
the same period1 when the disciples of  
,procaccini observed the same method at 
,milan4 ,from this cause1 during the    
seventeenth century1 ,lombardy was      
filled with the sectarists of the art1  
among whom the followers of ,zuccheri   
themselves would have appeared in the   
rank of masters4 ,a few there were who  
struggled to free themselves from the   
herd of imitators2 and ,caravaggio      
afforded them an opportunity4 ,born in  
the vicinity of ,cremona1 he was partly 
considered their compatriot1 and the    
more willingly followed by the          

,cremonese2 more particularly as it     
became popular to cry down the style of 
the last masters as feeble1 and to      
demand one of a more vigorous character4
 ,the attempt succeeded admirably in a  
few2 while others1 on the contrary1 as  
it occurred in ,venice1 at ,cremona also
 became only coarse and sombre4 ,i have 
not been very anxious to cultivate an   
acquaintance with the artists of this   
period2 though ,i shall take care to    
make mention of such as succeeded in    
raising themselves above the crowd4     
,each of the ,campi1 therefore1 claims  
his own disciples1 though they have not 
always been distinguished in history1   
being described under the general       
designation of pupils of the ,campi2 as 
the two ,mainardi1 ,andrea and ,marc    
,antonio1 by ,orlandi4 ,the two pupils  
of ,giulio1 best entitled to            
commendation1 namely1 ,gambara of       
,brescia1 and ,viani of ,cremona1 having
 flourished in other schools1 have been 
recorded by us1 the first among the     

,venetians2 and the second among the    
,mantuan artists4  ,antonio ,campi has  
left us an account of three of his own  
disciples3 ,ippolito ,storto1 ,gio4     
,batista ,belliboni1 and ,gio4 ,paolo   
,fondulo1 who passed into ,sicily4 ,all 
of them remained in obscurity1 however1 
in ,lombardy1 and are omitted in the    
painters' ,dictionaries4 ,towards the   
close of his life1 he instructed one    
,galeazzo ,ghidone1 an artist of weak   
health1 who employed himself only at    
intervals1 but with success2 as we may  
judge from his picture of the ,preaching
 of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 at ,s4     
,mattia1 in ,cremona1 which has been    
highly commended by good connoisseurs4  
,another1 is ,antonio ,beduschi1 who1 in
 his twenty-sixth year1 produced a      
,pieta for ,s4 ,sepolcro1 in ,piacenza1 
and a still superior painting of the    
,martyrdom of ,s4 ,stefano2 he is       
referred to the school of the ,campi1   
and strongly partakes of the style of   
,antonio2 ,i esteem him one of his      

imitators1 if not in the list of his    
pupils4 ,he was unknown to the historian
 ,zaist1 and is indebted for            
commemoration to the ,sig4 ,proposto    
,carasi4  ,luca ,cattapane was initiated
 in the art by ,vincenzio1 and devoted  
much time to copying the works of the   
,campi family4 ,he succeeded in this by 
exhibiting a rare boldness of hand1 so  
as to give his pieces the air of        
originals1 and they continue to impose  
upon the most experienced1 even to the  
present day4 ,he likewise counterfeited 
the style of ,gambara in a ,pieta of    
his1 at the church of ,s4 ,pietro1 in   
,cremona2 and in order to enlarge the   
picture1 he added three figures in a    
taste agreeable to the former4 ,for the 
rest1 being misled by his ambition to   
form a new style1 or to approach nearer 
,caravaggio1 he became even more sombre 
than the ,campi1 with still less taste4 
,many of his altar-pieces yet remain4   
,in ,s4 ,donato1 at ,cremona1 he        
represented the ,beheading of ,st4      

,john2 one of his most successful works1
 in which the effect is superior either 
to the design or to the expression4 ,to 
these we may add a number of his fresco 
paintings1 though inferior to those he  
executed in oil4  ,bernardino1 however1 
was the favourite master1 and the most  
frequented of any belonging to the      
school4 ,his successors have continued  
to flourish longer1 and even reached the
 confines of the present age4 ,i first  
propose to enumerate a few of his most  
distinguished scholars1 who either did  
not teach1 or taught the art only to a  
few2 and ,i shall afterwards treat of   
,malosso and his school1 which1 about   
the year #afcj1 held the chief sway in  
,cremona1 and became one of the most    
celebrated throughout ,lombardy4        
,coriolano ,malagavazzo1 who is         
erroneously called ,girolamo            
,malaguazzo1 in the ,painters'          
,dictionary1 assisted in the labours of 
his master1 insomuch as to render it    
uncertain whether ,cremona possesses any

 painting designed and executed by      
himself2 for it is supposed that he drew
 his fine altar-piece1 in ,s4           
,silvestro1 representing the ,virgin    
with ,s4,s4 ,francesco and ,ignazio1 the
 martyr1 from one of ,bernardino's      
designs4 ,nothing1 likewise1 that has   
not been questioned1 remains of         
,cristoforo ,magnani da ,pizzichettone1 
a young artist of great promise1 as we  
are informed by ,antonio ,campi1 who    
laments the shortness of his career4    
,lamo1 too1 complains of his loss1 when 
he mentions him and ,trotti as the two  
greatest geniuses of the school4 ,his   
chief talent lay in portraits2 though he
 was also well skilled in compositions4 
,i have seen one of his productions1    
consisting of ,saints ,giacomo and      
,giovanni1 at ,s4 ,francesco1 in        
,piacenza1 an early effort1 but very    
well conceived and executed4 ,andrea    
,mainardi1 called ,chiaveghino1 employed
 himself both singly and with           
,marcantonio1 his nephew1 in painting   

for the city1 and more especially for   
its environs4 ,by ,baldinucci1 he is    
pronounced a weak painter2 and such     
indeed he appears wherever he worked in 
haste1 and for a small sum4 ,but several
 of his altar-pieces1 laboured with more
 care1 tend to redeem his character2    
there he shews himself a successful     
disciple of ,bernardino1 both in his    
minute style1 as in his ,marriage of ,s4
 ,anne1 at the ,eremites1 and in his    
loftier manner1 as in his large picture 
of the ,divin ,sangue1 or divine blood4 
,he exhibits that prophetic idea1       
torcular calcavi solus1 and the         
,redeemer is seen standing upright under
 a wine-press1 and1 crushed by the      
,divine ,justice1 emitting from his holy
 body1 through the open wounds1 whole   
streams of blood1 which are received    
into sacred vessels by ,s4 ,agostino1   
and three other ,doctors of the church2 
and are afterwards shed for the benefit 
of an immense crowd of the ,faithful1   
who are seen gathered round4 ,the same  

subject ,i saw in one of the churches of
 ,recanati1 and in some others1 but no  
where so appropriately expressed4 ,it is
 a picture that would reflect credit on 
any school2 exhibiting fine forms1 rich 
draperies1 warm and lively colouring4   
,in the distribution of his small and   
frequent lights he might1 indeed1 have  
been more happy1 as well as in the      
grouping of his figures2 a fault1       
however1 common to many of his school4  
,the best1 however1 of these disciples  
of ,bernardino1 with a number of others 
whom ,i omit1 were all surpassed by a   
fair votary of the art named ,sofonisba 
,angussola1 sprung from a noble family  
at ,cremona4 ,along with her younger    
sister1 ,elena1 who afterwards took the 
veil1 she received his instructions at  
her father's request1 in his own house4 
,upon his going to ,milan1 ,soiaro was  
selected to supply the place of         
,bernardino1 and ,sofonisba soon        
attained to such a degree of excellence1
 more particularly in portraits1 as to  

be esteemed one of the most finished    
painters of her age4 ,she at first      
superintended the pictorial education of
 her four younger sisters1 whose names  
were ,lucia and ,minerva1 who died      
young2 ,europa and ,anna ,maria1 of whom
 the former married1 and died in the    
flower of her age2 and of the second1   
likewise married1 there remains no      
further account4 ,vasari bestows the    
highest commendations upon ,sofonisba1  
and upon the other sisters1 with whom he
 was acquainted at ,cremona1 when they  
were young4 ,at that period ,sofonisba  
had already been invited as court       
painter1 by ,philip ,,ii4 into ,spain1  
where1 besides the portraits she took of
 the royal family and of ,pope ,pius    
,,iv41 she painted several other princes
 and lords of rank1 all ambitious of the
 same honour1 insomuch that we might    
apply to her the words of ,pliny3 ,illos
 nobilitans quos esset dignata posteris 
tradere4 ,entering afterwards into      
matrimony with one ,moncada1 she resided

 with him some years at ,palermo1 and   
after his death again married a         
gentleman of the name of ,lomellino4    
,she died at ,genoa1 at a very advanced 
age1 infirm and blind2 though she       
continued to converse and give her      
advice upon the art until her last      
moments2 insomuch that ,vandyck was     
heard to say1 that he had acquired more 
knowledge from her1 than from any one   
else he knew4 ,her portraits are greatly
 esteemed in ,italy2 and in particular1 
two which she took of herself2 one of   
which is in the ducal gallery at        
,florence1 and the other in possession  
of the ,lomellini family at ,genoa4  ,i 
next approach that celebrated pupil of  
,bernardino1 whom ,i promised to mention
 at the close of the chapter2 and this  
is the ,cavalier ,gio4 ,batista ,trotti1
 who published his master's life1 during
 his lifetime1 written by ,lamo4 ,none  
of ,campi's pupils was so much attached 
to him as this artist1 who married his  
niece1 and was left heir to his valuable

 studio4 ,on his competing at ,parma    
with ,agostino ,caracci1 and being more 
applauded at court1 it was said by      
,agostino1 with pleasantry1 that they   
had given him a hard bone to gnaw4      
,hence he acquired the surname of       
,malosso1 which he adopted1 and         
sometimes made use of in signing his    
name1 besides transmitting it1 as an    
hereditary appellation1 to his nephew4  
,thus he converted into a source of     
applause1 the satiric trait launched    
against him by ,caracci1 meant to       
convey1 that the people of ,parma had   
preferred to him an artist of inferior  
worth4 ,nor indeed was ,malosso his     
equal either in design or in solid      
judgment2 though he could boast pictoric
 attractions which made him appear to   
advantage when opposed to other artists4
 ,he displayed little of ,bernardino's  
taste1 except in a few of his first     
efforts2 he afterwards studied          
,coreggio1 and1 most of all1 aimed at   
resembling ,soiaro1 whose gay1 open1 and

 brilliant style1 varied shortenings1   
and spirited attitudes1 he exhibited in 
the chief part of his works4 ,but he    
carried it too far1 making an           
extravagant display of his white and    
other clear colours1 without            
sufficiently tempering them with shade1 
insomuch that ,i have heard his         
paintings compared to those on          
porcelain2 while he has been accused of 
want of relief1 or according to         
,baldinucci1 of some degree of          
harshness4 ,his heads are1 however1     
extremely beautiful1 smiling with       
loveliness1 and of a graceful roundness1
 not unlike ,soiaro's2 though he is too 
apt to repeat them on the same canvass1 
nearly alike in features1 colours1 and  
attitude4 ,here his rapidity of hand    
alone was in fault1 as he was in no want
 of fertility of ideas4 ,when he pleased
 he could give variety to his           
lineaments1 as we gather from his       
,beheading of ,st4 ,john1 at ,s4        
,domenico1 in ,cremona1 as well as to   

his compositions2 having represented at 
,s4 ,francesco and at ,s4 ,agostino1 in 
,piacenza1 and if ,i mistake not1       
elsewhere1 a picture of the ,conception 
of the ,virgin1 in every instance       
abounding with fresh ideas4 ,nor do we  
often meet with any of his paintings    
throughout the numerous cities in which 
he was employed1 that have much         
resemblance in point of invention4 ,he  
was equally varied in his imitations    
when he pleased1 as appears from his    
,crucifixion1 surrounded by saints1 in  
the cathedral of ,cremona1 executed in  
the best ,venetian taste2 while his ,s4 
,maria ,egiziaca driven from the        
,temple1 to be seen at ,s4 ,pietro in   
the same town1 partakes as much of the  
,roman4 ,there is also a ,pieta of his  
at ,s4 ,abbondio1 which shews that he   
was occasionally happy in catching the  
,caracci manner4  ,his most esteemed    
works in fresco1 for which he was       
honoured with the title of cavaliere1   
were exhibited in the palace called del 

,giardino1 at ,parma4 ,his labours in   
the ,cupola of ,s4 ,abbondio1           
before-mentioned1 were on a magnificent 
scale1 though designed from ,giulio     
,campi4 ,but they display a mastery of  
hand1 and strength of colouring1 fully  
equal1 if not superior1 to the invention
 of the work4 ,for ,giulio1 indeed1 did 
not possess the same skill in varying   
his groups of angels as the ,caracci2   
inasmuch as both he and his family were 
accustomed to arrange them like the     
horses we see in the ancient chariots1  
all drawn up in a line1 or in some other
 manner unusual in the best schools4    
,the ,cremonese historian endeavours1 in
 some degree1 to defend ,trotti from the
 charge of harshness1 casting it upon   
his assistants and disciples1 whose     
altar-pieces have been attributed to    
,malosso1 by ,baldinucci4 ,this may be  
the case with some1 but there are others
 inscribed with the name of ,trotti1    
especially at ,piacenza1 which more or  
less exhibit the same fault4 ,nor ought 

we to cast reflections upon an artist of
 a secondary character1 on account of   
some errors1 as these are precisely the 
cause of his exclusion from the rank of 
the very first masters4  ,trotti        
educated a number of artists who        
flourished about the year #afjj1 devoted
 to his manner1 although in course of   
time the method of preparing grounds    
becoming corrupted throughout ,italy1   
and the age attached to a more sombre   
style of colouring1 they were induced to
 abandon much of that clearness which   
forms a chief characteristic of his     
colouring4 ,baldinucci gives some       
account of ,ermenegildo ,lodi1 as well  
as ,orlandi1 who could not discern which
 of two paintings belonged to the       
master1 and which to the scholar4 ,this1
 ,i conjecture1 arose from painting     
under the eye of his preceptor1 whom he 
assisted in many of his labours1        
together with his brother ,manfredo     
,lodi4 ,when we consult the few which he
 executed alone1 particularly at ,s4    

,pietro1 they discover nothing to have  
excited the jealousy of ,agostino       
,caracci1 nor to have gained for the    
artist the appellation of ,malosso4 ,the
 productions likewise of ,giulio ,calvi1
 called ,il ,coronaro1 might be mistaken
 for the least perfect of those of      
,trotti1 says ,zaist1 where they are not
 inscribed with his name4 ,the same may 
be averred of two other artists1        
,stefano ,lambri and ,cristoforo        
,augusta1 a youth of great promise1 cut 
off in the flower of his age2 and both  
excellent disciples of the school4      
,these1 no less than ,coronaro1 may be  
seen and compared with each other in the
 church and convent of the ,padri       
,predicatori1 which possess specimens of
 each4  ,of ,euclide ,trotti1           
before-mentioned1 there remains in his  
native place no work clearly ascertained
 to be his1 except two history-pieces of
 ,st4 ,james the ,apostle1 at ,s4       
,gismondo4 ,these too were sketched by  
,calvi1 and completed by ,euclide1 with 

a very able imitation of his uncle ,gio4
 ,batista's style4 ,the altar-piece of  
the ,ascension1 however1 at ,s4         
,antonio1 in ,milan1 is wholly ascribed 
to him2 and displays much beauty1 and a 
more serious manner than is generally to
 be met with in the works of the elder  
,malosso4 ,no other painting is         
attributed to him1 nor was he capable of
 executing many4 ,for while yet young1  
he was tried and found guilty of felony 
against the prince4 ,being thrown into  
prison1 he is there supposed to have    
died by poison1 which was administered  
by his friends1 in order to avoid the   
disgrace of a public execution4 ,in     
conclusion1 we must not omit the name of
 ,panfilo ,nuvolone4 ,he was attached to
 ,malosso1 whom he imitated from the    
outset2 but he afterwards followed a    
more solid and less attractive style4   
,one of his works1 which is omitted in  
the account of his life1 is his ,s4     
,ubaldo giving his benediction to the   
sick1 at ,s4 ,agostino1 in ,piacenza4   

,mention will be made of this painter   
also in the ,milanese ,school1 where he 
flourished1 together with his two sons1 
,giuseppe and ,carlo1 who obtained the  
appellation of the ,guido of ,lombardy4 
,,school ,,of ,,cremona4     ,,epoch    
,,iv4       ,foreign ,manners introduced
 into ,cremona4   ,among the descendants
 of ,malosso the ,cremonese ,school     
continued to decline2 and here1 as in   
the instance of so many others1 it was  
compelled to resort to foreign sources1 
in order to restore its somewhat aged   
and exhausted powers4 ,carlo ,picenardi1
 of a patrician family1 was the first to
 lead the way1 an artist who had ranked 
among the favourite pupils of ,lodovico 
,caracci4 ,he was very successful in    
burlesque histories1 and likewise       
exhibited to the public some of his     
paintings1 executed for churches1 which 
were imitated by another ,carlo         
,picenardi1 called the younger1 who had 
formed his style in ,venice and at      
,rome4 ,other artists of the city       

attached themselves to other schools1   
insomuch1 that before the middle of the 
seventeenth century many new manners had
 arisen which assumed the place of more 
native styles4 ,in the train of ,malosso
 ,zaist enumerates ,pier ,martire ,neri1
 or ,negri1 a good portrait-painter and 
composer1 though1 adds the historian1 he
 procured from a foreign source a       
character of more boldness and strength 
of shadow1 at the same time adducing as 
an instance1 his great picture of the   
,man born ,blind receiving his sight    
from our ,saviour1 which is preserved at
 the hospital of ,cremona4 ,he painted  
likewise a ,s4 ,giuseppe at the         
,certosa1 in ,pavia1 a work which1 if ,i
 mistake not1 is superior in point of   
taste to the former1 and there are      
others to be met with in ,rome1 where   
the artist's name is found among the    
academicians of ,s4 ,luke4  ,andrea     
,mainardi opened school simultaneously  
with ,malosso2 and two of his pupils1   
,gio4 ,batista ,tortiroli and ,carlo    

,natali1 became particularly            
distinguished4 ,both abandoned their    
native place1 ,gio4 ,batista going first
 to ,rome and thence to ,venice1 where  
he formed a style which partakes most of
 the younger ,palma1 united to an       
evident imitation of ,raffaello4 ,such  
it appears in his picture of the        
,slaughter of the ,innocents1 at ,s4    
,domenico1 commendable in point of      
composition1 and extremely well         
coloured4 ,this1 and a few other        
productions1 are regarded however only  
as specimens of his powers1 the artist  
dying in his thirtieth year1 leaving    
behind him a pupil of the name of ,gio4 
,batista ,lazzaroni4 ,this last         
flourished at ,piacenza and in ,milan1  
was an excellent portrait-painter1 and  
much employed by the princes of ,parma  
and other personages of high rank4      
,carlo ,natali1 surnamed ,il            
,guardolino1 attended the school of     
,mainardi1 and afterwards that of ,guido
 ,reni1 to which he added a long        

residence at ,rome and ,genoa1 observing
 all that was most valuable1 and        
exerting his own talents in the art4 ,it
 was while engaged in executing a frieze
 in the ,doria palace at ,genoa1 that he
 instructed ,giulio ,cesare ,procaccini 
in the principles of painting1 who had  
previously devoted himself to sculpture1
 and in him he presented us with one of 
the most successful imitators of        
,coreggio4 ,carlo's attachment to       
architecture1 however1 permitted him to 
produce few specimens1 which are highly 
esteemed in his native state1 in        
particular his ,santa ,francesca        
,romana1 painted for ,s4 ,gismondo1 a   
piece1 which if not perfect1 is         
certainly above mediocrity4  ,he had a  
son named ,giambatista1 whom he         
instructed in both these arts2 though he
 was desirous that he should acquire a  
more perfect knowledge of them under    
,pietro da ,cortona at ,rome4 ,there he 
pursued his studies and left some       
specimens of altar-pieces1 producing    

works upon a still more extensive scale 
upon his return to ,cremona1 where he   
opened school and introduced the        
,cortona manner1 although with little   
success4 ,there is a large picture of   
his at the ,p4 ,predicatori1 displaying 
some skilful architecture1 and in which 
the holy patriarch is seen in the act of
 burning some heretical books2 nor is it
 at all unworthy of a disciple of       
,pietro4 ,in the archives of the royal  
gallery at ,florence ,i discovered1 at  
the period ,i was drawing up my index1  
some letters addressed by ,gio4 ,batista
 to the ,card4 ,leopoldo de' ,medici1   
one of which was written from ,rome1    
dated #afgd1 wherein he states that he  
was then engaged in collecting notices  
respecting the artists of his native    
place4 ,hence we may gather the real    
origin of their lives1 as contained in  
the work of ,baldinucci1 for whom the   
,cardinal1 who patronized him1 likewise 
procured other materials for his history
 from different places4 ,had ,zaist been

 informed of this he would rather have  
directed both his eulogies and his      
complaints to ,natali1 than to          
,baldinucci or his continuator4 ,the    
pupils of ,natali were ,carlo ,tassone1 
who became1 on the model of ,lovino1 a  
painter of portraits1 much admired at   
,turin and other courts2                
,francescantonio ,caneti1 afterwards a  
,capuchin ,friar1 and a pretty good     
miniature-painter in his day1 and who   
left a fine painting in the church of   
his own order at ,como2 with ,francesco 
,boccaccino1 the last of that pictoric  
family1 who died about the year #agfj4  
,having familiarized himself at ,rome1  
first with the school of ,brandi1 and   
next with that of ,maratta1 he acquired 
a manner that came into some repute in  
private collections1 for which he       
employed himself more than for churches4
 ,he resembles ,albano1 and was fond of 
portraying mythological subjects4 ,a few
 of his altar-pieces still adorn        
,cremona1 which may be esteemed good for

 the period at which they were produced4
  ,while the ,cremonese artists left    
their native state in search1 as we have
 observed1 of more novel methods1 a     
foreigner took up his residence1 and not
 only studied1 but taught at ,cremona4  
,this was ,luigi ,miradoro1 commonly    
called ,il ,genovesino1 from his native 
city of ,genoa1 whence1 after being     
initiated in the principles of his art1 
he appears to have gone1 while young1 to
 ,cremona1 towards the beginning of the 
seventeenth century4 ,there he began to 
study the works of ,panfilo ,nuvolone1  
and afterwards formed a manner partaking
 of the ,caracci1 though neither so     
select nor studied1 but bold1 large1    
correct in colouring1 harmonious1 and   
productive of fine effect4 ,this artist1
 equally unknown in his native place and
 in foreign cities1 as well as passed   
over by ,orlandi and his continuator1 is
 nevertheless held in high repute in    
,lombardy1 and particularly in ,cremona1
 where his pictures adorn several       

churches1 among which that of his ,s4   
,gio4 ,damasceno1 at ,s4 ,clemente1 has 
been most highly commended4 ,the        
,merchants' ,college likewise at        
,piacenza possesses a very beautiful    
painting of a ,pieta from his hand4 ,in 
all subjects he was successful1 and     
remarkably so in those of a terrific    
cast4 ,in the ,casa ,borri at ,milan    
there is a piece representing a variety 
of punishments inflicted upon some      
accomplices in a conspiracy1 a          
magnificent production of its kind4     
,others are to be met with1 though not  
very frequently1 in collections         
belonging to the above mentioned cities1
 on one of which ,i read the date of    
#afci4  ,agostino ,bonisoli was pupil to
 ,tortiroli1 and subsequently1 for the  
space of a year1 to ,miradoro1 though he
 was more indebted to his own genius    
than to any master1 with the aid of     
studying excellent models1 more         
especially that of ,paul ,veronese4     
,from him he borrowed his grace and     

spirit1 his design from other artists4  
,he painted little for churches1 and    
,cremona possesses scarcely any other   
specimen than the ,dialogue of ,s4      
,antonio with the tyrant ,ezzelino1     
which is preserved at the church of the 
,conventuali4 ,his portraits and        
history-pieces are to be met with in    
private houses1 for the most part taken 
from sacred records1 and intended for   
the decoration of rooms4 ,many of these 
passed into ,germany and other foreign  
parts2 for1 having been in the service  
of ,gio4 ,francesco ,gonzaga1 prince of 
,bozolo1 in which he remained           
twenty-eight years1 his paintings were  
frequently presented as gifts1 or       
requested by foreigners of rank4 ,as    
long as he continued in his native state
 he maintained an academy for the study 
of naked figures1 in which he gave      
instructions to youth4  ,two other      
artists flourished after him in         
,cremona1 of whom their biographer      
observes that they must have drunk at   

the same fountain1 from the great       
resemblance of their paintings1 at least
 during a certain period1 though they   
differed greatly in point of colouring4 
,one is ,angelo ,massarotti1 a native of
 ,cremona1 the other ,roberto ,la       
,longe1 born at ,brussels1 ranked among 
those artists who have been denominated 
,fiamminghi1 or ,flemish1 in ,italy1 an 
appellation which has given rise to     
frequent mistakes in history4 ,angelo   
was undoubtedly pupil to ,bonisoli1 and 
though he studied many years with ,cesi 
at ,rome1 where he painted at ,s4       
,salvatore in ,lauro1 he exhibits very  
little of the ,roman1 except a more     
regular kind of composition than belongs
 to the ,cremonese style4 ,for the rest 
he was fonder of introducing portraits  
than ideal forms into his canvass1 nor  
was he sufficiently careful to shun the 
faults of the naturalists2 owing to     
which1 more particularly in his         
draperies1 he sometimes became heavy4   
,he boasts moreover a more rich and oily

 colouring than was then prevalent at   
,rome1 which gives his pictures an      
appearance of fulness and roundness1    
while it adds to their preservation4    
,perhaps his masterpiece is to be seen  
at ,s4 ,agostino1 a vast production1 in 
which the saint is represented giving   
rules to various religious orders1 which
 form a body militant under his banners1
 and in such a crowd of figures1 the    
ideas1 the attitudes1 and the draperies 
are all well varied4  ,most probably    
,roberto la ,longe frequented the       
academy of ,bonisoli1 and occasionally1 
as we have observed1 conformed to the   
manner of ,massarotti4 ,but both there  
and at ,piacenza1 where he long resided 
and closed his days1 he painted in a    
variety of styles1 yet always soft1     
clear1 and harmonious2 much as if he had
 never ventured beyond the confines of  
,flanders4 ,at times he emulates ,guido1
 as in some histories of ,s4 ,teresa1   
painted for ,s4 ,sigismondo at ,cremona2
 and in some histories of ,s4 ,antonio  

,martire1 at ,piacenza1 he approaches   
,guercino1 while at others he displays a
 mixture of strength1 delicacy1 and     
beauty1 as in his picture of ,s4        
,saverio1 in the cathedral at ,piacenza1
 seen in the act of dying1 and supported
 by angels4 ,his landscapes give        
singular attraction to his figures1     
though the latter might be better       
designed1 and more gradation may be     
desired in his landscape1 as well as in 
other parts of his works4  ,both these  
last masters had for their pupil ,gian  
,angiolo ,borroni1 who1 being taken     
under the patronage of the noble house  
of ,crivelli1 was retained many years at
 ,bologna1 during the period the ,creti 
rose into repute4 ,monti and            
,giangioseffo del ,sole1 to whose style 
he most attached himself1 were then     
likewise flourishing at the same place4 
,he was particularly employed in        
ornamenting the palaces of his patrons1 
who were desirous of having him with    
them1 both at ,cremona and at ,milan1   

and in this last city he spent the best 
part of his life1 dying very infirm in  
the year #aggb4 ,there too he left the  
chief portion of his works1 some of     
which are upon a very large scale1      
distributed throughout its temples and  
palaces1 besides others in different    
cities of the ,milanese1 more especially
 in his native place4 ,in the cathedral 
remains his picture of ,s4 ,benedetto1  
in the act of offering up prayers for   
the city1 of which he is the patron1 to 
paint which the ,cav4 ,borroni exerted  
his utmost degree of industry and art4  
,its success was sufficient indeed to   
have placed it upon an equality with the
 best of its age1 had the draperies been
 folded with a degree of skill at all   
corresponding to the rest of the work2  
but in this he certainly was not happy4 
,a little subsequent to him began to    
flourish ,bottani1 an artist who has    
been mentioned also in the ,mantuan     
,school2 for1 though a native of        
,cremona1 he resided elsewhere4 ,good   

artists continue to flourish at ,cremona
 to this day1 whose merits1 however1    
according to my plan1 ,i leave untouched
 to the judgment of posterity4          
,professors of minor branches of        
painting were not wanting in this       
school1 one of whom1 named ,francesco   
,bassi1 who had fixed his residence at  
,venice1 was there called ,il ,cremonese
 da' ,paesi4 ,his powers were extremely 
varied and pleasing1 united to great    
polish1 powerful in his shadows1 warm in
 his airs1 while he often added to his  
pieces figures of men and animals in a  
pretty correct taste4 ,they enrich many 
collections both in ,italy and          
elsewhere1 and some1 as we find from the
 catalogue published in ,venice1 were   
included in ,algarotti's4 ,we must be   
cautious to avoid mistaking this painter
 for another ,francesco ,bassi1 also a  
,cremonese1 who is in that city called  
the younger4 ,he was a pupil of the     
former in the art of landscape1 and     
although much inferior to him1 is not   

unknown in different collections4 ,but a
 still higher rank in the same class is 
occupied by ,sigismondo ,benini1 a      
scholar of ,massarotti1 the inventor of 
beautiful methods in his landscapes1    
with well retiring grounds1 and with all
 the accidents of light well portrayed4 
,his composition is polished1 distinct1 
and coloured with equal harmony and     
vigour1 though to continue agreeable he 
ought not to have transgressed the      
limits of landscape2 for1 by the        
addition of his figures1 he diminished  
the value of his works4  ,about the same
 period a family1 sprung from           
,casalmaggiore in the ,cremonese1       
distinguished itself in the line of     
architectural and ornamental painting4  
,giuseppe ,natali1 the elder1 impelled  
by his natural inclination for this art1
 entered upon it notwithstanding the    
opposition of his father1 which1 being  
at length overcome1 he was permitted to 
visit ,rome1 and to remain some time at 
,bologna in order to qualify himself4   

