The Great Masters
in Painting and Sculpture
Edited by G. C. Williamson
GAUDENZIO FERRARI
THE GREAT MASTERS IN PAINTING
AND SCULPTURE.
The following volumes have been issued^ price t>s. net each.
BERNARDINO LUINI. By GEORGE C. WILLIAMSON, Li'.t.D.
Second Edition.
VELAZQUEZ. By R. A. M. STEVENSON. Third Edition.
ANDREA DEL SARTO. By H. GUINNESS. Second Edition.
LUCA SIGNORELLI. By MAUD CRUTTWELL. Second Edition.
RAPHAEL. By H. STRACHEY. Second Edition.
CARLO CRIVELLI. By G. MCNEIL RUSHFORTH, M.A.
CORREGGIO. By SELWYN BRINTON, M.A. Second Edition.
DONATELLO. By HOPE REA.
PERUGINO. By G. C. WILLIAMSON, Litt.D. Second Edition.
SODOMA. By the CONTESSA LORENZO PRIULI-BON.
LUCA DELLA ROBBIA. By the MARCHESA BURLAMACCIII.
GIORGIONE. By HERBERT COOK, M.A.
MEMLINC. By W. H. JAMES WEALE.
PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA. By W. G. WATERS, M.A.
PINTORICCHIO. By EVELYN MARCH PHILLIPPS.
FRANCIA. By GEORGE C. WILLIAMSON, Litt.D.
BRUNELLESCHI. By LEADER SCOTT.
MANTEGNA. By MAUD CRUTTWELL.
REMBRANDT. By MALCOLM BELL.
GIOTTO. By F. MASON PERKINS.
WILKIE. By LORD RONALD SUTHERLAND-GOWER, M.A., F.S.A.
GERARD DOU. By W. MARTIN, Ph.D.
WATTEAU. By EDGCOMBE STALEY, B.A.
BOTTICELLI. By A. STREETER.
TINTORETTO. By J. B. STOUGHTON HOLBORN, B.A., F.R.G.S.
MICHEL ANGELO. By LORD RONALD SUTHERLAND GOWER,
F.S.A.
GAUDENZIO FERRARI. By ETHEL HALSEY.
In Preparation.
LEONARDO DA VINCI. By EDWARD McCuRDY, M.A.
EL GRECO. By MANUEL B. Cossio, Litt.D., Ph.D., Director
of the Muse"e Pe"dagogique, Madrid.
PAOLO VERONESE. By ROGER E. FRY.
Others to follow.
LONDON : GEORGE BELL AND SONS
.y7//' y //•//. y/////////.
GAUDENZIO
FERRARI
BY
ETHEL HALSEY
LONDON
GEORGE B6KL4 & SONS
TO
MY MOTHER
268415
PREFACE
TT is a curious fact that the works of an artist of such
magnitude as Gaudenzio Ferrari should in these
days of universal research be little known to students,
and practically unknown to the world at large. The
master of the frescoes at Vercelli has been called the
Michael Angelo of the Lombard School, as Luini has
been termed the Raphael, and though these names must
be quoted with many reservations, Gaudenzio was un-
doubtedly the most powerful and the most original artist
that school produced.
In seeking for information about Gaudenzio, I have
gone chiefly to the earliest and the latest writers on the
subject, as those who wrote about him during the inter-
vening centuries, with the exception of G. Bordiga,
only repeat the traditions handed down, and show
but little independent research. Colombo's " Vita ed
Opere di Gaudenzio Ferrari " was the first serious
attempt to trace his career made in modern times, and
since that work appeared in 1881 much information
has been obtained which renders it incomplete.
Gaudenzio Ferrari lived a long life, and was a most
industrious and prolific worker ; but all his master-
pieces are in the smaller towns and villages of Lom-
bardy, and off the beaten track, and they are therefore
unknown to the general public. Now, however, that
the Italian lakes and the lower valleys of the Alps are
Vlll
PREFACE
more and more visited, that the accommodation found
there is improving, and that the means of communica-
tion are increasing, the beautiful districts where Gau-
denzio lived and worked have begun to receive their
due appreciation. The map in this book may be of
use to those who wander through the North of Lom-
bardy, where the greater part of Gaudenzio's works
still exist over the altars and in the churches for which
they were originally executed.
I have, perhaps, not drawn enough attention to the
German element which is to be found in Lombardy.
It is natural to find it in a great trade centre like
Milan, but it is also found percolating through the
mountain valleys both in the diction and in the art.
The type of Borgognone's angels is clearly Northern,
and the impression is the same in those painted by
Gaudenzio. The great Valsesian, however, possessed
a power in depicting these " birds of God " which is as
remarkable as it is unique.
I wish to take this opportunity of expressing my
thanks for the kind assistance I have received from
Count Alessandro Baude de Vesme, Director of the
Royal Gallery at Turin ; Signer Corrado Ricci, Director
of the Uffizi; Signer G. B. Vittadini, Director of the
Museum, Castello Sforza, Milan; Dr. and Mrs. J. P.
Richter, Dr. Gustavo Frizzoni, Signer Adolfo Venturi,
Mr. A. Bagnold, Mr. H. F. Cook, Herr Eugen
Schweitzer, Signor Masoero, and others.
The quotations from Lomazzo I have taken from an
old translation, as the quaint English more nearly
conveys the flavour of the old Italian's diction.
ETHEL HALSEY.
18, STANHOPE GARDENS, S.W.,
October I, 1903.
CONTENTS
I'AGE
PREFACE - - - - vii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - xi
BIBLIOGRAPHY - xiii
CHAPTER I. LIFE OF GAUDENZIO FERRARI - - r
II. THE ART AND DEVELOPMENT OF GAU-
DENZIO FERRARI - - 20
III. EARLY YEARS - - - -29
IV. 1511 TO 1513 . 42
V. 1513 TO 1520 . 57
VI. 1520 TO 1528 - . 7^
VII. VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 - - - 91
VIII. LAST YEARS - - - - 112
IX. DRAWINGS I22
CHRONOLOGY I2g
CATALOGUE OF WORKS - • • • - 133
IX
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
TAGE
Holy Family (Dorchester House, London} - Frontispiece
Map - 6
Joachim driven from the Temple (Royal Gallery, Turin} 30
Meeting of Joachim and Anna (Royal Gallery, Turin} - 32
The Madonna and Child, St. Anna and Angels (Royal
Gallery, Turin) - 32
Head of a Monk asleep. — Head of an Elderly Man
(Museum, Varallo} - 34
Ancona (Santa Maria, Arona} - - (double plate] 38
St. Jerome reading (San? Alessandro della Croce, Ber-
gamo) - - 40
The Annunciation (Lady Layard, Venice] - 40
Frescoes representing Twenty-one Scenes from the Life
of our Lord (Santa Maria della Grazie, Varallo)
(double plate} 42
The Nativity (Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo) - - 44
The Raising of Lazarus (Sanfa Maria delle Grazie,
Varallo} - 46
Christ before Herod (Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo} 48
Christ before Pilate (Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo} 50
The Flagellation (Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo} - 52
The Madonna and Child with Angels (Signor Vittadini,
Arcorre} - 58
Ancona (San Gaudenzio, Novara) - - 60
xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
I'AGE
Annunciation (National Gallery, Berlin) - 64
The Marriage of the Virgin (Cathedral, Como} - - 66
The Madonna and Child (Brera, Milan} - - 66
Pieta (Signor Crespi, Milan} - 68
Altar-piece (San Gaudenzio, Varallo} - - 68
St. Peter and a Kneeling Figure (Royal Gallery, Turin} 70
The Madonna and Child with Saints (Borromean Museum,
Milan} - - 70
The Journey to Calvary (Canobbio} - 72
Ancona (The Assumption and St. Lawrence, Morbegno} - 74
The Madonna and Child with Saints (Cathedral, Novara] 84
Dancing and Playing Putti (Galleria Lochis, Bergamo} - 86
The Madonna and Child with Saints (Royal Gallery,
Turin} - - 86
Deposition ( Royal Gallery, Turin} - 86
The Flight into Egypt (Cathedral, Como} 88
The Madonna and Child, Saints and Putti (San Cris-
toforo, Vercelli} - - 90
The Crucifixion (San Cristoforo, Vercelli} (double page} 98
The Magdalen at Marseilles (San Cristoforo, Vercelli} - 100
Head of a Woman in the " Marriage of the Virgin "
(San Cristoforo, Vercelli} - 102
The Nativity (San Cristoforo, Vercelli} - 104
Detail of the Assumption (San Cristoforo, Vercelli} - 104
Detail of Frescoes in the Cupola of the Church of Santa
Maria, Saronno - - 108
Detail of Frescoes in the Cupola of the Church of Santa
Maria, Saronno - - - no
BIBLIOGRAPHY
L'ARCHIVIO STORICO DELL' ARTE (Milano) : Articles by
Giulio Bonola, G. F. Damiani, Dr. Gustavo Frizzoni,
Emil Jacobsen, Ambrogio Marazza, O. Maruti, Eugene
Muntz, Henry Thode, Adolfo Venturi, and G. B. Vitta-
dini.
ADY, MRS. (JULIA CARTWRIGHT) : The Portfolio. London,
1880.
BLANC, CHARLES : Histoire des Peintures de toutes les Ecoles :
Ecole Milanaise. Paris, 1876.
BORDIGA, G. : Notizio intorno alle opere di Gaudenzio Ferrari.
Milan, 1821.
BORDIGA, G. : Guida al Sacro Monto di Varallo. 1851.
BURCKHARDT'S Cicerone. Translated by Mrs. A. H. Clough.
New edition, revised and corrected by J. A. Crowe.
London, 1879.
BUTLER, SAMUEL : Ex Voto. London, 1888.
CACCIA : II Sacro Monto di Varallo. First edition, Novara,
T56s; second edition, Milan, 1576.
CARLEVARIS, PIETRO : Disegni della Biblioteca di S. M. attri-
buita a Gaudenzio Ferrari, ripodatti in xxi. tavole da
P. C. Torino, 1885.
COLOMBO, DON G. : Vita ed Opere di Gaudenzio Ferrari.
Torino, 1881.
COLOMBO, DON G. : Documenti e Notizie intorno gli Artisti
Vercellese. Vercelli, 1883.
xiii
xiv BIBLIOGRAPHY
COOK, H. F. : Catalogue of Works of the Milanese School
exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club. London,
COTTA, LAZZARO AGOSTINO : Museo Novarese. Milano, 1701.
CROWE AND CAVACASELLE: History of Painting in North
Italy. Vol. i. London, 1871.
EASTLAKE, CHARLES: Gallery at Milan. London, 1883.
GARDINER, E. G. : The Month. London, 1894.
GRUNER, LUDWIG : Fresco Decorations and Stuccoes of
Churches and Palaces in Italy. London, 1854.
HAYDOCKE, R. : Tracte containing the Artes of Curious Paint-
ings, Carvings, and Buildings. Written first in Italian by
J. P. Lomatius ; Englished by R. Haydocke. Printed at
Oxford by Joseph Barnes for R. H., Anno Domini
1596.
KING, S. W. : The Italian Valleys of the Pennine Alps.
London, 1858.
KUGLER. See LAYARD.
LANZI : History of Italian Painting. Translated by T. Roscoe.
• London, 1828.
LAYARD, AUSTEN HENRY : The Italian Schools of Painting,
based on the Handbook of Kugler. London, 1900.
LOMAZZO, GIOVANNI PAOLO : Idea del tempio della pittura.
Milano, 1584.
LOMAZZO, GIOVANNI PAOLO : Trattate dell' arte della pittura,
diviso in sette libri. Milano, 1590.
MONTI, DON SANTO : La Cathedrale di Como. Como, 1897.
MONTI, DON SANTO : Storia ed Arte nella Provincia ed antica
Diocesi di Como. Como, 1901.
MUNTZ, EUGENE: L'Art de la Renaissance. Paris, 1896.
PIANEZZA E BORDIGA : Le Opere di Gaudenzio Ferrari.
Milano, 1835 an(* 1846.
RIFFEL, FRANZ : Eusebio Ferrari und die Schule von Vercelli.
Repertorium fur Kunstwissenschaft, 1891.
BIBLIOGRAPHY xv
SYMONDS, J. A. : The Renaissance in Italy. London, 1877.
TOINETTI : Guida della Val Sesia.
VASARI, GIORGIO : Le Vite. Edition G. Milanese. Firenze,
1878.
VESME, ALESSANDRO BAUDE DE : La Galleria della R. Pina-
coteca. Torino.
WOLTMANN AND WOERMANN : History of Painting. Trans-
lated by E. Bell ; edited by S. Colvin. London, 1880.
ZUCCARO, FREDERIGO : II passagio per 1'Italia con la dimora
di Parma. Bologna, 1668.
GAUDENZIO FERRARI
CHAPTER I
LIFE OF GAUDENZIO FERRARI
IN dealing with the first twenty or thirty years of
Gaudenzio Ferrari's life, we are confronted with the
difficulty which meets us in dealing with the lives of
the greater number of the artists of the Renaissance,
namely, a complete absence of documentary informa-
tion. To arrive at the approximate date of his birth,
we are forced to turn to the record of his death,
which has recently been found in the archives at
Milan, and which states that he died on January 31,
1546, aged about seventy-five. As a contemporary
writer* mentions that Gaudenzio was over sixty at
the time of his death, this places the date of his
birth somewhere between 1471 and 1486. Though the
only authentic portrait we have of him, which was
painted shortly before his death, represents him as
quite an old man,f it is difficult to accept the earlier
date. For it would mean that this original and
powerful artist had not only not developed his remark-
* Lomazzo. f See p. 16.
I
2 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
able abilities till he was over forty, but also that the
complete change in his painting, from the old traditions
to the more fluid, broader technique of the day, took
place when he was between fifty and sixty. With his
strong character, this was hardly probable so late in
life. Recent writers on the subject believe he was
born about 1480, and this date seems the most likely.
In writing a life of an artist of the Italian Renais-
sance, we should naturally turn for information to
Vasari's " Lives " ; but that writer seems curiously
ignorant of Gaudenzio's position as head of the
Lombard School during the last years of his life.
There are two short paragraphs about Gaudenzio.
The second and longer one is printed towards the end
of the work. This may have been one of those addi-
tions which Vasari complains were made to his book
when it was printed without his permission.
The one contemporary writer in whose pages we
find constant mention of Gaudenzio is Giovanni Paolo
Lomazzo, a Milanese artist. He must have been a lad
at the time of Gaudenzio's death, but his first master
was Giovanni Battista Delia Cerva, and he was no
doubt fired by him with his enthusiasm for the great
Lombard. Lomazzo wrote two books, in which he
expounds curious and fantastic theories about the art of
his day, especially as exemplified by Raphael, Mantegna,
Polidoro, Leonardo, Michel Angelo, Titian, and Gau-
denzio, whom he calls the seven pillars of the Temple
of Art.
Of Gaudenzio he says in one place : " Finally mine
olde Master Gaudentius (though he be not much
knowne) was inferior unto few, in giving the apt
HIS LIFE 3
motions of the Saintes and Angels, who was not only a
very witty painter (as I have elsewhere shewed), but
also a most profound Philosopher and Mathematician.
Amongst all whose all-praise-worthy workes, (which
are almost infinite, especially in this point of motion)
there are divers mysteries of Christes passion of his
doing, but chiefly a Crucifix called Mount Calvary at
the Sepulcher of Varallo, where he hath made admir-
able horses, and strange angels, not only in painting,
but also in Plasticke, of a kind of earth wrought most
curiously with his own hand * di tutto relievo ' ; through
all the figures.
" Besides in the Vaulte of the Chappell of St. Mary
di Grazia in Milane he hath wrought most naturall
angels, I mean especially for their actions. There is
also that mighty cube of S. Mary de Serono full of
thrones of angels, set out with actions and habites of
all sortes, carrying diversity of most strange instruments
in their hands. I may not conceale that goodly Chapel
which he made in his later time, in the Church of Peace
at Milano, where you finde small histories of our Lady
and Joachime, shewing such super-excellent motions,
that they seem much to revive and animate the
Spectators.
" Moreover the story of Saint Roccho done by him
in Vercelli, with divers other workes in that Citty :
Although indeede almost all Lombardy be adorned
with his most rare workes. Whose common saying
concerning this arte of motions I will not conceale ;
which was, That all painters delight to steale other
men's inventions, but that he himselfe was in no great
danger of being detected of theft hereafter. Now this
i — 2
4 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
great painter, although in reason he might for his
discretion, wisdome and worth, be compared with the
above named in the first book, Cap. 29,* yet notwith-
standing is he ommitted by George Vasary, in his lives
of the famous Painters, Carvers, and Architects. An
Argument (to say no worde of him) that he intended to
eternise only his own Tuscanes."
The name Ferrari is common both in Piedmont and
Lombardy, but no connection can be traced between
the different families. Gaudenzio's branch belonged
to the Valsesia, but it is possible that his family was
closely related to the Ferraris at Vercelli. In the first
contract signed by Gaudenzio in that town in 1508, a
certain Eusebio Ferrari, t an artist, becomes guarantee
for him. Gaudenzio was born at a small place called
Valduggia, not far from Borgosesia, and, from a register
taken of the houses at Varallo in 1536, we learn that his
father was a painter, named Lanfranco or Franchino.