,he flourished precisely at the period  
which the architectural painters are    
fond of considering as the happiest for 
their art4 ,it had very recently been   
improved by ,dentone1 by ,colonna1 by   
,mitelli1 and boasted1 from its         
attractive novelty1 a number of young   
geniuses1 whom it inspired with the     
dignity of masters1 and with the        
prospect of rewards1 a subject on which 
,i shall treat more particularly in the 
,bolognese ,school4 ,he formed a style  
at once praiseworthy for the            
architectural1 and judiciously pleasing 
for the ornamental parts4 ,he gratifies 
the eye by presenting it with those     
views which are the most charming1 and  
gives it repose by distributing them at 
just distances4 ,in his grotesques he   
retains much of the antique1 shunning   
all useless exhibition of modern        
foliages1 and varying the painting from 
time to time1 with small landscapes1    
which he also executed well in little   
oil pictures1 which were in the highest 

request4 ,the softness and harmony of   
his tints extorted great commendation4  
,he did not permit his talents to remain
 idle1 ornamenting a number of halls1   
chambers1 chapels1 and churches         
throughout ,lombardy1 often with a      
rapidity that appears almost incredible4
 ,he more particularly distinguished    
himself at ,san ,sigismondo1 and in the 
palace of the ,marchesi ,vidoni4  ,he   
had three brothers who followed in his  
footsteps1 and all of whom he had       
himself instructed4 ,francesco1 the     
second1 approached nearest to ,giuseppe 
in point of merit1 and even surpassed   
him in dignity4 ,he was employed in     
works on a large scale for the churches 
of ,lombardy and ,tuscany1 as well as   
for the courts of the dukes of ,massa1  
of ,modena1 and of ,parma1 in which city
 he closed his days4 ,lorenzo1 the      
third1 chiefly assisted his brothers1 or
 if he had the misfortune to execute any
 works alone1 he was rather pitied than 
applauded4 ,pietro1 the fourth brother1 

died young and uncommemorated4 ,there   
were two sons1 the one of ,giuseppe1 the
 other of ,francesco1 who were initiated
 by their parents in the same art4 ,the 
first1 named ,giambatista1 became       
court-painter to the elector of         
,cologne2 and the second1 who bore the  
same name1 honourably occupied a similar
 rank at the court of ,charles1 ,king of
 the two ,sicilies1 and in that of his  
son1 a station in which he died4        
,giuseppe educated a pupil of merit in  
,gio4 ,batista ,zaist1 a name to which  
we have frequently referred4 ,memoirs of
 him were collected by ,sig4 ,panni1    
both his pupil and relation4 ,to him    
also we are indebted for the publication
 of the work of ,zaist1 by which we have
 been guided in this account4 ,it is a  
guide1 however1 not to be followed by a 
reader who is in haste1 inasmuch as he  
is found to proceed very leisurely1 and 
is very apt to go over the same ground  
again4       ,,chapter ,v4    ,,school  
,,of ,,milan4     ,,epoch ,i4           

,account of the ,ancients until the time
 of ,vinci4   ,if in each of our        
pictoric schools we have adhered to the 
plan of tracing back the memorials of   
more barbarous ages1 and thence         
proceeding to more cultivated periods1  
,milan more especially as the capital of
 ,lombardy1 and the court of the        
,lombard kings1 will afford us an epoch 
remarkable no less for its lofty        
character than for the grandeur of its  
monuments4 ,when ,italy passed from the 
dominion of the ,goths to that of the   
,longobards1 the arts1 which invariably 
follow in the train of fortune1         
transferred their primary seat from     
,ravenna to ,milan1 to ,monza1 and to   
,pavia4 ,each of these places still     
retains traces of the sort of design now
 entitled1 both on account of the place 
and the time1 ,longobardic1 much in the 
same manner as in the diplomatic science
 we distinguish by the same name certain
 characters peculiar to that age1 or    
rather to those ages1 for after the     

,longobards were driven from ,italy1 the
 same taste in writing and sculpture    
continued to flourish during a great    
part of them4 ,this style1 as exhibited 
in works1 both of metal and of marble1  
is coarse and hard beyond the example of
 any preceding age1 and is seen most    
frequently and to most advantage in the 
representation of monsters1 birds1 and  
quadrupeds rather than of human figures4
 ,at the cathedral1 at ,s4 ,michele1 and
 at ,s4 ,giovanni in ,pavia1 appear some
 friezes over the gates1 consisting of  
animals chained in a variety of ways to 
one another1 sometimes in natural       
positions1 and sometimes with the head  
turned behind4 ,in the interior of the  
same churches1 as well as in some       
others1 we meet also with capitals1     
presenting similar figures1 not         
unfrequently united to historical       
representations of men1 differing so    
much from the human figure as to appear 
belonging to another species4 ,the same 
kind of abuse of the art was practised  

in places under the sway of the         
,longobard dukes1 one of which was the  
,friuli1 which still preserves a number 
of these barbarous efforts4 ,in         
,cividale there is a marble altar1 first
 begun by ,duke ,pemmone1 and completed 
by his son ,ratchi1 who lived during the
 eighth century4 ,the bassi-relievi     
consist of ,christ seated between       
different angels1 his ,epiphany1 and the
 ,visitation of the ,blessed ,virgin4#ch
 ,art would appear scarcely capable of  
producing any thing more rude than these
 figures1 yet whoever will be at the    
pains of examining the frieze on a gate 
at the same place1 or the capitals of   
the pillars of ,s4 ,celso at ,milan1#ci 
works of the tenth century1 will admit  
that it was susceptible of still greater
 corruption when it added absurdity to  
its coarseness1 and produced distorted  
and dwarfish figures1 all hands and all 
heads1 with legs and feet incapable of  
supporting them4 ,there are an infinite 
number of similar marbles1 and of like  

design1 at ,verona and other places4 ,to
 these1 nevertheless1 are opposed other 
monuments which will not permit us to   
admit1 as a general rule1 that every    
trace of good taste was then extinct in 
,italy4 ,i might easily adduce          
instances1 drawn from different arts1   
and in particular from that of working  
in gold1 which1 during the tenth        
century1 boasted its ,volvino1 who      
produced the very celebrated altar-piece
 at ,s4 ,ambrogio in ,milan1 a work     
which may be pronounced equal in point  
of style to the finest specimens of the 
dittici1 or small ivory altar-pieces1   
that the museums of sacred art can      
boast4    ,footnote #ch3 ,the           
inscription is annexed to it1 and may be
 found      in ,bertoli1 ,antichita di  
,aquileia1 num4 #eaf4    ,footnote #ci3 
,see the ,dottore ,gaetano ,bugati1 in  
his ,historical      and ,critical      
account of the relics and the worship of
 ,san      ,celso the ,martyr1 p4 #a2   
and the ,p4 ,m4 ,allegranza1            

,explanations and ,reflections relating 
to some sacred      monuments at ,milan1
 p4 #afh4  ,confining myself1 however1  
to the subject before me1 we know that  
,tiraboschi remarked in the palace of   
,monza1 some of the most ancient        
pictures belonging to those ages1 while 
other similar reliques are pointed out  
at ,s4 ,michele in ,pavia1 although     
placed in too elevated a situation to   
permit us to form an exact judgment of  
them4 ,others yet more extensive exist  
in ,galliano1 of which a description is 
given in the ,opuscoli of ,p4           
,allegranza1 7p4 #aic74 ,upon this point
 ,i may observe1 that the ,treatise upon
 ,painting already mentioned1 was       
discovered in a manuscript in the       
,university of ,cambridge to have had   
this title3--,theophilus ,monachus      
7elsewhere qui et ,rugerius71 de omni   
scientia artis pingendi4 ,incipit       
,tractatus ,lumbardicus qualiter        
temperantur colores1 c4 ,this is a      
convincing proof1 that if painting could

 then boast an asylum in ,italy1 it must
 have been more particularly in         
,lombardy4 ,and in the church of ,s4    
,ambrogio1 just mentioned1 proofs of    
this are not wanting4 ,over the         
,confessional is seen a ceiling in terra
 cotta1 with figures in basso-relievo1  
tolerably designed and coloured1        
resembling the composition of the best  
mosaic-workers in ,ravenna and in ,rome1
 supposed to be the work of the tenth   
century1 or thereabouts4 ,the figures of
 the ,sleeping ,saints are also seen    
near the gate1 which must have been     
painted about the same time1 and were at
 one time covered with lime1 though they
 have since been brought to light and   
very carefully preserved by the learned 
ecclesiastics who are entrusted with the
 care of the temple4 ,the portico has   
also a figure of the ,redeemer1 with a  
holy man worshipping at his feet1 wholly
 in the ,greek manner2 besides a        
,crucifixion1 which1 to judge from the  
characters1 might more suitably be      

ascribed to the thirteenth century than 
to the next4 ,i omit the mention of     
several figures of the ,crucified       
,saviour and of the ,virgin1            
interspersed through the city and the   
state2 contenting myself with referring 
to those of our ,lady placed at ,s4     
,satiro and at ,gravedona1 which are of 
very ancient date4  ,from the period of 
these first efforts1 ,i am of opinion   
that the art of painting continued to   
flourish throughout the state and city  
of ,milan1 though we are not fortunate  
enough to retain sufficient memorials of
 it to compile a full historical        
account4 ,for little mention has been   
made by our oldest writers concerning   
the artists1 except incidentally1 as by 
,vasari in his ,lives of ,bramante1 of  
,vinci1 and of ,carpi1 and by ,lomazzo1 
in his ,treatise1 and in his ,temple1 or
 ,theatre#dj of ,painting4 ,as little   
likewise has been said by several of the
 more modern writers1 nor that always   
with good authority1 such as ,torre1    

,latuada1 ,santagostini1 whose          
narratives were collected by ,orlandi1  
and inserted in his ,dictionary4 ,some  
supplementary information has been      
supplied by ,notices of the ,paintings  
of ,italy as to a variety of artists1   
and their exact age2 and by the ,new    
,guide to ,milan1 truly new and unique  
until this period in ,italy1 and        
reflecting the highest credit upon the  
,ab4 ,bianconi1 who not only points out 
every thing most rare in the city1 but  
teaches us1 by sound rules1 how best to 
distinguish excellence from mediocrity  
and inferiority in the art4 ,to this we 
may add the name of the ,consiglier de' 
,pagave1 who published very interesting 
notices relating to this school1 in the 
third1 fifth1 and eighth volumes of the 
new ,sienese edition of ,vasari4 ,i am  
also enabled to furnish considerable    
information in addition1 politely       
transmitted to me in manuscript by the  
last writer1 for the present work4 ,from
 these ,i am happy to announce we may   

become acquainted with the names of new 
masters1 along with much chronological  
information of a sounder kind1 relating 
to those already known1 frequently      
derived from the ,necrologio of ,milan1 
which had been carefully preserved by   
one of the public functionaries of that 
city4    ,footnote #dj3 ,he borrowed the
 idea of this work from the ,theatre    
of ,giulio ,camillo1 with whom he       
compares his own ,treatise in      chap4
 ix4 ,hence1 as in the case of some     
books which have two      titles1 ,i    
judge it best to call it by this name   
7,theatre7      also1 as others have    
done4  ,by aid of these1 and other      
materials ,i have to bring forward1 ,i  
prepare to treat of the ,milanese       
,school from as early a date as #acce1  
when ,giotto was employed in ornamenting
 various places in the city1 which1 down
 to the time of ,vasari1 continued to be
 esteemed as most beautiful specimens of
 the art4 ,not long subsequent to       
,giotto1 an artist named ,stefano       

,fiorentino was invited thither by      
,matteo ,visconti1 and is celebrated as 
one of the most accomplished pupils of  
the former4 ,but he was compelled by    
indisposition to abandon the work he had
 undertaken in that city2 nor do we know
 that at that period he had any         
successor in the ,giotto manner4 ,about 
the year #acgj1 ,gio4 da ,milano1 pupil 
to ,taddeo ,gaddi1 arrived there1 so    
able an artist that his master1 at his  
death1 entrusted to him the care of his 
son ,angiolo1 and another son1 whom he  
was to instruct in a knowledge of the   
art4 ,it is therefore evident that the  
,florentine early exercised an influence
 over the ,milanese ,school4 ,we are    
informed at the same time of two native 
artists1 who1 according to ,lomazzo1    
flourished at the period of ,petrarch   
and of ,giotto4 ,these are ,laodicia di 
,pavia1 called by ,guarienti1 pittrice1 
and ,andrino di ,edesia1 also said to   
belong to ,pavia1 although both his name
 and that of ,laodicia lead us to       

conjecture that they must have been of  
,greek origin4 ,to ,edesia and his      
school have been attributed some frescos
 which yet remain at ,s4 ,martino and   
other places in ,pavia4#da ,i cannot    
speak positively of the authors2 their  
taste is tolerably good1 and the        
colouring partakes of that of the       
,florentines of the age4 ,michel de     
,roncho1 a ,milanese1 is another artist 
discovered by ,count ,tassi1 at the same
 time that he gives some account of the 
two ,nova who flourished at ,bergamo4   
,michele is said to have assisted in    
their labours in the cathedral of that  
city1 from the year #acgf to #acgg1 and 
remnants of these paintings survive1    
which shew that they approached nearer  
the composition of ,giotto than the     
artists of ,pavia4 ,there are some      
pictures in ,domodossola that also bring
 us acquainted with an able artist of   
,nova4 ,they are preserved in ,castello 
,sylva and elsewhere1 and bear the      
following memorandum--,ego ,petrus      

filius ,petri ,pictoris de ,novaria hoc 
opus pinxi1 #acgj4 ,without1 however1   
going farther than ,milan1 we there find
 in the ,sacristy of the ,conventuali1  
as well as in different cloisters1      
paintings produced in the fourteenth    
century1 without any indication of their
 authors1 and most frequently resembling
 the ,florentine manner1 though         
occasionally displaying a new and       
original style1 not common to any other 
school of ,italy4    ,footnote #da3 ,see
 ,notizie delle ,pitture1 ,sculture1 ed 
,architetture d',italia1 by ,sig4       
,bertoli1 p4 #da1 c4  ,among these      
anonymous productions in the ancient    
style1 the most remarkable is what      
remains in the ,sacristy of ,le ,grazie1
 where every panel presents us with some
 act from the ,old or the ,new          
,testament4 ,the author would appear to 
have lived during the latter part of the
 fourteenth and beginning of the        
fifteenth centuries2 nor is it easy to  
meet with any other ,italian production1

 conducted during that age by a single  
artist1 so abundantly supplied with     
figures4 ,the style is dry1 but the     
colouring1 where it has escaped the     
power of the sun1 is so warm1 so well   
laid on1 so boldly relieved from its    
grounds1 that it yields in nothing to   
the best ,venetian or ,florentine pieces
 of the time1 insomuch that whoever be  
the artist he is fully entitled to all  
the praise of originality4 ,another     
,lombard artist1 formerly believed to be
 a ,venetian1 is better known4 ,his name
 has been incorrectly given by ,vasari1 
in his life of ,carpaccio1 and in that  
of ,gian ,bellini1 as well as by        
,orlandi and by ,guarienti1 in three    
articles inserted in the ,dictionary of 
art4 ,in one article1 following ,vasari1
 he is called by ,orlandi1 ,girolamo    
,mazzoni1 or ,morzoni1 and in the two   
others he is named ,giacomo ,marzone1   
and ,girolamo ,morzone1 by ,guarienti1 a
 writer happier perhaps in adding to the
 errors and prejudices entertained about

 the old painters1 than in correcting   
them4 ,his real name is to be found upon
 an altar-piece which is still preserved
 at ,venice1 or in its island of ,s4    
,elena1 a piece representing the        
,assumption of the ,virgin1 with the    
titular saint1 ,s4 ,gio4 ,batista1 ,s4  
,benedetto1 and a holy ,martyr1 along   
with the following inscription--,giacomo
 ,morazone a laura questo lauorier4 ,an4
 ,dni4 ,,mccccxxxxi4 ,the excellent     
critic ,zanetti is persuaded1 from its  
,lombard dialect1 as well as from the   
fact of the artist having painted a good
 deal in different cities of ,lombardy1 
as related by ,vasari1 that he does not 
belong to the ,venetian1 but to the     
,lombard ,school1 and the more so as he 
took his name from ,morazzone1 a place  
in ,lombardy4 ,it is true1 that granting
 this1 there is no great sacrifice made1
 inasmuch as this ,giacomo1 who1 when in
 ,venice1 was the competitor of         
,jacobello del ,fiore1 displayed little 
merit1 at least in this picture1 which  

cannot boast even a foot placed upon the
 ground according to the rules of       
perspective1 nor any other merit that   
raises it much above the character of   
the thirteenth century4  ,michelino was 
an artist who also retained the ancient 
style1 and continued to the last the    
practice of making his figures large and
 his buildings small1 a practice blamed 
by ,lomazzo even in the oldest painters4
 ,he assigns to him a rank1 however1    
among the best of his age on account of 
his designs of animals of every kind1   
which he painted1 says ,lomazzo1        
wonderfully well1 and of the human      
figure1 which he executed with effect1  
rather in burlesque than in serious     
subjects2 and in this style was esteemed
 the model of his school4 ,he would     
appear likewise to have been esteemed by
 foreigners1 as we find in the ,notizia 
,morelli1 that in the house of the      
,vendramini at ,venice there was        
preserved a small book in #dto4 bound in
 kid-skin1 with figures of animals      

coloured by this artist4 ,at a little   
interval1 according to ,pagave1 we are  
to place the period of ,agostino di     
,bramantino1 an artist unknown to       
,bottari1 as well as to more recent     
investigators of pictorial history4 ,i  
apprehend that an error committed by    
,vasari gave rise to an additional one  
in the mind of ,pagave1 a very accurate 
writer4 ,vasari1 remarking that in a    
chamber of the ,vatican1 which was      
subsequently painted by ,raffaello1 the 
previous labours of ,pier della         
,francesca1 of ,bramantino1 of          
,signorelli1 and of the ,ab4 di ,s4     
,clemente1 were destroyed to accommodate
 the former1 supposes that the two first
 of the artists1 thus sacrificed1       
conducted them contemporaneously under  
,nicholas ,v4 about #adej4 ,induced by  
the esteem he had for the same          
,bramantino1 he collected notices also  
of his other works1 and discovered him  
to be the author of the ,dead ,christ   
foreshortened1 of the ,family which     

deceived the horse at ,milan1 and of    
several perspectives2 the whole of which
 account is founded in error1 when      
attributed to a ,bramantino1 who        
flourished about #adej1 yet the whole is
 true when we suppose them to have been 
the work of one ,bramantino1 pupil to   
,bramante1 who lived in the year #aebi4 
,i cannot perceive1 however1 in what way
 the ,consiglier ,pagave could have     
detected ,vasari's mistake in the       
,milanese works2 whilst in those of the 
,vatican1 which1 according to ,vasari   
himself1 all belong to the same         
individual1 he has taken occasion to    
repeat it4 ,he had better have asserted 
that the historian had erred in point of
 chronology1 in supposing that          
,bramantino painted under the           
pontificate of ,nicholas ,v4 than have  
ventured on the hypothesis of the       
existence of an ancient ,bramantino1    
called ,agostino1 by whom a very        
beautiful work was to be seen in the    
papal palace1 and no other specimen at  

,rome1 at ,milan1 or elsewhere4 ,i      
disclaim all belief then in this old    
artist until more authentic proofs are  
brought forward of his existence1 and ,i
 shall be enabled to throw new light    
upon the subject before ,i conclude the 
present epoch4  ,in the time of the     
celebrated ,francesco ,sforza1 and of   
the ,cardinal ,ascanio his brother1 both
 desirous no less of enriching the city 
with fine buildings than these last with
 the most beautiful decorations2 there  
sprung up a number of architects and    
statuaries1 and1 what is more to our    
purpose1 of very able painters for the  
age4 ,their reputation spread through   
,italy1 and induced ,bramante to visit  
,milan1 a young artist who possessed the
 noblest genius1 both for architecture  
and painting1 and who1 after acquiring a
 name in ,milan1 taught the arts to     
,italy and to the world4 ,the former had
 made little progress in point of       
colouring1 which1 though strong1 was    
somewhat heavy and sombre1 nor in regard

 to their drapery1 which is disposed in 
straight1 hard folds1 until the time of 
,bramante1 while they are also cold in  
their features and attitudes4 ,they had 
improved the art1 however1 in regard to 
perspective1 no less in execution than  
in writing on the subject2 a            
circumstance that led ,lomazzo to       
observe1 that as design was the peculiar
 excellence of the ,romans1 and         
colouring of the ,venetians1 so         
perspective seemed to be the chief boast
 of the ,lombards4 ,it will be useful to
 report his own words1 from his         
,treatise upon ,painting1 p4 #dje4 ,in  
this art of correctly viewing objects1  
the great inventors were ,gio4 da       
,valle1 ,costantino ,vaprio1 ,foppa1    
,civerchio1 ,ambrogio and ,filippo      
,bevilacqui1 and ,carlo1 all of them    
belonging to ,milan4 ,add to these      
,fazio ,bembo da ,valdarno1 and         
,cristoforo ,moretto of ,cremona1       
,pietro ,francesco of ,pavia1 and       
,albertino da ,lodi2#db who1 besides the

 works they produced at other places1   
painted for the ,corte ,maggiore at     
,milan1 those figures of the armed      
barons1 in the time of ,francesco       
,sforza1 first duke of ,milan3 that is  
to say1 between the period of #addg and 
#adff4    ,footnote #db3 ,note that     
,lomazzo would not have passed over     
the name of ,agostino di ,bramantino1   
were it true that he had      flourished
 as early as #adbj1 and employed himself
 at ,rome1      an honour to which the  
rest of these ,milanese did not         
attain4  ,in treating of these artists1 
,i shall observe nothing further in     
reference to the last four1 having      
described those of ,cremona in their own
 place1 and not being aware that any    
thing more than the name of the other   
two survives at ,milan2 ,i say at       
,milan1 because ,pier ,francesco of     
,pavia1 whose surname was ,sacchi1 left1
 as we shall find1 some fine specimens  
at ,genoa1 where he resided during some 
time4 ,it is doubtful whether any       

altar-piece remains by the first of     
these1 7,gio4 della ,valle17 it being   
impossible to ascertain the fact4 ,nor  
do ,i know of any genuine work belonging
 to ,costantino ,vaprio1 though there is
 a ,madonna painted by another ,vaprio1 
surrounded by saints in different       
compartments1 at the ,serviti1 in       
,pavia1 with this                       
inscription3--,augustinus de ,vaprio    
pinxit #adih3 a production of some      
merit4  ,vincenzio ,foppa1 said by      
,ridolfi to have flourished about the   
year #adjg1 is esteemed almost the      
founder of the ,milanese ,school1 in    
which he distinguished himself during   
the sovereignty of ,filippo ,visconti1  
and that of ,francesco ,sforza4 ,i      
alluded to his name in the ,venetian    
,school1 to which he is referable from  
his being of ,brescia1 whatever ,lomazzo
 may on the other hand contend4 ,it is  
my wish to avoid all questions of       
nationality1 and the compendious method 
of my work will be a sufficient apology 

in this respect1 more particularly as   
far as relates to the names of less     
celebrated artists4 ,but with the head  
of a school1 such as ,foppa1 ,i cannot  
consider it a loss of time to           
investigate his real country1 in        
particular as the elucidation of many   
confused and doubtful points in the     
history of the art is found to depend   
upon this4 ,in ,vasari's ,life of       
,scarpaccia we find it mentioned1 that  
about the middle of the century         
,vincenzio1 a ,brescian painter1 was    
held in high repute1 as it is recounted 
by ,filarete4 ,and in the life of this  
excellent architect1 as well as in that 
of ,michelozzo1 he says1 that in some of
 their buildings1 erected under ,duke   
,francesco1 ,vincenzo di ,zoppa 7read   
,foppa71 a ,lombard artist1 painted the 
interior1 as no better master was to be 
met with in the surrounding states4 ,now
 that there was a ,vincenzo1 a ,brescian
 artist1 who then and subsequently      
flourished1 and who ranked among the    

best artists1 is proved by ,ambrogio    
,calepino1 in his ancient edition of    
#aeje1 at the word pingo4 ,there1 after 
having applauded ,mantegna beyond all   
other artists of his age1 he            
adds3--,huic accedunt ,jo4 ,bellinus    
,venetus1 ,leonardus ,florentinus1 et   
,vincentius ,brixianus1 excellentissimo 
ingenio homines1 ut qui cum omni        
antiquitate de pictura possint          
contendere4 ,after so high a testimony  
to his merits1 written1 if ,i mistake   
not1 while ,foppa was still living1     
though edited after his decease1 7as we 
noticed from the eulogy written by      
,boschini on ,ridolfi1 in its proper    
place72 let us next attend to that found
 on his monument in the first cloister  
of ,s4 ,barnaba at ,brescia1 which runs 
as follows3--,excellentiss4 ac4 eximii4 
pictoris4 ,vincentii4 de4 ,foppis4 ci4  
,br4 #adib4 7,zamb4 p4 #cb47 ,to these  
testimonials ,i may add that from the   
hand of the author1 which ,i discovered 
in the ,carrara ,gallery at ,bergamo1   

where1 on a small ancient picture1      
conducted with much care1 and a singular
 study of foreshortening1 extremely rare
 for the period1 representing ,christ   
crucified between the two ,thieves1 is  
written3--,vincentius ,brixiensis fecit1
 #adee4--,what proof more manifest can  
be required for the identity of one and 
the same painter1 recorded by various   
authors with so much contradiction with 
regard to name1 country1 and age8  ,it  
must therefore be admitted1 after a     
comparison of the passages adduced1 that
 there is only a single ,brescian artist
 in question1 that he is not to be      
referred to so remote a period as       
reported1 and that he could not have    
painted in the year #adjg of the vulgar 
era1 inasmuch as he very nearly reaches 
the beginning of the sixteenth century4 
,we may for the same reasons dismiss    
from history those specious accounts    
interspersed by ,lomazzo1 asserting that
 ,foppa drew the proportions of his     
figures from ,lysippus2 that ,bramante  

acquired the art of perspective from his
 writings1 out of which he composed a   
treatise of essential utility to        
,raffaello1 to ,polidoro1 and to        
,gaudenzio2 and that ,albert ,durer and 
,daniel ,barbaro availed themselves1 by 
plagiarism1 of ,foppa's inventions4     
,such assertions1 already in a great    
measure refuted by the learned          
,consiglier ,pagave in his notes to     
,vasari1#dc first took their rise in    
supposing that the age of ,foppa was    
anterior to ,piero della ,francesca1    
from whom perspective in ,italy may     
truly be said to have dated its         
improvement4 ,next to him ,foppa was one
 of the first who cultivated the same   
art1 as clearly appears from the little 
picture already mentioned at ,bergamo4  
,in ,milan there are some of his works  
remaining at the hospital1 executed upon
 canvass1 and a martyrdom of ,s4        
,sebastiano1 at ,brera1 in fresco1      
which1 for design of the naked figure1  
for the natural air of the heads1 for   

its draperies and for its tints1 is very
 commendable1 though greatly inferior in
 point of attitude and expression4 ,i   
have frequently doubted whether there   
were two ,vincenzi of ,brescia1 since   
,lomazzo1 besides ,vincenzo ,foppa1     
whom1 against the received opinion1 he  
makes a native of ,milan1 marks down in 
his index a ,vincenzio ,bresciano1 of   
whom ,i am not aware that he makes the  
slightest mention throughout the whole  
of his work4 ,i am led to suspect1 that 
meeting with some works bearing the     
signature of ,vincenzio ,bresciano1     
without the surname of ,foppa1 beyond   
the limits of ,milan1 the historian1    
fixed in his persuasion that ,foppa must
 be a native of ,milan1 set down two    
artists of the name instead of a single 
one1 and that this1 moreover1 was       
perhaps an old prejudice1 prevailing in 
the ,milanese ,school1 and which        
,lomazzo was unable to dismiss4         
,national errors and prejudices are     
always the last to be renounced4 ,in the