The Valsesia still supplies most of the masons and
house-painters in the North of Italy, and whatever may
have been the rank of the elder Ferrari, it is probable
that Gaudenzio not only learnt the rudiments of fresco-
painting at an early age, but also, no doubt, acquired
that feeling for broad and liberal treatment of wall
surfaces which is so strong a characteristic of his
work.
His mother was a member of the Vincio family of
Varallo, a family well known in the Valsesia ; and we
find that Gaudenzio valued the connection, for in sign-
ing his early works he constantly adds "Vincius," "De
Vincio," or " De Vince " to his own name. He also
* The seven artists mentioned on p. 2. f See p. 6.
HIS LIFE 5
signed himself " De Varali " or " De Varali vallis
siccidae," the greater part of his life. The family must
have moved to Varallo when Gaudenzio was quite
small.
He was probably sent to Milan at an early age, and
in Scotto's studio he was brought into direct contact
with the artists of the old Milanese School.* Here,
too, began his friendship with Bernardino Luini, a
friendship which had the happiest results on his art.
Like Luini, his earliest works show that he experienced
the influence of Bramantino and Borgognone. As
these same early works show, he did not altogether
escape the magic spell of Leonardo da Vinci, he must
have studied in Milan between 1490 and 1498 during
Leonardo's residence there. A " Pieta " in the cloisters
of Santa Maria delle Grazie at Varallo is said to be
his earliest existing work, and believed to have been
painted in 1498. As this is the date of the fall of
Milan and the flight of Ludovico Sforza, it is probable
that Gaudenzio returned to Varallo that year.
During the next few years he must have been
absorbed in the decoration of the chapels which were
being rapidly built on the Sacro Monte at Varallo.
Unfortunately, nearly all this early work has dis-
appeared, partly owing to time and exposure, but chiefly
to the pulling down and rebuilding of most of these
early chapels at a later date. The only fragment of
fresco that remains is in the present Chapel of the
Pieta, which was originally the Chapel of the Pro-
cession to Calvary, and which was erected in 1503^
This painting and a few terra-cotta figures, together
* See p. 22. f Cotta.
6 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
with the Chapels of the Nativity and the Presepio,
are all that remain of these early years at Varallo,
though we know from various writers that a great
many frescoes were executed. The few panel-pictures
of this period show how completely Gaudenzio was
the outcome of the old Milanese School, and it is
not till much later that he allows the influence of the
late Renaissance to infect his art, and, unfortunately,
to destroy its charm.
The frescoes in the Chapel of St. Margaret in the
Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie at Varallo, repre-
senting scenes from the childhood of Christ, are the
first important works that we possess. The cartello
is not easy to decipher, though Bordiga made out the
date to be 1507.* This date is, however, very probable,
as the technique shows that it was done some time
previous to the ancona at Arona.
It is difficult to give a date for Gaudenzio's first visit
to Pavia. It may have been during his student days,
and certainly before 1507, as the scheme of decoration
in the above chapel recalls Borgognone's work in the
Certosa, while we find the influence of both Borgognone
and Perugino very obvious in the Arona altar-piece.
It is a matter of great regret that the first picture of
which we have the contract signed and dated at Vercelli
in 1508 is lost. This work might have shown us even
more clearly his artistic bent at that time. Eusebio
Ferrarif is known to have worked at the Certosa, and,
though possibly a relation, the friendship between them
may have begun at Pavia.
This contract gives us some idea of Gaudenzio's
* See p. 32. f See p. 4.
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HIS LIFE 7
position. He is called " maestro," and must have had
a fairly wide reputation to be summoned to Vercelli,
where a good many artists were then working ; he was
evidently in flourishing circumstances, and married
about this time. His wife belonged to Varallo, and
had property there. A son called Gerolamo was born
in 1509, and a daughter named Margaret in 1512.
In February, 1510, Gaudenzio signed a contract to
paint an ancona for the Church of Santa Maria Nuova
at Arona, on the Lake Maggiore. It is in the Borro-
mean Chapel ; and though no mention is made of that
family in the contract, tradition says that the kneeling
figure of a lady represents a Contessa Borromeo. Who-
ever she may be, she has the privilege of being one of
the most interesting figures in one of the most perfect
works Gaudenzio ever achieved. He took about a year
over it, as we find from documents signed in June and
July, 1511.
It is difficult to follow Gaudenzio's movements in his
constant journeyings to and fro, but the political life
of the time gives a certain clue to his wanderings.
Leagues and counter-leagues made the Milanese terri-
tory a cockpit during the first thirty years of the sixteenth
century. The constant movements of the French to
hold the duchy of Milan, and the recurring invasions
each time they were driven out, must have made life
and property anything but secure for the inhabitants of
the country. Just at this period, from 1509 to 1513, the
Novarese district was particularly unsettled, and prob-
ably for this reason we find Gaudenzio working either
at Varallo or in the Lake districts. Part of the frescoes
in the Church of San Giulio, on the island of that name
8 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
on the Lake of Orta, belong to this period. Though
quite ruined by damp and repainting, they have much in
common with the frescoes in the Chapel of St. Margaret.*
Towards the beginning of 1512 he must have begun
the first of his three great masterpieces — the frescoes
on the screen across the Church of Santa Maria delle
Grazie at Varallo. They represent scenes from the life
of our Lord, and were finished in 1513. We have no
documents relative to this great work, but tradition
says that it was commissioned by certain members of
the Vincio family. Up to this point of his career we
can trace the various influences he had come in contact
with ; but here he throws tradition to the winds, sets
his imagination free, and deals with these sacred sub-
jects in so original a manner that we are rarely reminded
of any contemporary treatment of similar scenes.
In 1513 the French were defeated at the second
battle of Novara, and forced to withdraw from Italy,
and, a temporary quiet reigning in the Novarese
district, we find Gaudenzio accepting in 1514 the com-
mission of an ancona for the original Church of
San Gaudenzio at Novara. It was to be finished in
eighteen months, and every detail is carefully arranged
for in the contract. The length of time given points
to the fact that he was busy with other work at that
date, and in all probability it wras the ancona for the
Church of San Martino at Rocca Pietra, near Varallo.
This ancona has been considerably altered at a later
date, but in the panels and in the daintily carved
figures on the summit we find all the charm of
Gaudenzio's early work.
* See p. 64.
HIS LIFE 9
Another point of interest which sheds some light on
Gaudenzio's movements at this time is the similarity
existing between the design of this ancona and the one
in the Chapel of San Abbondio in the Cathedral of
Como, although the latter is entirely carried out in
carved woodwork. Both are designed like temples,
with finely-carved figures on the summits. The first
notice in the Como archives relative to this ancona is
in the year 1514. Though we have no mention of
Gaudenzio's name, the greater part of the design is
undoubtedly his, and much resembles the altar-piece
begun at Morbegno in 1516, while the great tempera
painted wings, though done rather later, are of special
interest, as showing the renewal of the friendship
between Luini and Gaudenzio.
We have no documentary proof of this, but the
mutual influence of these two artists on each other
begins to show in their works. There is also in Gau-
denzio's art a distinct " rapprochement " to Leonardo,
which is particularly striking in a " Last Supper "
now hanging in the sacristy of the Cathedral at
Novara. The only place he could have come into
contact with him at this period was at Pavia, and there
is indirect evidence of a meeting there. Leonardo had
gone to Rome in 1513, and in 1515 he was at the
French Court at Pavia. In 1516 he left Italy for good.
Francis I. strove to bring back the golden days of
II Moro, and welcomed all artists to assist in the fetes
and Court functions which took place during the winter
of 1515 and 1516. Gaudenzio's fame had spread
through Lombardy, and it is probable he was sum-
moned to Pavia. Lomazzo mentions a " Rape of
io GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Proserpine " painted by Gaudenzio for Francis I. This
picture, which is fully described in the " Trattate della
Pittura," was sent to Fontainebleau, and has since
disappeared. This is the only profane subject that
Gaudenzio is known to have painted,* but — and this
gives a further clue to the date — in the carvings of
the Morbegno altar-piece designed by Gaudenzio this
winter he introduces mythological subjects, such as
Daphne turning into a laurel, etc., which would show
that his interest had been revived in the fashionable
classic subjects of the day. This, combined with the
fact that the construction of this altar-piece was carried
out by a carver from Pavia, points to the French Court
as the place where Gaudenzio experienced again the
influence of the great Florentine, and the interesting
" Last Supper " at Novara shows the result.
Whether Luini was also at Pavia it is difficult to
say. Court life would have little to attract him. The
great spectacular effects would interest Gaudenzio, but
he had in common with Luini a very sincere and deep
religious feeling, and both are at their best in the great
works executed for the Church. A " Descent of the
Holy Ghost " at Romagnano, which is evidently done
from a cartoon by Gaudenzio, is signed " Bernardinus
Luinus," and dated 1517. It is difficult to accept this
signature, though some of the heads are distinctly
Luinesque, and the colouring recalls faintly Borgog-
none's fine ancona at Bergamo. This picture was
originally in the form of a " tondo," and cut down to
* In the vaulting of the Chapel of St. Margaret and in the back-
ground of some of the frescoes on the screen are the only occa-
sions when we come across pagan subjects in Gaudenzio's work.
HIS LIFE ii
its present shape some years ago. Now, the " Last
Supper" at Novara was also a tondo, and also cut
down to fit its present place in the panelling of the
sacristy of the cathedral. But when we compare the
Romagnano picture with Luini's work at this period, it
cannot have come from his brush. In its present
blackened condition, all that can be said is that the
date is probably correct, and that it came from Gau-
denzio's atelier. The use of gesso on the mantle of
the Madonna points to an early period of Gaudenzio's
life,*
It is a little difficult to follow Gaudenzio's move-
ments between 1515 and 1528, for, though his home
was at Varallo, he must have been constantly away.
For a long time it was believed that he was in Rome
working under Raphael between 1517 and 1520, but
recent research has shown that he was busy with
commissions in the Milanese territory. His signature
is found on documents at Novara, Vercelli, and Mor-
begno, and we also know he twice painted conjointly
with Luini for the Chapel of San Abbondio in the
Cathedral at Como, once about 1518, and again about
nine years later.
On January 9, 1521, he signed an agreement to take
as pupil for six years Joseph Giovenone, the nephew of
the painter of that name. This document throws a
side-light on the uncertainties of existence in those days,
as it particularly stipulates that in the case of war or
plague preventing work the contract was to be sus-
pended till such time as work could be resumed.
* He abandoned its use entirely during the Vercelli period in
panel pictures.
12 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Between 1521 and 1525 (the year of the Battle of Pavia)
great unquiet prevailed ; but during this period we find
Gaudenzio, accompanied by his assistants, hard at
work in the Valsesia and the Valtellina, and safe from
the troops of King or Emperor, who ravaged the plains
of Lombardy.
The decoration of the Chapel of the Crucifixion at
Varallo was begun during this period. The chapel was
built about 1517, but no document can be found relative
to this remarkable piece of work. Gaudenzio worked
on and off at it for many years, and finally left it to be
finished by assistants. It contained many terra-cotta
figures, .and on the walls are painted a vast crowd,
while on the vaulting are depicted angels in attitudes
of despair and horror. In its present ruined condition
it is difficult to judge what the original effect must have
been like, but it raised Gaudenzio to the highest position
among his contemporaries.
This chapel and the altar-piece at Morbegno occupied
his chief attention till 1528, but he had other work on
hand as well. About 1526 or 1527 he must have paid a
visit to Parma, for in no other way could the influence
of Correggio, which appears suddenly in his art about
this time, so completely revolutionize his methods and
ideas. This we see distinctly in the Como " Flight into
Egypt,"* the " Christ with the Signs of the Passion,"
which was originally in the Valtellina,t and in his sub-
sequent work at Vercelli.
We do not know which year Gaudenzio's first wife
died, but by 1528 he had married again. His second
wife was Maria Mattia della Foppa, from Morbegno ;
* See p. 88. | See P- 89-
HIS LIFE 13
she was widow of a certain Giovanni Antonio de 1'Olmo,
of Bergamo, and had one son, ten years old, by her
first husband, and was possibly of the same family
as the great Foppa. In this year 1528 Gaudenzio
moved his domicile to Vercelli.
From this time till 1536 he was working hard at
commissions in that city, and rarely going away. We
find his signature constantly during this period, either
in contracts for work or as witness in family or other
documents. His son Gerolamo becomes old enough to
sign as witness in 1530, and also becomes a pupil to his
father, and in the same year the name of Bernardino
Lanino, who became his most important follower,
appears for the first time in the archives.
In the autumn of 1532 he married his daughter
Margaret to Domenico Pertegalle, surnamed Festa, of
Crevola, near Varallo. In the wedding contract Gau-
denzio and his son Gerolamo undertake to give her a
dowry of 100 lire imperiale, payable in four years, and
secured by a mortgage on Gaudenzio's house at Varallo.
Between the years 1530 and 1534 Gaudenzio accom-
plished the magnificent series of frescoes representing
the lives of St. Mary Magdalen and of the Madonna
in the Church of St. Christopher at Vercelli. These
frescoes show him at the full zenith of his powers and
are worthy of all the praise which has been bestowed
on them.
In 1534 the authorities of the Sanctuary of Santa
Maria dei Miracoli at Saronno opened negotiations with
Gaudenzio for the decoration of the cupola of that
church. On September 28 of that year he met the
deputies at Milan, and signed an agreement to go to
i4 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Saronno the following Easter, and undertook not to
begin any other work till it was finished. This agree-
ment he carried out, and returned to Vercelli in October,
1535, leaving behind him one of the finest works of art
in Northern Italy.
We do not know the exact date that Gaudenzio left
Vercelli or when he settled definitely at Milan. An
invasion of the French in 1536, who took many Pied-
montese towns and threatened Vercelli, may have
decided him to move his domicile a second time. He
went first to Varallo, where we find him working
between 1536 and 1539. Assisted by Bernardino
Lanino and his son Gerolamo, he painted the cupola
of the old church on the Sacro Monte and the Chapel
of the Magi. In 1538 a violent quarrel broke out
between the civil and ecclesiastical authorities relative
to the finances of the Sacro Monte. This unhappy
affair and the death of his son Gerolamo probably
made the old artist leave Varallo, and he apparently
settled in Milan, for all subsequent documents are
dated from that city.
In 1539 he painted an ancona for the Church of
Santa Maria in Piazza at Busto Arsizio, and in the
autumn of that year we find him signing papers relative
to his wife's affairs, arbitrating in a dispute between
another artist and his patron, and the sale of his house
at Varallo. In January, 1540, he signs a receipt for
the final payment for the said house, and thus prac-
tically terminates his connection with his old home.
He paid one more visit to the Valtellina, probably in
1541, and painted a lunette over the door of the Church
of San Antonio dei Domenicani at Morbegno, besides
HIS LIFE 15
important works in the adjacent villages of Traona and
Premona.
Gaudenzio was now the acknowledged head of the
Lombard School, but during the last years of his life it
is a sad fact that the quality of his work deteriorated
rapidly. This may account for his complete eclipse
during the succeeding centuries, as so much of his
decadent work is in Milan, and judging by that, few
would trouble themselves to visit the smaller places,
where his finest productions are to be found.
This can be clearly seen in the frescoes in the Chapel
of Santa Corona in Santa Maria delle Grazie at Milan,
painted in 1542. A picture of St. Paul for the altar of
this chapel was painted in 1543, and is now in the
Louvre in Paris. The vigour is still there, but accom-
panied by a crudeness both of sentiment and technique.
We do not know which year his second wife died,
but there is no mention of her or of her son later than
1540. In 1543 we find Gaudenzio taking a house for
three years with Giovanni Battista della Cerva, a
Milanese artist who became his associate for a short
time. Della Cerva was unmarried, and appears to
have had no kith or kin, for some months after Gau-
denzio's death he makes a will, dated September 31,
1546, in which he left all his property to the Ospedale
Maggiore at Milan, with directions to provide dowries
yearly for two poor girls. We can imagine Gaudenzio
gladly turning to this kindly friend as the burden of
loneliness and the infirmities of age increased. We
find them working together on equal terms at a " Last
Supper" for the Church of the Passione at Milan in
1543 and 1544. Delia Cerva apparently did not
16 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
accompany Gaudenzio to Saronno in 1545, for though
the only assistant mentioned in the archives is a
Battista, he appears to have been only a wood-carver,
not a painter.
Delia Cerva is said to have begun as a pupil of
Bernardino Lanino. In the autumn of 1545 we find
him working with Lanino, who was in Milan, and who
had undertaken a large series of frescoes in the Oratory
of St. Catherine in the Church of San Nazaro in Brolio,
which were finished in 1546. The intimacy existing
between the two young men and Gaudenzio is here
gracefully shown, not only by the use of his cartoon for
the centre painting, but also in a portrait group, where
the old master appears between the two younger artists.*
He is here depicted a broken-down old man with a
kindly expression, but with a strained, anxious look.
His last illness was probably already on him, for he
died on January 31, 1546, as the following extract from
the Milanese necrology tells : " Domenicus Majester
Gaudentius de ferrarijs anorem circa 75 ex catarro
suffocatus in prima, sine signo pestis decessit juditis
Magestri Alexandri Granati."
We have some knowledge of his personal appearance
and character from Lomazzo's writings, while the word-
ing of the few contracts we possess also gives a clue to
his popularity. He stands before us a good-natured,
large-hearted man of a bright and cheerful disposition,
and just and generous in all his dealings. He had
regular features, an aquiline nose, auburn hair, and a
* " II Lanino dipinse Gaudenzio suo precettore che disputava
con Giov. Batt. Delia Cerva, suo discepolo e mio maestro"
(Lomazzo, " Trattate," etc.).
HIS LIFE 17
dignified and noble carriage. Lomazzo gives a list of
his accomplishments as follows : " He was painter,
modeller, architect, ' ortico/ natural philosopher and
poet, and a player on the lyre and the lute." It is an
interesting fact that Gaudenzio introduces a lute when-
ever he can, while in the Saronno cupola the variety of
musical instruments in the hands of the celestial choir
is very striking, and could only have been depicted by
one who was thoroughly familiar with them.
The dominant note of his character was an intense
and ardent piety,* which pervades everything he did ;
and it is this sincerity of heart that redeems to a
certain extent even those faults of exaggeration and
violence which his strenuousness led him to commit.
The intercourse with the Franciscan friars during
Gaudenzio's early years intensified this side of his
character, while it developed the dramatic qualities of
his art. In later life he is too often carried away by
his enthusiasm, and sadly needs the control of a right
judgment. His greatest faults are due to a want of
balance of mind, accompanied by a curious lack of the
critical faculty. This is seen clearly in the works he
undertook from time to time, conjointly and on equal
terms with artists like Fermo Stella, Lanino, and Delia
Cerva. Though they are obviously his inferiors in
technique and in range of ideas, he seems heedless of
their shortcomings, a fact which, while it speaks highly
for his good-nature, shows a deplorable lack of aesthetic
taste. He does not seem to realize that the finest
composition may be injured by indifferent execution,
* " We find in Gaudenzio the devotion expressed in the book of
saints" (Lomazzo).
2
i8 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and many of his works suffer in consequence. This
special point was, however, noticed by his contem-
poraries, and in more than one contract his patrons
protect themselves against the work of his assistants
by stipulating that Gaudenzio only is to do the paint-
ing.* He always seems willing to fall in with the
wishes of others, and we never hear of quarrels with
his patrons, and any differences are always amicably
and easily settled. When painting the ancona for
Casale, he lets his imagination go, and paints an altar-
piece twice as fine as the one commissioned. When
the brothers De Nanis object to the greater size and
value, he willingly cuts it in two. At Arona he agrees
that if, when the work is finished, two competent artists
decide that the value does not come up to the price
settled upon, he shall return part of the money, and
then makes himself secure by painting an altar-piece so
beautiful that there can be no two opinions in the
matter. Always willing to oblige his patrons, the
contracts show that he was also thoughtful for his
assistants, and provides for their needs, while the
family documents show him equally thoughtful, fair,
and generous, in his private life.
He would take infinite pains to alter anything he
considered not good enough in his own work. When
painting in fresco, he would have the surface of the wall
destroyed and prepared over and over again, till he got
the desired result. He never cared for riches, and
though he depicts gay and varied costumes in his
paintings, he always dressed simply and in sober hues.
He had a great desire to preserve both the dress and
* See p. 61.
HIS LIFE 19
speech of the Valsesia from innovations which he dis-
liked.
Many of his recorded sayings show a strong common -
sense, as when he objects to the Madonna and the
Apostles being painted in gorgeous robes, "which," as
he says, "they never wore." The only time he himself
gave way on this point was about 1515 and 1516. The
" Annunciation " at Berlin, and the Madonnas in the
Vittidini Collection and in the Brera, are the only ones
thus attired. The technique shows that they were done
about this time, and they were probably commissions
for the splendour-loving Court at Pavia.
2 — 2
CHAPTER II
THE ART AND DEVELOPMENT OF GAUDENZIO FERRARI
THE fame of Leonardo at Milan is perhaps the reason
why the existence of a distinct and original Lombard
School was more or less ignored till within the last
century. The portion of that school which became
revolutionized by Leonardo's methods was at or near
Milan, where, however, the old Milanese School as
represented by Foppa, Civerchio, Borgognone, Zenale,
and others, still held its own. In the outlying parts of
Lombardy, and especially west of the Ticino, we find
artistic activity at Lodi, Pavia, Novara, Vercelli, in the
Lake districts and in the lower valleys of the Alps. Of
these places, Pavia and Vercelli were the most impor-
tant, and there the Milanese and Piedmontese Schools
amalgamated, the latter being practically a subdivision
of the former. The Court of Ludovico Sforza at Pavia,
and the decorations of the Castello and of the Certosa,
brought a diverse group of artists* to that place, the
most important of the painters being Borgognone,
Macrino d' Alba, and Perugino. As to Vercelli, we find
certain families of artists settling there during the last
thirty years of the fifteenth century, such as the Oldonis
from Milan, the Giovenones from Novara, and the
* Zenale and Buttinone worked in the Castello. Bernardino di
Conti came from Pavia. Eusebio Ferrari worked in the Certosa.
20
HIS ART AND DEVELOPMENT 21
Ferraris from Chiasso and Desena. During the debacle
which followed the fall of Ludovico Sforza, we find
many artists gravitating between Milan and Vercelli,
which seems to have been a town of considerable
artistic activity.
As we have no evidence that Gaudenzio studied
first at Vercelli, we can dismiss the tradition to that
effect. His earliest works show the influence of certain
Milanese artists, and when he came to work at Vercelli
he was already far superior to the artists of that place.
Vercelli possesses some of his greatest works, but it was
at Milan that he received his training.
I should be inclined to divide Gaudenzio's career
into five periods. The first period comprises his early
training, and lasts till the completion of the great screen
in Santa Maria delle Grazie at Varallo, in 1513. The
second lasts from 1513 to about 1520, and shows the
still further development and maturing of his powers.
The third period lasts from 1520 to 1528, when he went
to live at Vercelli. During the early part of this period
he painted his finest panel pictures, and also worked at
the altar-piece at Morbegno and completed the great
Chapel of the Crucifixion at Varallo. Towards 1526 or
1527 he came under the influence of Correggio, as we
shall see when we study his works in detail. To the
Vercelli period, which lasted from 1528 to 1536, belong
the magnificent frescoes executed in the Church of
St. Christopher in that town, and the Angel-Choir in
the cupola of the Pilgrimage Church at Saronno. From
1536 till his death in 1546 he executed his last works at
Varallo, and the paintings that still exist in the galleries
and churches at Milan. During the last ten years of
22 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
his life his art degenerated rapidly, and, as he has been
generally judged by his work at Milan, there is little
wonder that his reputation as an artist suffered so
complete an eclipse. Though these divisions are purely
arbitrary, they enable us to study his works to a certain
extent chronologically. We have few dates to go by,
but by grouping round the few signed pictures, or the
works about which we have documentary evidence,
those which have the same qualities and show the same
point of technical development, we can arrive at a fairly
accurate idea of his life's work.
Gaudenzio's first masters were Stefano Scotto and
Luini. About the former little is known. Lomazzo
mentions that he excelled in arabesques, a form of art
which can have appealed but little to his pupil, and we
only find arabesques twice in Gaudenzio's works. The
Scottos had come from Piacenza about the middle of
the fifteenth century, and the names of various members
of the family are found in the archives of Milan.* The
most interesting document relative to the position of
the Scottos is one about a society of artists who called
themselves " L' universita dei pittori milanesi." This
document states that this society met on February 2,
1481, at the house of one Melchiore Scotto, and gives
a list of seventy members. Among them we find
Borgognone, Zenale, and Buttinone. This document
shows that not only was Scotto's house a meeting-place
of the Milanese artists, but, as the above names indicate,
it was possibly the centre of the old Milanese School,
as distinct from, and possibly rival to, Leonardo's
famous Accademia. The old Lombard School remained
* " Annual! della fabbrica del Duomo di Milano."
HIS ART AND DEVELOPMENT 23
quite twenty years behind its Italian contemporaries,
and this in spite of the quickening spirit of Leonardo,
and the new facilities afforded by painting in oils, which
had been recently introduced at Milan by Flemish
artists.
I have dwelt rather long on this subject ; for if this
theory is correct, it explains how it is that Gaudenzio,
coming as a lad into this rather circumscribed centre,
shows in his earliest works a curious straining after
early fifteenth-century methods, at a time when such
new and powerful influences were at work in the art
world at Milan, and influences far more in harmony
with his natural gifts. The feeling for quick and lively
movement is there, but is suppressed as he strives to
attain to the quieter, more grave and dignified atmo-
sphere of the older generation of artists.
In architecture wider influences were at work : Foppa
had introduced the classic ideas of the Paduan School,
and Bramante had developed Italian Renaissance archi-
tecture to its highest form by enriching the Byzantine
and Gothic styles with ideas drawn from Graeco-Roman
sources. Bramantino continued his work, and the
whole of Lombardy bears proof to-day of the beauty
and refinement of their art. Lomazzo mentions a book
of architectural designs by Bramante, "which," he
says, " much influenced Raphael, Polidoro, and Gau-
denzio." This accounts for the slight similarity in
certain architectural backgrounds, which led later
writers to place Gaudenzio among Raphael's pupils
instead of recognising that both artists had taken from
the same source. Lomazzo also mentions a book of
drawings of buildings and studies for presepios and
24 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
rooms, by Civerchio and Buttinone. This book, which
was highly prized by Gaudenzio, was given by him in
his old age to Cesare Cesarini, one of his pupils.*
Luini seems to have used his influence at this time
in directing his young pupil's attention chiefly to the
works of Borgognone and Bramantino. The impres-
sions of these two masters are found in Luini's own
early workt as well as in Gaudenzio's, and it is possible
that when Luini went to Borgognone's studio t his
pupil went with him. Perugino's work at the Certosa
in 1495 was also noted by Gaudenzio, as we shall see
later on.§
But Gaudenzio possessed a vivacity and a dramatic
sense which demanded far more of art than the old
Milanese School could give. The force and rhythm of
movement appealed to him as to no other contemporary
Lombard. Now, there was but one master of movement
at Milan at that time, namely, Leonardo da Vinci. As
we know, Leonardo particularly strove to represent the
subtle shades of expression of face and gestures in his
figures, and it is this spirit of life in every line of his
work that fascinated his contemporaries. While most
of his followers failed to see this essence of his genius,
and, copying slavishly, produced commonplace or gro-
tesque results, Gaudenzio grasped and absorbed this
fundamental truth. He was never a pupil of Leonardo's,
and could not have comprehended the subtle and
varied qualities of his character. This feeling for
vitality is one of the few things they had in common,
but it is the chief quality that distinguished Gaudenzio
* Work by this inferior artist can be seen in the Valsesia.
t See Brera Gallery. J Lomazzo. § See p. 38.
HIS ART AND DEVELOPMENT 25
from his Lombard contemporaries, and became his
greatest characteristic when he finally emancipated
himself from the traditions of his youth.
During his first years of independent work the influ-
ence of Leonardo is not very apparent. But the old
order was changing, and the new order, with its com-
plicated theories of chiaroscuro, perspective and move-
ment, was most effectively bringing in another range
of ideas, both in technique and composition. Just as
Luini's temperament had been attracted by the one, so
was Gaudenzio's livelier imagination attracted by the
other ; and it was possible that it was Gaudenzio who
first inspired Luini with an appreciation for Leonardo's
genius, which developed after the great Florentine's
return to Milan in 1507. Luini's " maniera grigia "
seems to be the result of trying to combine Borgognone's
gray flesh tints with an attempt at chiaroscuro after the
manner of Leonardo, and it is my belief that after
Leonardo had left Italy in 1516 Luini's last or blond
manner was the result of renewed intercourse with
Gaudenzio, whose colouring was at this period of his
career of quite extraordinary brilliancy.
To sum up the results of Gaudenzio's early training,
we find him for many years faithful to the old traditions.
His genius, however, could not fail to develop itself on
its natural lines. A modern writer* has drawn attention
to the impetus given to dramatic art by the Franciscan
movement, and Gaudenzio, working in a Franciscan
atmosphere at Varallo, is able to give expression to his
great gift for dramatic action, as the screen across the
Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie bears witness.
* Sir Martin Conway.
26 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
The originality of the composition, the life and vivacity
of the figures, and the audacity of the perspective,
are most striking. But the undue length of limb,
the want of anatomical knowledge, especially in the
hands, and the lack of restraint, are also noticeable.
The renewed intercourse with Luini, which possibly
began at Como about 1514, was also most beneficial to
Gaudenzio, who had remained faithful to a great extent
to the early types of features, hands, and forms that he
had learnt at Milan. After this date the long, attenuated
beings gradually disappear, and Gaudenzio's figures
acquire reasonable proportions, while the hands become
like Luini's, a large peasant type, soft and rounded and
anatomically correct. His children also approach
nearer to Luini's child Christ, and the small, solidly
modelled " putti " we find in Gaudenzio's second and
third periods are admirably drawn. The restraining
influence which Luini seems to have had was distinctly
beneficial while it lasted. With better modelling,
intenser colour, and moderation of violent and ex-
aggerated attitudes, Gaudenzio executed some of his
finest panel pictures, and, though less single-minded
than Luini, he shows himself far more powerful than
his former master.
One last but important influence came into Gau-
denzio's life about 1527, namely, that of Correggio, as
we see by the works at Como and Bellagio. These
two natures had much in common. They both had a
strain of originality bordering on the fantastic, and
both possessed a dramatic force in the conception, and
a natural swiftness and impetuosity in the execution, of
their art. Both men were sincerely religious, and both
HIS ART AND DEVELOPMENT 27
were able to depict the fervour of spiritual ecstasy in a
remarkable manner.
This influence, which led Gaudenzio to make many
interesting changes in his mode of artistic expression,
had eventually a disastrous effect on his art. While
the influence of Luini tended towards simplicity and
restraint, that of Correggio had the contrary effect.
The new system of strong chiaroscuro and the massing
of clouds and flying cherubs often give confused and
unsatisfactory results. Though we have such magnifi-
cent works as the frescoes at Vercelli and the Angel-
Choir at Saronno during the following decade, Gau-
denzio gradually allows his rapidity of execution and
his exuberant fancy to lead him astray. His fine and
striking ways of expressing emotion, his wonderful
richness of invention, and his pure, strong colouring
suffer in consequence. His touch coarsens, his colour
scheme becomes crude and fiery, and the movement of
his figures violent and exaggerated.
His influence is found throughout Lombardy, where
his followers strove to imitate his methods. The most
important of these was Bernardino Lanino, who became
his pupil in 1530, at a time when Gaudenzio had
completely abandoned the old style for the new. A
" Last Supper " in the old convent behind St. Chris-
topher (now used as a charitable institution) is attributed
to him by Signer Frizzoni. His earliest dated work
(1534), now in the Turin Gallery, shows that he closely
imitates his master's new methods. The composition
of a fine altar-piece at Borgosesia, which is dated 1539,
proves that he had a strong feeling for both form and
colour ; but his later works show that as he develops
28 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
his scheme of colour becomes paler and browner than
Gaudenzio's. The two " Depositions " hanging in the
same room in the gallery at Turin show this clearly.
A " Madonna and Child " in the Poldi Pezzoli, which has
long been attributed to Gaudenzio, is a fine panel
painting by Lanino. The beautiful face is the type of
Gaudenzio's Vercelli Madonnas, but the type of the
child Christ is not his. This, together with the
general brown tone of colouring, is similar to that in a
picture of a Madonna and Child in the Turin Gallery,
which is there rightly attributed to Lanino. Unfortu-
nately for Lanino, the constant use of the cartoons left
him by Gaudenzio, combined with a weakness of
execution, destroyed all originality and charm in his
work, as many large altar-pieces testify.
Of Gaudenzio's other pupils and assistants little is
known. Fermo Stella was his assistant at Morbegno
about 1520, and also in the Chapel of the Crucifixion
on the Sacro Monte, and some fairly good altar-pieces
by him are still in existence. Delia Cerva was Gau-
denzio's assistant at Milan for a short time before his
death, and frescoes by 'him can still be seen in that
city.
CHAPTER III
EARLY YEARS
IN the preceding chapter I have endeavoured to trace
Gaudenzio's artistic evolution. We will now proceed
to examine his works in detail. It is a little difficult to
place them chronologically, as his easel pictures were
always more carefully finished than his fresco work.
There are, however, a certain number which we can
definitely place before the ancona at Arona in 1510.
Tradition says the " Pieta " in the cloisters next Santa
Maria delle Grazie at Varallo is his earliest existing
work, and was painted in 1498. It is certainly a very
youthful production, but, though the figures are stiff,
there are a simplicity and a quietness that give intensity
to its pathos.