 ,notizia ,morelli1 a ,vincenzo         
,bressano the elder is twice mentioned1 
an adjunct1 which1 if not a surname1 as 
it was in the instance of ,minzocchi1   
may have arisen from some false report  
connected with the two ,vincenzi        
,bresciani4 ,indeed we have repeatedly  
observed that the names of artists have 
been very frequently drawn1 not from    
authentic writings1 but from common     
report1 which generally presents us with
 a worse account of what has been ill   
heard or understood4    ,footnote #dc3  
,vasari1 vol4 iii4 p4 #bcc4  ,vincenzo  
,civerchio1 denominated by ,vasari      
,verchio1 to which ,lomazzo1 who asserts
 him to have been a ,milanese1 added the
 surname of ,il ,vecchio1 is an artist  
whom we have recorded in the ,venetian  
,school1 to which he is referred as a   
native of ,crema1 though he resided at  
,milan and educated several excellent   
pupils for that school1 and with the    
exception of ,vinci is the best entitled
 of any master to its gratitude4        

,vasari1 when he praises his works in   
fresco1 considers him in no way inferior
 to ,foppa4 ,in his figures he was      
extremely studied1 and admirable in his 
method of grouping them in the distance1
 so as to throw the low grounds back1   
and bring down the higher parts with a  
gentle gradation4 ,of this he affords a 
model at ,s4 ,eustorgio in some         
histories of ,s4 ,peter ,martyr1 painted
 for a chapel of that name1 which are   
highly commended by ,lomazzo1 though    
they have since been covered with       
plaister1 there remaining only from the 
hand of ,civerchio the summits of the   
cupola1 which we trust will enjoy a     
longer date4#dd ,ambrogio ,bevilacqua is
 an artist known by a production at ,s4 
,stefano1 representing ,s4 ,ambrogio    
with saints ,gervasio and ,protasio     
standing at his side4 ,other paintings  
procured for him the reputation of a    
fine drawer of perspective1 though in   
the specimen here mentioned he has      
undoubtedly not adhered to its rules4   

,the design1 however1 is such as        
approaches1 with some slight traces of  
dryness1 to a good style4 ,memorials of 
this artist are found as early as #adhf2
 but of his brother ,filippo1 his       
assistant1 and of ,carlo1 a native of   
,milan1 mentioned by ,lomazzo in the    
same work1 ,i am able to find no        
account4 ,there are two1 however1 who   
are referred by our already highly      
commended correspondent to this more    
remote epoch4 ,these are ,gio4 de'      
,ponzoni1 who left a picture of ,s4     
,cristoforo in a church near the city1  
called ,samaritana1 and a ,francesco    
,crivelli1 who is reported to have been 
the first who painted portraits in the  
city of ,milan4    ,footnote #dd3 ,the  
epochs relating to this artist appear   
difficult1      and almost              
irreconcileable4 ,from ,lomazzo's       
account he was a      painter as early  
as #adfj1 and according to ,ronna1 in   
his      ,zibaldone ,cremasco1 for the  
year #agie1 p4 #hd1 there are           

existing documents which prove that he  
was still living in      #aece4 ,if we  
give credit to these1 ,civerchio must   
have      flourished to an extreme age1 
so as to be ranked in this      point   
with ,titian1 with ,calvi1 and the other
 hoary-headed      octogenarians of the 
art4  ,of those who here follow1 a part 
formed the body of painters under the   
government of ,lodovico the ,moor1      
during whose time ,vinci resided at     
,milan1 and others were gradually making
 progress during the following years1   
though not any wholly succeeded in      
freeing themselves from the old style4  
,the first on the list are the two      
,bernardi1 as frequently also called    
,bernardini1 natives of ,trevilio in the
 ,milanese1 the one of the family       
,butinoni1 the other of that of ,zenale1
 both pupils of ,civerchio1 and his     
rivals both in painting and in writing4 
,trevilio is a territory in the         
,milanese1 at that period included in   
that of ,bergamo1 and for this reason   

comprehended by ,count ,tassi in its    
school4 ,it is also a considerable      
distance from ,trevigi1 where he took   
advantage of the resemblance of the name
 to announce one ,bernardino da         
,trevigi1 a painter and architect1 who  
never existed4 ,vasari mentions a       
,bernardino da ,trevio 7he meant to say 
,trevilio7 who1 in the time of          
,bramante1 was an engineer at ,milan1 a 
very able designer1 and esteemed an     
excellent master by ,vinci1 though his  
manner was somewhat harsh and dry in his
 pictures2 and he then cites among his  
other works a picture of the            
,resurrection at the cloister of the    
,grazie1 which presents some beautiful  
foreshortenings4 ,it is surprising how  
,bottari should have changed ,trevio    
into ,trevigi1 and how ,orlandi should  
have understood ,vasari as writing of   
,butinone1 when1 guided by ,lomazzo1 at 
page #bga1 and in other parts of the    
treatise1 it was easy to conjecture that
 he was there speaking of ,zenale of    

,trevilio4 ,he was a distinguished      
character1 in the confidence of         
,vinci1#de and in the ,treatise upon    
,painting compared with ,mantegna1      
besides being continually referred to as
 an example in the art of perspective1  
on which1 when old1 in #aebd1 he        
composed a work1 and put down a variety 
of observations4 ,there1 too1 among     
others1 he treated the question so long 
contested in those days1 whether the    
objects represented small and in the    
distance ought to be less distinct in   
order to imitate nature1 than those that
 are larger and more near1 a question   
which he explained in the negative1     
contending rather that distant objects  
should be as highly finished and well   
proportioned as those more fully before 
the eye4 ,this1 then1 is the            
,bernardino1 so much commended by       
,vasari1 whose opinion of this artist   
may be verified by viewing the          
,resurrection at ,le ,grazie1 and a     
,nunziata at ,san ,sempliciano1         

presenting a very fine piece of         
architecture1 calculated to deceive the 
eye4 ,this1 however1 is the best portion
 of the painting1 as the figures are    
insignificant1 both in themselves and in
 their drapery4 ,in respect to          
,butenone1 his contemporary1 and        
companion also when he painted at ,san  
,pietro in ,gessato1 we may conclude    
that he displayed an excellent knowledge
 of perspective1 since it is affirmed by
 ,lomazzo4 ,for the rest1 his works1    
with the exception of a few pictures for
 rooms1 better designed than coloured1  
have all perished4 ,there is a ,madonna 
represented between some saints1 which  
,i saw in possession of the ,consiglier 
,pagave1 at whose suggestion ,i add to  
the pupils of ,civerchio1 a ,bartolommeo
 di ,cassino of ,milan1 and ,luigi de'  
,donati of ,como1 of whom authentic     
altar-pieces remain4    ,footnote #de3  
,lomazzo1 in his ,treatise1 7book i4    
chap1 ix471      relates that ,vinci in 
his ,supper had endued the countenance  

of both the saints ,giacomo with so much
 beauty1 that      despairing to make   
that of the ,saviour more imposing1 he  
went to advise with ,bernardo ,zenale1  
who to console him      said1 ,leave the
 face of ,christ unfinished as it is1 as
 you      will never be able to make it 
worthy of ,christ among those           
,apostles1 and this ,leonardo did4  ,at 
the period when these artists were in   
repute1 ,bramante came to ,milan4 ,his  
real name1 as reported to us by         
,cesariani his disciple and the         
commentator on ,vitruvius1 was ,donato1 
and he was1 as is supposed1 of the      
family of ,lazzari1 though this has been
 strongly contested in the ,antichita   
,picene1 vol4 x4 ,there it is shewn1 at 
some length1 that his real country was  
not ,castel ,durante1 now ,urbania1 as  
so many writers assert1 but a town of   
,castel ,fermignano4 ,both places are in
 the state of ,urbino1 whence he used   
formerly to be called ,bramante di      
,urbino4 ,there he studied the works of 

,fra ,carnevale1 though ,vasari gives no
 further information respecting his     
education4 ,he continues to relate that 
on leaving his native place he wandered 
through several cities in ,lombardy1    
executing1 to the best of his ability1  
small works1 until his arrival at       
,milan1 where1 becoming acquainted with 
the conductors of the cathedral1 and    
among these with ,bernardo1 he resolved 
to devote himself wholly to             
architecture1 which he did4 ,before the 
year #aejj he went to ,rome1 where he   
entered the service of ,alexander ,,vi4 
and ,julius ,,ii41 and died there in his
 seventieth year1 in #aead4 ,we may here
 conjecture that the historian gave     
himself very little anxiety about       
investigating the memoirs of this great 
man4 ,sig4 ,pagave has proved to be a   
far more accurate inquirer into the     
truth4 ,animated by his love of this    
quality1 the soul of all history1 he at 
once renounced the honour his country   
would have derived from having          

instructed a ,bramante2 nor yet has he  
referred to him as a pupil to           
,carnevale1 or to ,piero della          
,francesca1 or to ,mantegna1 like some  
writers cited by ,signor ,colucci4 ,he  
has properly noticed his arrival at     
,milan1 already as a master1 in #adgf1  
after having erected both palaces and   
temples in the state of ,romagna4 ,from 
this period1 until the fall of          
,lodovico1 that is until #adii1 he      
remained at ,milan1 where he executed   
commissions1 with large salaries for the
 court1 and was employed as well by     
private persons in works of             
architecture1 and sometimes of painting4
  ,cellini in his second treatise denies
 ,bramante the fame of an excellent     
painter1 placing him in the middling    
class1 and at this period he is known by
 few in lower ,italy1 where he is never 
named in collections1 though he is very 
generally met with in the ,milanese4    
,cesariano and ,lomazzo had already     
asserted the same thing1 the latter     

having frequently praised him in his    
work when giving an account of his      
pictures both sacred and profane1 in    
distemper and in fresco1 as well as of  
his portraits4 ,his general manner1 he  
observes1 much resembles that of ,andrea
 ,mantegna4 ,like him he had employed   
himself in copying from casts1 which led
 him to throw his lights with too much  
force on his fleshes4 ,in the same      
manner also as ,mantegna he covered his 
models with glued canvass1 or with      
pasteboard1 in order that in the curves 
and folds he might correct the ancients4
 ,and like him he employed for painting 
in distemper1 a kind of viscous water1  
an instance of which is adduced by      
,lomazzo1 who repaired one of the       
specimens4 ,most of ,bramante's pictures
 in fresco1 mentioned by ,lomazzo and by
 ,scaramuccia as adorning the public    
places in ,milan1 are now destroyed or  
defaced1 if we except those that are    
preserved in the chambers of the        
,palazzi ,borri and ,castiglioni1 which 

are pretty numerous4 ,there is also a   
chapel in the ,certosa at ,pavia1 said  
to have been painted by him4 ,his       
proportions are square1 and sometimes   
have an air of coarseness1 his          
countenances are full1 the heads of his 
old men grand1 his colouring is very    
lively and well relieved from the       
ground1 though not free from some degree
 of crudity4 ,this character ,i have    
remarked in one of his altar-pieces1    
with various saints1 and with fine      
perspective1 in possession of the ,cav4 
,melzi1 and the same in a picture at the
 ,incoronata in ,lodi1 a very beautiful 
temple erected by ,gio4 ,bataggio1 a    
native of the place1 from the design of 
,bramante4 ,his masterpiece1 which is to
 be seen at ,milan1 is a ,s4            
,sebastiano1 in that saint's church1    
where scarcely a trace of the style of  
the fourteenth century is perceptible4  
,the ,notizia ,morelli points out his   
picture of a ,pieta1 at ,s4 ,pancrazio1 
in ,bergamo1 which ,pasta had mistaken  

for one of ,lotto1 and mentions also his
 picture of the ,philosophers1 painted  
by ,bramante in #adhf1 belonging to the 
same city4  ,he educated two pupils in  
,milan1 whose names have survived4 ,one 
of these is ,nolfo da ,monza1 who is    
said to have painted from the designs   
furnished by ,bramante1 at ,s4 ,satiro  
and other places2 an artist who1 if not 
equal to the first painters1 was        
nevertheless1 it is remarked by         
,scanelli1 of a superior character4 ,in 
the sacristy also of ,s4 ,satiro1 placed
 near the beautiful little temple of    
,bramante1 are a number of old pictures1
 most probably from the hand of ,nolfo4 
,the other artist is ,bramantino1       
supposed by ,orlandi to have been the   
preceptor of ,bramante1 by others       
confounded with him1 and finally        
discovered to have been his favourite   
disciple1 from which circumstance he    
obtained his surname4 ,his real name was
 ,bartolommeo ,suardi1 an architect1    
and1 what is more to my purpose1 a      

painter of singular merit4 ,in deceiving
 the eye of animals1 he equalled the    
ancients1 as we are acquainted by       
,lomazzo in the opening of his third    
book4 ,during a period he followed his  
master2 but on occasion of visiting     
,rome he improved his style1 though not 
so much in regard to his figures and    
proportions1 as in his colouring and his
 folds1 which he made more wide and     
spacious4 ,he was doubtless invited or  
conducted to ,rome by ,bramante1 and    
there1 under ,pope ,julius ,,ii41       
painted those portraits so highly       
praised by ,vasari1 and which1 when     
about to be removed1 to give place to   
,raffaello's1 were first copied at the  
request of ,jovius1 who wished to insert
 them in his museum4 ,it is certain that
 the ,vatican paintings by ,bramantino  
do not belong to the time of ,nicholas  
,v4 as we have shewn4 ,he returned from 
,rome to ,milan1 as we are informed by  
,lomazzo2 and to this more favourable   
period we may refer his production of   

,s4 ,ambrogio1 and that of ,s4 ,michele1
 with a figure of the ,virgin1 coloured 
in the ,venetian style1 and recorded in 
the select ,melzi gallery1 and to be    
mentioned hereafter4 ,there are also    
some altar-pieces both designed and     
coloured by him1 in the church of ,s4   
,francesco1 which display more elevation
 and dignity than belonged to his age4  
,but his chief excellence was in        
perspective1 and his rules have been    
inserted by ,lomazzo in his work1 out of
 respect to this distinguished artist4  
,he likewise holds him up as a model1 in
 his picture of the ,dead ,christ       
between the ,maries1 painted for the    
gate of ,s4 ,sepolcro1 a work which     
produces a fine illusion2 the legs of   
the ,redeemer1 in whatever point they   
are viewed1 appearing with equal        
advantage to the eye4 ,other artists ,i 
am aware have produced the same effect3 
but it is a just1 though a trite saying1
 that an inventor is worth more than all
 his imitators4 ,the ,cistercian fathers

 have a grand perspective in their      
monastery1 representing the ,descent of 
,christ into ,purgatory1 from his hand4 
,it consists of few figures1 little     
choice in the countenances1 but their   
colouring is both powerful and natural2 
they are well placed1 and well preserved
 in their distance1 disposed in         
beautiful groups1 with a pleasing       
retrocession of the pilasters1 which    
serve to mark the place1 united to a    
harmony that attracts the eye4 ,he had a
 pupil named ,agostin da ,milano1 well  
skilled in foreshortening1 and who      
painted at the ,carmine a piece that    
,lomazzo proposes1 along with the cupola
 of ,coreggio at the cathedral of       
,parma1 as a model of excellence in its 
kind4 ,his name is made very clear in   
the index of ,lomazzo1 as               
follows3--,agostino di ,bramantino of   
,milan1 a painter and disciple of the   
same ,bramantino4 ,i cannot imagine how 
such a circumstance escaped the notice  
of ,sig4 ,pagave1 and how he was led to 

present us with that more ancient       
,agostino ,bramantino1 7so called from  
his family name1 not from that of his   
master7 whose existence we have shewn to
 have been ideal1 wholly arising out of 
a mistake of ,vasari4 ,the one here     
mentioned was real1 though his name is  
so little known at ,milan1 as to lead us
 to suppose he must have passed much of 
his time in foreign parts4 ,and we are  
even authorized to conjecture that he   
may be the same ,agostino delle         
,prospettive whom we meet with in       
,bologna1 in #aebe4 ,all the            
circumstances are so strong1 that in a  
matter of justice1 they would have      
proved sufficient to establish his      
identity2 his name of ,agostino1 his    
age1 suitable to the preceptorship of   
,suardi1 his excellence in the art1     
which procured for him his surname1 and 
the silence of ,malvasia1 who could not 
be ignorant of him1 but who1 because he 
was drawing up a history of the         
,bolognese ,school only1 omitted to     

mention him4  ,there were other artists 
about #aejj1 who1 as it is said1        
following ,foppa1 painted in the style  
which we now call antico moderno4       
,ambrogio ,borgognone represented at ,s4
 ,simpliciano the histories of ,s4      
,sisinio and some accompanying martyrs1 
which adorn one of the cloisters4 ,the  
thinness of the legs1 and some other    
remains of his early education1 are not 
so displeasing in this work1 as we find 
its accurate study1 and the natural     
manner in which it is conducted1        
calculated to please4 ,the beauty of his
 youthful heads1 variety of countenance1
 simplicity of drapery1 and the customs 
of those times1 faithfully portrayed in 
the ecclesiastical paraphernalia1 and   
mode of living1 together with a certain 
uncommon grace of expression1 not met   
with in this or any other school1 are   
sufficient to attract attention4  ,gio4 
,donato ,montorfano painted a           
,crucifixion1 abounding with figures for
 the refectory of ,le ,grazie1 where it 

is unfortunately thrown into the shade  
by the ,grand ,supper of ,vinci4 ,he    
cannot compete with a rival to whom many
 of the greatest masters are compelled  
to yield the palm4 ,he excels only in   
his colouring1 which has preserved his  
work fresh and entire1 while that of    
,vinci shewed signs of decay in a few   
years4 ,what is original in ,montorfano 
is a peculiar clearness in his features1
 as well as in his attitudes1 and which1
 if united to a little more elegance1   
would have left him but few equals in   
his line4 ,he represents a group of     
soldiers seen playing1 and in every     
countenance is depicted attention1 and  
the desire of conquest4 ,he has also    
some heads of a delicate air1 extremely 
beautiful1 though the distance in regard
 to their position is not well          
preserved4 ,the architecture introduced1
 of the gates and edifices of           
,jerusalem1 is both correct and         
magnificent1 presenting those gradual   
retrocessions in perspective upon which 

this school at the time so much prided  
itself4 ,he retained the habit which    
continued till the time of ,gaudenzio at
 ,milan1 though long before reformed in 
other places1 of mixing with his        
pictures some plastic work in           
composition1 and thus giving in relief  
glories of saints1 and ornaments of men 
and horses4  ,ambrogio da ,fossano1 a   
place in the ,piedmontese1#df was an    
artist1 who1 at the grand ,certosa in   
,pavia1 designed the superb facade of   
the church1 being an architect as well  
as a painter4 ,in the temple before     
mentioned there is an altar-piece1 which
 is ascribed either to him or his       
brother1 not very highly finished1 but  
in a taste not very dissimilar from that
 of ,mantegna4 ,andrea ,milanese1 who   
has been confounded by one of ,vasari's 
annotators with ,andrea ,salai1 extorted
 the admiration of ,zanetti1 by an      
altar-piece he produced at ,murano1     
executed in #adie1 and it would appear  
that he studied in ,venice4 ,i cannot   

agree with ,bottari that he is the same 
as ,andrea del ,gobbo1 mentioned by     
,vasari in his life of ,coreggio1 since 
this last was a disciple of             
,gaudenzio4#dg ,about the same time     
flourished ,stefano ,scotto1 the master 
of ,gaudenzio ,ferrari1 much commended  
by ,lomazzo for his art in arabesques1  
and of his family is perhaps a ,felice  
,scotto1 who painted a good deal at     
,como for private individuals1 and left 
a number of pictures in fresco at ,s4   
,croce1 relating to the life of ,s4     
,bernardino4 ,his genius is varied and  
expressive1 he displays judgment in     
composition1 and is one of the best     
artists of the fourteenth century known 
in these parts4 ,he was probably a pupil
 of some other school1 his design being 
more elegant1 and his colouring more    
clear and open than those of the        
,milanese4 ,we might easily amplify the 
present list with other names1 furnished
 by ,morigia in his work on the         
,milanese nobility1 where we find       

mentioned with praise ,nicolao          
,piccinino1 ,girolamo ,chiocca1 ,carlo  
,valli1 or di ,valle1 brother to        
,giovanni1 all of them ,milanese1       
besides ,vincenzo ,moietta1 a native of 
,caravaggio1 who flourished in ,milan   
about #aejj1 or something earlier1 along
 with the foregoing4 ,about the same    
period the study of miniature was       
greatly promoted by the two ,ferranti1  
,agosto the son1 and ,decio the father1 
three works by whom are to be seen in   
the cathedral at ,vigevano1 consisting  
of a ,missal1 a book of the             
,evangelists1 and one of the epistles   
illuminated with miniatures in the most 
exact taste4    ,footnote #df3 ,a number
 of places which are now included in the
      ,piedmontese1 formerly belonged to
 the state of ,milan1 as we      have   
already observed4 ,the city of ,vercelli
 was united to      the house of ,savoy 
in #adbg1 and was subsequently subject  
to      a variety of changes4 ,many of  
its more ancient painters are           

referred to the ,milanese as their      
scholars2 but they may be               
enumerated among the ,piedmontese as    
citizens4 ,this remark      will apply  
to many different passages1 both in this
 and in      the fifth volume4          
,footnote #dg3 ,lomazzo1 ,trattato1 c4  
#cg4  ,other professors then flourished 
throughout the state1 of whom either    
some account remains in books1 or some  
works with the signature of their names4
 ,at that period the ,milanese was much 
more extensive than it has been since   
the cession of so large a portion to the
 house of ,savoy4 ,the artists belonging
 to the ceded portion will be considered
 by me in this school1 to which they    
appertain1 being educated in it1 and    
instructing other pupils in it1 in their
 turn4 ,hence besides those of ,pavia1  
of ,como1 and others of the modern      
state1 we shall in this chapter give    
some account of the ,novarese and       
,vercellese artists 7of whom ,i shall   
also give the information found in the  

prefaces to the tenth and eleventh      
volumes of ,vasari1 edited at ,siena by 
,p4 della ,valle71 with others who      
flourished in the old state4 ,pavia     
boasted a ,bartolommeo ,bononi1 by whom 
there is an altar-piece bearing the date
 of #aejg1 at ,san ,francesco1 and also 
one ,bernardin ,colombano who produced  
another specimen at the ,carmine in     
#aeae4 ,in other churches ,i likewise   
met with some specimens by an unknown   
hand1 7but perhaps by ,gio4 di ,pavia1  
inserted by ,malvasia in his catalogue  
of the pupils of ,lorenzo ,costa17      
partaking a good deal of the ,bolognese 
style of that age4 ,at the same period  
flourished ,andrea ,passeri of ,como1   
for whose cathedral he painted the      
,virgin among different apostles1 in    
which the heads and the whole           
composition have some resemblance to the
 modern4 ,but there is a dryness in the 
hands1 with use of gilding unworthy of  
the age1 7#aeje7 in which his picture   
was painted4 ,a ,marco ,marconi of      

,como1 who flourished about #aejj1      
displayed much of the ,giorgione manner1
 and was probably a pupil of the        
,venetians4 ,troso da ,monza was        
employed a good deal at ,milan1 and     
painted some pieces at ,s4 ,giovanni in 
his native place4 ,several histories of 
the ,queen ,teodelina1 adorning the same
 church1 executed in various            
compartments in #addd1 are now also     
ascribed to him4 ,it is not very easy to
 follow his inventions1 somewhat        
confused and new in regard to the       
drapery and the ,longobardish customs   
which he has there exhibited4 ,there are
 some good heads1 and colouring by no   
means despicable2 for the rest1 it is a 
mediocre production1 and perhaps        
executed early in life4 ,he is an artist
 much praised by ,lomazzo for his other 
works which he left at the ,palazzo     
,landi4 ,they consist of ,roman         
histories1 a production1 says ,lomazzo1 
7p4 #bgb7 quite surprising for the      
figures as well as the architecture and 

the perspective1 which is stupendous4   
,father ,resta1 cited by ,morelli1 who  
saw it in #agjg1 says that it almost    
astounded him by its surpassing         
excellence1 beauty1 and sweetness4      
7,lett4 ,pittor4 tom4 iii4 p4 #cdb47    
,in the new state of ,piedmont is       
situated ,novara1 where1 in the archives
 of the cathedral1 ,gio4 ,antonio ,merli
 painted in green earth ,pietro         
,lombardo1 with three other             
distinguished natives of ,novara2 an    
excellent portrait-painter for his age4 
,in ,vercelli1 adjoining it1 there      
flourished about #adfj ,boniforte1      
,ercole ,oldoni1 and ,f4 ,pietro di     
,vercelli1 of which last there is an    
ancient altar-piece preserved at ,s4    
,marco4 ,giovenone afterwards appeared1 
who is esteemed in that city as the     
first instructor of ,gaudenzio1 although
 ,lomazzo is silent upon it4 ,if he was 
not1 he was worthy of the charge4 ,the  
,augustin fathers possess a ,christ     
risen from the ,dead1 between saints    

,margaret and ,cecilia1 with two angels1
 a picture of a noble character1 in the 
taste of ,bramantino and the best       
,milanese artists1 and conducted with   
great knowledge of the naked figure and 
of perspective4     ,,school ,,of       
,,milan4     ,,epoch ,,ii4              
,leonardo da ,vinci establishes an      
,academy of ,design at      ,milan4 ,his
 ,pupils and the best native ,artists   
down to the      time of ,gaudenzio4    
,in treating of the ,florentine ,school 
we took occasion to enter into a brief  
examination of the pictoric education of
 ,vinci1 of his peculiar style1 and of  
his residence in different cities1 among
 which was mentioned ,milan1 and the    
academy which he there instituted4 ,he  
arrived in that city1 according to the  
testimony of ,vasari1 in the year #aeid1
 the first of the reign of ,prince      
,lodovico ,il ,moro2 or rather he       
resided there1 if not altogether1 at    
least for the execution of commissions1 
from #adhb1 as it has been recently     

supposed1#dh and left it after its      
capture by the ,french in #adii4 ,the   
years spent by ,lionardo at ,milan were1
 perhaps1 the happiest of his life1 and 
certainly productive of the most utility
 to the art of any in the whole period  
of his career4 ,the duke had deputed him
 to superintend an academy of design1   
which1 if ,i mistake not1 was the first 
in ,italy1 which gave the law to the    
leading ones in other parts4 ,it        
continued to flourish after the         
departure of ,vinci1 was much           
frequented1 and formed excellent pupils1
 maintaining in the place of its first  
director1 his precepts1 his writings1   
and his models4 ,no very distinct       
accounts indeed of his method have      
survived2 but we are certain that he    
formed it on scientific principles1     
deduced from philosophical reasoning1   
with which ,vinci was familiar in every 
branch4 ,his treatise upon painting is  
esteemed1 however imperfect1 as a kind  
of second canon of ,polycletes1 and     

explains the manner in which ,lionardo  
taught4#di ,we may also gather some     
knowledge of it from his other numerous 
and various writings1 which1 having been
 left to the care of ,melzi1 and in the 
course of time distributed1 now form the
 ornament of different cabinets4        
,fourteen volumes of these presented to 
the public1 are in the ,ambrosian       
collection1 and many of them are        
calculated to smooth the difficulties of
 the art to young beginners4 ,it is     
further known that the author1 having   
entered into a familiar friendship with 
,marcantonio della ,torre1 lecturer of  
,pavia1 united with him in illustrating 
the science of anatomy1 then little     
known in ,italy1 and that he represented
 with the utmost exactness1 in addition 
to the human figure1 that of the horse1 
in a knowledge of which he was esteemed 
quite unrivalled4 ,the benefit he       
conferred upon the art by the study of  
optics is also well known1 and no one   
was better acquainted with the nature of

 aerial perspective1#ej which became a  
distinctive and hereditary              
characteristic of his school4 ,he was   
extremely well versed in the science of 
music1 and in playing upon the lyre1 and
 equally so in poetry and history4 ,here
 his example was followed by ,luini and 
others2 and to him likewise it was owing
 that the ,milanese ,school became one  
of the most accurate and observing in   
regard to antiquity and to costume4     
,mengs has noticed before me that no    
artist could surpass ,vinci in the grand
 effect of his chiaroscuro4 ,he         
instructed his pupils to make as        
cautious an use of light as of a gem1   
not lavishing it too freely1 but        
reserving it always for the best place4 
,and hence we find in his1 and in the   
best of his disciples' paintings1 that  
fine relief1 owing to which the         
pictures1 and in particular the         
countenances1 seem as if starting from  
the canvass4    ,footnote #dh3          
,amoretti1 ,memorie ,storiche di        