Another fragment of early fresco work is in the
Chapel of the Pieta on the Sacro Monte at Varallo.
This chapel was constructed in 1504, and was originally
the Chapel of the Journey to Calvary. This fresco
has, unfortunately, been restored to such an extent that
any primitive charm the figures may have possessed is
lost, and only the weakness of construction is apparent,
while its only technical interest lies in the use of
gesso in the armour and the trappings.
The four interesting little panels in the gallery at
Turin are the earliest easel pictures we possess. His
29
30 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
peculiarities are here very strongly marked, and the
Borgognone and the Bramantino influences clearly
shown, while in the feeling for movement and in the
types of some of the heads we see the trace of Leonardo's
magnetic art. The drawing is still very faulty, and the
length of the ringers (see Plate II.) unduly exaggerated.
These long, stiff fingers, the heavy, drooping upper eye-
lids, the lights on the hair indicated by rather coarse
brush work, the strained, pensive expression, the curious
pursed-up lips — all these are traits which we shall
constantly come across.
The least interesting is No. 44, which represents
" the Almighty," but No. 48, "Joachim driven from the
Temple," shows us a good architectural background,
while both the pavement and the vista through the
arch are interesting attempts at perspective. (The
colouring and composition of this little panel may be
compared with two little panels by Borgognone in
Room 5 in the same gallery.) The weakness in the
drawing is very apparent, but there is a graceful feeling
for drapery, which goes far to redeem the general effect.
No. 47, representing the Madonna and Child with
St. Anna and two angels, is a charming composition,
but is, unfortunately, much injured. The angel to the
right recalls a drawing by Leonardo, so also does the
graceful pose of the Madonna's head, while the scarlet
and gold braid net on her hair and the scarf thrown
lightly round her shoulders are distinctly Peruginesque.
All through these early years the impressions of first
one and then another contemporary artist appear, to be
all eventually made subservient to Gaudenzio's own
very real and very powerful genius.
Anderson photo Turin Gallery
JOACHIM DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE
To face p. 30
EARLY LIFE 31
These panels were obviously painted about the
time that Gaudenzio executed the frescoes in the
Chapel of St. Margaret in Santa Maria delle Grazie
at Varallo — that is to say, about 1506 or 1507. These
frescoes have the special interest of being the only ones
of any importance belonging to this early period which
are extant in their original condition.* Of his chief
works during these years there are, unfortunately, no
traces left. The frescoes in the chapels of " St. Francis,"
" the Betrayal," " the Magdalen," " the Repose,"
" Christ before Pilate," and, on a portico, f Christ
carried to the Sepulchre," all belonged to this time;
but the original buildings were pulled down during the
next two centuries to be replaced by larger and more
pretentious edifices, and Gaudenzio's work perished.
For the same reason it is difficult to trace Gaudenzio's
early work as a modeller — " plasticatore," as Lomazzo
calls him. The terra-cotta figures in many shrines in
Northern Italy belong to a form of art indigenous to
this part of the country. During the first half of
Gaudenzio's life he undoubtedly executed many such
figures for the original chapels on the Sacro Monte,
but during the changes made a century later most of
the original figures disappeared, though a few can be
found fitted into more modern groups. Two of these
figures are in the present Chapel of " Pilate showing
Christ to the People," and show an individuality of
treatment far superior to the other work. The only
chapels belonging to this early period which are still in
their original condition are those of " the Holy Family"
* The frescoes in the Church of St. Giulio are repainted.
See p. 65.
32 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and the " Adoration of the Shepherds." These chapels
are made in grottos of the natural rock. The figures
representing two of the shepherds were renewed at
a later date, and the bambino stolen from both
chapels at different times, but the rest of the groups
are the work of Gaudenzio's youth.
Gaudenzio also combined painting and modelling
to a certain extent by the use of gesso during the first
half of his life. He abandoned its use completely
during the Vercelli period, and it is rarely to be found
even on his early panel pictures, but in his frescoes he
uses it very effectively to represent metal in armour
and trappings.
The frescoes in the Chapel of St. Margaret represent
scenes from the childhood of Christ. The roof is
elaborately decorated with " grotteschi," which depict
a curious mixture of sacred and profane subjects, such
as Orpheus and his lute, Hercules clubbing the Hydra,
and angels playing on musical instruments or holding
cartouches on which are inscriptions. These inscrip-
tions were deciphered by Bordiga, who believes them
to represent the words : " Gaudentius — anno 1507."
A l;na> i photo Turin Gallery
THE MEETING OF JOACHIM AND ANNA
To face p. 32
Anderson photo Tur.n Gallery
DETAIL OF THE MADONNA AND CHILD, ST. ANNA AND ANGELS
EARLY LIFE 33
This date is probable, as the immature technique
shows that these frescoes could not have been executed
at a later date. The angels, with their elongated figures
and long, thin limbs, and the arrangement of the
draperies, recall peculiarities in Bramantino's early
work in the Ambrosiana Pinacoteca, but there is more
movement in the swirl of these aerial vestments than in
anything produced by that artist. On the ceiling are
four tondos in brown chiaroscuro which represent
" The Annunciation," " The Nativity," " The Adoration
of the Magi," and " The Flight into Egypt," and are
executed with minute care.
The walls of the chapel are covered by two large
frescoes, representing to the right " Christ disputing
with the Doctors," and to the left " The Presentation in
the Temple." This last is much injured by damp and
retouching, but there is much that recalls the Turin
panels, while the figure of the youth to the right has
much charm.
The " Disputation " was long considered a proof of
Gaudenzio's intercourse with Raphael, owing to a
certain similarity in the architectural background with
that of " The School of Athens." But, as we have
already seen,* the resemblance came from both artists
taking from the same source, namely, Bramante. If
the date of the cartouche is correct, this chapel was
finished before Raphael went to Rome, and therefore
two or three years before the Stanza della Segnatura
was painted.
We find in the technique many of the faults of his
youthful work, but in the grouping of the figures we
* See p. 23.
3
34 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
may note with interest a scheme of composition which
here occurs for the first time, but which we shall find
constantly recurring in Gaudenzio's work. Whether
the scene represents a " Disputation," a " Last Supper,"
a " Pentecost," or an " Ascension," the arrangement of
the dramatis persona is practically the same. In the
" Last Supper " this form of composition, so different
from the Tuscan and Umbrian ideas, comes direct from
the Byzantine sources at Ravenna and Milan,* and
shows how tenaciously the young artist held to the old
ideas, in spite of the fame of Leonardo's great work at
Milan.
In the colouring of this fresco we find delicate
shades of reds, blues, and yellows, shown up pleasantly
by the gray stone background, while a stronger tone is
introduced by the use of a dark brown, which here
throws into relief the figure of the child Christ. This
dark brown and certain shades of rich mulberry reds
are much used during this stage of Gaudenzio's career,
and contrast well with his light scheme of colouring.
Gold is only used for the halos of Mary and Joseph and
the child Christ.
The human touch, which is never absent from Gau-
denzio's work, is depicted in many ways — in the
pathetic attitude of Mary and in the puzzled faces of
the doctors, while the high mission of the Holy Child
is clearly shown. Gaudenzio was not only an intensely
religious painter, but a dramatic one as well, and he
never fails to impress on us the true meaning of any
scene he represents.
In the Church of Sant' Antonio at Quarona, near
* See Ravenna mosaics.
EARLY LIFE 35
Varallo, is a picture of the Madonna and Child and
angels. It is much blackened and injured, but belongs
to this early period. Two panels, once forming part
of an ancona in the Church of San Giovanni, outside
Quarona, are now in the museum at Varallo. They
represent a local saint, Santa Panacea, and St. Peter,
and are attributed to Gaudenzio, but seem to me more
probably done by an early follower. A small St. Se-
bastian, much injured, and a Santa Petronilla, are also
in this gallery. The latter was painted outside a
mountain Chapel, and though her red robe and yellow
cloak are still discernible, the picture was much
injured by weather before it was moved to the museum.
The best things in this museum are two small
" tondi " representing St. Peter Martyr and a monk
asleep, and the portrait of an elderly man in a red cap.
The delicate colouring of the "tondi" is charming, while
the sweep of the brush shows the beginning of his
emancipation from the small, dry strokes of his earliest
method. This is shown still more clearly in the
portrait, where the features are put in with strength
and vigour. This picture is interesting as being the
first portrait we have from his brush.
Two pictures of the Annunciation must also be
mentioned here, one now in the collection belonging to
Lady Layard at Venice, the other belonging to Herr
Eugen Schweitzer at Berlin. They both consisted of
two panels, but only the angel exists of the one at
Berlin, the other half of the picture having been lost.
The freer brush work shows it to be of a slightly later
date than the picture at Venice.
- This " Annunciation " is the finest existing work
3—2
36 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
painted previous to the ancona at Arona. Though
it has much in common with the panel at Turin
(No. 47), both in the types of the heads and in the
dryness of the technique, it is a far finer picture. The
execution is better, and it is also in a far better state of
preservation. It recalls strongly Borgognone's scheme
of colouring, especially in the pallid flesh tints, while
the blues, though heavy like all Lombard blues, are
harmonious and agreeable in tone. The Virgin, who is
seated before a desk, wears a scarlet and gold net on
her hair, as in the Turin picture. A blue mantle lined
with green is draped over her red dress, while a bronze-
coloured curtain falls behind her, and throws up in
relief her fair hair and delicate features. The angel
kneels before her with a red mantle thrown over his
white robes, and it is to be noted that he holds a cross,
round the staff of which is a scroll bearing the sacred
salutation, an unusual rendering of the subject. The
two panels are united in composition by the long
wooden terrace ledge and the blue sky speckled with
clouds, which form the background to both figures.
We will now examine the ancona in the Church
of Santa Maria Nuova at Arona, on the Lake Maggiore,
which is one of the most perfect things we have from
Gaudenzio's brush. Hitherto we have had to dispense
with documentary evidence for dates, or accept such
traditional ones as agreed with the technique of the
works themselves. The earliest documents we possess
were signed at Vercelli in 1508 and 1509, and refer to
an altar-piece painted for the Church of the Confra-
ternity of Santa Anna in that town. It represented
Santa Anna and two saints, but it has since disappeared.
EARLY LIFE 37
The contract for the ancona at Arona was drawn up
and signed on February 25, 1510, at Arona. Gau-
denzio undertakes to design and supply the framework
of wood, carved and gilded, in three or four months'
time, and to go to Arona and paint the panels in oils
as soon as he could. He undertakes that the ancona
shall be completed and in its place over the altar of the
principal chapel of the above-mentioned church by
Easter Day the following year. The price is to be
150 ducats, and he agrees to the stipulation that after
it is finished experts are to value it. If these experts
judge the value to be less than 150 ducats, Gaudenzio
consents to give back what they consider right ; if, on
the contrary, the ancona is considered of greater value,
the people of Arona are not obliged to give more than
the stipulated sum. A document exists referring to this
arrangement, dated June 5, 1511. Whether no expert
was forthcoming, or the beauty of the work was so self-
evident, a third document, dated July 26, 1511, states
that, at the urgent request of Gaudenzio to have the
matter settled, not only was the whole sum paid, but it
expressly states that no restitution would be expected
whatever the verdict of later experts might be.
The altar-piece is divided into nine parts. In the
centre is " The Adoration of the Child." In the lunette
above are the Almighty and two angels. To the right,
above, are St. Martin and St. Jerome, and to the left
St. George and Sant' Ambrogio. Below, to the right,
are St. Peter Martyr and San Gaudenzio protecting the
kneeling figure of a woman, while to the left are
St. Catherine and St. Barbara. The lowest row con-
sists of the predella, in three panels, representing Christ
38 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and the Twelve Apostles. Among the " grotteschi "
under the columns are two cartouches, with Gaudenzio's
signature and the date :
0VE-HV VK'VP
1511
In the central panel, the Child, who is supported by
St. Joseph and an angel, looks up at the kneeling
Madonna, while another angel behind the group plays
a lute. In the background is the manger, and to the
left a landscape. As Signer Venturi has justly pointed
out, the composition and design of the principal figures
are taken from Perugino's panel which is now in the
National Gallery in London, but which had been
painted recently for the Certosa at Pavia. The attitude
of the Madonna, the flowing lines of her draperies, the
position of the Child, the pillow on which it is being
held, are practically identical with Perugino's work.
But there the similarity ceases. This fair-haired
Madonna, with her crimped golden tresses, differs not
only in type, but in sentiment, from the Peruginesque
ideal. The thrill of emotion playing over the features
replaces the dainty aloofness of the Umbrian Madonna,
and we feel the glow of tender mother-love radiating
towards the little one, which, while robbing the picture
perhaps of a certain religious quality, makes it attrac-
tively sweet and human.
The colouring of the whole ancona is rich and har-
EARLY LIFE 39
monious. In the above composition the Madonna's
rich blue mantle, her purple robe and light-green scarf,
the white robes of one angel and the delicate pinkish
draperies of the other, make a charming scheme of
colour, strengthened by the rich browns and yellows of
St. Joseph's raiment, and brought into relief by the
dark tones of the landscape in the background.
The head of the angel holding the Child is painted
with a rare delicacy and charm. It recalls Leonardo,
and is one of the most perfect little heads Gaudenzio
ever did.
Equal to this panel in interest and beauty is the one
to the left representing St. Catherine and St. Barbara.
The sweet gravity of expression, the delicate beauty of
form and feature, the grace and refinement in every
line, the exquisite colour, the strength and excellence
of the painting — all combine to make this panel a very
perfect creation.
The panel to the right is also of great interest, as it
contains the portrait of a kneeling woman, possibly the
donor. Though the name Borromeo does not occur
in the contract, the chapel in which the ancona stands
belongs to the Borromean family, and tradition believes
this figure to represent a lady of that house. As in
all portraits of that time, the strong features are faith-
fully depicted, and as she kneels there, an imposing
figure in her rich velvet gown, a gold chain round her
neck, and everything handsome about her, she hardly
seems to need the assistance of the wistful-eyed saints
behind her.
The two panels above representing four saints recall
again the influence of Borgognone, which, no doubt,
40 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
had been revived and strengthened by the sight of a
fine picture by that master which hangs in the neigh-
bouring Church of the SS. Martiri. The figures of
St. George and St. Martin might almost have stepped
out of the groups of youthful martyrs represented in
that work but for the freer technique, while the softer
expression and the golden hair are typical of Gaudenzio.
The lunette of the Almighty, blessing with one hand,
and holding the globe in the other, surrounded by
angels and cherubs, is a composition often introduced
in the upper part of altar-pieces by Lombard artists of
this period.
The predella panels have been ruined by repainting.
It has been pointed out that the predellas by the later
masters were generally lightly sketched in.* Gaudenzio
generally paints his predellas in chiaroscuro, and we
know from the Novara ancona with what daintiness
and vivacity.
But except for the predella this ancona is the most
perfect production belonging to his first period, before
he developed his larger manner, and while the dainty
framing of the old-fashioned anconas still necessitated a
care and minuteness of finish, which were unsuitable
for larger effects.
Gaudenzio also painted a " Nativity " in fresco for
this church, which has disappeared. It was an early
work and done about this time.
We have no documents belonging to 1512, but in the
sacristy of the Church of San Alessandro della Croce at
Bergamo are four panels representing St. Jerome and
three Dominican saints, which approach the Arona
* Dr. J. P. Richter.
Taramelli photo San? Alessandro dclla Croce, Bergamo
ST. JEROME READING
To face p. 40
EARLY LIFE 41
ancona closely in drawing and technique. They possess
the same beauty of execution and distinction of senti-
ment, while the figure of St. Jerome is practically a
replica of the one in that masterpiece. They evidently
formed part of an ancona executed for the Dominicans,
and it is believed they came from the suppressed
Church of St. Thomas at Bergamo, though nothing is
definitely known.*
* Professor Elia Fornoni, of Bergamo, says that most of the
pictures and furniture of the suppressed Church of St, Thomas
were given to the Church of San Alessandro della Croce, and that
probably these panels were among them.
CHAPTER IV
1511 TO 1513
GAUDENZIO'S anxiety to have matters settled at Arena
in the summer of 1511 was no doubt owing, not only to
stress of work already on hand, but probably still more
to the work he had in prospect for the future. The
idea of decorating the centre wall of Santa Maria delle
Grazie at Varallo was no doubt already under dis-
cussion. Though we have no documents relative to
this vast piece of work, it was finished in 1513, and
Gaudenzio could hardly have taken less than a year or
eighteen months over it.
The origin of the peculiar construction of this church
is worth recording. An ancient chapel originally stood
on a spot near which the path begins to ascend to the
Sacro Monte. When the Franciscan monk Bernardino
Caini, fixed upon this mountain as a suitable site for
the chapels of a New Jerusalem, the Vicinanza or
Commune of Varallo promised him, about 1480, to erect
a convent for the Minorites close by. Marco Scarogini,
a pious Milanese noble, and an ardent supporter of
Bernardino Caini, had already erected another chapel
close to the first one. His epitaph (now in the church)
tells us this chapel was dedicated to Santa Maria
42
A linari photo
FRESCOES REPRESENTING TWENTY-ON]
CENES FROM THE LIFE OF OUR LORD
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo
To face p. 42
1511 TO 1513 43
Immaculata, and that he died on March 14, 1486.
The construction of the convent began in 1487, and it
was finished in 1493. Both the existing chapels were
enclosed in the convent church, and form part of a
screen made by throwing a wall across the building.
In Bramantino's sketch-book in the Ambrosiana Library
there are several designs for thus dividing churches
belonging to the monastic Orders. In some the far side
of the wall is entirely reserved for the monks ; in others,
as in this church, it stands across the centre of the
nave. Bernardino Caini and his monks took possession
on April 14, 1493.
The Sacro Monte exercised an immense influence on
the people of the Valsesia, and we can imagine the
enthusiasm and the pride with which, on his return from
Milan, the young Gaudenzio had plied his brush in the
service of the Franciscans. Later on the monks seem
to have turned their attention to the decoration of their
convent and church, and the frescoes in the chapel now
dedicated to St. Margaret were the result. Old writers
mention two series of frescoes executed by Gaudenzio,
representing the lives of St. Catherine and St. Cecilia,
which covered the walls of the cloisters ; but unfortu-
nately these frescoes have quite disappeared, and there
is nothing to show us the gradual development of this
branch of Gaudenzio's art during this period. That
this improvement was duly noted is probable, for tradi-
tion says that the people of Varallo, headed by his
relations, the Vincios, invited him to decorate at their
expense the vast expanse of wall above the two chapels
in the convent church. The space to be covered
measured 10*40 metres across, and 8 metres in height,
44 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and the subjects chosen were scenes from the life of
Christ.
The first thing which strikes the observer is the extra-
ordinary originality both in the composition and in the
colour scheme of this great work. The deep and rather
heavy greens, blues, and purples of the Venetian and
Umbrian Schools are quite absent. A wide range of
tones of creamy whites, grays, and fawns in the draperies
and in the architectural and rocky backgrounds give a
lightness and a delicacy of tone to the whole wall.
Light blues, yellows, browns, pinks, and greens abound,
emphasized by touches of a dark rich reddish-brown
introduced in the draperies and in the mosaic pave-
ments. Gaudenzio knows how to use darker colours
sparingly, but most effectively, ever careful to keep
the general tone light. He employs gesso for the
armour and trappings, but his love of modelling makes
him occasionally exaggerate its use, as in the picture
of the Crucifixion, and his happiest results are in the
scenes where paint is the only medium used.
In composition we shall see, as we study the screen in
detail, that Gaudenzio possessed a most extraordinary
fertility of invention, and that, though he may some-
times err on the side of exaggeration, it is the result of
his own original genius, and not the vain attempt to
reproduce the ideas of others. Sincerity and piety are
the chief notes struck, while his dramatic sense gives
fire and animation to the scenes depicted.
Gaudenzio divided the wall into twenty-one spaces,
arranged in three rows, one scene in the centre, that
of the Crucifixion, being four times as large as the
others.
Alinari photo
Santa Maria, dellc Grazie, Varallo
THE NATIVITY
1511 TO 1513 45
The following is a list of subjects chosen :
1. The Annunciation.
2. The Nativity.
3. The Adoration of the Magi.
4. The Flight into Egypt.
5. The Baptism.
6. The Raising of Lazarus.
7. The Entry into Jerusalem.
8. The Last Supper.
9. Christ washing the Feet of the Disciples.
10. The Agony in the Garden.
n. The Betrayal.
12. Christ before Herod.
13. Christ before Pilate.
14. The Flagellation.
15. Pilate washing his Hands.
16. The Journey to Calvary.
17. The Arrival at Calvary.
18. The Crucifixion.
19. The Deposition.
20. The Descent into Hades.
21. Christ rising from the Tomb.
Above in the angle of the roof are two " putti " sup-
porting a "tondo" representing the prophet Isaiah. He
holds a scroll on which is inscribed in Gothic lettering
the following words, " Traditu • i * morte • aia * tuam •
Esaia 53."
Below are four tondi. The two centre ones repre-
sent St. Francis and San Bernardino da Siena, while the
others ^bear^ inscriptions. On the one to the left is
written, " 1513. Gaudentius Ferraius Vallido Siccide
46 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Pinxit " ; while on the one to the right we read, " Hoc
Opus Impensis Popli Varali AD x Gloriam,"
Unfortunately for the perfection of this great work,
Gaudenzio has obviously left a good deal of the execu-
tion to assistants, as we shall see as we examine it in
detail.
No. i, " The Annunciation," is among the least
interesting of the compositions ; for though the rush
and fervour of the angel and the gentle dignity of the
Virgin are well expressed, the execution is coarse and
rough. The general tone of the colouring is light and
harmonious, and the squares of dark-red mosaic have a
pleasing effect.
No. 2, " The Nativity," is a charming composition
and well executed. The Madonna has a very lovely
face. She kneels to the left wrapped in a pale-blue
mantle, while the tall figure of St. Joseph in a warm
yellow cloak stands beside her. Two charming angels
singing from a book stand above the Child, who lies on
the ground sucking His finger as He looks up at His
parents. The delicate creamy and pinkish robes of the
angels compose well with the gray wall behind them,
while the shadow of a rocky arch in the background
throws into relief the rest of the group. In the distance
we see an angel announcing to a shepherd the glad
tidings of great joy.
No. 3, " The Adoration of the Magi," is not so satis-
factory a production. The composition is confused
and complicated. The Madonna and Child are seated
outside a doorway to the left. Her charming face
recalls the Umbrian type. Two of the kings are bend-
ing before them ; the third, the Ethiopian, is standing
Ali nan photo
Santa Maria dclle Grazic, I'arallo
THE RAISING OF LAZARUS
To face p. 46
1511 TO 1513 47
to the right, having his spurs removed. Horses and
servants complete the group, while in the background
are woods and fields. The colouring of this picture is
too monotonous in strength of tone, but some of the
detail is good, notably the head and attitude of the
kneeling king, which are particularly fine and dignified.
No. 4, " The Flight into Egypt," is full of action,
but is, unfortunately, marred by bad drawing and rough
execution. The chiaroscuro is good, a dark wood in
the background showing up the figures effectively, while
a distant mountain peak accentuates the wildness and
loneliness of the scene.
No. 5, "The Baptism," is more carefully executed
than the last scene, and repays examination. Our
Lord and St. John are painted in delicate and sub-
dued flesh tints, and the brown folds of St. John's
cloak are well drawn. Two angels to the right, in
green, white, and yellow robes, harmonize well with the
general scheme of colour. In the background we have
the valley of a mountain stream. The sloping fields
and clumps of trees are painted in delicate greens, and
the rocky mass just behind the principal figures is
admirably treated. Gaudenzio's rocks are obviously
done from careful studies of Nature, and these rocks in
colour and in drawing recall the bed of the Sesia above
Varallo.
No. 6, " The Raising of Lazarus." This is one of
the most sympathetic representations of this subject in
Italian art. Though faults of technique undoubtedly
exist, it is instinct with so spiritual an atmosphere that
the faults and failings become secondary matters. The
beautiful head of Christ and the nobility of attitude
48 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and gesture are so fine, and the expressions of the other
faces so true in sentiment, that the shortcomings and
the exaggerations have no power to injure our enjoy-
ment of this picture. In the background are sundry
figures, whose actions express wonder and amazement
as Lazarus emerges from the tomb. Pale and wan, his
look of adoration and worship is fixed on the Redeemer,
while Martha and Mary throw themselves at Christ's
feet in a rapture of thankfulness and awe.
These two figures throw a light on Gaudenzio's con-
ception of their respective spheres of action. Martha
wears a nun's head-dress and is severely robed in dark
green, and is perhaps representative of the life of graver
cares, while Mary, with her fair hair streaming over her
pale-blue dress and yellow and pink mantle, possibly
represents the gay world and its allurements.
No. 7, "The Entry into Jerusalem." Though the
centre figure in this scene stands out well, the general
impression is unsatisfactory. The composition is con-
fused, and the audacity of foreshortening here leads
Gaudenzio astray. The figure of the youth in green
doublet and white stockings, strewing branches in the
right-hand corner, is grotesque and unpleasing. At the
same time, some of the details in the background are
good. The man helping a youth up a tree is realis-
tically drawn, while another youth raising his hand to
catch the branches is very well depicted.
No. 8, "The Last Supper." This is the earliest
existing representation of this subject painted by Gau-
denzio. The composition is in accordance with the
Byzantine tradition,* and a cartoon of this subject of a
* See p. 34-
A linari photo
Santa ^laria dcllc Grade, I'arallo
CHRIST BEFORE HEROD
To face p. 48
1511 TO 1513 49
later date, now in the Albertina Library at Turin,
shows that Gaudenzio never departed from it. This
scene is carefully painted, and the light and dark
coloured marbles of the walls and benches are well
rendered. The heads of the Apostles are full of expres-
sion. The one in the foreground turning to the left is
a specially fine and dignified type. The graceful figure
of a page pouring water into a basin and standing on a
raised platform relieves the monotony of the back-
ground, while an open doorway with a vista of sky and
hills gives a sense of lightness and space.
No. 9, " Christ washing the Feet of the Disciples."
The composition, colour, and execution of this scene
are admirable. Standing in a vast hall, the puzzled but
interested group of disciples gather round the centre
figures. St. Peter, in a gray robe and yellow cloak, is
seated to the left in an easy and natural attitude, but
the pucker on his forehead shows the bewilderment of
his mind. The kneeling figure of Christ is full of grace
and dignity. Robed in red, with a white towel thrown
over His shoulder, He bends over the Apostle's feet.
The dark-brown robe of a disciple in the background
brings his fine and delicate features into relief. These
two figures are finished with much care and precision
of detail. The fine architectural background gives
dignity to the scene.
No. 10, " The Agony in the Garden." As we
approach the crisis of the great tragedy the intensity
of feeling grows more acute. The conflict shown in
the drawn, agonized face of this white-robed figure is
wonderfully depicted. The sharp rocks in the back-
ground add an atmosphere of sternness and severity to
4
50 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
the scene. The angel presenting the chalice is the
least satisfactory of the figures, but the group of the
disciples asleep is carefully executed.
No. n, " The Betrayal." This is one of the most
dramatic and original of the series, and I doubt if a
more realistic representation of this scene existed at
that period. The blackness of night lit up by artificial
light had rarely been successfully treated before, and
Gaudenzio seized the opportunity for novel chiaroscuro
effects. The light from the burning braziers falls direct
on Christ, who is embracing Judas, while the soldiers,
emerging from the darkness, seize Him with rough
brutality. St. Peter, to the left, is smiting down a
soldier, and the swift action of his arm is most re-
markable. To the right stands a Roman soldier, the
brim of his helmet casting the upper part of the face
into shadow with a quite Rembrandtesque effect. In
contrast to the agitated group in the foreground, we
have in the distance the outline of the quiet fields,
and in the sky the faintest glimmer of the coming
dawn.
Though much of this fresco is marred by coarse
execution and bad drawing, it is an interesting experi-
ment in a new line of artistic achievement. A good
deal of gesso is used both in this picture and in the
next.
No. 12, " Christ before Herod," is a finely painted
scene with rich detail. The carpet on Herod's throne,
and the tapestry studded with flowers and leaves in
the background, are very decorative. Gesso is used
lavishly in the trappings and armour of the soldiers,
one of whom, standing in an almost Mantegnesque
A linari photo
Santa Maria delle Grazi€, Varallo
CHRIST BEFORE PILATE
1511 TO 1513 51
pose, with his back to the spectator, looks' on placidly
while certain of the group menace the Redeemer. The
figure of Christ is full of gentle dignity as He looks
towards Herod. The head of the soldier seizing Him
from the back recalls a drawing by Leonardo. The
colouring of this picture is rich and strong.
No. 13, " Christ before Pilate." This scene and the
next are the most interesting in the series, not only for
the scheme of colouring, but also for their great origin-
ality. A tall figure to the right in black and yellow
tights argues with Pilate, marking his arguments with
his fingers in a most decisive manner. The stately
form of Pilate stands in the centre wrapped in a
splendid rich brown coat lined with fur, while his silver
hair flows from under a turbaned head-dress. He
turns and faces the soldier, and his face wears an angry,
puzzled expression as he strives to save Christ from the
clamouring mob. In the background is the entrance
to his palace, a fine classic portal, with the words
" PALACIVM ' PILATI " inscribed in Roman lettering on
the lintel. Above is a lunette containing statuary
representing the Laocoon. This has been held as
another proof that Gaudenzio had been to Rome, but I
do not think it is a proof either way. The discovery of
this famous piece of sculpture had made a great stir in
artistic circles, but the Renaissance artists had an
intense reverence for classic art, and when they repro-
duce any well-known statue in their works, they repre-
sent it accurately. I think that if Gaudenzio had seen
and drawn the Laocoon for himself we should have an
exact copy of it, and that the subject of our present
study was done from a description.
4—2
52 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
No. 14, " The Flagellation," is of equal interest to
No. 13. The great beauty of this scene lies in the
perfect harmony of low tones in which it is painted.
Grays and whites predominate, picked out and empha-
sized by the red and black patches of the mosaic pave-
ment, while the touch of rich brown given by Pilate's
dark-robed figure in the background has a particularly
happy effect. The modelling of the figures and the
swing of the bodies are excellent, and the feeling for
space, distance, and movement admirable. There is an
architectural sketch attributed to Zenale in the British
Museum which represents a very similar loggia sup-
ported by dainty columns, which may have indirectly
inspired Gaudenzio in this fresco.
No. 15, " Pilate washing his Hands." This scene
is very unequal. It has some good detail, but the com-
position is spoilt by the exaggerated figure of a strad-
dling warrior, who dominates the foreground to the
detraction of the general effect. To the right, in the
background, Pilate is seated on his throne, while a
youth pours water over his hands. His fine, grave
face looks thoughtfully at Christ, whose head is turned
towards him. On the hem of the red robe worn by
the Redeemer is inscribed in gold the words SALVAT *
MON. The rest of the lettering is illegible or hidden
by the white cloak.
A curious figure of a youth asleep, to the right,
shows Gaudenzio's love for strange and fanciful effects.
This fair-haired page, bored with the turmoil going on,
has fallen asleep on the steps of the throne. His green
doublet and tights, white shirt and gold chain in gesso,
give a bright note of colour, while, standing close to
Alinari photo
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo
THE FLAGELLATION
To face p. 52
1511 TO 1513 53
Pilate, another page in gaily slashed attire makes also a
curious contrast to the grim reality of the scene.
No. 16, "The Journey to Calvary." This scene is
well rendered. The Roman officer in the background
is ordering the soldiers to keep back the crowd, in the
foremost rank of which we see the Virgin and St. John.
The Virgin is a type we shall find constantly during the
next few years in Gaudenzio's representations of the
" Pieta," notably in a fine picture belonging to Signor
Crespi at Milan.* We shall also find the peak-like
arrangement of the cloak over the head. The hands
and the expression of the face are beautifully rendered,
while the action of the executioner driving her back is
realistically painted. These are the two best figures in
the group. On the face of the Redeemer the distress
of exhausted nature is apparent as He is led along by
another executioner, whose coarse face is rendered still
more repulsive by his goitred neck. The colouring is
light and pleasing, and the figures in the foreground
stand out well from the rest of the procession, which
emerges from a large classic gateway in the background,
to the left.
No. 17, " The Arrival at Calvary," has many interest-
ing touches. To the left stand the two thieves with
bound hands, while in front of them kneels the Re-
deemer in prayer over the cross, on to which a little
child has innocently strayed. Its mother, standing
behind, draws it back with her hand. She has a
beautiful face, and wears a picturesque head-dress of
plaited linen, which adds to the dignity of her appear-
ance. The cross stands out against her white cloak,
* See p. 68.
54 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
while the dark brown of her dress brings the face of
Christ into relief. The child is attracted by the soldier
to the right, who holds a large gesso ornamented
shield, on which is inscribed SENATVS • POPVLVS •
QVE • ROMANI *, and the beginning of another sen-
tence, VOSTN. His expression of bored indifference
as he stands keeping order is naturally depicted. In
the background a troop of horsemen crowd round and
keep back the people.
No. 18, " The Crucifixion." Gaudenzio justly con-
sidered that this scene required more space than the
others. It is four times the size of the other panels,
but he has taken care that the proportions of the
figures should harmonize with the rest of the screen.
This crowded scene is full of incidents. Though it
is far removed from the quiet atmosphere of the
Umbrian School, it holds its own by the sincere and
the intense feeling which animates it, and the strong
dramatic qualities give movement and life to every
figure depicted.
In the foreground, to the left, is a group of women
supporting the fainting Virgin, The faces and
draperies are beautifully rendered. To the right are
the soldiers casting lots. The foreshortening of the
one leaning over in the centre is admirable, though the
excessive use of gesso makes him come almost too far
out of the picture. Behind them is a charming group
of women with children looking on, and tradition says
that the two figures in pilgrim dress in the centre are
portraits. The one to the right is said to be Pellegrino
da Modena, and the one in the centre, being fawned on
by a fine white dog of the collie type, is believed to
1511 TO 1513 55
represent Gaudenzio himself. Roman horsemen circu-
late round the base of the crosses. The action of
Longinus on a white charger richly caparisoned is well
depicted, but the gesso is again too heavily applied,
and brings him too much into the foreground.