,leonardo da ,vinci1      p4 #bj4       
,footnote #di3 ,this work was reprinted 
at ,florence1 together      with the    
figures1 #agib1 an edition taken from a 
copy in the      hand of ,stefano della 
,bella1 belonging to the ,riccardi      
library4 ,it was published by the       
learned librarian1 the ,ab4             
,fontani1 with the eulogy of ,vinci1    
abounding with      information on his  
life and paintings1 as well as on his   
designs attached to it4 ,to this is     
added the eulogy of      ,stefano1 and a
 ,dissertation of ,lami upon the        
,italian      painters and sculptors who
 flourished between the tenth and       
the thirteenth centuries4    ,footnote  
#ej3 ,cellini declares that he borrowed 
a great number      of excellent        
observations upon perspective from one  
of      ,vinci's discourses4 7,tratt4   
ii4 p4 #aec47  ,for a long period past1 
the art had become gradually more       
refined1 and considered its subjects    
more minutely2 in which ,botticelli1    

,mantegna1 and others had acquired great
 reputation4 ,as minuteness1 however1 is
 opposed to sublimity1 it ill accorded  
with that elevation in which the supreme
 merit of the art would seem to consist4
 ,in my opinion ,lionardo succeeded in  
uniting these two opposite qualities1   
before any other artist4 ,in subjects   
which he undertook fully to complete1 he
 was not satisfied with only perfecting 
the heads1 counterfeiting the shining of
 the eyes1 the pores of the skin1 the   
roots of the hair1 and even the beating 
of the arteries2 he likewise portrayed  
each separate garment and every         
accessary with minuteness4 ,thus1 in his
 landscapes also1 there was not a single
 herb or leaf of a tree1 which he had   
not taken like a portrait1 from the     
select face of nature2 and to his very  
leaves he gave a peculiar air1 and fold1
 and position1 best adapted to represent
 them rustling in the wind4 ,while he   
bestowed his attention in this manner   
upon the minutiae1 he at the same time1 

as is observed by ,mengs1 led the way to
 a more enlarged and dignified style2   
entered into the most abstruse inquiries
 as to the source and nature of         
expression1 the most philosophical and  
elevated branch of the art2 and smoothed
 the way1 if ,i may be permitted to say 
so1 for the appearance of ,raffaello4   
,no one could be more curious in his    
researches1 more intent upon observing1 
or more prompt in catching the motions  
of the passions1 as exhibited either in 
the features or the actions4 ,he        
frequented places of public assembly1   
and all spectacles in which man gave    
free play to his active powers2 and     
there1 in a small book always ready at  
hand1 he drew the attitudes which he    
selected2 and these designs he preserved
 in order to apply them1 with           
expressions more or less powerful1      
according to the occasion1 and the      
degree of expression he wished to       
introduce4 ,for it was his custom1 in   
the same manner as he gradually         

strengthened his shadows until he       
reached the highest degree2 so also in  
the composition of his figures1 to      
proceed in heightening them until he    
attained the perfection of passion and  
of motion4 ,the same kind of gradation  
he observed in regard to elegance1 of   
which he was perhaps the earliest       
admirer2 since previous artists appeared
 unable to distinguish grace from       
beauty1 and still more so to adapt it to
 pleasing subjects in such a way as to  
rise from the less to the more          
attractive points1 as was practised by  
,lionardo da ,vinci4 ,he even adhered to
 the same rule in his burlesques2 always
 throwing an air of greater ridicule    
over one than another1 insomuch that he 
was heard to say1 that they ought to be 
carried to such a height1 if possible1  
as even to make a dead man laugh4  ,the 
characteristic1 therefore1 of this      
incomparable artist1 consists in a      
refinement of taste1 of which no equal  
example1 either preceding or following  

him1 is to be found2 if1 indeed1 we may 
not admit that of the old ,protogenes1  
in whom ,apelles was unable to find any 
reason why he himself should be         
preferred to him1 except it were the    
superabundant industry of his           
competitor4#ea ,and1 in truth1 it would 
appear1 that ,vinci likewise1 did not   
always call to mind the maxim of ne quid
 nimis1 in the observance of which1 the 
perfection of human pursuits is to be   
found4 ,phidias himself1 said ,tully1   
bore in his mind a more beautiful       
,minerva and a grander ,jove1 than he   
was capable of exhibiting with his      
chisel2 and it is prudent counsel1 that 
teaches us to aspire to the best1 but to
 rest satisfied with attaining what is  
good4 ,vinci was never pleased with his 
labours if he did not execute them as   
perfectly as he had conceived them2 and 
being unable to reach the high point    
proposed with a mortal hand1 he         
sometimes only designed his work1 or    
conducted it only to a certain degree of

 completion4 ,sometimes he devoted to it
 so long a period as almost to renew the
 example of the ancient who employed    
seven years over his picture4 ,but as   
there was no limit to the discovery of  
fresh beauties in that work1 so1 in the 
opinion of ,lomazzo1 it happens with the
 perfections of ,vinci's paintings1     
including even those which ,vasari and  
others allude to as left imperfect4     
,footnote #ea3 ,plin4 lib4 xxxv4 c4 #aj4
 ,uno se praestare1 quod      manum ille
 de tabula nesciret tollere4 ,this he   
said in      reference to that ,jalysus1
 on which ,protogenes had bestowed      
no less than seven years4  ,before      
proceeding further1 it becomes our      
historical duty1 having here mentioned  
his imperfect works1 to inform the      
reader of the real sense in which the   
words are to be taken when applied to   
,vinci4 ,it is certain he left a number 
of works only half finished1 such as his
 ,epiphany1 in the ducal gallery at     
,florence1 or his ,holy ,family1 in the 

archbishop's palace at ,milan4 ,most    
frequently1 however1 the report is      
grounded upon his having left some      
portion of his pieces less perfectly    
finished than the rest2 a deficiency1   
nevertheless1 that cannot always be     
detected even by the best judges4 ,the  
portrait1 for instance1 of ,m4 ,lisa    
,gioconda1 painted at ,florence in the  
period of four years1 and then1         
according to ,vasari1 left imperfect1   
was minutely examined by ,mariette1 in  
the collection of the king of ,france1  
and was declared to be carried to so    
high a degree of finish1 that it was    
impossible to surpass it4 ,the defect   
will be more easily recognized in other 
portraits1 several of which are yet to  
be seen at ,milan2 for instance1 that of
 a lady belonging to the ,sig4 ,principe
 ,albani2 and one of a man1 in the      
,palazzo ,scotti ,gallerati4 ,indeed    
,lomazzo has remarked1 that1 excepting  
three or four1 he left all the rest of  
his heads imperfect4 ,but imperfections 

and faults like his would have been     
accounted distinguishing qualities in   
almost any other artist4  ,even his     
grand ,supper has been stated in history
 as an imperfect production1 though at  
the same time all history is agreed in  
celebrating it as one of the most       
beautiful paintings that ever proceeded 
from the hand of man4 ,it was painted   
for the refectory of the ,dominican     
fathers1 at ,milan1 and may be          
pronounced a compendium not only of all 
that ,lionardo taught in his books1 but 
also of what he embraced in his studies4
 ,he here gave expression to the exact  
point of time best adapted to animate   
his history1 which is the moment when   
the redeemer addresses his disciples1   
saying1 ,one of you will betray me4     
,then each of his innocent followers is 
seen to start as if struck with a       
thunderbolt2 those at a distance seem to
 interrogate their companions1 as if    
they think they must have mistaken what 
he had said2 others1 according to their 

natural disposition1 appear variously   
affected2 one of them swoons away1 one  
stands lost in astonishment1 a third    
rises in indignation1 while the very    
simplicity and candour depicted upon the
 countenance of a fourth1 seem to place 
him beyond the reach of suspicion4 ,but 
,judas instantly draws in his           
countenance1 and while he appears as it 
were attempting to give it an air of    
innocence1 the eye rests upon him in a  
moment as the undoubted traitor4 ,vinci 
himself used to observe1 that for the   
space of a whole year1 he employed his  
time in meditating how he could best    
give expression to the features of so   
bad a heart2 and that being accustomed  
to frequent a place where the worst     
characters were known to assemble1 he   
there met with a physiognomy to his     
purpose2 to which he also added the     
features of many others4 ,in his figures
 of the two ,saints ,jacopo1 presenting 
fine forms1 most appropriate to the     
characters1 he availed himself of the   

same plan2 and being unable with his    
utmost diligence to invest that of      
,christ with a superior air to the rest1
 he left the head in an unfinished      
state1 as we learn from ,vasari1 though 
,armenini pronounced it exquisitely     
complete4 ,the rest of the picture1 the 
tablecloth with its folds1 the whole of 
the utensils1 the table1 the            
architecture1 the distribution of the   
lights1 the perspective of the ceiling1 
7which in the tapestry of ,san ,pietro1 
at ,rome1 is changed almost into a      
hanging garden7 all was conducted with  
the most exquisite care2 all was worthy 
of the finest pencil in the world4 ,had 
,lionardo desired to follow the practice
 of his age in painting in distemper1   
the art at this time would have been in 
possession of this treasure4 ,but being 
always fond of attempting new methods1  
he painted this masterpiece upon a      
peculiar ground1 formed of distilled    
oils1 which was the reason that it      
gradually detached itself from the wall1

 a misfortune which had also nearly     
befallen one of his ,madonnas1 at ,s4   
,onofrio1 at ,rome1 though it was       
preserved under glass4 ,about half a    
century subsequent to the production of 
his great ,supper1 when ,armenini then  
saw it1 it was already half decayed2 and
 ,scanelli1 who examined it in #afdb1   
declares that it was with difficulty he 
could discern the history as it had     
been4 ,in the present century a hope had
 been indulged of this magnificent      
painting being restored by aid of some  
varnish1 or other secret1 as may be seen
 by consulting ,bottari4 ,in regard to  
this1 however1 and the other            
vicissitudes of this great picture1 we  
ought also to consider what is stated in
 a tone of ridicule and reproach by     
,bianconi1 in his ,new ,guide4#eb ,it   
will be sufficient for my purpose to    
add1 that nothing remains in the modern 
picture from the hand of ,vinci1 if we  
except three heads of apostles1 which   
may be said to be rather sketched than  

painted4 ,milan boasts few of his works1
 as those which are ascribed to him are 
for the most part the productions of his
 school1 occasionally retouched by      
himself1 as in the altar-piece of ,s4   
,ambrogio ad nemus1 which has great     
merit4 ,a ,madonna1 however1 and        
,infant1 in the ,belgioioso d',este     
palace1 as well as one or two other     
pictures in private possession1 are     
undoubtedly from his hand4 ,we are      
assured1 indeed1 that he left few pieces
 at ,milan1 as well from his known      
fastidiousness in painting1 as from his 
having been diverted from it1 both by   
inclination and by the commissions      
received from the prince1 to conduct    
works connected with engineering1       
hydraulics1 and machinery for a variety 
of purposes1 besides those of           
architecture2#ec and especially in      
regard to that celebrated model of a    
horse1 of which1 owing to its size1 as  
we are told by ,vasari1 no cast could be
 taken in bronze4 ,and this writer is   

the more entitled to credit1 as well    
because he flourished near the period of
 which he treats1 as because he could   
hardly be ignorant of a work1 which     
would almost have placed the fame of our
 ,italian on an equality with that of   
,lysippus4#ed    ,footnote #eb3 7,page  
#cbi47 ,the ,sig4 ,baldassare ,orsini   
has      likewise inveighed against the 
inconsiderate retouchings of      old   
paintings1 in his ,risposta1 p4 #gg2    
where he also      alludes to a letter  
of ,hakert's1 in defence of varnishes1  
and to another in reply1 in which the   
use of them is      disapproved by force
 of examples4 ,he moreover cites a      
,supplementary ,letter drawn from the   
,roman ,journal of ,fine      ,arts1 for
 ,december1 #aghh4    ,footnote #ec3 ,a 
number of designs are to be seen in his 
,,ms4      volumes belonging to the     
,ambrosian collection4 ,see             
,mariette's letter1 in vol4 ii4 of      
,lett4 ,pittoriche1 p4 #aga2      and1  
also1 ,observations upon the ,designs of

 ,lionardo1 by      the ,ab4 ,amoretti1 
,ed4 of ,milan1 #aghd4    ,footnote #ed3
 ,it was intended for the equestrian    
statue of      ,francesco ,sforza1      
father of ,lodovico4 ,the ,cav4 ,fr4    
,sabba da      ,castiglione has         
mentioned in his ,ricordi1 ,no4 #aji1   
that this      very ingenious model1 so 
greatly celebrated in the annals of     
the arts1 which cost ,vinci sixteen     
years to complete1 was      seen by the 
writer in #adii1 converted into a target
 for the      ,gascon bowmen in the     
service of ,louis ,,xii4 when he became 
master of ,milan4  ,of all his labours  
in ,milan1 therefore1 nothing is better 
deserving of our notice than the academy
 which he founded1 whose pupils         
constitute the proudest and most        
flourishing epoch of this school4 ,they 
are not all equally well known2 and we  
often find1 both in collections and in  
churches1 that pictures are pointed out 
as being of the school of ,vinci1       
without specifying the particular       

artists4 ,their altar-pieces seldom     
display composition1 varying much from  
that common to other schools of the age2
 namely1 figures of the ,virgin with the
 ,infant1 upon a throne1 surrounded by  
saints1 chiefly in an erect posture1 and
 a few cherubs on the steps4 ,vinci's   
disciples1 however1 if ,i mistake not1  
were the first who conferred on their   
figures some degree of unity in action1 
so as to give them the appearance of    
conversing with each other4 ,in the     
remaining parts1 also1 they exhibit a   
pretty uniform taste2 they represent the
 same faces1 all somewhat oval1 smiling 
lips1 the same manner in their precise  
and somewhat dry outlines1 the same     
choice of temperate colours1 well       
harmonized1 together with the same study
 of the chiaroscuro1 which the less     
skilful artists overcharge with         
darkness1 while the better ones apply it
 in moderation4  ,one who approached    
nearest to his style1 at a certain      
period1 was ,cesar da ,sesto1 likewise  

called ,cesare ,milanese1 though not    
recorded by ,vasari1 or ,lomazzo1 in the
 list of his disciples4 ,still he is    
generally admitted by more modern       
writers4 ,in the ,ambrosian collection  
is the head of an old man1 so extremely 
clear and studied1 in the ,vinci manner1
 by this artist1 as to surprise the     
beholder4 ,in some of his other works he
 followed ,raffaello1 whom he knew in   
,rome2 and it is reported1 that this    
prince of painting one day said to him1 
,it seems to me strange that being bound
 in such strict ties of friendship as we
 two are1 we do not in the least respect
 each other with our pencils1 as if they
 had been rivals on a sort of equality4 
,he was intimate too with ,baldassar    
,peruzzi1 and was employed with him in  
the castle of ,ostia4 ,in this work1    
which was one of the earliest efforts of
 ,baldassare1 ,vasari seems inclined to 
yield the palm of excellence to the     
,milanese artist4 ,he was esteemed      
,vinci's best pupil2 and he is more than

 once held up by ,lomazzo1 as a model in
 design1 in attitude1 and more          
particularly in the art of using his    
lights4 ,he cites an ,herodias by him1  
of which ,i have seen a copy in         
possession of the ,consiglier ,pagave1  
and the countenance bore an extreme     
resemblance to the ,fornarina of        
,raffaello4 ,the ,cav4 ,d4 ,girolamo    
,melzi has likewise one of his ,holy    
,families1 in the ,raffaello manner1    
which he obtained a few years ago at an 
immense sum1 as well as that celebrated 
altar-piece painted for ,s4 ,rocco4 ,it 
is divided into compartments2 in the    
midst is seen the ,titular ,saint and   
the ,holy ,virgin1 with the ,infant1    
imitated from a figure by ,raffaello1   
which is at ,foligno4 ,from his ,dispute
 of the ,sacrament he likewise borrowed 
the ,s4 ,gio4 ,batista seated on a      
cloud1 which is accompanied with the    
figure of ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1   
placed in the same position4 ,these     
decorate the upper part of the picture2 

the lower being occupied by the figures 
of the two half-naked saints1           
,cristoforo and ,sebastiano1 both       
appropriately executed1 and the last    
exhibiting a new and beautiful          
foreshortening4 ,they are on a larger   
scale than the figures of ,poussin1 and 
with such resemblance to ,coreggio's1   
that1 in the opinion of the ,ab4        
,bianconi1 they might have been easily  
ascribed to him1 in default of the      
artist's name2 such is the softness1    
union1 and brightness of the fleshes1   
such their beauty of colouring1 and the 
harmony investing the whole painting4   
,it used to be closed with two panels1  
where1 with a certain correspondence of 
subjects1 were drawn the two princes of 
the ,apostles1 with ,saints ,martino and
 ,giorgio on horseback2 all of which    
display the same maxims1 though not     
equal diligence in the art4 ,hence we   
may infer that this artist did not1 like
 ,vinci1 aspire at producing            
masterpieces as an invariable rule1 but 

was content1 like ,luini1 with          
occasional efforts of the kind4  ,at the
 church of ,sarono1 situated between    
,pavia and ,milan1 are seen the figures 
of four ,saints1 drawn on four narrow   
pilasters2 the two equestrian saints1   
already mentioned1 and ,saints          
,sebastiano and ,rocco1 to whom         
especially invocations are made against 
the plague4 ,they are inscribed with the
 name ,caesar ,magnus1 f4 #aecc3 the    
foreshortening is well adapted to the   
place2 and the figure of ,s4 ,rocco more
 especially displays a composition such 
as we have mentioned4 ,the features are 
not very pleasing1 with the exception of
 those of ,st4 ,george1 as they are     
somewhat too round and full4 ,these     
pieces are in general assigned to the   
artist of whom we here treat1 and many  
are inclined to infer1 from the         
inscription1 that he belonged to the    
family of the ,magni4 ,but it is doubted
 by others2 the frescos not appearing to
 justify his high reputation1 however   

excellent in their way4 ,besides1 ,i    
find the death of ,cesare da ,sesto     
recorded1 in a ,,ms4 communicated to me 
by ,sig4 ,bianconi1 as occurring in the 
year #aebd1 though not in such a manner 
as to remove all kind of doubt4 ,i find 
some reason for inclining to an opposite
 opinion in the great diversity of      
style1 remarkable in this artist1 the   
conformity of various ideas in the      
frescos and in his altar-piece1 together
 with the silence of ,lomazzo1 generally
 so exact in his mention of the best    
,lombards1 and who records no other     
,cesare but da ,sesto4  ,i ought not to 
separate the name of this noble figurist
 from that of ,bernazzano the landscape 
painter1 as they were united no less in 
interest than in friendship4 ,it is     
uncertain whether he was instructed by  
,vinci2 he doubtless availed himself of 
his models1 and in drawing rural        
landscape1 fruits1 flowers1 and birds1  
he succeeded so admirably as to produce 
the same wonderful effects as are told  

of ,zeuxes and ,apelles1 in ,greece4    
,this indeed ,italian artists have      
frequently renewed1 though with a less  
degree of applause4 ,having represented 
a strawberry-bed in a court-yard1 the   
peafowl were so deceived by its         
resemblance1 that they pecked at the    
wall until the painting was destroyed4  
,he painted the landscape part for a    
picture of the ,baptism of ,christ1 and 
on the ground drew some birds in the act
 of feeding4 ,on its being placed in the
 open air1 the birds were seen to fly   
towards the picture1 as if to join their
 companions4 ,as this artist had the    
sense to perceive his own deficiency in 
figures1 he cultivated an intimacy with 
,cesare1 who added to his landscapes    
fables and histories1 sometimes with a  
degree of license that is reprobated by 
,lomazzo4 ,these paintings are held in  
high esteem1 where the figure-painter   
has made a point of displaying his      
powers4  ,gio4 ,antonio ,beltraffio1 as 
his name is written on his monument1 was

 a gentleman of ,milan1 who employed    
only his leisure hours in painting1 and 
produced some works at ,milan1 and other
 places2 but the best is at ,bologna4   
,it is placed at the ,misericordia1 and 
bore his signature1 with that of his    
master ,vinci1 and the date #aejj1      
though these have been since erased4 ,in
 it is represented the ,virgin between  
,saints ,john the ,baptist and          
,bastiano1 while the figure of ,girolamo
 da ,cesio1 who gave the commission for 
the picture1 is seen kneeling at the    
foot of the throne4 ,it forms the only  
production of ,beltraffio placed in     
public1 and is on that account esteemed 
the more valuable4 ,the whole of it     
exhibits the exact study of his school  
in the air of the heads1 judicious in   
composition1 and softened in its        
outlines4 ,his design1 however1 is      
rather more dry than that of his fellow 
pupils2 the effect1 perhaps1 of his     
early education1 under the ,milanese    
artists of the fourteenth century1 not  

sufficiently corrected4  ,francesco     
,melzi was another ,milanese of noble   
birth1 enumerated among ,lionardo's     
disciples1 though he had only the       
benefit of his instructions in design   
during his more tender years4 ,he       
approached nearest of any to ,vinci's   
manner1 conducting pieces that are      
frequently mistaken for those of his    
master2 but he employed himself seldom1 
because he was rich4#ee ,he was greatly 
esteemed by ,vinci1 inasmuch as he      
united a very fine countenance to the   
most amiable disposition1 his gratitude 
inducing him to accompany his master on 
his last visit into ,france4 ,he was as 
generously rewarded for it1 becoming    
heir to the whole of ,vinci's designs1  
instruments1 books1 and manuscripts4 ,he
 promoted as far as possible the        
reputation of his master1 by furnishing 
both ,vasari and ,lomazzo with notices  
for his life2 and by preserving for the 
eye of posterity the valuable collection
 of his writings4 ,for as long as the   

numerous volumes deposited at the       
,ambrosian library continue to exist1   
the world must admit that he was one of 
the chief revivers1 not only of painting
 but of statics1 of hydrostatics1 of    
optics1 and of anatomy4    ,footnote    
#ee3 ,amoretti1 ,mem4 ,stor4 del ,vinci1
 p4 #acj4  ,andrea ,salai1 or ,salaino1 
was1 from similar qualities1 a great    
favourite with ,vinci1 who chose him    
according to the language of the times1 
as his creato1 using him as a model for 
beautiful figures1 both of a human and  
angelic cast4 ,he instructed him1 as we 
are told by ,vasari1 in matters         
pertaining to the art1 and retouched his
 labours1 which ,i think must gradually 
have changed their name2 as a ,salai is 
not now esteemed like a ,vinci4 ,there  
is a ,st4 ,john the ,baptist pointed out
 as his1 elegant1 but rather dry1 in the
 archbishop's palace2 a very animated   
portrait of a man1 in the ,aresi palace2
 with a few other pieces4 ,his picture  
in the sacristy of ,s4 ,celso1 is more  

particularly celebrated4 ,it was drawn  
from the cartoon of ,lionardo1 executed 
at ,florence1 and so greatly applauded1 
that the citizens ran to behold it1 as  
they would have done some great         
solemnity4 ,vasari calls it the cartoon 
of ,st4 ,anna1 who1 with the ,virgin1 is
 seen fondling the ,holy ,child1 while  
the infant ,john the ,baptist is playing
 with him4 ,subsequently1 this cartoon  
rose into such repute1 that when        
,francis ,i4 invited ,vinci to his      
court1 he entreated that he would       
undertake the colouring2 but the latter1
 says ,vasari1 according to his custom1 
amused him a long while with words4 ,it 
appears1 moreover1 from a letter of ,p4 
,resta1 inserted in the third volume of 
the ,lettere ,pittoriche1 that ,vinci   
formed three cartoons of his ,st4 ,anna1
 one of which was coloured by ,salai4   
,this artist admirably fulfilled the    
design of the inventor1 in the taste of 
his well harmonised and low colours1 in 
the agreeable character of his          

landscape1 and in grand effect4 ,in the 
same sacristy1 opposite to it1 was      
placed1 for some time1 a ,holy ,family  
by ,raffaello1 now removed to ,vienna2  
nor did it shrink from such competition4
 ,a similar copy of the same cartoon was
 obtained from ,vienna for our reigning 
sovereign1 ,ferdinand ,,iii4 and now    
adorns the ducal gallery at ,florence1  
likewise1 perhaps1 from the hand of     
,salai4  ,marco ,uglone1 or ,uggione1 or
 da ,oggione1 ought to be included among
 the best ,milanese painters4 ,he did   
not employ himself exclusively on       
favourite pictures1 like most of the    
scholars of ,vinci1 who preferred to    
paint little and well2 but was          
celebrated for his frescos2 and his     
works at the ,pace still maintain their 
outline entire1 and their colours       
bright4 ,some of these are in the       
church1 and a very magnificent picture  
of the ,crucifixion is to be seen in the
 refectory2 surprising for the variety1 
beauty1 and spirit of its figures4 ,few 

,lombard artists attained the degree of 
expression that is here manifested2 and 
few to such mastery of composition and  
novelty of costume4 ,in his human       
figures1 he aimed at elegance of        
proportion2 and in those of horses he is
 seen to be the disciple of ,vinci4 ,for
 another refectory1 that of the         
,certosa1 in ,pavia1 he copied the      
,supper of ,lionardo1 and it is such as 
to supply1 in some measure1 the loss of 
the original4 ,milan boasts two of his  
altar-pieces1 one at ,s4 ,paolo in      
,compito1 and another at ,s4 ,eufemia1  
in the style of the school we have      
described1 and both excellent           
productions2 though the manner which he 
observed in his frescos1 is more soft   
and analogous to modern composition4    
,in the historical memoirs of ,vinci1   
written by ,amoretti1 one ,galeazzo is  
mentioned as one of his pupils1 though  
it is difficult to decide who he was1   
along with other artists recorded in the
 ,vinci ,,mss4 ,these are one ,jacomo1  

one ,fanfoia1 and a ,lorenzo1 which     
might perhaps be interpreted to be      
,lotto1 did not the epochs pointed out  
by ,count ,tassi and ,p4 ,federici1     
relating to this artist1 appear         
inapplicable to the ,lorenzo of ,vinci1 
who was born in #adhh1 and came to      
,lionardo in ,april1 #aeje1 and probably
 while ,vinci was at ,fiesole1 since he 
was there in the month of ,march in that
 year2 that is1 a month before1#ef and  
continued to reside with him at least   
while he remained in ,italy4 ,i am      
inclined to believe he filled the place 
of his domestic4    ,footnote #ef3 ,see 
,amoretti1 p4 #ij4  ,father ,resta1 in  
his ,portable ,gallery1 cited by me in  
the third chapter1 inserts also1 among  
,vinci's ,milanese disciples1 one ,gio4 
,pedrini1 and ,lomazzo1 a ,pietro       
,ricci1 of whom ,i can learn nothing    
farther4 ,some1 indeed1 include in the  
same list ,cesare ,cesariano1 an        
architect and painter in miniature1     
whose life has been written by ,poleni4 

,lattuada1 too1 mentions ,niccola       
,appiano1 and makes him the author of a 
fresco painting over the gate of the    
,pace1 which is certainly in the ,vinci 
manner4 ,cesare ,arbasia1 of whom we    
shall further treat in the sixth book of
 the fifth volume1 under the head of    
,piedmont1 was erroneously referred1 at 
,cordova1 to the school of ,vinci1 and  
is mentioned as his pupil by ,palomino4 
,this was impossible1 if we consider the
 epochs of his life1 together with the  
character of his paintings4 ,were a     
resemblance of style enough to decide   
the question of preceptorship1 ,i might 
here add to ,leonardo's school a number 
of other ,milanese1 both of the city and
 the state4 ,i cannot1 however1 dispense
 with a maxim1 which1 under a variety of
 forms1 ,i have recommended to my       
readers2 that history alone can         
ascertain for us the real pupils1 as    
style does such as are imitators4 ,being
 unable1 therefore1 to pronounce them   
disciples1 ,i shall give to ,vinci only 

as his imitators the names of ,count    
,francesco d',adda1 who was accustomed  
to paint on panels and on slate for     
private cabinets2 ,ambrogio ,egogui1 of 
whom there remains at ,nerviano a fine  
altar-piece1 executed in #aebg2         
,gaudenzio ,vinci1 of ,nova1 who is     
distinguished also for another          
altar-piece at ,arona1 with a date      
anterior to the preceding4 ,i never saw 
any of these2 but it is agreed by all1  
that they are in the ,vinci manner2 and 
that the last especially is an          
astonishing production4 ,another work1  
which made its appearance only a few    
years ago at ,rome1 representing the    
figure of the ,virgin1 and quite in     
,leonardo's composition1 as ,i have     
heard1 bears the following inscription3 
,bernardinus ,faxolus de ,papia fecit1  
#aeah4 ,it was purchased by the ,sig4   
,principe ,braschi1 for his very choice 
gallery2 and it appeared truly          
surprising at ,rome1 that such a painter
 should be presented to our age1 as it  

were alone1 and without a word of       
recommendation from any historian4 ,yet 
similar occurrences are not unknown in  
,italy1 and it forms a portion of her   
fame to enumerate her celebrated artists
 by ranks and not by numbers4  ,it      
remains for us to do justice to ,vinci's
 most distinguished imitator1 ,bernardin
 ,lovino1 as he writes it1 or ,luini1 as
 it is generally expressed2 a native of 
,luino1 in the ,lago ,maggiore4 ,resta  
asserts1 that he did not arrive at      
,milan until after the departure of     
,vinci1 and that he was instructed by   
,scotto4 ,the author of the ,guide1 7at 
page #abj7 includes him in the list of  
,lionardo's pupils1 and this1 from the  
period when he flourished1 might1 ,i    
think1 have been the case4 ,because if  
,gaudenzio1 born in #adhd1 was at once  
the disciple of ,scotto and of ,lovino1 
as we are informed in the treatise of   
,lomazzo1 7p4 #dba7 it follows1 that    
,bernardino must already have been a    
master about #aejj1 the time when ,vinci

 left ,milan4 ,to much the same period  
,vasari refers ,bernardino da ,lupino1  
7he should have said da ,luino17 an     
artist who painted the ,marriage and    
other histories of the ,virgin in so    
highly finished a taste at ,sarono4 ,one
 of ,vasari's annotators erroneously    
again changes the name of ,lupino into  
,lanino1 a pupil of ,gaudenzio4 ,my     
supposition respecting the age of       
,bernardino1 is further confirmed by a  
portrait which he drew of himself at    
,sarono1 in his ,dispute of the child   
,jesus with the ,doctors1 where he      
appears then old1 and this picture was  
executed in the year #aebe1 as appears  
from the date4 ,luini1 therefore1 may   
have been one of ,vinci's disciples2 and
 he certainly frequented his academy4   
,others indeed of the school surpassed  
him in delicacy of hand1 and in the     
pleasing effect of the chiaroscuro1 a   
quality for which ,lomazzo commends     
,cesare da ,sesto1 declaring that ,luini
 drew his shadows in too coarse a style4

 ,notwithstanding this1 no artist       
approached nearer ,vinci1 both in point 
of design and colouring than            
,bernardino1 who very frequently        
composed in a taste so like that of his 
master1 that out of ,milan many of his  
pieces pass for those of ,vinci4 ,such  
is the opinion of true connoisseurs1 as 
reported and approved by the author of  
the ,new ,guide1 who is assuredly one   
belonging to this class4 ,he adduces two
 examples in the pictures at the        
,ambrosiana2 namely1 the ,magdalen1 and 
the ,st4 ,john1 who is seen caressing   
his lamb1 a piece which foreigners can  
hardly be persuaded is not from ,vinci's
 own hand4 ,i have seen other pictures  
of equal1 or nearly equal1 merit1 in    
different ,milanese collections which ,i
 have frequently mentioned4  ,we must1  
however1 add what ,i observed in        
reference to ,cesare da ,sesto just     
before1 that in some of his works there 
is great resemblance to the manner of   
,raffaello1 such as in a ,madonna1      

belonging to the ,prince of ,keweniller1
 and one or two others which ,i know    
were purchased under the impression of  
their being ,raffaello's4 ,hence1 ,i    
imagine1 must have arisen the opinion1  
that he had visited ,rome1 which is very
 properly questioned by the ,ab4        
,bianconi1 7p4 #cia71 who rather        
inclines to the negative4 ,nor can ,i   
myself admit it without some further    
proofs1 a similarity of manner to me    
appearing far too weak an argument to   
decide the fact4 ,the same point was    
discussed in the third chapter on the   
subject of ,coreggio2 and if we found   
reason to conclude1 that ,coreggio      
succeeded in enlarging and refining his 
divine genius to such a degree1 without 
seeing either ,raffaello or             
,michelangiolo at ,rome1 we may admit   
the same to have been the case in the   
instance of ,luini4 ,the book of nature 
is equally open to all artists2 taste is
 a sure guide to selection2 and1 by     
degrees1 practice leads to the complete 

execution of what is thus selected4     
,vinci's taste so nearly resembled that 
of ,raffaello in point of delicacy1     
grace1 and expression of the passions1  
that had he not been diverted by other  
pursuits1 and had he sacrificed some    
degree of his high finish1 for the sake 
of adding to his facility1 amenity1 and 
fulness of outline1 his style would     
naturally have run into competition with
 that of ,raffaello1 with whom1 as it   
is1 in some of his heads especially1 he 
has many points in common4 ,it was the  
same with ,bernardino1 who had embued   
himself with the taste of ,vinci1 and   
nourished during a period that bordered 
on an improved degree of freedom and    
softness of manner4 ,at first1 indeed1  
he adopted a less full and somewhat dry 
style1 such as we easily recognise in   
his ,pieta1 at the ,passione2           
subsequently he proceeded gradually to  
modernize it4 ,even that fine little    
picture of the ,ebriety of ,noah1 which 
is shewn at ,s4 ,barnaba1 as one of his 

most exquisite pieces1 retains a certain
 precision in its design1 a hardness of 
drapery and a direction of folds1 which 
remind us of the fourteenth century4 ,he
 becomes more modern in his histories of
 ,s4 ,croce1 executed about #aebj1      
several of which he repeated at ,sarono 
five years after1 where he appears to   
surpass his own productions4 ,these last
 are the works which most resemble      
,raffaello's composition2 though they   
retain that minuteness in decoration1   
the gilding of glories1 and the         
abundance of little ornament in the     
temples1 such as we see in ,mantegna and
 his contemporaries2 all of which were  
abandoned by ,raffaello1 when he arrived
 at his best manner4  ,it is my opinion1
 in fact1 that this artist was not so   
much indebted to ,rome1 from whose      
masters he probably only imitated some  
prints or copies1 as to ,vinci's        
academy1 with whose maxims he became    
completely familiar2 and more especially
 to his own genius1 vast in its kind1   

and equalled by very few4 ,i say in its 
kind2 for ,i allude to all that is      
sweet1 beautiful1 pious1 and sensitive  
in the art4 ,in those histories of our  
,lady1 at ,sarono1 her features present 
us with a lovely union of beauty1       
dignity1 and modesty1 such as approach  
to ,raffaello1 although they are not    
his4 ,they are1 moreover1 always        
consistent with the history the artist  
represents1 whether we behold the       
,virgin at the marriage1 or listening   
with wonder to the prophecies of        
,simeon2 when1 penetrated with the grand
 mystery1 she receives the wise men of  
the east2 or when1 with a countenance of
 mingled joy and sorrow1 she inquires of
 her divine son1 teaching in the temple1
 why he had thus left her4 ,the other   
figures possess a corresponding beauty2 
the heads appear to live1 the looks and 
motions seem to be expecting a reply2   
combined with variety of design1 of     
drapery1 and of passions1 all borrowed  
from nature2 a style in which every     

thing appears natural and unstudied1    
which gains at a first view1 which      
compels the eye to study part by part1  
and from which it cannot withdraw itself
 without an effort3 such is the         
character of ,luini's style in that     
temple4 ,we observe little variation in 
his other pictures1 which he executed   
with more care1 and at a more mature    
age1 at ,milan2 nor can ,i imagine what 
could lead ,vasari to assert that the   
whole of his works are tolerable2 when  
we meet with so many calculated to      
excite our wonder4 ,let us consult his  
picture of ,christ scourged1 at ,s4     
,giorgio1 and inquire by what hand the  
countenance of our ,redeemer has been   
drawn more full of kindness1 humility1  
and piety2 or turn to his smaller       
cabinet paintings in the possession of  
the ,signori ,litta1 and other noble    
houses1 so beautifully finished1 and    
inquire again how many artists in his   
own times could have equalled him in    
these8 ,the genius of ,luini does not1  

moreover1 appear to have been at all    
fastidious or slow2 at least in his     
fresco paintings4 ,thus his ,crown of   
,thorns1 placed at the college of ,s4   
,sepolcro1 a picture abounding with     
figures1 for which he received one      
hundred and fifteen lire1 occupied him  
thirty-eight days1 besides eleven more1 
during which one of his pupils was      
engaged on the work4 ,he availed himself
 of similar aid1 likewise1 in painting  
the choir of ,sarono1 in the ,monastero 
,maggiore1 at ,milan1 in several        
churches of ,lago ,maggiore1 and in     
other places2 and to these assistants we
 ought apparently to ascribe whatever   
parts we find less perfect4  ,two only  
of his disciples1 his own sons1 as far  
as ,i can learn1 are known4 ,at the     
period when ,lomazzo published his      
treatise1 in #aehd1 they were both      
living1 and both mentioned by him with  
commendation4 ,of ,evangelista1 the     
second brother1 he remarks1 that in the 
art of ornamenting and festooning1 he   

was equally ingenious and fanciful1 at  
the same time giving him a high rank in 
other branches of painting2 though it is
 to be regretted that he did not point  
out any of his productions4 ,aurelio    
,luini is frequently praised in the same
 work1 as well as in the ,teatro1 for   
his knowledge of anatomy1 and for his   
skill in landscape and perspective4 ,he 
is subsequently introduced in the       
,treatise upon ,painting1 among the most
 celebrated artists of ,milan who then  
flourished1 as a successful rival of    
,polidoro's style1 of which a specimen  
is praised1 consisting of a large       
fresco1 on the facade of the            
,misericordia4 ,after the lapse of two  
centuries1 ,bianconi has written of him 
with more freedom1 declaring1 that      
though the son1 he was not the follower 
of ,bernardino1 the purity of whose     
style he was far from attaining4 ,and1  
in truth1 if we except his composition1 
there is not much calculated to please  
in this artist4 ,we may1 indeed1 often  

trace the paternal manner1 much         
deteriorated however1 and tainted with  
mannerism2 his ideas are common1 his    
attitudes less natural1 the folds of his
 drapery are minute1 and drawn in a     
mechanical manner4 ,this character      
prevails in some genuine pieces of his  
that ,i have seen2 among which is one in
 the ,melzi ,collection1 with his name  
and the date of #aegj4 ,others1 however1
 which ,i have examined at ,milan1 are  
in a better taste1 especially at ,s4    
,lorenzo1 where an altar-piece with the 
,baptism of ,christ1 is ascribed to him1
 that would have done credit to         
,bernardino4 ,aurelio instructed in the 
art ,pietro ,gnocchi2 and1 if ,i mistake
 not1 he was surpassed by his pupil1    
both in selection and in good taste4 ,a 
,pietro ,luini1 having the reputation of
 a soft and accurate hand1 and esteemed 
the last of the ,luini1 being admitted  
in history1 ,i doubt whether he be not  
the ,pietro of whom we here treat1      
occasionally surnamed from the house of 

his master1 as we find in the case of   
,porta1 and others of the sixteenth     
century4 ,to him was ascribed the ,s4   
,pietro1 painted for ,s4 ,vittore1 seen 
in the act of receiving the ,keys2 but  
in the ,new ,guide it is correctly given
 to the hand of ,gnocchi4  ,having thus 
shewn1 as in a family tree1 the regular 
successors of ,leonardo at ,milan1 we   
must prepare to examine the other       
school1 that traces its origin to       
,foppa1 and other artists of the        
fourteenth century1 who are mentioned in
 their place4 ,it is not to be          
confounded with that of ,vinci1 and is  
separately considered by writers on the 
subject1 though it is known to have     
derived great advantage from his models1
 and1 ,i believe1 from his discourse1   
inasmuch as he is allowed1 like         
,raffaello1 to have been extremely      
courteous and agreeable in his reception
 of every one1 and in communicating his 
knowledge to all who desired it without 
any feeling of jealousy4 ,if we take the

 pains to examine ,bramantino and the   
rest of the ,milanese artists1          
subsequent to the middle of the         
sixteenth century1 we shall find them   
all more or less imitators of ,vinci1   
aiming at his mode of chiaroscuro and   
his expression1 rather dark in their    
complexions1 and addicted to colour     
rather with force than with amenity4    
,they are1 however1 less studious of    
ideal beauty1 less noble in their       
conceptions1 less exquisite in their    
taste1 with the exception of ,gaudenzio1
 who in every thing rivals the first    
artists of his age2 and he is the only  
one of the ancient school who inculcated
 its maxims by teaching as well as by   
example4  ,gaudenzio ,ferrari da        
,valdugia is called by ,vasari          
,gaudenzio ,milanese4 ,we mentioned him 
among ,raffaello's assistants1 referring
 to the account of ,orlandi1 who gives  
him as a pupil to ,pietro ,perugino1 and
 noticing certain pictures that are     
attributed to him in lower ,italy4 ,but 

in those parts1 where he only tarried a 
short time1 or attempted some new       
method1 he can scarcely be recognized1  
the information regarding it being very 
doubtful1 which will be further shewn   
under the ,ferrarese ,school4 ,in       
,lombardy we may now treat of him with  
more certainty1 many of his works being 
met with1 and many particulars of him   
from the pen of ,lomazzo1 his successor 
in the art1 as we shall shortly shew4   
,he mentions ,scotto as his master1 and 
next to him ,luini2 and that previous to
 either of these he studied with        
,giovanone1 is a current tradition at   
,vercelli4 ,novara is thought to be in  
possession of one of his first          
paintings1 an altar-piece with various  
divisions at the cathedral1 in the taste
 of the fourteenth century1 and with the
 gilt decorations then so much in       
request4 ,vercelli possesses at ,s4     
,marco his copy of the cartoon of ,s4   
,anna1 to which are added the figures of
 ,s4 ,joseph and some other saints4 ,it 

is a youthful production1 but which     
shews ,gaudenzio to have been an early  
imitator of ,vinci1 from whom1 says     
,vasari1 he derived great assistance4   
,he went young to ,rome1 where he is    
said to have been employed by           
,raffaello1 and acquired a more enlarged
 manner of design1 and greater beauty of
 colouring than had been practised by   
the ,milanese artists4 ,lomazzo1 against
 the opinion of ,scannelli1 ranks him   
among the seven greatest painters in the
 world1 among whom he erred in not      
including ,coreggio4 ,for whoever will  
compare the cupola of ,s4 ,giovanni at  
,parma with that of ,s4 ,maria near     
,sarono1 painted by ,gaudenzio about the
 same period1 must admit that there are 
a variety of beauties in the former1 we 
may in vain seek for in the latter4     
,although we must admit that it abounds 
with fine1 varied1 and well expressed   
figures1 yet ,gaudenzio will be found in
 this1 as in some other of his works1 to
 retain traces of the old style2 such as

 a degree of harshness2 too uniform a   
disposition of his figures2 his         
draperies1 particularly of his angels1  
some of them drawn in lines like        
,mantegna's2 with figures occasionally  
relieved in stucco1 and then coloured1 a
 practice he observed also in his       
trappings of horses1 as well as in other
 accessaries in the manner of           
,montorfano4  ,with the exception of    
these defects1 which he wholly avoided  
in his more finished pieces1 ,gaudenzio 
must be pronounced a very great painter1
 and one who approached nearest of any  
among ,raffaello's assistants to ,perino
 and to ,giulio ,romano4 ,he displays   
also a vast fund of ideas1 though of an 
opposite cast1 ,giulio having frequently
 directed his genius to profane and     
licentious subjects1 while the former   
confined himself to sacred compositions4
 ,he appears truly unequalled in his    
expression of the divine majesty1 the   
mysteries of religion1 and all the      
feelings of piety1 of which he himself  

offered a laudable example1 receiving   
the title of ,eximie pius in one of the 
,novarese assemblies4 ,he was excellent 
in strong expression2 not that he aimed 
at exhibiting highly wrought muscular   
powers1 but his attitudes were1 as      
,vasari entitles them1 wild1 that is1   
equally bold and terrible where his     
subjects admitted of them4 ,such is the 
character of his ,christ's ,passion1 at 
the ,grazie in ,milan1 where ,titian was
 his competitor2 and his ,fall of ,s4   
,paul1 at the ,conventual friars in     
,vercelli1 a picture approaching the    
nearest of any to that of ,michelangiolo
 in the ,pauline chapel4 ,in the rest of
 his pictures he shews great partiality 
for the most difficult foreshortenings1 
which he introduces very frequently4 ,if
 he fails in reaching the peculiar grace
 and beauty of ,raffaello1 he at least  
greatly partakes of that character1 as  
we observe in his ,s4 ,cristoforo1 at   
,vercelli1 where1 in addition to the    
picture of the titular saint1 he painted

 upon the walls various histories of    
,jesus ,christ1 and others of ,mary     
,magdalen4 ,in this great work he       
appears more perhaps than in any other1 
in the character of a beautiful painter1
 presenting us with the most lovely     
heads1 and with angels as lively in     
their forms as spirited in their        
attitudes4 ,i have heard it praised as  
his masterpiece1 though ,lomazzo and the
 author of the ,guide both agree in     
asserting that the manner he adopted in 
the ,sepolcro of ,varallo surpassed all 
he had elsewhere produced4  ,if we      
examine into further particulars of his 
style1 we shall find ,ferrari's warm and
 lively colouring so superior to that of
 the ,milanese artists of his day1 that 
there is no difficulty in recognizing it
 in the churches where he painted2 the  
eye of the spectator is directly        
attracted towards it2 his carnations are
 natural1 and varied according to the   
subjects2 his draperies display much    
fancy and originality1 as varied as the 

art varies its draperies2 with middle   
tints1 blended so skilfully as to equal 
the most beautiful produced by any other
 artist4 ,and if we may so say1 he      
represented the minds even better than  
the forms of his subjects4 ,he          
particularly studied this branch of the 
art1 and we seldom observe more marked  
attitudes or more expressive            
countenances4 ,where he adds landscape  
or architecture to his figures1 the     
former chiefly consists of very fanciful
 views of cliffs and rocks1 which are   
calculated to charm by their novelty2   
while his edifices are conducted on the 
principles of the best perspective4 ,as 
,lomazzo1 however1 has dwelt so much at 
length on his admirable skill both in   
painting and modelling1 it would be idle
 to insist upon it further4 ,but ,i     
ought to add1 that it is a great        
reflection upon ,vasari that he did not 
better know1 or better estimate such an 
artist2 so that foreigners1 who form    
their opinions only from history1 are   

left unacquainted with his merit1 and   
have uniformly neglected to do him      
justice in their writings4  ,ferrari's  
disciples for a long period maintained  
the manner of their master1 the first in
 succession with more fidelity than the 
second class1 and the second than the   
third4 ,the chief part were more eager  
to imitate his expression and his       
facility than the elegance of his design
 and colouring1 even so far as to fall  
into the bordering errors of negligence 
and of caricature4 ,the less celebrated 
scholars of ,gaudenzio were ,antonio    
,lanetti da ,bugnato1 of whom ,i know of
 no remaining genuine production2 ,fermo
 ,stella da ,caravaggio1 and ,giulio    
,cesare ,luini ,valsesiano1 who are     
still to be met with in some of the     
chapels at ,varallo4 ,lomazzo1 in the   
thirty-seventh chapter of his ,treatise1
 besides ,lanino1 to come shortly under 
consideration1 mentions1 as imitators of
 ,gaudenzio1 ,bernardo ,ferrari of      
,vigevano1 where two sides of the       

cathedral organ are painted by his hand2
 and ,andrea ,solari1 or del ,gobbo1 or 
,milanese1 as he is called by ,vasari at
 the close of his life of ,coreggio1 in 
whose age he flourished4 ,he says he was
 a very excellent and beautiful painter1
 and attached to the labours of the art1
 adducing some of his pictures in       
private1 and an ,assumption at the      
,certosa in ,pavia1 in which ,torre 7p4 
#ach7 gives him ,salaino as a companion4
 ,his two most distinguished pupils were
 ,gio4 ,batista della ,cerva and        
,bernardino ,lanino1 from whom sprung   
two branches of the same school1 the    
,milanese and that of ,vercelli4  ,cerva
 took up his abode at ,milan1 and if he 
painted every picture like that which   
adorns ,san ,lorenzo1 representing the  
,apparition of ,jesus ,christ to ,s4    
,thomas and the other ,apostles1 he is  
entitled to rank with the first of his  
school1 such is the choice and spirited 
character of the heads1 such the warmth 
and distribution of his colouring1 and  

so truly noble and harmonious is its    
effect as a whole4 ,he must have been   
deeply versed in the art1 though we     
possess no more of his public works1 as 
he became the master of ,gio4 ,paolo    
,lomazzo of ,milan1 who acquired from   
him the maxims he afterwards published  
in his ,treatise upon ,painting in      
#aehd1 and which he condensed in his    
,idea of the ,temple of ,painting1      
printed in #aeij1 to say nothing of his 
verses1 for the most part connected with
 the same profession4  ,in his account  
of this writer ,orlandi inserted several
 erroneous epochs of his life1          
subsequently cleared up by ,bianconi1   
who fixes that of his loss of sight     
about #aega1 in the thirty-third year of
 his age4 ,until this misfortune he had 
continued to cultivate all the knowledge
 he could derive from those times1 which
 indeed in certain branches are in some 
measure undervalued4 ,he took a tour    
through ,italy1 attaching himself to    
polite letters and to the sciences1 for 

which he indulged such an enthusiasm1 in
 his ill placed ambition to appear a    
philosopher1 astrologer1 and            
mathematician1 that he treated matters  
even the most obvious in an abstruse and
 often false manner1 as mistaken as the 
principles of the current astrology     
itself4 ,this defect is very perceptible
 in his larger work1 though being       
dispersed scantily here and there1 it is
 the more easily excused4 ,but it is    
more serious in his compendium1 or ,idea
 of the ,temple of ,painting1 where it  
is presented to us in a point of view   
truly repugnant to common sense4 ,whilst
 engaged in teaching an art which       
consists in designing and colouring     
well1 he flies from planet to planet2 to
 each of the seven painters1 whom he    
calls principals1 he assigns one of     
these celestial bodies1 and afterwards  
one of the metals to correspond4        
,extravagant as this idea is1 he gave   
scope to still more strange fancies2 so 
that with this method1 combined with a  

most fatiguing prolixity1 and the want  
of an exact index1 his treatises have   
been little read4 ,it would be well     
worth while to re-model this work1 and  
to separate the fruit from the husk1 as 
it abounds not only with much pleasing  
historical information1 but with the    
best theories of art heard from the lips
 of those who knew both ,leonardo and   
,gaudenzio1 as well as with excellent   
observations upon the practice of the   
best masters1 and much critical         
knowledge relating to the mythology1    
history1 and customs of the ancients4   
,his rules of perspective are           
particularly valuable4 ,they were       
compiled from the ,,mss4 of ,foppa1 of  
,zenale1 of ,mantegna1 and of ,vinci1   
7,tratt4 p4 #bfd72 in addition to which 
he has preserved some fragments of      
,bramantino1 who was extremely ingenious
 in this art1 7p4 #bgf74 ,by these      
qualities1 united to a certain ease of  
style1 not so agreeable perhaps as that 
of ,vasari1 yet not so mysterious and   

obscure as that of ,zuccaro1 nor so mean
 as that of ,boschini1 the treatise of  
,lomazzo is deserving of attention1 even
 from confessed masters1 and of their   
selection of some of the best chapters  
for the benefit of their oldest pupils4 
,i know of no other better adapted to   
furnish youthful genius with fine       
pictoric ideas on every theme1 none more
 likely to attach him1 and to instruct  
him how to treat questions upon ancient 
art1 none that displays a more extensive
 acquaintance with the human heart--what
 are its passions1 and by what signs    
they are manifested1 and how they assume
 a different dress in different         
countries1 with their appropriate       
limits2 and no writer1 finally1         
includes1 in a single volume1 more      
useful precepts for the formation of a  
reflecting artist1 a fine reasoner1 in a
 spirit congenial to ,vinci1 at once the
 father of the ,milanese ,school1 and ,i
 may add of pictoric philosophy1 which  
consists in sound reflection upon each  

branch of the profession4  ,none of     
,lomazzo's paintings are doubtful1 as   
the author has celebrated his own life  
and works in certain verses1 composed1  
as ,i have reason to think1 to beguile  
the tedium of hours wholly passed in    
darkness1 and which he entitled         
,grotteschi4#eg ,his first efforts1 as  
in all instances1 are feeble1 of which  
kind is his copy of ,vinci's ,supper1   
which may be seen at the ,pace4 ,in his 
others we trace the hand of a master    
eager to put his maxims into execution1 
and who succeeds more or less happily4  
,one of the most fundamental of these   
was to consider as dangerous the        
imitation of other artists1 whether     
taken from paintings or engravings4 ,it 
is contended that an artist should aim  
at becoming original1 forming the whole 
of his composition in his own mind1 and 
copying the individual portions from    
nature and from truth4 ,this precept1   
first derived from ,gaudenzio1 was put  
in force both by ,lomazzo and others of 

his own time4 ,in his pictures we may   
always discover some original traits1 as
 in that at ,s4 ,marco's1 where1 instead
 of putting the keys in the hands of ,s4
 ,peter1 according to the usual custom1 
he represents the ,holy ,child offering 
them to him in a playful attitude4 ,his 
novelty appears still more conspicuous  
in his large histories1 such as his     
,sacrifice of ,melchisedech1 in the     
library of the ,passione1 a picture     
abounding with figures1 in which the    
knowledge of anatomy is equal to the    
novelty of the drapery1 and the         
animation of the colours to that of the 
attitudes4 ,he has added to it a combat 
in the distance1 well conceived1 and in 
good perspective4 ,i have seen no other 
painting of his that displays more      
knowledge4 ,in other instances he is    
confused and overloaded1 sometimes also 
extravagant1 as in that grand fresco    
painted for the refectory of ,s4        
,agostino at ,piacenza1 or as it is     
called of the ,rocchettini1 which       

represents the subject of the ,forty    
,days' ,fast4 ,this is an ideal feast of
 meagre meats1 where the sovereigns are 
seen in different seats 7some of them   
portraits of the age71 with lords of    
rank feasting at a splendid banquet of  
fish1 while the poor are devouring such 
food as they have1 and a greedy man is  
struggling with a huge mouthful sticking
 in his throat4 ,the ,lord blesses the  
table1 and above is seen the sheet which
 was shewn in a vision to ,s4 ,peter4   
,it is a grand picture1 calculated to   
surprise the eye by the exactness with  
which the particular parts are copied   
from nature1 and with a delicacy that   
,girupeno asserts was unequalled even by
 ,lomazzo in the works he executed at   
,milan4 ,but it is not happy as a whole2
 the canvass is too full1 and there is a
 mixture of sacred and burlesque        
subjects1 from scripture and from the   
tavern1 that cannot be reconciled or    
approved4    ,footnote #eg3 ,can there  
be any doubt whether he was blind or    

not1 when he wrote the following        
verses3--       ,quindi andai a         
,piacenza1 et ivi fei      ,nel         
refetorio di ,sant',agostino      ,la   
facciata con tal historia pinta4        
,da lontan evvi ,piero in orazione      
,che vede giu dal ciel un gran lenzuolo 
,scender pien d'animai piccioli e grandi
      ,onde la ,quadragesma fu          
introdotta1 c4  ,lomazzo gives the names
 of two ,milanese as his pupils1        
,cristoforo ,ciocca and ,ambrogio       
,figino4 ,he could not long have        
afforded them his instructions1 as at   
the period when he wrote his treatise1  
being then blind1 they were both still  
in early youth4 ,he commends them for   
their portraits1 and the first would    
appear never to have been an able       
composer1 having left1 perhaps1 no other
 pieces in public1 except his histories 
of ,s4 ,cristoforo1 at ,s4 ,vittore al  
,corpo1 by no means excellent4 ,figino  
succeeded no less admirably in          
portraits1 which he painted also for    

princes1 with high commendation from the
 ,cav4 ,marino1 than in large           
compositions almost always executed in  
oil1 and more distinguished by the      
excellence than by the number of the    
figures4 ,some of his pictures1 as his  
,s4 ,ambrogio1 at ,s4 ,austorgio1 or his
 ,s4 ,matteo1 at ,s4 ,raffaello1 though 
presenting few figures1 fail not to     
please by the grandeur of character     
expressed in the faces of those saints2 
nor has any other artist of ,milan      
approached in this art nearer to        
,gaudenzio who left such noble examples 
in his ,s4 ,girolamo and ,s4 ,paolo4 ,in
 works of a larger scale1 such as his   
,assumption at ,s4 ,fedele1 and the very
 elegant ,concezione at ,s4 ,antonio1 he
 also excels4 ,his method is described  
by his preceptor1 in his ,treatise1 7p4 
#dch74 ,he proposed for his imitation   
the lights and the accuracy of          
,leonardo1 the dignity of ,raffaello1   
,coreggio's colouring1 and the outlines 
of ,michelangiolo4 ,of the last in      

particular he was one of the most       
successful imitators in his designs1    
which are consequently in the highest   
repute2 but independent of which he is  
little known1 either in collections or  
in history1 further than ,milan4 ,this  
artist must not be mistaken for         
,girolamo ,figino1 his contemporary1 a  
very able painter1 and an exact         
miniaturist1 if we are to credit        
,morigia4 ,there is also ranked1 among  
,lomazzo's disciples1 a ,pietro ,martire
 ,stresi1 who acquired some reputation  
by his copies from ,raffaello4  ,the    
other branch of ,gaudenzio's school1    
before mentioned1 sprung from           
,bernardino ,lanini of ,vercelli1 who   
there produced some excellent early     
imitations of the style of ,gaudenzio1  
his master4 ,at ,s4 ,giuliano there is a
 ,pieta1 with the date of #aedg1 which  
might be ascribed to ,gaudenzio1 had not
 the name of ,bernardino been affixed4  
,it is the same with his other pictures1
 executed at his native place1 when     

still young1 and perhaps the chief      
distinction consists in his inferior    
accuracy of design1 and less force of   
chiaroscuro4 ,at a riper age he painted 
with more freedom1 and a good deal in   
the manner of the naturalists1 ranking  
among the first in ,milan4 ,he had a    
very lively genius both for conceiving  
and executing1 and adapted like that of 
,ferrari for noble histories4 ,the one  
of ,s4 ,catherine1 in the church of that
 name1 near ,s4 ,celso1 is greatly      
celebrated1 and the more so1 from what  
,lomazzo has said of it1 being full of  
pictoric spirit in the features and the 
attitudes1 with colouring like          
,titian's1 and embued with grace1 no    
less in the face of the saint1 which    
partakes of ,guido1 than in the choir of
 angels1 which rivals those of          
,gaudenzio4 ,if there be any portion    
deficient1 it is in the want of more    
care in arranging his drapery4 ,he was  
much employed1 both for the city and the
 state1 particularly at the cathedral of