The upper part of the picture looks confused, owing
partly to overcrowding and partly to the voluminous
folds of the angels' robes, who, eight in number, hover
round the centre cross. They have not yet attained
the beauty of either movement or expression which we
shall find in Gaudenzio's later work. In the distance
we see Jerusalem, represented with many fine Renais-
sance towets and domes.
No. 19, " The Deposition." This scene is fairly well
carried out, and the composition is interesting, as being
very similar with that of a fine picture of this subject
painted by Gaudenzio at a later date, and now in the
Gallery at Turin.* The colouring is bright, and one
or two of the heads are finely rendered ; but part of the
execution was left to assistants, and the general effect
of the picture is crude and unsatisfactory.
No. 20, " The Descent into Hades." This is another
experiment in chiaroscuro. The light in this fresco
radiates from the figure of the Redeemer, who, wrapped
in a gray cloak and carrying a gray banner, bends for-
ward to draw Eve forth over the fallen door. Two fine
figures of prophets stand on the right, and on the left is
the penitent thief holding up the cross, while demons
and hobgoblins hover round, striving to bar the way.
Unfortunately, the gesso has blackened with time, and
looks more like prickles than rays of light ; but the
* See p. 87.
56 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
general scheme of light and shade is good, and the
impression of the dark limitless cavern well given.
No. 21, "Christ rising from the Tomb." The
surface of this fresco is much injured. The figure of
Christ, though full of movement, is not well executed.
The general tone of the colouring is pale. The startled
soldier to the left, who raises his shield in haste, is
fairly good, but the others are grotesquely rendered
and very badly drawn. This fresco is the least satis-
factory of the series.
CHAPTER V
1513 TO 1520
THE screen in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie
at Varallo practically ends the first period of Gaudenzio's
career. His fame is now well established, and during
the next twelve or fourteen years we shall find him hard
at work in various parts of the duchy of Milan. He
seems to have been chiefly engaged in the designing
and the execution of large and elaborate altar-pieces,
some of which were carried out in carving and painting,
while others were only in carving and gilding.
Though the design of the great altar-piece in the
Chapel of Sant' Abbondio in the Cathedral of Como
has never been attributed to him, the spirit that
animates it is undoubtedly his. The little figures on
the summit are obviously reproduced from his models,
and resemble, not only the terra-cotta " putti " in the
Chapel of the Shepherds on the Sacro Monte, but
also those on the altar-pieces at Rocca Pietra* and at
Morbegno.f Very similar also are the five minutely
carved scenes in the lower part of this work to those at
Morbegno, while both in the attitudes of the figures
and in the architectural backgrounds there is much
that recalls the big screen at Varallo. The first men-
tion of a date (which refers to a payment) of the Sant'
* See p. 58. f See p. 75-
57
58 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Abbondio altar-piece is 1514, and proves that the
carver had already set to work, and Gaudenzio had
probably made the design soon after he finished his
great work in Santa Maria delle Grazie.
We do not know the name of the carver who executed
the Como altar-piece. Don Santo Monti believes him
to have been one of the Passeri, a family of carvers,
gilders, and painters from Torno, as similar work by a
certain Andrea Passeri exists in the Lake districts.
Whoever he was, the carvings show him to have been
an excellent craftsman, and he may have designed
those figures which are not characteristic of Gaudenzio's
art. There are distinctly two minds at work in this
altar-piece, though the master-spirit is undoubtedly the
Valsesian.*
This work in the Duomo at Como is of special
interest as being probably the occasion when Gaudenzio
renewed his intercourse with Luini, with results very
beneficial to his art. Luini painted one of his finest
altar-pieces for the neighbouring Chapel of St. Jerome
probably about this time, as it is in his "maniera
grigia." The screen for the altar-piece of the Sant'
Abbondio Chapel was the combined work of both
artists, and though it was executed at a later date, it
was probably arranged for now. I have dealt elsewhere
on the influence of Luini on Gaudenzio,t and we shall
notice a gradual improvement in the modelling and in
the proportions of the figures in the work of the latter
artist, while some of his heads become quite Luinesque.
Another interesting work is in the Church of San
Martino, in the village of Rocca Pietra, about two
* The predella was added later. t See p. 26,
Marcozzi photo
Signor Vittadini, Arcorre
THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH ANGELS
To face p. 58
1513 TO 1520 59
miles from Varallo. This ancona was renovated and
altered during the seventeenth century, and some of
the panels were removed, but, fortunately, the upper
half, with its daintily carved statuettes, was left intact.
It is in the form of a temple carved and gilded, and the
remaining panels represent the following subjects :
Above in the centre are small half-figures of Christ
rising from the tomb, and two guards. To the right
and left are panels representing the Annunciation.
Below, to the right, are San Gaudenzio and St. John
the Baptist, and to the left Sant' Ambrogio and
St. Martin in Bishop's robes. The carved figures in
the lower part belong to a later time, and probably date
from the period the alterations were made. A " Madonna
and Child " belonging to Signer Vittadini at Arcorre is
believed to have been originally here, as the dimensions
correspond with the centre space, now filled by a carved
figure of Christ holding a cross. This is quite possible,
as the technique shows that it was painted about this
time, while the composition is identical with that of the
Madonna in the lower part of the Novara altar-piece.
Signer Vittadini believes his picture to have been
painted the first, as the treatment is a trifle more dry
and "serre"; but when \ve compare the other panels
with the Novara work, there is no apparent difference
in the technique. The Vittadini " Madonna" is seated
on a stone bench. A fine carpet at her feet recalls the
one in " Christ before Herod " at Varallo. Her ex-
pression is sweet and gentle, and there is a marked
improvement in the anatomy, especially in the model-
ling of the hands and in the infant Christ. On each
side are angels worshipping, and the proportions remind
60 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
us of a picture by Borgognone at Cremia, on the Lake
of Como.
Two other panels, now in the Library at Novara, may
also have belonged to the Rocca Pietra ancona. The
dimensions make it possible, and the technique shows
that they were painted about this time. They repre-
sent angels adoring. The colouring of the wings is
marvellously brilliant and glowing, while the swiftness
of movement and the rapture of devotion are beautifully
felt.
The Rocca Pietra ancona has much in common with
the next great work which we shall examine, namely,
the altar-piece in the Church of San Gaudenzio at
Novara. In the contract, which was signed on July 20,
1514, there are many stipulations for statuettes, delicate
carving, and fine colouring. We find from this docu-
ment that Gaudenzio had submitted a model of the
proposed altar-piece to the Canons of the basilica
before they commissioned the work, and every detail
was settled in advance. Gaudenzio was to design a
frame in " good and excellent wood and three figures
in wood to be placed on the top of the said frame,
and that the said frame was to be made with
subtle and excellent detail-work by the hand of an
excellent carver, according to the model given to the
said Canons by the said Maestro Gaudenzio, and better
still. He was also to paint the bottom of the frame
with scenes from the history of San Gaudenzio, and in
all the ancona there were to be at least thirteen large
figures as in the model, and it was to be painted with
very fine ultramarine blue, and other very fine colours
and fine gold, in oil, and that Maestro Gaudenzio alone
A linari photo
ANCONA
San Gaudcnzio, Ncvara
To face p. 60
1513 TO 1520 61
was to do the figures, and that no pupil was in any way
to help in the execution of the ancona. That Maestro
Gaudenzio was to finish the ancona in eighteen months'
time, and to put it in its place with its case painted in
blue, with gold stars, and that both within and without
the said case was to be painted in a manner suitable to
the ancona. That if the eighteen months passed and the
work was not finished, the Canons might have it
finished by a capable maestro, at the expense of the
said Maestro Gaudenzio. Also that if, within a year of
the time it was finished, any cracks appeared or any
colour fell, the said Maestro Gaudenzio was to repair it
at his own expense, and for this he was to give ' caution
money ' consigned to the town of Novara."
Gaudenzio was also to paint a canvas with a suitable
subject to place before the ancona. He was to receive
1,250 livres imperiales, to be paid in instalments ;
and we find the same conditions as to an expert valuing
the work when completed as we found in the Arona
contract.
It is rather amusing to find that, after protecting
themselves with the above conditions, the Canons
themselves seemed unable to keep to the contract.
Gaudenzio had great difficulty in getting his money.
He deputed a certain Sperandio, an artist of Novara,
to receive it for him, and the entries made by the latter
show that it took over five years to collect it. In the
end Gaudenzio received 1,350 livres imperiales, more
than the sum stipulated, while the Synod of Novara
pronounces the following eulogy on him : " Gaudentius
noster in iis plurimum laudetur opere quidem eximis
sed magis eximie pius."
62 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
We learn from the contract that, when complete, this
ancona was contained in a painted casing or outer
frame, and covered by a screen probably attached by a
hinge to the outer frame. It was made for the old
Basilica of San Gaudenzio, which stood outside the
walls of Novara. In the seventeenth century the
Spaniards strengthened the fortifications of the town,
and pulled down all buildings within a certain distance
of the walls, and amongst them the old church. The
pictures and furniture belonging to it were moved into
the present Church of San Gaudenzio, which had been
recently built. This ancona suffered considerably in
the move. The outer casing was probably left behind,
the painted screen has disappeared, while to fit it into
its present place the top of the frame with the carved
statuettes was cut off. But though shorn of these
accessories, for beauty of colour, design, and execution,
it must take a high place amongst Gaudenzio's works.
Though a trace of the Borgognone influence may still
be felt in the figures of the saints, Gaudenzio has
completely developed his own types and his own ideas
of composition.
The ancona is divided into two rows. In the centre
of the upper one is the " Nativity," with the " Annuncia-
tion " on each side in two panels. In the centre of the
lower row we find the Madonna and Child seated on a
rocky bank, surrounded by saints, while above flying
angels hold back draperies. It is not easy to give
names to all the group, but the two saints in Bishop's
robes represent Sant' Ambrogio and San Gaudenzio. On
the panel to the right are St. Paul and Sant' Agabio,*
* One authority calls him Sant' Adalcizio.
1513 TO 1520 63
while to the left we find St. Peter and St. John the
Baptist. On the predella below are the four Fathers of
the Church and scenes from the life of San Gaudenzio.
They are painted in chiaroscuro and are worth study-
ing, not only for the slight, rapid, and lively brush work,
but also for the delicacy and fancy with which these
little scenes are depicted.
In the upper part of this altar-piece the Madonna is
represented with soft golden hair falling in a cloud
round her face. Her hands are crossed on her breast,
and we may note the complete change in the type of
the hand, which is now depicted with far less refine-
ment, but more realism. Her dress is a rich carmine
colour, which is also used for St. Paul's cloak, while
the gorgeous robes of the Bishops and Gaudenzio's
favourite yellows and browns, introduced in various
places, all combine to keep the tone bright and har-
monious. The faces are delicately painted and full of
feeling ; the heads of the two Bishops and the saint in
the red biretta are particularly good. The whole of
the detail is carefully executed, and the general effect
of the altar-piece is rich and glowing. It is a fine
example of this period in Gaudenzio's career, when his
colouring was of a quite remarkable brilliancy, and
while it is still combined with a careful precision in the
technique. This period lasted about ten years, during
which time the best of his panel pictures were produced.
Gaudenzio did other work for this church. We
know of a terra-cotta figure of Christ crucified, with
the Magdalen painted in fresco kneeling at His feet ;
also of a picture of the Madonna and St. Anna, with
the donor, who was one of the Regular Canons. This
64 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
picture and the fresco have disappeared, but the
" Christ crucified " was moved into the new Church of
San Gaudenzio, and now hangs nearly opposite to the
ancona we have just been studying. The figure is well
modelled with painful realism, but to the modern mind
there is something distasteful in the use of real hair,
which gives an element of banality, and almost nullifies
the very real and intense feeling which pervades the
work. We find this mixture of mediums in some of
the figures on the Sacro Monte, and it is a fit example
of that extraordinary decline of artistic feeling which
took place in Italy during the sixteenth century.
A picture which recalls the Novara altar-piece is a
fragment of an " Annunciation " representing the angel
Gabriel, now in the museum at Varallo. It was
originally in the old church on the Sacro Monte, and
the other half, representing the Virgin, was destroyed
when that church was pulled down to make room for
the present edifice. This angel is practically a replica
of, and the swifling draperies almost identical with, the
Novara work. It was possibly painted a year or two
later, as there are touches of gold in the embroidered
hem of the robe and in the hair.
The composition of a lunette over the door of the
Chapel of Santa Maria di Loreto outside Varallo is
also reminiscent of the Novara work. It represents
a Holy Family, and, though injured by exposure, it
has great merit. Being in fresco, it is not so carefully
finished, but the brush work is good and strong and the
faces full of charm. The usual 'reds, yellows, and
greens are used in the colouring of the draperies.
A series of frescoes exist in the Church of San Giulio
Hanfst&ngl photo
THE ANNUNCIATION
Berlin Gallery
To face p. 64
1513 TO 1520 65
on the Island of San Giulio, on the Lake of Orta.
They are completely ruined by damp and restoration.
Judging from the action of the figures, I believe those
on the side-walls and arches were painted not long
after the Chapel of St. Margaret at Varallo, but all
trace of Gaudenzio's brush is hidden under modern
paint. In the vaulting are the four Evangelists, and
on the arches are " tondi" representing characters from
the Old Testament. Below on one side are San Fermo
and Santa Apollonia, and on the wall opposite are
Sant' Ambrogio and St. Benedict.
The fresco over the altar has nearly disappeared, but
enough remains to show it represents the Madonna
and Child, with St. Joseph and St. Roch to the right,
and to the left St. Sebastian and St. Peter. The last-
named is protecting the kneeling figure of a fair-haired
boy. In the lunette above is the martyrdom of
St. Stephen. The type of the Madonna shows that
this wall was painted some years later than the rest,
and this fact, combined with the presence of saints
especially invoked against the plague, gives some clue
to its approximate date, as there was a specially bad
visitation through the North of Italy in 1516 and
The picture in the sacristy is not by Gaudenzio, but
recalls the work of his follower, Cesare Cesarini, a very
inferior Lombard artist, and done much later in the
century.
I have mentioned elsewhere the influence of the
Court of Pavia, where Leonardo was living during the
winter of 1515 and 1516. Certain pictures exist whose
technique and colouring show that they were painted
5
66 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
about the time of the Novara ancona. One of the most
important is the " Last Supper " now in the sacristy of
the Cathedral of Novara. Nothing is known of the origin
of this interesting work, which is, unfortunately, skied
and difficult to study under its present conditions. Char-
acteristics of both the Paduan and Florentine Schools
are found in the composition of this picture. The scene
takes place in the courtyard of a massive building,
possibly the Castello at Pavia, as soldiers are depicted on
guard at the entrance, and on one side we see standing
the solitary column so often found in pictures influenced
by the Paduan School, while the said influence is still
further shown in the group of carved children playing
round the base. In the figures in the foreground, how-
ever, in spite of the Byzantine grouping, we are forcibly
reminded of Leonardo da Vinci. It is like the flash of a
likeness seen for a moment on a strange face. Certain
of the heads recall his drawings, but it is in the move-
ment and in the chiaroscuro that his influence is espe-
cially noticeable. Gaudenzio here aims at that subtle
delicacy characteristic of the great Florentine's work,
and, though falling short of his model, his treatment of
lights and shades, and the refinement of the modelling
in the half-tones, show a great advance on his previous
work.
Another trace of Florentine influence at this period
of Gaudenzio's career is found in the fact that this
picture was originally in the form of a "tondo," and is
the only known instance of his painting this form of
picture. It was cut down to fit into the panelling of
the sacristy in the seventeenth century. The colouring
is very beautiful, rich, and vivid, and in spite of the
Brogi photo
THE MADONNA AND CHILD
Brera, Milan
To face p. 66
1513 TO 1520 67
injuries it has suffered, this " Last Supper " is the
finest existing picture of this subject painted by Gau-
denzio. The youth to the left with flaxen ringlets is a
type we find in some of his later works.
But other and less subtle influences are also at work
at this time. Gaudenzio clothes his figures in rich
brocades and jewel-bedecked raiment, and gold is used
occasionally in the high lights. We find this treatment
in some of Defendente di Ferrari's works, and also in
Macrino d' Alba's paintings at Pavia ; but we have not
seen it before, nor do we find it at a later period in
Gaudenzio's works. The Vittadini " Madonna " we
have already studied, and the " Madonna and Child '
in the Brera and the " Annunciation " at Berlin are
also examples of this treatment. In the last two we
find an unpleasant red in the flesh tints, a hot tone
which, unfortunately, becomes frequent as time goes
on. Very typical of the Milanese School is the wreath
of jasmine worn by the angel, recalling heads by
Boltraffio and Luini.*
In the Brera " Madonna " the materials are beauti-
fully painted, and the embroidered chemisette recalls
those worn by the Fobello peasant-girls in the moun-
tains near Varallo. The modelling of the child is very
good, and the drawing of the left leg and foot gives a
lively forward movement to the whole body. It is on
comparing the careful modelling of these little limbs
with that of a picture of the same subject belonging to
Signor Crespi at Milan that I am inclined to believe
the latter work was not executed by Gaudenzio, but by
some one of his school. The accessories of brocades
* St. Catherine, by Luini, in the Hermitage Gallery.
5—2
68 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
and veils are beautifully executed, but the heavier
modelling and the cooler tones, and the types of the
Madonna and Child, point to a very fine work of a
later date by Lanino.*
In the same gallery is, however, a " Pieta " which
may rank among the finest of Gaudenzio's panel
pictures. It is in very good preservation. The
expression on the faces, and the pathos and elevation
of sentiment, are admirably rendered. The depth and
brilliancy of the colour, the careful modelling, and the
fine lines of the draperies, are superbly painted. The
cartoon of this fine work is in the Albertina at
Turin.
This " Pieta " has much in common with the one in
the ancona in the Church of San Gaudenzio at Varallo,
which was probably painted a little earlier.
This ancona consists of six panels. In the centre
above is the " Pieta," to the right is St. Mark, and to the
left St. John the Baptist. Below, in the centre, is the
" Marriage of St. Catherine," to the right St. Peter, and
to the left San Gaudenzio. The " Pieta " is simpler in
composition than the one we have just been studying,
and very beautiful. The chiaroscuro effect is more
abrupt, and the head of St. John recalls Luini, and
indirectly Leonardo. The action of the Madonna is
infinitely touching, and the whole atmosphere has a
restraint and dignity which places this panel at a very
high level. The group below is not particularly striking,
though the Madonna and Child are charmingly rendered,
but the panels of the four saints are very good. Un-
fortunately, when the original frame was replaced by the
* See p. 27.
A ndcrson photo
PI ETA
Signer Crespi, Milan
To face p. 68
Alinari fhoto
ALTAR-PIECE
San Gaudenzio, Varallo
To face p. 68
1513 TO 1520 69
present one during the seventeenth century, the predella
was suppressed. A small panel of the " Martyrdom of
St. Catherine," in chiaroscuro, now in the museum at
Varallo, is said to have belonged to this ancona.
Another tradition says that the panels of this predella
are in the Palazzo Belgioiosa at Milan, and represent
the four Fathers of the Church, the Nativity, the
Epiphany, and the Presentation in the Temple.
The screen for the ancona in the Chapel of Sant'
Abbondio in the cathedral at Como must have been
taken in hand about 1516 or 1517. It originally con-
sisted of six canvases, three by Gaudenzio and three
by Luini ; but at a later date it was divided, and the
" Sposalizio " by Gaudenzio, together with the " Pre-
sepio" by Luini, were moved to the opposite side of
the church. We will study the " Flight into Egypt "
later on,* as it obviously belongs to a later develop-
ment of Gaudeazio's art. The composition of the
" Sposalizio " is good, and there is a fine architectural
background representing the interior of the Temple,
with steps leading up to the altar. A note of classicism
is introduced by the sacrifice depicted on the side of
the altar, while above the altar is an inscription I have
been unable to decipher. We find a decorative touch
in the gold edges of the draperies, which have become
almost too voluminous and drown the figures. The
centre group is good, while to the right is a fine figure
of a woman, obviously a portrait, wearing the turban-
like head-dress we so often find in portraits of this
period. The suitors breaking their sticks are not so
good, the attitude of the one to the left being particu-
* See p. 88.
70 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
larly affected and exaggerated. Like all tempera
painting on canvas, the colour has sunk in, and it is
impossible to judge of the original effect, especially as
these particular canvases have been restored several
times.
This peculiar treatment of drapery we find in two
other works of this period. One is a much-injured
panel now in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum at Milan. It
represents the Madonna and Child with St. Catherine,
St. Margaret, St. Dominic, and St. Peter Martyr.
St. Margaret might have stepped out of the " Sposa-
lizio," with her voluminous draperies edged with gold.
Being a panel picture, the execution is far more care-
fully done. The surface is much injured, especially
about the centre figures, and the picture has been
restored; but some of the heads still preserve the
original delicate brush work.*
The other work is in the gallery at Turin, and
represents the Crucifixion. It is in tempera on canvas,
and was executed later than the foregoing panel. In
many ways it is a great advance on the Varallo screen,
though the medium used does not allow of any strength
of colour, and the execution is slighter. The angels
are far better drawn, and, though swathed in draperies,
the movements of their aerial flight are drawn with
exquisite lightness and delicacy. The stir and anima-
tion of the whole scene are depicted with Gaudenzio's
usual skill.
In the same gallery is a very fine work belonging to
this period, but greatly superior to those we have just
* The "Madonna and Child" in this gallery attributed to
Gaudenzio is by Lanino.
Anderson photo Turin Gallery
ST. PETER AND A KNEELING FIGURE
To face p. 70
A'lnrcozzi photo Borrorneo Museum, Milan
THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SAINTS
To face p. 70
1513 TO 1520 71
been studying. It represents St. Peter and a donor,
and was obviously the right wing of a triptych.
Nothing is known of the origin of this picture, which
for beauty of colour and execution is one of the most
perfect of Gaudenzio's works. The composition recalls
forcibly the Borgognone in the Louvre, and the back-
ground of blue sky reminds us of the Layard "Annun-
ciation." Though the figures are life-size, the details
are executed in a most minute and careful manner.
The realism of the portrait impresses us with a sense
of accuracy in the representation. Every detail of this
fine head is faithfully depicted, and we see a proof of
this in the curiously long pointed lobe of the ear.
Gaudenzio usually draws the ear with a rounded lobe.
The colouring is particularly pleasing. St. Peter's
green dress and yellow mantle make a good back-
ground to the fine white-haired prelate as he kneels in
a beautiful dark-red brocade gown, edged with black
and with full black sleeves dotted with gold. St. Peter's
keys are painted in gold, but raised gesso is not
used.
The altar-piece in the Church of the Pieta at Can-
obbio, on the Lake Maggiore, also belongs to this
period, as it was painted before 1520. In a document
relative to the alterations made to the church in that
year, there is a special note that care must be taken not
to injure the " venustissime " (most beautiful) picture
over the altar. It was probably painted about 1517, as
some of the hands show a lingering trace of Gaudenzio's
earliest types. In the composition the converging
lines of arms and weapons centre towards the figure of
Christ, whose look is fixed on the fainting Virgin to the
72 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
left, while in the chiaroscuro the strong lights are so
treated that, in spite of the confusion of the crowd, the
attention of the spectator is at once riveted on this
pathetic incident. Gaudenzio rarely painted anything
finer than this head of the Redeemer, and the expres-
sion of pain and anxiety are wonderfully rendered.
The dramatic quality in this " Journey to Calvary," the
beautiful colouring and the excellence of the technique,
all combine to make it an important work ; but it is,
unfortunately, in a rather bad condition. In its original
state the painting was so vivid and lifelike that Lomazzo
speaks of a dog attacking the amiable-looking cur
seated in the right-hand corner. In the trappings of
the horses Gaudenzio uses gesso, a rare occurrence
in his panel pictures, and it is also used for a small
gilded " Pieta " in the centre of the predella. To the
right and left of this "Pieta" are represented angels
adoring, charming little figures painted with great
refinement.
In the Borromeo Gallery at Milan is a " Madonna and
Child with St. Joseph and St. Antony." Though neither
so strong nor so brilliant in colouring as the last picture,
the types show that it belongs to this period, probably
about 1518. The figures are nearly life-size, and the
Madonna and Child are well composed. There is a
charming touch of nature in the way the little child
nestles against its mother and clutches at her dress.
We see for the first time the orchard background,
which we shall constantly find in later works.
In the museum at Varallo is a picture representing
St. Francis receiving the stigmata. It was probably
executed before 1520, and tradition says it was painted
Alinari photo
Church of the Picta Canobbio
THE JOURNEY TO CALVARY
To face p. 72
1513 TO 1520 73
for Don Antonio de Leyva when Governor of Milan,
and that it hung formerly in the old church on the
Sacro Monte. It is well composed, and has a very fine
background, representing the Apennines and La Verna.
The predella belonging to the Count Castellani at
Novara is much injured and retouched. It represents
the Nativity, the Adoration, and the Flight into Egypt,
and was originally in the parish church of Borgosesia.
Two panels representing St. Maurice and St. John
the Baptist are now in the possession of the Faa family
at Novara. They were parts of an altar-piece executed
for the Tettoni family at Romagnano. These panels
are in good preservation, which cannot be said of the
six panels now hanging in the parish church of Gatti-
nara, a village across the river from Romagnano. They
are also fragments of an altar-piece, of which the two
saints at Novara may possibly have formed part, as the
technique is similar, but it had already been broken
up and scattered by the beginning of last century.*
The panel in the Villa Borromeo on the Isola Bella,
representing the Saviour holding a globe, is too feeble
in execution to be Gaudenzio's own work, though it is
evidently from his atelier.
In the parish church of Fontaneta is a large fresco
attributed to Gaudenzio. It represents the Assumption
of the Madonna. It is so much injured and blackened
by time and repainting, and is also in such a bad light,
that it is difficult to study it. Judging, however, from
the attitudes and types of the group of Apostles in the
lower part of the fresco, it was probably executed by
Gaudenzio and his assistants about 1516.
* Bordiga.
74 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
In the collection of Mr. Willett at Brighton is a
" Madonna and Child " attributed to Gaudenzio. It is
a charming work full of tender feeling, but, though it
has much that reminds us of Gaudenzio, it is difficult
to place it among his works. All that can be safely
said is that it is a very good picture of the Valsesian
School.
Si <
CHAPTER VI
1520 TO 1528
BETWEEN 1519 and 1528 Gaudenzio was busy over two
important works, which, while differing considerably in
size and technique, both combine a mixture of painting
and modelling. I refer to the altar-piece in the Church
of San Lorenzo e dell' Assunta at Morbegno, and the
Chapel of the Crucifixion on the Sacro Monte at
Varallo.
We have already noted* that the design for the
Morbegno altar-piece was probably made by Gaudenzio
early in 1516, for in the Liber Credentiae of the Com-
pagnia dei Battutif of Morbegno the contract with the
wood-carver was signed on August 18, 1516. He signs
himself " Giov. Angelo del Magno di Pavia, nunc
habitator Morbenii," and was probably one of a well-
known family of sculptors and wood-carvers of Pavia. I
He must have finished his part of the work about 1519,
as during that year his name appears in the Liber
Credentiae for the last time. The contract with Gau-
denzio and Fermo Stella is missing, but the painting
and gilding of the altar-piece was undertaken by these
* See p. 10.
t Founded by San Bernardino of Siena in 1432.
| An ancona in the Church of the Carmine at Pavia is signed
"Angelo manio opifice, 1517."
75
76 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
two artists for the sum of 2,000 lire. They were paid
in instalments, and Gaudenzio seems to have set to
work as soon as the carving was finished, as we find his
name in the Liber Credentiae on May 29, 1520, and
on October 14, 1521. He then seems to have left it for
some time, as his name does not reappear till March 8,
1524, Fermo Stella having signed the receipts of pay-
ment during the intervening period. Gaudenzio must
then have taken it in hand again, for we find his signa-
ture on July 21, 1524, on August 12, on September 7
and 16, and on October 7, 1525, and finally in January,
1526 (the day of the month is illegible).
The altar-piece stands about 19 feet high, and is
nearly 10 feet broad. It is a mass of elaborate carving,
gilding, and painting. The surface of the wood was
prepared with a layer of gesso before the paint and
gilt were applied, but it is much cracked, and many
of the figures, some of which are only about 8 inches
high, are chipped and broken.
The altar-piece is designed so as to frame an old
fresco of a Madonna and Child. On each side of this
painting are large statues of saints ; the one to the right
is San Bernardino of Siena, and the one to the left is
St. Lawrence, the patron saint of the church. Above
in a lunette is God the Father, with cherubs, and on
the cornice the figures of the Virgin and the angel
Gabriel. On the cupola above is the " Assumption of
the Virgin," who stands on the summit surrounded by
a "mandorla" of cherubs. A circle of "putti" below
are playing on various musical instruments, while still
lower down are the Apostles in attitudes of rapture and
surprise. All these little figures are obviously carved
1520 TO 1528 77
from Gaudenzio's models, and all imbued with the
vivacity and life characteristic of his work.
But the most interesting of the carvings are the
five scenes from the life of the Virgin which are in
the lower part of the altar-piece. They represent
the Presepio, the Flight into Egypt, Christ and the
Doctors, the Sposalizio, and the Descent of the Holy
Ghost. We have seen similar work in the Como
altar-piece, but there the original colours have dis-
appeared under more recent gilding. Here, in spite of
the chipping of the gesso and the damage done to the
figures, we are able to see the original effect to a certain
extent. The painting of the dresses, the faces, and the
architectural backgrounds, is most carefully and daintily
executed. Classic scenes and tiny but elaborate
" grotteschi " cover the walls of the buildings, and
classic ideas are also to be found in the ornamentation
of the general design. The perspective is very well
carried out in these minute scenes, and a delightful
naturalness of gesture and attitude are found in the
groups, which are cleverly manipulated. In the
" Presepio " a charming touch is given in the action
of the little Child pulling at its mother's cloak, de-
manding to be caressed and not worshipped. The
composition of the scene of Christ and the Doctors
is distinctly original. Though the perspective is
perhaps a trifle abrupt, the feeling for distance and
amplitude in this limited space is very cleverly con-
veyed, while the large curtains caught up in the fore-
ground break the monotonous lines of the chequered
ceiling very effectively.
The Chapel of the Crucifixion on the Sacro Monte
78 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
at Varallo was erected about 1517, under the direction
of Pietro Ravelli and Bernardino Baldi, builders, of
Varallo. There are no documents existing relative to
Gaudenzio's contract for the frescoes or for the statuary.
The date 1523 was found on the wall by Signer Arienta,
and the probabilities are that Gaudenzio worked on
and off at it for several years, leaving the chapel
practically completed when he moved to Vercelli in
1528. The following inscription, " 1529 • Die 26
Octobre • Johannes Antonius," also found by Signer
Arienta, shows that one of his assistants did not finish
his part of the work till the following year.
Owing to the effects of exposure and time, and to the
reshifting of many of the statues at a later date, it is a
little difficult for us to picture to ourselves this famous
chapel in its original condition, or to understand the
enthusiasm of Gaudenzio's contemporaries. The
frescoes, once brilliant with gorgeous colouring, are
now faded, cracked, and ruined, and no longer make
a suitable background to the terra-cotta group of
figures, which are also much injured. But, as the
late Mr. Samuel Butler justly observed, this chapel,
''regarded as a single work, conceived and executed
by a single artist, who aimed with one intention at the
highest points ever attained both by painting and
sculpture, and who wielded on a very large scale, in
connection with what was then held to be the sublimest
and most solemn of conceivable subjects, the fullest
range of all the resources available by either, must
stand, perhaps, as the most ambitious attempt that has
been made in the history of art. ... As regards the
frescoes, the success was as signal as the daring, and
1520 TO 1528 79
even as regards the sculpture the work cannot be said
to have failed."
Though the opinion of Federigo Zucchero is not of
much value, it is interesting to find that when he visited
Varallo in 1606 he particularly admired this chapel, and
speaks of " the spirited genius and powerful manner " of
Gaudenzio Ferrari. He mentions the brilliant colour-
ing, and says that the figures seemed really alive, and
that the soldiers were casting lots " with jests and acts
worthy of such wretches."
The chapel is built in a semicircle, with a column
in the centre to support the roof. The surface of the
walls is covered with the remains of the frescoes,
which represent a vast crowd, numbering about
150 persons. On the ceiling is depicted Lucifer
triumphant and a flight of angels, whose attitudes
denote awe-struck horror and the acutest despair.
Though shrouded in too much drapery, their move-
ments are admirably expressed. They have nearly all
the same beautiful type of face, with the high parting
of the hair on the forehead, and have suffered less from
retouching than the rest of the painting.
We are able to have some idea of the general effect
of these frescoes from an old coloured engraving pub-
lished towards the end of the eighteenth century, of
which one copy is in the museum at Varallo, and
another is in a private collection in London. From
this engraving we can also see more clearly the extra-
ordinary variety of persons depicted, from the nobles
with their escorts to the beggars disfigured with goitres.
Some of the soldiers are in armour, but the majority
are in gaudy striped raiment, with plumed head-dress.