 ,novara1 where he painted his ,sibyllo1
 and his ,padre ,eterno1 so greatly     
admired by ,lomazzo2 besides several    
histories of the ,virgin1 which though  
now deprived of their colour1 still     
attract us by the spirit and clearness  
of the design4 ,he was sometimes fond of
 displaying the manner of ,vinci1 as in 
his picture of the ,patient ,christ1    
between two angels1 painted for the     
church of ,ambrogio2 so complete in     
every part1 so beautiful and devotional1
 combined with so fine a relief1 as to  
be esteemed one of the most excellent   
productions that adorn that church4     
,bernardino had two brothers1 not known 
beyond ,vercelli2 ,gaudenzio1 of whom   
there is said to be an altar-piece in   
the ,sacristy of the ,padri ,barnabiti  
representing the ,virgin between various
 saints2 and his second brother         
,girolamo1 from whose hand ,i have seen 
a ,descent from the ,cross1 belonging to
 a private individual4 ,both display    
some distant resemblance to ,bernardino 

in the natural expression of the        
countenances1 the former also in the    
force of his colouring1 though alike    
greatly inferior in design4 ,three other
 ,giovenoni1 subsequent to ,girolamo1   
flourished about the period of ,lanini1 
whose names were ,paolo1 ,batista1 and  
,giuseppe2 the last became an excellent 
portrait-painter4 ,he was brother-in-law
 to ,lanini1 two of whose sons-in-law   
were likewise good artists2 ,soleri1    
whom ,i reserve for the school of       
,piedmont1 and ,gio4 ,martino ,casa1 a  
native of ,vercelli1 who resided1       
however1 at ,milan1 whence ,i obtained  
my information4 ,perhaps the last in the
 list of this school was ,vicolungo di  
,vercelli4 ,in a private house at that  
place1 ,i saw his ,supper of            
,belshazzar1 tolerably well coloured1   
abounding with figures1 extravagant     
drapery1 poor ideas1 and no way         
calculated to surprise1 except by       
exhibiting the successors of ,raffaello 
reduced thus gradually to so mean a     

state4  ,good landscape painters were   
not wanting in this happy epoch in      
,milan1 particularly in the school of   
,bernazzano1 their productions appearing
 in several collections1 though their   
names are unknown4 ,to this list perhaps
 belongs the ,francesco ,vicentino1 a   
,milanese so much commended by ,lomazzo1
 who1 in a landscape1 succeeded even in 
shewing the dust blown about by the     
wind4 ,he was also a good               
figure-painter1 of which a few fine     
specimens remain at the ,grazie and     
other churches4 ,some ornamental        
painters and of grotesques we have      
already noticed1 to which list we may   
add ,aurelio ,buso1 mentioned with      
praise among the native ,venetian       
artists1 and here again justly recorded 
for his labours4 ,vincenzio ,lavizzario1
 an excellent portrait-painter1 may be  
esteemed the ,titian of the ,milanese1  
to whose name we may unite that of ,gio4
 da ,monte of ,crema1 treated in the    
preceding book1 and deserving of        

repetition here4 ,along with him        
flourished ,giuseppe ,arcimboldi1       
selected for his skill in portrait1 as  
the court-painter of ,maximilian ,,ii41 
in which office he continued also under 
the emperor ,rodolph4 ,both these       
artists were much celebrated for those  
capricci1 or fancy pieces1 which        
afterwards fell into disuse4 ,at a      
distance they appeared to be figures of 
men and women2 but on a nearer view the 
,flora disappeared in a heap of flowers 
and leaves1 and the ,vertumnus was      
metamorphosed into a composition of     
fruits and foliage4 ,nor did these      
fanciful artists confine themselves to  
subjects taken from ancient fable2 they 
added others in which they poetically   
introduced various personifications4    
,the former even represented ,cucina1   
with her head and limbs composed only of
 pots and pans and other kitchen        
utensils2 while the latter1 who acquired
 great credit from these strange        
inventions1 produced a picture of       

,agriculture1 consisting of spades1     
ploughs1 and scythes1 with other        
appropriate implements4  ,we have lastly
 to record an art connected with the    
inferior branches of painting1 scarcely 
noticed by me in any other place1 being1
 indeed1 purposely reserved for the     
,milanese ,school1 where it more        
particularly flourished4 ,this is the   
art of embroidering1 not merely flowers 
and foliage1 but extensive history and  
figure-pieces4 ,it had continued from   
the time of the ,romans in ,italy1 and  
there is a very valuable specimen       
remaining in the so called ,casula      
,dittica1 at the ,museo di ,classe at   
,ravenna1 or more properly some strips  
of it brocaded with gold1 on which1 in  
needlework1 appear the portraits of     
,zenone1 ,montano1 and other saintly    
bishops4 ,it is a monument of the sixth 
century1 and has been described by the  
,ab4 ,sarti1 and afterwards by ,monsig4 
,dionisi4 ,the same custom of           
embroidering sacred walls with figures  

would appear1 from the ancient pictures1
 to have continued during the dark ages1
 and there are yet some relics to be    
seen in some of our ,sacristies4 ,the   
most entire are at ,s4 ,niccolo         
,collegiata in ,fabriano1 consisting of 
a priest's cope1 with figures of        
apostles and different saints2 and a    
vestment with mysteries of the passion1 
worked in embroidery1 with the dry and  
coarse design of the fourteenth century4
 ,in ,vasari we find frequent mention of
 this art2 and1 to say nothing of the   
ancients1 he presents us with many names
 greatly distinguished in it in more    
cultivated ages3 such as ,paolo da      
,verona1 and one ,niccolo ,veneziano1   
who being in the service of the ,prince 
,doria1 at ,genoa1 introduced ,perin del
 ,vaga at that court1 as well as        
,antonio ,ubertini1 a ,florentine1 to   
whom we alluded under his own school4   
,lomazzo traces the account of the      
,milanese from the earliest period4     
,luca ,schiavone1 he observes1 carried  

this branch to the highest degree1 and  
communicated it to ,girolamo ,delfinone1
 who flourished in the times of the last
 ,duke ,sforza1 whose portrait he       
executed in embroidery1 besides several 
large works1 among which is the life of 
our lady1 worked for the cardinal       
,baiosa4 ,this skill became hereditary  
in the family1 and ,scipione1 the son of
 ,girolamo1 was equally distinguished4  
,his chases of different animals were in
 great request for royal cabinets1 a    
number of them being collected by       
,philip of ,spain and the ,english ,king
 ,henry4 ,marcantonio1 son of ,scipione1
 followed the genius of the family1 and 
is mentioned by ,lomazzo in #aeia as a  
youth of great promise4 ,this writer has
 also praised for her skill in the same 
line1 ,caterina ,cantona1 a noble       
,milanese lady1 and has omitted the name
 of ,pellegrini1 the ,minerva of her    
time1 only perhaps because she had then 
hardly become celebrated4 ,other        
individuals of this house are mentioned 

in the list of artists4 ,andrea1 who    
painted in the choir of ,s4 ,girolamo1  
and a ,pellegrino his cousin1 celebrated
 in the history of ,palomino for his    
productions in the ,escurial1 and being 
both architect and painter to the royal 
court4 ,the lady of whom ,i write1 how  
far related to them ,i know not1 devoted
 herself wholly to her needle1 and by   
her hand were embroidered the great     
pallium 7vestment7 and other sacred     
furniture1 still preserved in the       
sacristy of the cathedral1 and exhibited
 to strangers with other curious        
specimens of ancient learning and the   
arts4 ,in the ,guide for #aghc1 she is  
called ,antonia1 and in that for #aghg  
,lodovica1 unless1 indeed1 they were two
 different persons4 ,in the following   
age ,boschini mentioned1 with high      
commendation1 the unrivalled ,dorothea  
,aromatari1 who1 he adds1 produced with 
her needle all those beauties which the 
finest and most diligent artists        
exhibited with their pencil4 ,to hers he

 unites with praise the names of some   
other female embroiderers of the age2   
and we1 in mentioning that of ,arcangela
 ,paladini1 had occasion to commend her 
paintings and her needlework at the same
 time4     ,,school ,,of ,,milan4       
,,epoch ,,iii4       ,the ,procaccini   
and other foreign and native artists    
establish a new ,academy1 with new      
styles1 in the city and      state of   
,milan4   ,the two series which we have 
hitherto described have gradually       
brought us towards the seventeenth      
century1 when there scarcely remained a 
trace either of the ,vinci or ,gaudenzio
 manner4 ,this arose from their latest  
successors1 who adopted1 more or less1  
those new manners which were gradually  
introduced into ,milan at the expense of
 the ancient style4 ,as early as the    
time of ,gaudenzio appeared in that city
 the ,coronation of ,thorns1 painted by 
,titian1 which was so greatly admired   
that several of his pupils came to      
establish themselves there1 besides     

other foreigners4 ,some unfortunate     
circumstances also occurred2            
particularly the plague1 which more than
 once1 in the same century1 desolated   
the state1 and which1 sweeping off      
native artists1 opened the way to       
strangers who succeeded to their        
commissions4 ,hence ,lomazzo1 at the    
close of his ,tempio1 only commends     
three among the ,milanese               
figure-painters1 who then flourished1   
,luini1 ,gnocchi1 and ,duchino1 the rest
 being all foreigners4 ,the attachment  
shewn by several noble families to the  
arts1 conduced to invite them thither1  
and in particular that of the ,borromea1
 which presented to the archiepiscopal  
seat of their country two distinguished 
prelates1 cardinal ,carlo1 who added to 
the number of saints at the altar1 and  
,federigo1 who nearly attained the same 
honours4 ,both were inspired by the same
 spirit of religion2 they were simple in
 private1 but splendid and liberal in   
public4 ,out of their economy they      

clothed and fed numbers of citizens1 and
 promoted the dignity of the sanctuary1 
and of their country4 ,they erected and 
restored many noble edifices1 and       
decorated with paintings a far greater  
number both in and beyond the city1     
insomuch as to make it observed that    
,milan was no less indebted to the      
,borromei than ,florence to her ,medici1
 or ,mantua to her ,gonzaghi4 ,the ,car4
 ,federigo1 who received his education  
first at ,bologna1 then at ,rome1 not   
only possessed a decided inclination but
 a taste for the fine arts2 and he also 
enjoyed a longer and more tranquil      
pontificate than ,carlo1 so as to enable
 him to afford them superior patronage4 
,not satisfied with employing the ablest
 architects1 sculptors1 and painters in 
public works1 he rekindled1 as it were1 
the spark that yet survived of ,vinci's 
academy1 instituting1 with much care and
 expense1 a new academy of the fine     
arts4 ,he provided it with schools1 with
 casts1 and a very choice picture       

gallery1#eh for the benefit of the young
 students1 taking advantage of the plan 
and rules of the ,roman academy1 founded
 a few years before1 with his           
co-operation4 ,the grand colossal figure
 of ,s4 ,carlo reflects equal honour on 
the new school and on its founder1 being
 executed in bronze from the design of  
,cerani1 and exhibited at ,arona1 the   
place where the saint was born2 a statue
 fourteen times the height of the human 
figure1 and vieing with the grandest    
productions of ,greek or ,egyptian      
statuary4 ,in painting1 however1 to say 
the truth1 the new is not equal to the  
ancient school1 though by no means      
deficient in fine artists1 as we shall  
shew4 ,meanwhile we must resume the     
thread of our history1 and explain how  
the ,milanese1 being reduced to very few
 artists1 while painters were much in   
request for the ornament of churches and
 other public edifices1 greatly on the  
increase1 were superseded by foreign    
artists1 such as the ,campi1 the        

,semini1 the ,procaccini1 and the       
,nuvoloni1 who introduced new styles1   
while others were sought out in foreign 
parts by some of the citizens of ,milan1
 particularly by ,cerano and by         
,morazzone4 ,these became the           
instructors of almost all the ,milanese 
youth1 and of the state2 these          
commencing their labours about #aegj1   
which they continued until after #afjj1 
at length rose so superior to the       
ancient schools1 not so much in         
soundness of taste and maxims1 as in the
 amenity of their colours1 as gradually 
to extinguish them4 ,nor did they only  
aim at teaching new styles2 some of them
 began to treat them with so much haste 
as to fall into mannerism1 from which   
period their school began to decline1   
and appeared to have adopted as a maxim 
to praise the theory of the ancients1   
and to practise the haste of the        
moderns4 ,but let us return to our      
subject4    ,footnote #eh3 ,he was one  
of the first in ,italy who collected    

paintings of the ,flemish ,school1 which
 was then fast rising      into         
reputation4 ,his agreement with ,gio4   
,breughel still      exists1 who painted
 for the academic collection at ,milan  
the      ,four ,elements1 pictures very 
often repeated1 of which copies      are
 to be seen in the royal gallery at     
,florence1 in the      ,melzi collection
 at ,milan1 and in several at ,rome4    
,the      artist1 who had great skill in
 drawing flowers1 fruits1      herbs1   
birds1 and animals1 of which he formed  
copious and      beautiful compositions1
 displayed a grand variety in these1    
and was no less admirable in his high   
finish1 in the      clearness of his    
colours1 and in other qualities which   
acquired him the esteem of the greatest 
artists1 among whom      ,rubens was one
 who availed himself of his talents for 
landscape1 which he introduced into his 
own pictures4  ,i mentioned1 not far    
back1 in treating of ,titian's          
disciples1 the names of ,callisto da    

,lodi and ,gio4 da ,monte1 and ,i have  
here to add that of ,simone ,peterzano1 
or ,preterazzano1 who1 on his ,pieta1 at
 ,s4 ,fedele1 inscribed himself ,titiani
 ,discipulus2 and his close imitation   
seems to confirm its truth4 ,he produced
 also works in fresco1 and particularly 
at ,s4 ,barnaba several histories of    
,st4 ,paul4 ,he there appears to have   
aimed at uniting the expression1 the    
foreshortening1 and the perspective of  
the ,milanese to the colouring of the   
,venetian artists2 noble works1 if they 
were thoroughly correct2 and if the     
author had been as excellent in fresco  
as in oil painting4 ,from ,venice1 or   
rather from its ,senate1 we trace the   
name of ,cesare ,dandolo1 who went to   
settle at ,milan1 and whose paintings   
adorn various palaces1 esteemed no less 
for their art than on account of the    
rank of the noble artist4  ,the ,campi  
were among the most eager to establish  
themselves at ,milan1 where they were   
much employed1 and ,bernardino more than

 the rest4 ,he painted1 likewise1 in the
 adjacent cities1 and it was at that    
period that he completed for the        
,certosa1 at ,pavia1 the                
before-mentioned altar-piece of ,andrea 
,solari1 which1 remaining unfinished at 
his death1 was1 after the lapse of many 
years1 completed in the same style by   
,bernardino1 so as to appear wholly from
 the same hand4 ,unable alone to        
despatch his commissions1 he had his    
cartoons coloured by his pupils1 who    
became1 like their master1 accurate1    
precise1 and worthy of the commendations
 bestowed upon them by ,lomazzo4 ,one of
 these was ,giuseppe ,meda1 both painter
 and architect1 who represented upon an 
organ1 in the ,metropolitana1 the figure
 of ,david seen playing before the ark4 
,this work is cited by ,orlandi1 under  
the name of ,carlo ,meda1 who1 perhaps1 
belonged to the family of the preceding1
 and who1 as stated in the dictionary1  
appears younger4 ,few of his other      
pictures are to be seen1 as is observed 

by ,scannelli4 ,another was ,daniello   
,cunio1 of ,milan1 who became a         
landscape painter of great merit2       
perhaps a brother1 or other relation of 
the same ,ridolfo ,cunio1 who is met    
with in several ,milanese collections1  
and is particularly celebrated for his  
design4 ,the third was ,carlo ,urbini da
 ,crema1 one of the least celebrated but
 most deserving artists of his age1 and 
one whom we have commemorated elsewhere4
 ,lamo observes1 that ,bernardino had a 
vast number of scholars and assistants1 
and from his account1 we are here       
enabled to add the names of ,andrea da  
,viadana1 ,giuliano or ,giulio de'      
,capitani1 of ,lodi1 and ,andrea        
,marliano1 of ,pavia4 ,perhaps1 also1   
,andrea ,pellini belongs to this list1  
who1 though unknown in his native city  
of ,cremona1 is celebrated at ,milan for
 his ,descent from the ,cross1 placed at
 ,s4 ,eustorgio1 in #aeie4  ,of a later 
date1 appeared at ,milan the two        
,semini1 from ,genoa2 both of whom were 

much employed1 and both disciples of the
 ,roman more than any other style4      
,ottavio1 the eldest1 instructed ,paol  
,camillo ,landriani1 called ,il         
,duchino1 who was justly praised in the 
,tempio of ,lomazzo as a youth of the   
greatest promise4 ,he subsequently      
produced a number of altar-pieces1 among
 which was a ,nativity1 at ,s4          
,ambrogio1 in which1 to the design and  
elegance of his master1 he unites       
perhaps a greater degree of softness4   
,the professors hitherto described1 do  
not reach the era of the art's decline1 
except1 possibly1 in their extreme old  
age2 insomuch as to be fully worthy of  
the praise ,i bestow4  ,the artists1    
however1 who more particularly employed 
themselves in painting and teaching at  
,milan during this period1 were the     
,procaccini of ,bologna4 ,though not    
mentioned by ,lomazzo in his ,treatise1 
in the year #aehd1 they are afterwards1 
in #aeij1 recorded with much honour in  
his ,tempio2 so that we may infer that  

they became celebrated during the       
intervening period at ,milan1 where they
 afterwards established themselves in   
#afji4 ,ercole is at the head of this   
family1 whom ,orlandi1 following        
,malvasia1 represents in a military     
manner1 as having lost the field at     
,bologna1 where he could no longer make 
head against the ,samacchini1 the ,cesi1
 the ,sabbatini1 the ,passarotti1 the   
,fontana1 the ,caracci1 though he       
afterwards encountered the ,figini1 the 
,luini1 the ,cerani1 and the ,morazzoni1
 at ,milan4 ,i am at a loss how to      
verify such an assertion4 ,ercole was   
born in #aebj1 as ,i gathered from a    
,,ms4 of ,p4 ,resta1 in the ,ambrosian  
library2 and in #aeij1 when the ,temple 
of ,painting first issued from the      
press1 he was very old1 nor did he ever 
exhibit any of his pictures in public at
 ,milan1 so that ,lomazzo ought to have 
sought subjects for commendation of him 
from ,parma1 and more particularly      
,bologna4 ,many of his works still      

remain there1 from which we may decide  
whether ,malvasia and ,baldinucci had   
more reason to represent him as an      
artist of mediocrity1 or ,lomazzo to    
entitle him a very successful imitator  
of the great ,coreggio's colouring1 as  
well as of his grace and beauty4 ,in my 
own opinion he appears somewhat minute  
in design1 and feeble in his colouring1 
resembling the tone of the ,florentines2
 a thing so common among his            
contemporaries1 that ,i know not why it 
should be made a peculiar reproach to   
him4 ,for the rest he is more pleasing1 
accurate1 and exact1 than most artists  
of his age2 and possibly his over       
diligence acted as an obstacle to him in
 a city where the rapid ,fontana bore   
the chief sway4 ,but this quality1      
besides exempting him from the mannerism
 then beginning to prevail1 rendered him
 an excellent preceptor2 whose principal
 duty is found to consist in checking   
the impatience of young artists1 and    
accustoming them to precision and       

delicacy of taste4 ,thus many excellent 
pupils sprung from his school1 such as  
,samacchini1 ,sabbatini1 and ,bertoia4  
,he instructed also his three sons1     
,camillo1 ,giulio ,cesare1 and ,carlo   
,antonio1 from which last sprung ,ercole
 the younger2 all masters of young      
,milanese artists1 and of whom it will  
be our business to treat in succession4 
,camillo is the only one of the three   
who was known to ,lomazzo1 who describes
 him as an artist distinguished both for
 his design and his colouring4 ,he      
received his first instructions from his
 father1 and often displays a           
resemblance in his heads1 and in the    
distribution of his tints2 though1 where
 he painted with care1 he both warmed   
and broke them1 as well as employed the 
middle colours1 in a superior manner4   
,he studied other schools1 and if we are
 to believe some of his biographers1 he 
practised at ,rome from the models of   
,raffaello and ,michelangiolo1 besides  
being passionately devoted to the heads 

of ,parmigianino1 an imitation of which 
is perceptible in all his works4 ,he    
possessed wonderful facility both in    
conception and execution2 added to      
nature1 beauty1 and spirit1 always      
attractive to the eye1 though they do   
not always satisfy the judgment4 ,nor is
 this surprising1 as he early threw off 
the reign of paternal instruction1 and  
executed works enough to have employed  
ten artists1 at ,bologna1 at ,ravenna1  
,reggio1 ,piacenza1 ,pavia1 and ,genoa4 
,he was by many called the ,vasari1 and 
the ,zuccaro of ,lombardy2 although to  
say truth1 he surpasses them in         
sweetness of style and of colours4 ,he  
was particularly engaged at ,milan1 a   
city which boasts some of his best      
productions1 by which he obtained       
reputation there2 and many of his worst1
 with which he satisfied those who      
valued his name4 ,of his earliest works 
there1 and the most free from mannerism1
 are those adorning the exterior of the 
organ at the ,metropolitana1 along with 

various mysteries of our ,lady1 and two 
histories of ,david playing upon his    
harp2 all described very minutely by    
,malvasia4 ,but he produced nothing in  
,milan equal to his ,judgment at ,s4    
,procol di ,reggio1 esteemed one of the 
finest specimens of fresco in all       
,lombardy2 and to his ,s4 ,rocco among  
the sick and dying of the plague1 a     
picture that intimidated ,annibal       
,caracci1 when he had to paint a        
companion for it1 7see ,malvasia1 p4    
#dff74 ,the pictures produced by        
,camillo1 in the cathedral of ,piacenza1
 where the ,duke of ,parma had placed   
him in competition with ,lodovico       
,caracci1 whose genius was then mature1 
are well and carefully executed4 ,he    
there represented our ,lady crowned     
,queen of the ,universe by the          
,almighty1 surrounded with a very full  
choir of ,angels1 in whose forms he     
displayed the most finished beauty4 ,it 
was the part of ,lodovico to represent  
other angels around2 and opposite to the

 ,coronation the ,padri del ,limbo4 ,the
 first occupied the most distinguished  
place in the tribune2 though both then  
and now he was esteemed by spectators   
the least worthy of the two4 ,however   
advantageously he there appears1 and    
entitled to the applause of ,girupeno   
and other historians1 as well as        
travellers1 he at the same time loses a 
portion of his consequence at the side  
of ,caracci1 who1 by the novelty of his 
ideas1 the natural expression of his    
countenances1 of his attitudes1 and of  
his symbols1 especially in those angels 
opposed to the more common conceptions  
of his rival1 makes the monotony and    
weakness of ,procaccini the more        
remarkable4 ,caracci's superior dignity1
 likewise1 in his figures of the        
patriarchs1 throws that of ,camillo's   
,divinity into the shade4 ,they also    
executed some histories of the ,madonna1
 placed opposite each other2 and almost 
bearing the same proportion as we have  
already mentioned4 ,but as the ,caracci 

were few1 ,procaccini for the most part 
triumphed over his competitors4 ,he is  
even now well received in the           
collections of the great1 and our own   
prince has recently obtained one of his 
,assumptions1 with ,apostles surrounding
 the tomb of ,jesus1 a picture full of  
variety1 and in a grand manner4  ,giulio
 ,cesare1 the best of the ,procaccini1  
at first devoted himself to sculpture   
with success1 subsequently attaching    
himself to painting1 as to a less       
laborious and more pleasing art4 ,he    
frequented the ,caracci ,academy at     
,bologna2 and it is said1 that taking   
offence at some satirical observations  
of ,annibal's1 he struck1 and even      
wounded him4 ,his ,french biographer    
states ,giulio's birth to have occurred 
in #aedh1 though he postpones this      
quarrel until #afji1 in which year the  
,procaccini established themselves at   
,milan4 ,it must have occurred1 however1
 much earlier1 as in #afji ,giulio was a
 renowned painter1 while ,annibal was in

 his decline4 ,giulio ,cesare's studies 
were directed to the models of          
,coreggio1 and it is the opinion of     
many1 that no one approached nearer to  
the grand style of that artist4 ,in his 
small pictures1 with few figures1 in    
which imitation is more easy1 he has    
often been mistaken for his original1   
though his elegance cannot boast the    
same clear and native tone1 nor his     
colours the same rich and vigorous      
handling4 ,one of his ,madonnas1 at ,s4 
,luigi de' ,francesi1 at ,rome1 was1 in 
fact1 engraved not long since for a work
 of ,allegri1 by an excellent artist2   
and there are other equally fine        
imitations at the ,sanvitali ,palace1 in
 ,parma2 in that of the ,careghi1 in    
,genoa1 and other places4 ,among his    
numerous altar-pieces1 the one ,i have  
seen1 which displays most of the        
,coreggio manner1 is at ,s4 ,afra1 in   
,brescia4 ,it represents the ,virgin and
 ,child1 surrounded with some figures of
 ,angels and ,saints1 which are seen    

gazing and smiling upon him4 ,he has    
perhaps1 indeed1 gone somewhat beyond   
the limits of propriety1 in order to    
attain more grace1 which is the case    
with his ,nunziata1 at ,s4 ,antonio1 in 
,milan2 in which the ,holy ,virgin and  
,angel are seen smiling at each other2 a
 circumstance hardly compatible either  
with the time or the mystery4 ,in his   
attitudes1 also1 he was occasionally    
guilty of extravagance1 as in his       
,martyrdom of ,s4 ,nazario1 in the      
church of that name1 a picture          
attractive by its harmony and its grace1
 though the figure of the executioner is
 in too forced a position4 ,giulio left 
many very large histories1 such as his  
,passage of the ,red ,sea1 at ,s4       
,vittore1 in ,milan2 and more in ,genoa1
 where ,soprani has pointed them out4   
,what is surprising1 in so vast a number
 of his pieces1 is the accuracy of his  
design1 the variety of his ideas1 and   
his diligence both in his naked and     
dressed parts1 combined at the same time

 with a grandeur1 which1 if ,i mistake  
not1 he derived from the ,caracci4 ,in  
the ,sacristy of ,s4 ,maria1 at ,sarono1
 is his picture of ,saints ,andrea1     
,carlo1 and ,ambrogio1 displaying the   
most dignified character of their       
school2 if1 indeed1 we are not to       
suppose1 that in common with the        
,caracci1 he acquired it from those     
magnificent models of the art at ,parma4
  ,to these two may be added            
,carlantonio ,procaccini1 not as a      
figure1 but a good landscape painter1   
and a tolerable hand in drawing fruits  
and flowers4 ,he produced a variety of  
pieces for the ,milanese gallery1 which 
happening to please the court1 then one 
of the branches of ,spain1 he had       
frequent commissions from that country1 
insomuch that he rose1 though the       
weakest of the family1 into the highest 
repute4  ,the ,procaccini opened school 
at ,milan1 where they obtained the      
reputation of kind and able masters1    
educating1 both for the city and state1 

so great a number of artists1 that it   
would be neither possible nor useful to 
comprise them all in a history4 ,they   
could boast among them some inventors of
 a new style1 the same as the disciples 
of the ,caracci2 though most of them    
aimed at observing the manner of their  
masters2 some maintaining it by their   
accuracy1 and others injuring it by     
their over haste4 ,we reserve the series
 of them1 however1 to the last epoch1 in
 order not to disperse the same school  
through different parts4  ,the last of  
the foreigners who then gave            
instructions at ,milan1 was ,panfilo    
,nuvolone1 a noble ,cremonese1 of whose 
style we treated at length in the list  
of the ,cav4 ,trotti's disciples4 ,he   
was a diligent rather than an           
imaginative artist1 and produced no     
works of any extent at ,milan1 except   
for the nunneries of ,saints ,domenico  
and ,lazzaro1 where he painted in the   
ceiling the history of ,lazarus and the 
,rich ,man1 with true pictoric          

splendour2 which is no less apparent in 
his ,assumption of the ,virgin1 in the  
cupola of the ,passione4 ,in his        
altar-pieces1 and histories executed for
 the ducal gallery at ,parma1 he aimed  
rather at perfecting than at multiplying
 his figures4 ,he instructed his four   
sons1 two of whom are unknown in the    
history of the art1 and the two others  
are frequently mentioned by different   
illustrators of the paintings of ,milan1
 of ,piacenza1 of ,parma1 and of        
,brescia2 where they are also surnamed1 
from their father1 the ,panfili4 ,we    
shall1 however1 treat of them more      
particularly in the age during which    
they flourished4  ,fede ,galizia        
introduced another foreign style into   
,milan1 a female artist1 who1 according 
to ,orlandi1 was a native of ,trent4    
,her father1 ,annunzio1 was a celebrated
 miniaturist1 born at the same place1   
and a resident at ,milan1 and from him  
perhaps she acquired that taste for     
accuracy and finish of hand1 no less    

remarkable in her figures than in her   
landscapes2 in other points1 more       
similar to the ,bolognese predecessors  
of the ,caracci1 than to any other      
school4 ,there are some specimens of her
 style in foreign collections4 ,one of  
her best studied pictures is seen at ,s4
 ,maria ,maddalena1 where she painted   
the titular saint1 with the figure of   
,christ in the dress of a gardener4     
,this lady has been criticised by the   
excellent author of the ,guide1 for her 
too great study of the ideal1 which she 
aimed at introducing both into her      
design and colouring1 at the expense of 
nature and of truth1 a practice pretty  
much in vogue at that period in ,italy4 
,about the same time1 one ,orazio       
,vaiano was employed a good deal at     
,milan1 where he long resided1 called   
,il ,fiorentino from his extraction4    
,he1 in some way1 came to be confounded1
 in some of his pictures1 with the elder
 ,palma1 as we are informed by ,orlandi2
 but how1 it is difficult to say4 ,the  

specimens of his composition at ,s4     
,carlo and at ,s4 ,antonio ,abate1 are  
judicious and diligent1 though somewhat 
feeble in point of colouring2 and in the
 distribution of their lights much      
resembling the tone of ,roncalli4 ,he   
likewise visited ,genoa2 but neither he 
nor ,galizia1 as ,i am aware1 left any  
pupils at ,milan4 ,the same may be said 
of the two ,carloni1 noble fresco       
painters belonging to ,genoa1 and of    
,valerio ,profondavalle1 from ,lovanio1 
who painted glass1 as well as in oil and
 in fresco1 for all which he had        
frequent commissions at court4  ,we     
ought here to add the name of ,federigo 
,zuccari1 an artist invited by the      
,card4 ,federigo ,borromeo to take up   
his residence at ,milan1 where1 as well 
as at ,pavia1 he painted1 as we have    
mentioned1 7at p4 #aci1 vol4 ii74 ,i am 
indebted to the polite and kind         
attention of ,sig4 ,bernardo ,gattoni1  
chaplain and rector of the other        
,borromean college at ,pavia1 for       

correcting an error into which ,i had   
fallen1 from following the local        
tradition rather than the written       
authority of the same ,zuccheri1 in his 
,passaggio per l',italia1 a very rare   
work1 and which ,i had not seen at that 
time4 ,in it are described the pictures 
of the ,borromean college at ,pavia2 and
 it appears1 that ,zuccari produced no  
other besides the principal picture1    
that of ,s4 ,carlo1 who is seen in the  
,consistory in the act of receiving the 
cardinal's hat2 the rest being from the 
hand of ,cesare ,nebbia1 who flourished 
at the same period4 ,in order to have   
them retouched at leisure1 while they   
were left to dry1 the cardinal ,federigo
 despatched the two artists to visit the
 sacred mount of ,varallo1 whence they  
passed to ,arona1 and next to the ,isola
 ,bella1 situated upon the ,lago        
,maggiore1 where the cardinal joined    
them1 and where each of them left a work
 in fresco1 upon two pilasters of the   
chapel at that place4 ,there has since  

been found in the archives of the       
college1 an original letter of the      
cardinal1 in which he recommends to the 
then rector1 that ,nebbia should be     
received into the college1 and the sums 
of money disbursed to both1 entered in  
the books of account4  ,proceeding next 
to those artists who studied at other   
places1 ,i shall briefly mention ,ricci 
of ,novara1 with ,paroni and ,nappi of  
,milan1 not omitting others of the same 
place1 commemorated in the lives of     
,baglioni4 ,residing at ,rome1 they in  
no way contributed to the fame of their 
native school1 neither by their pupils1 
nor their example2 and even at ,rome1   
they may be said to have added rather to
 the number of paintings than to the    
decoration of the city4 ,ricci was a    
fresco painter1 very well adapted to the
 hasty temper of ,sixtus ,v41 whose     
works he superintended1 and promoted the
 effeminate taste then so prevalent2 he 
possessed much facility and beauty of   
forms4 ,paroni pursued the manner of    

,caravaggio1 but his career was short4  
,nappi displays great variety2 and when 
he painted in his ,lombard manner1 such 
as in his ,assumption1 at the cloister  
of the ,minerva1 with other pieces at   
the ,umilta1 he shewed himself a        
naturalist far more pleasing than the   
mannerists of his time4  ,there         
flourished likewise1 for a few years1 at
 ,rome1 the ,cav4 ,pier ,francesco      
,mazzuchelli1 called from his birthplace
 ,morazzone4 ,after practising there for
 a period1 from all the best models1    
which influenced both his mind and his  
productions1 he directed his attention  
to the ,milanese ,school1 in which he   
taught1 and succeeded beyond all        
example1 in improving his own style4 ,it
 will be sufficient to compare his      
picture of the ,epiphany which he       
painted in fresco for one of the chapels
 of ,s4 ,silvestro in capite1 which     
boasts no beauty beyond that of         
colouring2 and his other ,epiphany1     
placed at ,s4 ,antonio ,abate1 at       

,milan1 which appears like the          
production of another hand2 such is the 
superiority of the design1 the effect1  
and the display of drapery1 in the      
manner of the ,venetians4 ,he is said to
 have studied ,titian and ,paul         
,veronese2 and some of his angels are   
painted with arms and legs1 in those    
long proportions that are not the best  
characteristics of ,tintoretto4 ,in     
general1 the genius of ,morazzone was   
not adapted for the graceful1 but for   
the strong and magnificent2 as appears  
in his ,s4 ,michael's ,conquest over the
 bad ,angels1 at ,s4 ,gio4 di ,como1 and
 in the chapel of the ,flagellazione1 at
 ,varese4 ,in #afbf he was invited to   
,piacenza1 to paint the grand cupola of 
the cathedral1 a work which was left    
very incomplete by his death1 and       
bestowed upon ,guercino4 ,he had drawn  
the figures of two prophets1 which1 in  
any other place1 would have appeared to 
the greatest advantage2 but there they  
are thrown into the shade by those of   

his successor1 that magician of his art1
 who threw into it the whole enchantment
 of which he was capable4 ,morazzone was
 employed for different collections1 no 
less than for churches2 and received a  
number of commissions from ,cardinal    
,federigo1 and the king of ,sardinia1   
from which last he received his title of
 cavalier4  ,contemporary with him      
flourished ,gio4 ,batista ,crespi1      
better known by the name of ,cerano1 his
 native place1 a small town in the      
,novarese4 ,sprung from a family of     
artists1 which left specimens of its    
genius at ,s4 ,maria di ,busto1 where   
his grandfather ,gio4 ,piero1 and       
,raffaello1 his father or uncle1 7,i am 
not certain which17 had been employed4  
,he studied at ,rome1 and at ,venice1   
uniting to that of painting great       
knowledge in the art of modelling1 as   
well as in architecture2 being1 moreover
 distinguished for good taste in        
literature and for polite               
accomplishments4 ,with such             

qualifications he took the lead at the  
court of ,milan1 from which he received 
a salary2 no less than in the great     
undertakings of the ,card4 ,federigo1   
and in the direction of the academy4    
,not to dwell upon the buildings1       
statues1 and bassi-relievi1 which he    
either designed or executed1 but which  
are less connected with my subject1 he  
painted a great number of altar-pieces1 
in which he at once exhibited1 if ,i    
mistake not1 great excellences and great
 defects4 ,he is invariably free1       
spirited1 and harmonious2 but he        
frequently1 from too great affectation  
of grace or of magnificence1 falls into 
a degree of mannerism1 as in some of his
 histories at the ,pace1 where his naked
 figures are heavy1 and the attitudes of
 others too extravagant4 ,in his other  
subjects these defects are less         
apparent2 but here he has also          
overloaded his shadows4 ,in the greater 
part of his works1 notwithstanding1 the 
correct and the beautiful so far        

abounds1 as to shew that he was one of  
the first masters of his school4 ,thus  
in his ,baptism of ,s4 ,agostino1       
painted for ,s4 ,marco1 he rivals       
,giulio ,cesare ,procaccini1 whose      
productions are placed opposite1 and in 
the opinion of some he surpasses him4   
,another instance occurs in his         
altar-piece of saints ,carlo and        
,ambrogio1 at ,santo ,paolo1 where1 in  
taste of colouring at least he surpasses
 the ,campi2 and a third in his         
celebrated picture of the ,rosario1 at  
,s4 ,lazzaro1 which casts into shade the
 fine fresco painting of ,nuvoloni4 ,he 
was particularly skilled in drawing     
birds and quadrupeds1 of which he       
composed pictures for private ornament1 
as we gather from ,soprani in his life  
of ,sinibaldo ,scorza4 ,he educated many
 pupils1 whom we shall reserve for an   
inferior epoch1 excepting ,daniele      
,crespi of ,milan1 who1 on account of   
his worth1 and the period in which he   
flourished1 ought not to be separated   

from his master4  ,daniele is one among 
those distinguished ,italians who are   
hardly known beyond their native place4 
,he possessed1 however1 rare genius1    
and1 instructed by ,cerano1 and         
afterwards by the best of the           
,procaccini1 undoubtedly surpassed the  
first1 and in the opinion of many       
likewise the second1 though he did not  
live to reach the age of forty4 ,he had 
great penetration in learning1 and equal
 facility in executing1 selecting the   
best part of every master he studied1   
and knowing how to reject the worst4    
,familiar with the maxims of the        
,caracci school1 even without           
frequenting it1 he adopted and practised
 them with success4 ,he shews this in   
his distribution of colours1 and in the 
varied expression of his countenances2  
select and careful in disposing them    
according to the prevailing passions of 
the mind2 and above all1 admirable in   
catching the beautiful and devotional   
spirit that ought to inspire the heads  

of saints4 ,in the distribution of his  
figures he at once observes a natural   
and well judged order1 so that no one   
would wish to behold them placed        
otherwise than they are4 ,their drapery 
is finely varied1 and very splendid in  
the more imposing characters of the     
piece4 ,his colouring is extremely      
powerful1 no less in oil than in fresco2
 and in the highly ornamented church of 
,la ,passione1 for which he painted his 
grand ,descent from the ,cross1 he left 
many portraits of distinguished         
cardinals1 all composed in the best     
,titian taste4 ,he is indeed one of     
those rare geniuses who delight in being
 constant rivals of themselves1 calling 
forth their highest energies in each    
production1 in order that they may in   
some way surpass the last2 geniuses1 who
 know how to correct in their later     
paintings the errors they committed in  
their first1 exhibiting in them the full
 maturity of those excellences which    
they discovered in their early attempts4

 ,his last pieces1 consisting of acts   
from the life of ,s4 ,brunone1 at the   
,certosa1 in ,milan1 are of all the most
 admired4 ,that of the ,dottor ,parigino
 is more particularly celebrated1 in    
which1 having raised himself on his     
bier1 he declares his state of          
reprobation4 ,what desperation he       
exhibits6 what horror in the faces of   
the beholders6 ,nor is that of the ,duke
 of ,calabria less excellent1 where1 in 
going to the chase1 he meets with the   
holy hermit1 a picture upon which the   
artist inscribed1 ,daniel ,crispus      
,mediolanensis pinxit hoc templum4 ,an4 
#afbi4 ,this was the year before his    
death1 as he was unhappily cut off by   
the plague of #afcj1 together with his  
whole family4  ,we may here add1 as a   
sort of corollary to the foregoing1 the 
names of some other artists who         
displayed great merit1 though it is     
uncertain of what school4 ,such is ,gio4
 ,batista ,tarillio1 by whom there was  
an altar-piece with the date of #aege1  

painted for the now suppressed church of
 ,s4 ,martino in ,compito4 ,there are   
some pictures by another native of      
,milan1 named ,ranuzio ,prata1 at       
,pavia4 ,these ,i have not seen2 they   
are1 however1 greatly commended by      
others4 ,he flourished about #afce4 ,the
 ,novarese also boasted at that period  
two artists who were brothers1 both of  
whom coloured in pretty good taste4     
,these were ,antonio and ,gio4          
,melchiore ,tanzi1 the former a very    
able designer1 who competed with        
,carloni at ,milan1 distinguished       
himself at ,varallo1 and painted at ,s4 
,gaudenzio di ,novara the ,battle of    
,senacherib1 a work full of spirit and  
intelligence4 ,there are likewise other 
of his works preserved in the galleries 
of ,vienna1 of ,venice1 and of ,naples1 
representing both histories and         
perspectives2 but of his brother there  
is nothing remaining of any great degree
 of merit4     ,,school ,,of ,,milan4   
,,epoch ,,iv4       ,the ,art continues 

to decline after the time of ,daniele   
,crespi4 ,a third ,academy is founded   
with a view of improving      it4   ,we 
now approach the last epoch1 which may  
be truly entitled the decline of this   
school4 ,i recollect hearing the opinion
 of a good judge1 that ,daniele ,crespi 
might be called the last of the         
,milanese1 just as in another sense     
,cato was pronounced ultimus ,romanorum4
 ,the observation is correct1 so far as 
it applies to certain geniuses superior 
to the common lot1 but false if we      
should extend it to the exclusion of    
every artist of merit from the period   
which it embraces4 ,it would be         
injustice to the names of ,nuvoloni and 
,cairo1 and several others who          
flourished in an age nearer our own4    
,but in the same way as ,cassiodorus and
 some other writers are insufficient to 
remove the stain of barbarism from their
 age1 so the artists we treat of cannot 
redeem theirs from the stigma of its    
decline4 ,it is the majority which      

invariably gives a tone to the times2   
and he who may have seen ,milan and its 
state would be at no loss to remark1    
that after the introduction of the      
,procaccini ,school1 design was more    
than ever neglected1 and mechanical     
practice succeeded to reason and taste4 
,artists1 after the visitation of the   
plague1 had become more rare2 and       
subsequent to the death of the ,cardinal
 ,borromeo1 in #afca1 they became less  
united1 insomuch that the academy       
founded by him remained closed during   
twenty years2 and if by the exertions of
 ,antonio ,busca it was then re-opened1 
still it never afterwards produced works
 similar to those of other times4       
,whether owing to the manner of         
teaching1 to the want of its great      
patron1 or to the abundance of          
commissions and the kindness of those   
who gave them1 which urged young artists
 prematurely to make abortive efforts2  
no school1 perhaps1 on the loss of its  
great masters1 was filled with so great 

a number of inferior and bad ones4 ,i   
shall not give much account of them1 yet
 must not omit such names as have       
attained to some consideration4 ,in     
general it may be remarked of the       
artists of this epoch1 that though the  
pupils of different schools1 they       
display a mutual resemblance1 as much as
 if they had been instructed by the same
 master4 ,they possess no character that
 strikes the eye1 no beauty of          
proportions1 no vivacity of countenance1
 no grace in their colouring4 ,their    
whole composition appears languid1 even 
their imitation of the head of the      
school does not please1 as it is either 
deficient1 or overdone1 or falls into   
insignificance4 ,in their choice of     
colours we detect a certain resemblance 
to the ,bolognese ,school1 to which     
their guides were not very much opposed1
 though we often perceive that sombre   
cast which then prevailed in nearly all 
the other schools4  ,to this uniformity 
of style in ,milan1 ,ercole ,procaccini 

the younger most probably contributed1  
an artist in whom an unprejudiced critic
 will be at no loss to detect the       
character we have described4 ,but in his
 more studied works1 as we find in an   
,assumption1 at ,s4 ,m4 ,maggiore1 in   
,bergamo1 he exhibits dignity1 spirit1  
and a happy imitation of the ,coreggio  
manner4 ,he received his first          
instructions from his father            
,carlantonio1 and next from ,giulio     
,cesare1 his paternal uncle4 ,it is     
known that by public report1 by his     
insinuating manners1 and by the family  
reputation1 he arrived at a degree of   
consideration beyond his merit1 and     
lived till he reached the age of eighty4
 ,hence he induced many to follow his   
maxims1 and the more as he kept an open 
academy for the study of the naked      
figure at his own house1 and succeeded  
his uncles in their instructions2 equal 
to them perhaps in rapidity1 but not so 
well grounded in the art4 ,he painted   
much2 and in the best collections in    

,milan1 if he is not in as much request 
as many others1 he yet maintains his    
place4  ,two young artists educated in  
his school reflected credit upon it2    
,carlo ,vimercati1 who owed his success 
to the most pertinacious study of       
,daniele's works at the ,certosa1 which 
he daily visited for a long period while
 at ,milan1 and ,antonio ,busca1 who    
likewise employed his talents upon the  
best models both at ,milan and ,rome4   
,vimercati exhibited few of his pictures
 in public at ,milan2 he painted more at
 ,codogno1 and in his best manner1 as   
well as in a new one in which he was    
greatly inferior4 ,busca assisted his   
master1 and at ,s4 ,marco also was      
employed in competition with him4       
,there1 placed opposite to some         
histories by ,procaccini1 is seen his   
picture of the ,crucifixion full of     
pious beauty1 surrounded with figures of
 the ,virgin1 of ,mary ,magdalen1 and   
,s4 ,john1 who are all weeping1 and     
almost draw tears from the eyes of the  

spectator4 ,but he did not always       
succeed as in this specimen2 the gout   
deprived him of the use of his feet1 and
 he fell into a weak and abject style1  
the result of mere mechanic practice4   
,in this state of health1 ,i imagine1 he
 must have conducted two holy histories1
 placed opposite each other1 in the     
chapel of ,s4 ,siro at the ,certosa in  
,pavia1 in which he idly repeated in the
 second the same features as            
distinguished the first1 so greatly is  
an artist sometimes in contradiction    
with himself4 ,a similar complaint might
 be alleged for a different reason1 in  
regard to the style of ,cristoforo      
,storer1 a native of ,constance4 ,a     
pupil to the same ,ercole1 he also      
produced works of solid taste1 as in the
 instance of his ,s4 ,martino1 which ,i 
saw in possession of the ,ab4 ,bianconi1
 a picture much valued by its           
intelligent owner4 ,subsequently he     
became a mannerist1 and not unfrequently
 adopted gross or common ideas4 ,in     

other points he displays much spirit1   
and is one of the few belonging to that 
age who may lay claim to the title of a 
good colourist4 ,i am uncertain whether 
,gio4 ,ens1 of ,milan1 sprung from the  
same school1 as well as at what precise 
time he nourished2 ,i know that he was  
an artist of less talent1 whose delicacy
 often bordered upon weakness1 as we may
 perceive at ,s4 ,marco in ,milan4      
,lodovico ,antonio ,david of ,lugano1 a 
scholar of ,ercole1 of ,cairo1 and of   
,cignani1 resided at ,rome4 ,there he   
produced some portraits1 and at one     
period made the tour of ,italy4 ,the    
city of ,venice possesses one of his    
,nativities at ,s4 ,silvestro1 conducted
 in a minute manner1 that betrays a     
disciple of ,camillo more than of any   
other of the ,procaccini4 ,he wrote too 
upon painting1 and compiled some account
 of ,coreggio1 for which the reader may 
consult ,orlandi under the head of that 
artist1#ei or perhaps in preference1    
,tirasboschi1 in his life of him4       

,footnote #ei3 ,in the additions to the 
,dictionary1 made by      ,guarienti1   
following the article ,orlandi1 we find 
,lodovico      ,david of ,lugano1 of    
whose pencil he could only trace the    
picture at ,s4 ,silvestro in ,venice4   
,this is one of the      mistakes       
committed by this continuator4  ,next to
 the nephew of the best ,procaccini1 ,i 
may place the son-in-law of one of the  
others4 ,this is the ,cav4 ,federigo    
,bianchi1 on whom1 after affording him  
his instructions1 ,giulio ,cesare       
bestowed the hand of one of his         
daughters4 ,he derived from his         
father-in-law his maxims1 rather than   
his forms and attitudes1 which display  
an original air in ,bianchi1 and are at 
once graceful and beautiful without     
affectation4 ,some of his ,holy         
,families at ,s4 ,stefano and at the    
,passione are held in much esteem1      
besides some of his other pictures      
exhibiting few1 but well conceived      
figures4 ,such is that of a ,visitazione

 at ,s4 ,lorenzo1 every way creditable  
to one of the favourite pupils of       
,giulio ,cesare4 ,he was not            
distinguished in compositions of a      
grander character2 but he was full of   
ideas1 united to harmony and good       
keeping1 and altogether one of the first
 ,milanese artists in the present age4  
,he was much employed in ,piedmont1 and 
we are indebted to him for notices of   
many artists which he communicated to   
,p4 ,orlandi1 by whom they were made    
public4 ,this artist is not to be       
confounded with one ,francesco ,bianchi1
 a friend and almost inseparable        
companion of ,antonmaria ,ruggieri4     
,they painted together for the most part
 in fresco1 and without the least       
dispute consented to share all the      
emolument1 all the praise and blame they
 might receive4 ,they belong to the     
present age1 to which they have         
bequeathed a more noble example of      
mutual attachment than of the art they  
professed4  ,the greater part of the    

,procaccini disciples sprung from the   
school of ,camillo4 ,he had likewise    
taught at ,bologna1 though his only     
pupil known there is ,lorenzo ,franco1  
who1 with his instructions1 afterwards  
became an excellent imitator of the     
,caracci4 ,in the opinion of ,p4 ,resta1
 however1 his style was somewhat too    
minute2 this artist resided and died at 
,reggio4 ,the school of ,camillo at     
,milan was always full1 and no one      
reflected upon it greater credit than   
,andrea ,salmeggia of ,bergamo1 of whom 
we treated in the preceding book4       
,becoming a follower of ,raffaello at   
,rome1 he occasionally returned to his  
native place1 where he attracted        
admiration by his productions4 ,like the
 rest ,gio4 ,batista ,discepoli1 called 
,zoppo di ,lugnano1 was at one time the 
disciple of ,camillo1 but afterwards    
added much of other styles1 and was one 
of the most natural1 powerful1 and rich 
colourists of his time4 ,for the rest he
 is to be included in the rank of the   

naturalists1 rather than among the      
lovers of the ideal4 ,several of his    
pictures are at ,milan1 in particular   
that of his ,purgatorio at ,s4 ,carlo1  
executed with much skill2 and he painted
 a good deal for his native place and   
its confines1 as well as at ,como1 where
 he ornamented ,santa ,teresa with a    
picture of the titular saint1 with      
lateral squares1 esteemed one of the    
best altar-pieces belonging to the city4
 ,carlo ,cornara acquired equal         
reputation1 though in an opposite style4
 ,he produced few works1 but all        
conducted with an exquisite degree of   
taste1 peculiarly his own1 which renders
 them valuable in collections4 ,one of  
his best altar-pieces was painted for   
,s4 ,benedetto1 at the ,certosa1 in     
,pavia1 a picture now much defaced by   
time1 and there are a few others        
completed by one of his daughters after 
his death1 who added to them some       
original pieces of her own4  ,giovanni  
,mauro ,rovere1 an artist who exchanged 

the manner of ,camillo for that of      
,giulio ,cesare1 was among the earliest 
followers of the ,procaccini1 and might 
be referred to their epoch from the     
period in which he flourished1 did not  
his inferior character1 arising from too
 great rapidity of hand1 prevent his    
admission into the same rank4 ,he had   
all that fire1 which1 when directed with
 judgment1 is the soul of painting1 but 
when abused destroys the beauty of the  
art4 ,it was very seldom that he was    
able to command it1 though1 in a ,supper
 of our ,lord1 at ,s4 ,angelo1 in which 
he used great care1 he obtained         
corresponding success4 ,he had two      
brothers1 named ,giambatista and ,marco1
 who assisted him in his labours both   
for churches and private houses1 both of
 whom were inaccurate but spirited4     
,they have left works in fresco1 besides
 some histories in oil1 perspectives1   
battle-pieces1 and landscapes1 to be met
 with in almost every corner of the     
city4 ,i find that they were also       

surnamed ,rossetti1 and still better    
known under the name of ,fiamminghini1  
derived from their father ,riccardo1 who
 came from ,flanders to establish       
himself at ,milan4  ,to these three     
,rossetti1 succeeded the three          
,santagostini1 of whom the first1 named 
,giacomo ,antonio1 was pupil to ,carlo  
,procaccini4 ,he gave few pieces to the 
public1 though his sons ,agostino and   
,giacinto were more indefatigable1 both 
conjointly1 as we may gather from their 
two grand histories at ,s4 ,fedele1 and 
separately4 ,they were distinguished    
above most of their contemporaries1 more
 especially ,agostino4 ,he was the first
 who wrote a little work upon the       
paintings of ,milan2 it was entitled    
,l',immortalita e ,glorie del ,pennello1
 and published in #afga4 ,whatever rank 
a book with such a title ought to assume
 among the writers of the age1 it is    
certain that his pictures exhibit him in
 the light of a good painter for his    
time1 in particular a ,holy ,family1    

painted for ,s4 ,alessandro1 and a few  
others among the more highly finished1  
in which he displays expression1 beauty1
 and harmony1 although somewhat too     
minute4 ,the names of ,ossana1 ,bissi1  
,ciocca1 ,ciniselli1 with others still  
less celebrated at ,milan1 ,i may       
venture to pass over without much loss  
to this history4  ,the two ,nuvoloni1   
not long since mentioned1 though        
instructed by their father1 may be said1
 in some way1 to belong to the          
,procaccini4 ,thus ,carlo ,francesco1   
the elder1 early adopted the manner of  
,giulio ,cesare2 and in ,giuseppe we    
every where trace a composition and     
colouring derived from that school4 ,the
 former1 however1 impelled by his       
genius1 became a follower of ,guido1 and
 so far succeeded as to deserve the     
name1 which he still enjoys1 of the     
,guido of ,lombardy4 ,he does not abound
 in figures1 but in these he is pleasing
 and graceful1 elegant in his forms and 
the turn and air of his heads1 united to

 a sweetness and harmony of tints which 
are seldom met with4 ,i saw one of his  
heads at ,s4 ,vittore1 where he drew the
 ,miracle of ,st4 ,peter over the ,porta
 ,speciosa1 and many other pieces at    
,milan1 ,parma1 ,cremona1 ,piacenza1 and
 ,como1 in the same excellent taste4    
,this artist was selected to take the   
portrait of the ,queen of ,spain when   
she visited ,milan2 and there still     
appear in private houses those of many  
noble individuals who employed him4 ,the
 faces of his ,madonnas are in high     
request for collections1 one of which is
 in the possession of the ,conti del    
,verme1 displaying all the grace and    
beauty so peculiar to him1 and which he 
has here perhaps indulged at the expense
 of that dignity which should never be  
lost sight of4 ,orlandi gives an account
 of his devotional exercises1 which he  
always performed previous to his        
painting the portraits of the ,virgin4  
,i know not what opinion may be formed  
upon this point1 either by his or my    

readers4 ,for my own part ,i indulge the
 same peculiar admiration of this artist
 in the rank of painters1 as ,i do of   
,justus ,lipsius among literary men1    
who1 though both seculars1 always       
observed great filial piety towards our 
,holy ,lady2 a piety that has descended 
from the earliest fathers of the church1
 in a regular line1 down to the elect of
 our own times4 ,his younger brother    
painted on a much larger scale2 boasted 
more pictoric fire and more fancy2 but  
he did not always display equal taste1  
nor was exempt from harsh and sombre    
shadows that detract from his worth4 ,he
 was more indefatigable than ,carlo1    
painting not only for the cities of     
,lombardy above mentioned1 but for the  
state of ,venice1 and many churches in  
,brescia4 ,his pictures at ,s4 ,domenico
 in ,cremona1 in particular his grand   
piece of the ,dead ,man raised by the   
saint1 adorned with beautiful           
architecture1 and animated with the most
 natural expression1 are among some of  

his best works4 ,they were apparently   
executed in the vigour of life1 inasmuch
 as there are others bearing traces of  
infirmity1 he having pursued the art    
until his eightieth year1 in which his  
death occurred4  ,i cannot learn that he
 left any pupils of note4 ,his brother1 
,carlo ,francesco1 however1 instructed  
,gioseffo ,zanata1 extremely well versed
 in the art1 according to the opinion of
 ,orlandi4 ,under him1 and subsequently 
under the ,venetian artists1 studied    
likewise ,federigo ,panza1 an artist who
 began with using strong shadows1 which 
he improved as his genius grew more     
mature4 ,he was well employed and       
remunerated by the court of ,turin4     
,filippo ,abbiati frequented the same   
school1 a man of wonderful talent1      
adapted for works on an immense scale2  
rich in ideas1 and resolute in executing
 them4 ,he painted with a certain       
freedom1 amounting to audacity1 which1  
however imperfect1 does not fail to     
please1 and would have pleased much more

 had he been better versed in the       
principles of his art4 ,he was placed in
 competition with ,federigo ,bianchi1 in
 the grand ceiling of ,s4 ,alessandro   
,martire1 and with other fine fresco    
painters2 and he every where left       
evidence of a noble genius4 ,he appears 
to singular advantage in his ,preaching 
of ,s4 ,john the ,baptist at ,sarono1 a 
picture to which is affixed his name4   
,it has few figures1 but they are fine  
and varied1 with strong tints1 and very 
appropriate shadows1 which produce a    
good effect4 ,pietro ,maggi1 his        
disciple1 was not equal to him in       
genius1 nor did he observe his          
moderation and care4 ,giuseppe ,rivola1 
employed for private persons more than  
for the public1 is also deserving of    
mention1 his fellow citizens esteeming  
him among the best of ,abbiati's pupils4
  ,cerano1 though engaged in a variety  
of other labours1 instructed many       
pupils1 and more particularly           
,melchiorre ,giraldini1 with success4   

,he very happily caught the manner of   
his teacher1 easy1 agreeable1 and       
harmonious1 but still inferior to him in
 the more masterly power of his pencil4 
,at the ,madonna at ,s4 ,celso is seen a
 picture of ,s4 ,caterina da ,siena by  
his hand1 that has been greatly         
commended4 ,cerano gave him his daughter
 in marriage1 and left him the whole of 
his studio4 ,he engraved in acqua forte 
some minute histories and battle-pieces 
in the manner of ,callot1 and he        
instructed his son in the same branch1  
whose battle-pieces have been much      
prized in collections4 ,he also taught a
 young artist of ,gallarate1 named      
,carlo ,cane1 who1 devoting himself at a
 more advanced age to the manner of     
,morazzone1 became a great proficient in
 it4 ,he imitated with some success his 
strength of colouring and his relief2 in
 other points he was common both in his 
forms and conceptions4 ,he painted some 
altars1 and in the larger one of the    
cathedral at ,monza1 there is one       

representing different saints1 at the   
feet of whom is seen the figure of a    
dog1 which he inserted in all his       
pieces1 even that of ,paradise1 to      
express his name4 ,he observed an       
excellent method in his frescos1 his    
histories of ,saints ,ambrogio and ,ugo1
 which he painted for the grand church  
of the ,certosa at ,pavia1 as well as   
others1 still retaining all their       
original freshness4 ,he opened school at
 ,milan1 and we may form an idea of the 
character of his pupils from his own    
mediocrity4 ,cesare ,fiori1 indeed1     
acquired some degree of reputation1     
several of whose ornamental works on a  
great scale1 have been made public4 ,he 
too had a scholar named ,andrea ,porta1 
who aimed at catching the manner of     
,legnanino4 ,there are others who       
approach the two best of the ,cerani1   
namely1 ,giuliano ,pozzobonelli1 an     
artist of good credit1 and ,bartolommeo 
,genovesini1#fj by whom there remain    
works possessing some degree of         

grandeur2 besides ,gio4 ,batista        
,secchi1 surnamed from his country      
,caravaggio1 who painted for ,s4 ,pietro
 in ,gessato1 an altar-piece of the     
,epiphany with his name4    ,footnote   
#fj3 ,i thus named him in the former    
edition1 because      all other writers 
had so done before me1 but his family   
name      was ,roverio and his surname  
,genovesino4 ,see the first index4      
,morazzone had to boast a numerous list 
of pupils1 imitators1 and copyists1 both
 at ,milan and elsewhere4 ,the ,cav4    
,francesco ,cairo reflected honour upon 
this school1 who1 having commenced his  
career1 as is usual1 by pursuing his    
master's footsteps1 afterwards changed  
his manner on meeting with better       
models1 which he studied at ,rome and   
,venice4 ,he also worked on a great     
scale1 and coloured with effect1 united1
 however1 to a delicacy of hand and     
grace of expression1 altogether forming 
a style that surprises us by its        
novelty4 ,his pictures of the four      

saints1 founders of the church at ,s4   
,vittore1 of his ,s4 ,teresa swooning   
with celestial love at ,s4 ,carlo1 his  
,s4 ,saverio at ,brera1 various         
portraits in the ,titian manner1 and    
other pieces1 public and private1 at    
,milan1 at ,turin1 and elsewhere1       
entitle him to rank high in the art1    
though he is not always free from the   
reproach of sombre colouring4 ,morazzone
 derived some credit from the two       
brothers ,gioseffo and ,stefano ,danedi1
 more commonly called the ,montalti4    
,the first1 after being instructed by   
him in the art1 became more refined in  
his taste under ,guido ,reni1 of whose  
style he sufficiently partakes1 as we   
may perceive in his ,slaughter of the   
,innocents at ,s4 ,sebastiano1 and in   
his ,nunziata its companion4 ,stefano   
frequented no foreign schools that ,i   
know of1 though he did not wholly       
confine himself to ,morazzone's manner1 
rather aiming at refining it upon the   
example of his brother1 and painting    

with a degree of accuracy and study that
 he did not find recommended by the     
taste of his times4 ,his martyrdom of   
,s4 ,giustina1 which he produced for ,s4
 ,maria in ,pedone1 forms a specimen of 
this refinement1 while it is moreover   
exempt from that cold and languid tone  
which diminishes the value of his other 
works4 ,one of those artists most       
attached to ,morazzone's style1 and who 
nearest approaches him in the boldness  
of his pencil1 is the ,cav4 ,isidoro    
,bianchi1 otherwise called ,isidoro da  
,campione1 a better fresco than oil     
painter1 from what we gather at the     
church of ,s4 ,ambrosio at ,milan1 and  
in others at ,como4 ,he was selected by 
the ,duke of ,savoy1 to complete a large
 hall at ,rivoli1 left imperfect by the 
decease of ,pier ,francesco4 ,there he  
was declared painter to the ducal court 
in #afca4  ,about the same period       
flourished at ,como1 besides the        
,bustini1#fa the two brothers ,gio4     
,paolo and ,gio4 ,batista ,recchi1 whose

 chief merit was in painting frescos1   
disciples likewise of ,morazzone4 ,these
 artists decorated ,s4 ,giovanni1 and   
other churches of their native place1   
two chapels at ,varese1 with others in  
the same vicinity4 ,the second of them  
also became eminent beyond the state1   
particularly at ,s4 ,carlo in ,turin1   
where he is placed near his master4 ,his
 style is solid and strong1 his         
colouring forcible1 and in the skill of 
his foreshortening on ceilings1 he      
yields to very few of his day4 ,pasta in
 his ,guide for ,bergamo has deservedly 
praised him on this score1 when speaking
 of a ,santa ,grata1 seen rising into   
heaven1 a work1 he observes1 that is    
admirably delightful4 ,in some of the   
chambers of the ,veneria1 at ,turin1 he 
was assisted by one ,gio4 ,antonio his  
nephew4 ,the ,milanese ,guide mentions  
several other artists1 apparently1      
judging from their style1 instructed by 
the preceding1 such as ,paolo           
,caccianiga1 ,tommaso ,formenti1 and    

,giambatista ,pozzi4    ,footnote #fa3  
,benedetto ,crespi1 who possessed1      
according to      ,orlandi1 a manner at 
once strong and elegant1 with ,antonio  
,maria1 his son and pupil1 and ,pietro  
,bianchi1 to whom he      left his      
designs1 all three called ,bustini4     
,whilst the ,milanese ,school was thus  
hastening to its close1 and no longer   
afforded masters of equal promise1      
either to the first or second of its    
series1 its youth were compelled to have
 recourse to richer and more genuine    
sources1 and at this period began to    
disperse in search of new styles4 ,i    
omit the family of the ,cittadini1 which
 established itself at ,bologna1 or to  
say truth1 ,i reserve it to its own     
school4 ,stefano ,legnani1 called ,il   
,legnanino1 in order to distinguish him 
from his father ,cristoforo1 a          
portrait-painter1 became one of the most
 celebrated artists in ,lombardy towards
 the beginning of this century1 having  
studied the schools of ,cignani at      

,bologna1 and ,maratta at ,rome4 ,in    
either of these cities he would have    
been esteemed one of the best disciples 
of these two masters1 had he left there 
any of his productions2 although in     
course of time he fell into a degree of 
mannerism4 ,he is tasteful1 sober1 and  
judicious in his compositions1 with a   
certain strength and clearness of       
colouring1 not common among the         
disciples of ,maratta4 ,he became famous
 for his fresco histories1 which are    
seen at ,s4 ,marco and at ,s4 ,angiolo1 
where there is also one of his battles1 
which is won by the protection of ,st4  
,james the ,apostle1 which shews a      
pictoric fire equal to handling the most
 difficult themes4 ,he left too a       
variety of works in ,genoa1 ,turin1 and 
,piedmont1 besides his painting of the  
cupola at ,novara1 in the church of ,s4 
,gaudenzio1 than which he produced      
nothing more truly beautiful4  ,andrea  
,lanzani1 after receiving the           
instructions of ,scaramuccia1 pupil to  

,guido1 who remained for some period at 
,milan1 passed into the school of       
,maratta at ,rome4 ,but his genius      
finally decided him to adopt a less     
placid style1 and he began to imitate   
,lanfranco4 ,his best productions1 as it
 has been observed of others1 are those 
which on his first return from ,rome he 
executed in his native place1 while     
still fresh from the ,roman maxims and  
the ,roman models4 ,a proof of this is  
seen in his ,s4 ,carlo ,beatified1 which
 on certain days is exhibited along with
 other pictures in the capital4 ,he     
painted also a fine piece for the       
,ambrosian library1 representing the    
actions of ,cardinal ,federigo1 in which
 there is a rich display of imagination1
 of drapery1 and good effect of         
chiaroscuro4 ,he is for the most part   
praised on account of his facility1 and 
the boldness of his hand4 ,he died in   
,germany1 after being honoured with the 
title of ,cavalier1 and left no better  
pupil behind him in ,italy than ,ottavio

 ,parodi1 who resided for a long period 
at ,rome1 and is mentioned with         
commendation by ,orlandi4 ,from ,rome   
also1 and from the school of ,ciro      
,ferri1 ,ambrogio ,besozzi returned to  
,milan1 in order to study the ,cortona  
manner as a counterpoise to that of     
,maratta4 ,but he chiefly employed      
himself in ornamental1 rather than      
historic painting1 though very able in  
the last1 as far as we may judge from   
his ,s4 ,sebastian1 at ,s4 ,ambrogio4   
,he studied ,pagani at ,venice1 and     
likewise taught there1 boasting the     
celebrated ,pellegrini as one of his    
disciples4 ,zanetti remarks that he     
introduced into the academies of that   
city a new taste of design for the naked
 figure1 somewhat overstrained1 indeed1 
but of good effect4 ,he left there a few
 pieces in public1 and returned to close
 his days in ,lombardy4 ,the churches   
and collections of ,milan abound with   
his pictures1 and there are others in   
the ,dresden gallery4  ,pietro ,gilardi 

passed from his native school into that 
of ,bologna1 and there1 under           
,franceschini and ,giangioseffo del     
,sole1 greatly improved himself4 ,his   
style is clear1 easy1 harmonious1 and   
adapted to adorn cupolas1 ceilings1 and 
magnificent walls1 as appears in the    
refectory of ,s4 ,vittore1 at ,milan1   
where his works do him credit4 ,at      
,varese he completed the chapel of the  
,assumption1 after the cartoons of      
,legnanino1 who died before it was      
finished2 and a few of his own works    
left imperfect by death were1 in their  
turn1 continued and finished by the     
,cav4 ,gio4 ,batista ,sassi4  ,the style
 of this artist1 who had assiduously    
employed himself under ,solimene in     
,naples1 is tolerable in regard to      
design4 ,though he painted for several  
churches in ,pavia1 and at ,milan1 he   
acquired most reputation from his small 
pictures1 intended for private ornament4
 ,i am not certain whether he introduced
 into these parts those greenish tints  

in colouring1 which1 from ,naples1      
spread through different schools1 or    
whether it came by way of ,turin1 where 
one ,corrado ,giaquinto was employed in 
drawing figures1 and in painting4 ,such 
method1 however1 did not here displease4
 ,gioseffo ,petrini da ,carono1 pupil to
 ,prete of ,genoa1 has carried it to its
 highest point1 while ,piero ,magatti of
 ,varese is not wholly free from it1 who
 flourished very recently3 both were    
reputed good artists according to their 
time4 ,nor could so great a city be in  
want of some ,venetian disciples1 who   
have distinguished themselves in our own
 times2 we behold some imitations of    
,piazzetta1 and some of ,tiepolo1 in a  
few of the churches1 it being usual with
 young artists to follow living masters 
in lucrative practice1 in preference to 
the deceased whose emoluments are past4 
,we ought here to insert the name of an 
eminent ,milanese1 who reflected honour 
on his native state in foreign parts4   
,this was ,francesco ,caccianiga1 well  

known at ,rome1 though little among his 
own countrymen4 ,having treated of him1 
however1 in the ,roman ,school1 ,i shall
 merely recall his memory and merits to 
my readers4 ,neither must ,i omit his   
contemporary1 ,antonio ,cucchi1 who     
remained at ,milan1 not as his equal1   
but because he became eminent in the    
footsteps of the ,romans1 for the       
diligence1 if not for the spirit of his 
pencil4 ,nor shall ,i pass over         
,ferdinando ,porta1 distinguished for a 
number of pictures1 conducted in        
imitation of ,coreggio2 an artist1      
however1 too inconstant and unequal to  
himself4 ,these names will suffice for  
the present epoch1 which produced1      
indeed1 others of some note1 but not    
known beyond the confines of their own  
state4 ,such works as the ,pitture d'   
,italia1 and the ,nuova ,guida di       
,milano1 will furnish the curious with  
information respecting them1 until some 
further accounts of them be presented to
 the public4  ,from the period when the 

capital began to encourage the foreign  
schools preferably to her own1 the      
cities of the state followed the        
example1 in particular that of ,pavia1  
which1 during this last century1 has had
 to boast more professors than any other
 state4 ,yet none of these moderns are  
much known beyond the precincts of their
 native place4 ,carlo ,soriani1#fb      
however1 deserved to be better known1 an
 artist who painted for the cathedral   
his picture of the ,rosario1 accompanied
 by fifteen mysteries1 an elegant       
production in the taste of ,soiaro4 ,the
 series of the artists alluded to begins
 with ,carlo ,sacchi1 who is said by    
,orlandi to have been taught by ,rosso  
of ,pavia1 but most probably by         
,carlantonio ,rossi1 a ,milanese1 who   
painted for the cathedral of ,pavia his 
,s4 ,siro1 and two lateral pieces in the
 best ,procaccini taste1 and is         
described in the ,abbeccederio as an    
eccentric man1 though well versed in his
 art4 ,sacchi continued his studies at  

,rome and ,venice1 and when he wished to
 imitate ,paul ,veronese1 as in his     
,miracle of the ,dead resuscitated by   
,s4 ,jacopo1 which is placed at the     
,osservanti1 he succeeded admirably1    
shewing himself a good colourist1       
splendid in ornament1 spirited in       
attitude1 except that in these he is    
somewhat extravagant and affected4 ,he  
supplied different collections1 and ,i  
saw an ,adam and ,eve by him in         
possession of the ,cav4 ,brambilla at   
,pavia1 entitled to a place in that fine
 collection4 ,it is doubtful whether    
,gio4 ,batista ,tassinari ought to be   
ranked among his fellow disciples1 if we
 only regard the period in which he     
flourished4 ,but we may with more       
certainty1 upon ,orlandi's authority1   
pronounce ,carlo ,bersotti to have been 
his pupil1 an excellent artist in       
inferior branches1 to which he confined 
himself4 ,tommaso ,gatti1 together with 
,bernardino ,ciceri1 were1 however1 his 
best pupils1 the first of whom pursued  

his studies at ,venice1 the second at   
,rome1 and both succeeded at least as   
practical artists4 ,gatti instructed    
,marcantonio ,pellini1 and then         
consigned him to the schools of ,venice 
and ,bologna1 which did not carry him   
beyond the sphere of his master4 ,ciceri
 was succeeded by his disciple ,gioseffo
 ,crastona1 who1 embued with ,roman     
erudition1 became a painter of figures  
and of landscapes in that city1 of which
 a number may be seen at ,pavia4 ,among 
the latest are ,pierantonio ,barbieri1  
pupil to ,bastiano ,ricci1 and          
,carlantonio ,bianchi1 a disciple of the
 ,roman manner4 ,the artists whom ,i    
have described almost in a series1 have 
filled all the churches of ,pavia1      
though many1 with their respective      
paintings and their frescos1 conferring 
additional novelty perhaps1 but little  
additional splendor upon their native   
state2 and no one visits ,pavia         
altogether on their account4            
,footnote #fb3 ,he is thus called by    

,bartoli4  ,others also belonging to the
 state and its vicinity1 about the time 
of ,sacchi1 quitted their native place1 
and became celebrated in other quarters2
 as ,mola1 of the state of ,como1 of    
whom we have treated2 and ,pietro de'   
,pietri1 who1 born in the ,novarese1    
studied and died at ,rome1 where he has 
been commended by us in the school of   
,maratta4 ,antonio ,sacchi1 also a      
native of ,como1 acquired his knowledge 
at ,rome1 whence returning into         
,lombardy1 he undertook to paint a      
cupola for his native place1 but fixing 
on too high a point of perspective1 he  
made his figures so gigantic that he    
broke his heart and died4 ,from ,como   
likewise sprung one ,fra ,emanuele1 of  
the order of the ,minori ,riformati1    
whose name is incorrectly inserted by   
,orlandi in the ,abbeccedario1 as a     
self-taught painter4 ,the fact is1 that 
on being sent to reside at ,messina1 he 
became a pupil to ,silla1 and improving 
the feeble manner he had acquired in his

 native town1 he decorated a number of  
places belonging to his order1 both in  
,rome and ,sicily1 in a better taste4   
,there are two of his pictures at ,como1
 at the ,riformati2 a ,supper in the    
refectory1 feebly executed in the style 
of the declining school of ,milan1 and a
 ,pieta in the church1 with different   
saints1 in a better manner2 such is the 
advantage of practice1 reflection1 and  
good guidance even at a mature age4     
,this epoch produced a fine perspective 
painter1 of whom mention is made under  
the ,roman ,school1 in which he studied 
and left some works4 ,this is ,gio4     
,chisolfi1 a pupil of ,salvator ,rosa1  
who1 on his return to ,milan1 besides   
his architectural pieces1 which were    
esteemed among the very first1 devoted  
himself to large histories and          
altar-pieces1 and executed frescos in a 
good taste for the ,certosa of ,pavia1  
and the ,santuario of ,varese4 ,he was  
followed with success by one of his     
nephews1 ,bernardo ,racchetti1 whose    

perspectives1 no less than those of     
,clemente ,spera1 are frequently met    
with in collections4 ,torre makes       
mention also of a native of ,lucca1 who 
succeeded in perspective and in figures1
 named ,paolo ,pini4 ,i have seen only  
of his a history of ,rahab1 at ,s4      
,maria di ,campagna1 at ,piacenza1 of   
which the architecture is very fine1 the
 figures light and touched with a       
spirited hand4 ,in extensive works of   
ornamental fresco1 ,pier ,francesco     
,prina is commended by ,orlandi1 with   
the two ,mariani1 ,domenico and his son 
,gioseffo4 ,the father remained         
stationary at ,milan1 and educated1     
among other pupils1 ,castellino da      
,monza2 but the son visited ,bologna1   
and there succeeded in improving his    
paternal manner so as to distinguish    
himself throughout ,italy and ,germany4 
,these names will suffice to give a view
 of a period1 not remarkable for the    
best taste in this species of painting4 
,fabio ,ceruti was a landscape painter  

of some repute in the style of ,agricola
 his master4 ,his pictures are pretty   
numerous1 both throughout the city and  
the state4 ,mention is also made of one 
,perugini1 recorded by the ,cav4 ,ratti1
 in his life of ,alessandro ,magnasco of
 ,genoa1 called ,lisandrino4 ,the       
latter1 educated in the school of       
,abbiati1 and a long time resident in   
,milan1 added to the pictures of        
,perugini1 of ,spera1 and other artists1
 small figures of such merit as will be 
entitled to a particular description in 
his native school4  ,in compositions of 
a minor branch1 wholly executed by      
himself1 ,magnasco may be pronounced an 
able artist1 especially in those        
diminutive pieces on the ,flemish scale1
 consisting of childish scenes and      
representations of a popular cast1 with 
which he decorated many collections4 ,he
 also opened school at ,milan1 and was  
imitated by ,coppa and other artists1   
though ,bastiano ,ricci approached him  
the nearest of any1 possessing a        

wonderful versatility of genius in      
respect to imitation4 ,in a similar     
taste ,martino ,cignaroli painted at    
,milan1 who had acquired at ,verona and 
at the school of ,carpioni1 singular    
skill in conducting pictures for private
 cabinets4 ,he established himself      
together with ,pietro his brother and   
his family1 in this his new abode1 where
 he had a son named ,scipione1 who      
became a good landscape painter at      
,rome1 and subsequently flourished at   
,milan and at ,turin4  ,about the year  
#agjj ,lorenzo ,comendich established   
himself in the former of these cities1  
an artist already recorded in this work 
among the disciples of ,monti4 ,in the  
residence of the ,baron ,martini1 his   
patron1 he produced a variety of works1 
the most commended among which was his  
,battle of ,luzzara1 won by ,louis      
,,xiv41 who is said to have beheld it1  
as represented by this artist1 with     
singular pleasure4  ,in pictures of     
herds of animals of every kind1 more    

perhaps than for his human figures1     
,carlo ,cane rose into some repute4     
,orlandi likewise greatly commends      
,angiolmaria ,crivelli in the same      
branch1 though ,i have seen nothing from
 his hand entitling him to so much      
eulogy4 ,at ,milan this artist is known 
by the name of ,crivellone1 in          
distinction to his son ,jacopo1 whose   
principal merit lay in his drawings of  
birds and fishes4 ,he was much employed 
by the court of ,parma1 and died in     
#agfj4 ,still nearer us in point of time
 is ,londonio1 an artist also of some   
repute for his herds of cattle3 his     
rural and pastoral views are in         
possession of the ,counts ,greppi1 and  
other noble houses4 ,at ,como flourished
 one ,maderno1 whose skill consisted in 
drawing all kind of kitchen furniture1  
in the taste of the ,bassani1 with whom 
less experienced judges are apt to      
confound him4 ,i have seen several small
 pictures by him in possession of the   
,counts ,giovio1 that display great     

beauty4 ,he was also a fine             
flower-painter1 though he was here      
surpassed by ,mario de' ,crespini1 one  
of his pupils1 whose productions are    
interspersed throughout his own and the 
adjacent cities4 ,of some other artists 
of inferior note ,i have given accounts 
in different places4  ,it remains for me
 to mention a third academy which was   
founded at ,milan in #agge1 by that     
distinguished princess1 ,maria ,teresa1 
and which was afterwards invariably     
encouraged by new benefactions from her 
two sons1 the emperors ,joseph and      
,leopold1 and by their successor to the 
,empire1 ,francis ,,ii4 who1 amidst all 
the distractions of war1 is not         
unmindful of the prosperity of the fine 
arts4 ,the complete institutions of     
which this academy had to boast1 even in
 its outset1 are described in a         
compendious manner by its accomplished  
secretary1 in his work entitled the ,new
 ,guide1 already frequently cited4 ,in  
this we find an account of the number1  

the variety1 and the merit of the       
different professors2 the collections of
 models1 of designs1 of prints1 and of  
books1 which are there provided for the 
use of the students2 to which he adds   
the methods of education there          
inculcated1 to the great benefit of the 
nation1 which has already1 for some time
 past1 been embued with a more refined  
taste1 and displayed a more extended    
cultivation4                      ,,end 
,,of ,,vol4 ,,iv4                ,j4    
,m',creery1 ,tooks ,court1              
,chancery-lane1 ,london4                
,transcriber's ,notes  ,punctuation1 use
 of hyphens1 and accent marks were      
standardized4 ,obsolete and alternative 
spellings were left unchanged4 ,for     
example1 the author consistently uses   
',bonarruoti' rather than the usual     
',buonarroti1' 'accessaries' for        
'accessories1' and 'canvass' for        
'canvas4'  ,footnotes were indented and 
moved to follow the paragraph in which  
the anchor occurs4  ,the following      

changes were made for consistency within
 the text3    ',michel ,angiolo' to     
',michelangiolo'   'rilievo' to         
'relievo'   'intitled' to 'entitled'    
,additional changes3    '#ajf' to '#bjf'
 in the ,table of ,contents1 ,school of 
,milan1 ,epoch ,i   ',wmser' to         
',wumser'   ',batista' to ',battista'   
'imtator' to 'imitator'   'musaicists'  
to 'mosaicists'   'developement' to     
'development'   'recal' to 'recall'     
',coregio' to ',coreggio'   'begun' to  
'began' 444 when the ,cortona manner    
began to lose ground 444   ',boccaccini'
 to ',boccaccino'   added 'to' 444 nor  
yet has he referred to him as a pupil   
444   'pourtrayed' to 'portrayed'       
',monistero' to ',monastero'   ',andai' 
to 'andai'   ',brenghel' to ',breughel'