80 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
They are depicted in proud, overbearing attitudes, and
carry all kinds of weapons — spears, arquebuses, maces,
and swords. One group represents Eastern warriors in
Oriental dress, and over their heads float banners with
the crescent and the star. In the centre background
three nobles on horseback have ladies on the croup
behind them. They are all, horses as well, gorgeously
arrayed. The noble on the white charger is dressed in
a red slashed doublet, with white and blue striped hose,
and wears a garter with a fleur-de-lis design. His
lady is in red, with white sleeves, and wears a green
and yellow turban-shaped head-dress. The trappings
of the horse are blue and gold, while a fine piece of
tapestry hangs from its back with a beautiful green,
dark-blue and gold pattern. The others of the group
are equally elaborately and gaudily attired. The
general impression of the costumes and plumed head-
dresses recalls the Hungarian and South German dress
of that period, and makes me believe that Gaudenzio
had a new opportunity of making studies from the
varied troops of which the army of Charles V. was
composed. Milan had revolted from the French in
1521. In 1523 the Emperor's troops were engaged in
driving the French out of North Italy, and finally
defeated them in 1524 at the Battle of Gattinara, not
far from Varallo. It is possible that the noble with the
fleur-de-lis garter represents Jhe Constable de Bourbon,
who had joined the Emperor in 1523, and was present
at that engagement. Tradition says that another of
these warriors is the Count Filippo Torinelli of Novara,
who was also one of the Emperor's generals. The
neighbourhood of the celebrated shrine to the battle-
1520 TO 1528 81
field makes it probable that the Sacro Monte benefited
financially from the gratitude of the victorious army,
and it is quite possible that the most important figures
depicted in these frescoes are portraits of the chief
leaders, which Gaudenzio could have painted in the
spring of 1524.
Certain other figures are known to be portraits of
members of the Scarognini family of Milan, a family
who had always been foremost among the patrons of
the Sacro Monte. From an inscription now defaced,
but mentioned by old writers, it is known that the two
men kneeling over the door to the right are portraits of
a certain Emiliano Scarognini and his son Francesco.
Emiliano died in 1517, so it is possible that Gaudenzio
painted these portraits directly the chapel was built,
and placed them over the door, so as to be out of the
way of the general design, which he had probably not
settled on. The technique is rather more precise and
dry than in the rest of the frescoes.
Below, to the right of the door, and by the door on
the opposite side of the chapel, are two family groups
which must have been charming in their original condi-
tion, but which are now much injured. The portraits
of the lady and of her two children are too faded for
reproduction, but the grace and beauty of this white-
robed figure can still be appreciated. She wears the
usual turban-shaped head-dress, bound with ribbons
and jewels, which lends an added dignity to her aspect.
The group opposite of the gentleman and his son is
also much ruined. The attitudes of both figures are
simple and natural, and this little child, with its flaxen
hair and yellow-brown dress, must have been a charm-
6
82 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
ing study. Unfortunately, the features of both have
been retouched, with deplorable results, and the photo-
graph brings out the crudeness of the new paint to the
detriment of the general effect. In the background
are seen the chapels of the Sacro Monte. There are
some charming heads of women in the crowd, notably
two on the wall to the left, sitting on a bank holding
children, one of whom is playing with a dog.
We will now turn to the statuary. The group con-
sists of twenty-six statues, two of which are on horse-
back. Tradition says that Fermo Stella helped with
the modelling of the horses. The original figure of the
Redeemer was an old sacred statue, which was stolen
in later times. Toinetti mentions that the original
figures of the two thieves were carved in wood by the
sculptor Alagardi Romano, who records this fact in
his " Life."* They were copied from models made by
Gaudenzio in clay, and were also stolen in later years.
The most pleasing group left is that of the Madonna
supported by two women, and St. John standing near
by. Zucchero specially mentions this group, which is
well carried out and full of feeling. Unfortunately, the
repainting it was subjected to in later years has natur-
ally ruined the delicacy of the surfaces. The group of
soldiers gambling is also very good, while the pose of a
peasant woman standing close by with her children is
excellent, though the little boy at her side is too clumsily
modelled. A pug-dog sitting just behind this group
is, on the contrary, very well done. The armour of
the soldiers is decorated with gesso, and we find
" S.P.Q.R." on some of the shields. On one shield is
* I have been unable to find a copy of this book.
1520 TO 1528 83
a heraldic device, which the late Mr. Samuel Butler
believed to be that of Gaudenzio's family. The proofs,
however, are not convincing, and Gaudenzio himself
never laid claim to noble extraction. Mr. Butler also
believed that the two figures standing to the extreme
left were portraits of Leonardo da Vinci and Stefano
Scotto. This is quite possible as regards the former,
and as regards the latter, we have found this head before
in Gaudenzio's works, and, as it recurs constantly
amongst Leonardo's drawings, it is obviously that of
some personage at Milan well known to both artists
during the last decade of 1400, who could quite well
have been Stefano Scotto.*
As I have already pointed out, the changes wrought
by time, exposure, and restoration make it impossible
to judge this great work according to its original merits.
We can only try and realize the reach of Gaudenzio's
aim by ignoring the present unsatisfactory condition of
the chapel, and by the knowledge of his work elsewhere
and by the help of old engravings we can, to a certain
extent, understand the greatness of this high venture,
the achievement of which definitely placed Gaudenzio
at the head of the Lombard School.
Besides the work at Varallo, Gaudenzio found time in
1526 to decorate the Chapel of San Rocco at Valduggia.
This little chapel had been erected in the market-place
of his native village as an ex voto after the plague in
1516, as the following inscription tells :t "Quod •
populus ' a ' peste * difensori • erigebat • an MDXVI •
* These figures are now in the Chapel of " Christ shown to the
people."
t Colombo.
6—2
84 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Gaudentius • Ferrarius * patritius • ex voto • pictura *
decorabat." The altar-piece representing the Madonna
and Child with St. Francis and St. George has dis-
appeared, and all that remains of the frescoes on the
walls are the nearly effaced figures of San Crispino and
Sant' Orso.*
In the parish church of San Giorgio at Valduggia
Gaudenzio painted a Holy Family, with St. Barbara
and a shepherd. Though this fresco is much injured,
enough remains to show that it must have been a very
fine work, and was probably done about the same date
as the Dorchester House picture.
A certain number of panel pictures were also painted
during this period. Their rich colouring and matured
technique and the types of the Madonna and Child show
that they must have been executed after the pictures we
have already studied, and before Gaudenzio's visit to
Parma, which I should place towards the end of this
period and about 1526 or early in 1527.
One of the finest of these pictures is the " Marriage
of St. Catherine " in the cathedral at Novara. This
beautiful picture is, luckily, in a good state of preserva-
tion. The brilliant colouring is rich and glowing, and
unmarred by the hot reds which have appeared occa-
sionally in Gaudenzio's work. The figures are painted
life-size with all the strength and vigour of his best
period. The face of the Madonna is refined and beauti-
ful, with an expression of ineffable sweetness playing
over the features, while the grand figure to the left in
Bishop's robes of rich gold and red brocade is one of the
finest we have from Gaudenzio's brush. It represents
* The third figure was painted in later times.
Alinari photo Cathedral, Novara
THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SAINTS
To face p. 84
1520 TO 1528 85
Sant' Agapito (a local saint), but it was probably painted
from some Novarese ecclesiastic, as it possesses all the
individuality of a line portrait. The other figures are
not so interesting, though San Gaudenzio, to the left, is
good ; but the St. Catherine is unsatisfactory, and the
St. Joseph, with his thumb in his mouth, is a rather
grosser version of the type Gaudenzio usually paints for
that saint.
The pose of the Child is obviously done from one of
Leonardo's sketches, and is interesting as showing the
development of Gaudenzio's attempt to depict the
Luini-Leonardo type of bambino. The modelling is
now perfect, but the element of exaggeration, rarely
quite absent from Gaudenzio's works, is shown in the
choice of this frog-like attitude. The reaction from
this extreme, however, soon set in, as we shall see in
his later works.
The background of this picture is painted with all
Gaudenzio's charm and interest. To the right, at the
foot of a rocky and wooded hillside, is St. John the
Baptist, and to the left, further back in the plan, is the
entrance to a town, on the grassy slope outside of
which is depicted the martyrdom of St. Stephen. In
the distant valley stands a picturesque church.
The rest of the altar-piece was added in later times.
The predella painted by Gaudenzio, consisted of
charming dancing and playing "putti." These little
panels are now in the Galleria Lochis in the picture-
gallery at Bergamo. They are four in number, and
combine a delicacy of colour with a daintiness and a
fairylike grace of movement. As these "little figures flit
across the grass, it would be hard to find anything less
86 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
religious in spirit, or more closely allied to the little
people of Northern folk-lore, in the work of the Italian
artists of that day.
The present predella was put together about the middle
of the last century, when the altar-piece was moved to
its present place.* The centre panel is a " Pieta "
by Lanino, and is a free adaptation of Gaudenzio's
cartoon at Turin. The two side-panels representing
the Martyrdom and the Burial of St. Catherine, painted
in a network of arabesques, were done by a modern
artist. To this artist is also attributed the head of the
Almighty in the lunette above, and the two heads
representing the Virgin and the angel Gabriel in the
upper corners of the frame of the altar-piece.
The fine picture at Dorchester House was probably
painted about 1521. It is a very good example of
the early part of the period we are now studying.
The kneeling figures of the Virgin, St. Joseph, and an
ecclesiastict are very fine, and are painted with great
beauty and dignity. Gaudenzio's natural feeling for
the exuberance of life is shown in the attitudes of the
cherubs, three of whom support and worship the infant
Christ, while two others, holding a scroll, are flying
over the group. The Holy Child, holding up its arms
to its Mother, and the cherubs bending over it, are
charmingly rendered. To the right is the ruined wall
of the stable, while a fine landscape of distant moun-
tains bounds the horizon to the left. The general
* It had been hanging for some time in the sacristy, where
Bordiga saw it.
t Tradition says this is a portrait of the Cardinal Arciboki;
Taverna. See Frontispiece.
Taratnclli photo Gallcria Lochis, Bergamo
DANCING AND PLAYING PUTTI
To face p. 86
A nderson photo
Turin Gallery
THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH SAINTS
To face p. 86
•; i ;''**• "»• i\i •' -
;:/•%
^ linari //Wo
THE DEPOSITION
Turin Gallery
To face p. 86
1520 TO 1528 87
scheme of colouring is warm and bright, without being
too hot. The deep carmine of the prelate's cape is
particularly good and rich.
Two pictures in the Turin Gallery also belong to
this period. No. 51 represents the Deposition, and
No. 49 a Madonna and Child, with two saints and a
" putto." The " Deposition" is the finest picture of this
subject that we have from Gaudenzio's brush. The
brilliant colouring and the strong lights and shades are
here obviously meant to represent a vivid sunset effect,
which is still further accentuated by the dark line of
mountains against the sky. The level rays of the
setting sun light up the hill of Calvary in the back-
ground, and the group of s'oldiers, whose " faire, goodly,
and prowd-stepping horses "* recall Leonardo's draw-
ings. In this picture and in the two following ones we
find a new and powerful scheme of chiaroscuro, and we
realize that Gaudenzio had met with, and was mag-
netized by, a new and powerful influence. This I
believe to have been that of Correggio. Though he
was little known to his contemporaries, he would have
had much in common with Gaudenzio, and Parma was
not far off. Both had to the full the ecstatic tempera-
ment, and in the works of both artists exuberance
of life abounds. Correggio was more dreamy, and
Gaudenzio more ardent and more vigorous. As he
comes under Correggio's influence we find as great a
depth and brilliancy in his chiaroscuro, though he rarely
achieves the delicate gradations and the pearly tones
which are Correggio's special gift and peculiar charm.
But from about 1527 Gaudenzio undoubtedly knew and
* Lomazzo,
88 GAUDENZ1O FERRARI
strove after Correggio's ideals, and came very near him,
as we shall see in the Vercelli frescoes.
No. 49 in the Turin Gallery represents the Madonna
seated on a throne, with a baldaquin hung with purple
cloth. The infant Christ stands on her knees, with His
hand raised in benediction. The type of face and the
modelling recall Luini, while the " putto," playing on a
harp at the foot of the throne reminds us of the child
in the " Marriage of St. Catherine " at Novara. On
the right of the throne stands St. Martin, and on the
left St. Maurice in Bishop's robes. The fine, sharp
features of the last-named are strongly painted, and
this head is evidently a portrait. The background of
fruit-trees is carefully painted.
In the Church of San Pietro at Maggianico, near
Lecco, on the Lake of Como, is an altar-piece which
belongs to this period, though inferior to the works of
this time. It represents Sant' Ambrogio, St. Anthony,
and St. Bonaventura, and was originally painted on
wood. The three saints were transferred on to canvases
early last century, and slightly injured in consequence.
The colouring is rich and warm, and the figures are the
types we have constantly found in this artist's works.
The predella, representing the Apostles, is by another
hand.
We will now turn to a work which shows clearly the
further development of the influence of Correggio on
Gaudenzio's art, namely, "The Flight into Egypt," in
the Duomo at Como, which was probably executed
about 1527. Being painted in tempera on canvas, the
great brilliancy of the colour is not now apparent, but
the new influence is seen not only in the strong
A linari phot
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
Cathedral, Coiuo
To face p. 8
1520 TO 1528 89
chiaroscuro, but also in certain details of the com-
position. The angel flying overhead recalls the one in
"The Martyrdom of St. Placida," while the woolly
clouds and the large palm-tree remind us of the
" Riposo." The angels are, however, Gaudenzio's own
types, and the infant Christ still recalls the Luini
" putti," only possessed of far more animation.
From Como Gaudenzio probably went to the
Valtellina. Private as well as professional reasons took
him there during the winter of 1527 and 1528.* An
altar-piece m the Church of San Giovanni, near Bellagio,
shows clearly the new influence, while the technique
gives the approximate date. This picture represents
Christ in glory, seated on clouds and surrounded by
angels bearing the signs of the Passion. Below are the
members of a family kneeling in worship, the women to
the right, under the protection of St. Peter and St. John
the Baptist, the men to the left, under the protection of
St. Paul and St. Lawrence. The strong lighting from
the front and the confused, crowded impression produced
by the heavy clouds denote his new methods. But his
natural strength and power are shown in the fine
sweep of the draperies, in the grand figures of the saints,
and in the charm and beauty of the angels' heads. The
expression of rapt devotion on the faces is depicted with
Gaudenzio's usual sincerity and depth of feeling.
In the colouring he uses his favourite reds, yellows,
and greens. One lady is a particularly striking figure,
in a gold-embroidered kirtle flowing over a blue skirt.
The cartoons for this picture are at Turin, and seem to
have been copied or adapted freely by his followers, as
* His second marriage took place about then.
go GAUDENZIO FERRARI
we see from the works of Bernardino Lanino and two
of the Giovenones.*
The picture in the collection of Dr. Mond in London
probably belongs to this time, for, though the execution
is broad and fluid, there is still a certain restraint. It
represents St. Andrew bearing his cross and standing
out against a blue sky, with a landscape painted in the
lower part of the canvas.
* In the Turin Gallery and in Sir F. Cook's collection at
Richmond.
A linari photo San Cristoforo, Vercclli
THE MADONNA AND CHILD, SAINTS AND PUTTI
To face p. 90
CHAPTER VII
VERCELLI — 1528 TO 1536
EARLY in 1528 Gaudenzio went to live at Vercelli.*
He was probably led by both family and business
reasons to make this move. He had recently married
again, and it is possible he preferred to start his new
menage in another town, and one where he had many
friends and where he expected to find fresh work for
his brush, and in this he was not disappointed. On
October 13 of that year he signed a contract with the
noble Lady Dorothea, widow of Renier Avogadro de
Valdengo, to paint an ancona for the fourth chapel in
the Church of the Holy Trinity at Vercelli. This
church was destroyed in later years, and the ancona
has disappeared ; but we learn from the contract that
the subjects chosen were the Nativity and various
saints, viz., St. Roch, St. Sebastian, St. Anthony, and
St. Christopher, saints who were specially invoked
against the plague. The ancona was to be decorated
and gilded in a similar manner to one that Gaudenzio
had executed for the Church of Sant' Eusebio,t and he
was to receive 36 e"cus d'or for it.
The next year saw the beginning of his work for the
* His name appears as witness in a deed dated July 24, 1528,
relative to his pupil, Jerome Giovenone's, money matters,
f This church has also been destroyed.
91
92 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Church of St. Christopher at Vercelli, which, taken as
a whole, undoubtedly ranks as the greatest creation of
his brush. This church belonged to the Order of the
Umiliati, and had been for some time under the
control of the Corradi family, Counts of Lignana and
patricians of Vercelli, on the condition that the
Provost appointed by that family took the habit and
professed the rules of the Order. The church had been
recently rebuilt during the administration of the
Provost Nicolino Corradi, who, however, died before it
was finished. Leo X., on May 4, 1519, continued the
rights to the family in favour of a certain Andrea
Corradi. Andrea was only eight years old at the time,
and during his minority his father, Giovanni Angelo
Corradi, as guardian of his son, administered the
affairs of the Order and finished the church. Shortly
before his son came of age he entered into negotiations
with Gaudenzio for the decoration of the church. In
a contract signed on June 27, 1529, Gaudenzio not
only undertook to paint an altar-piece for the high-
altar, with its shell or casing, but also to paint the
vaulting above in fresco.* Gaudenzio was to receive
in payment the sum of 150 gold e"cus and three sacks
of corn. On July 3, 1529, we find that he gave the
contract for the frame to a certain Maestro Nicolo di
Vaillate, a Milanese carpenter who was then living at
Vercelli. He was to make it after a design given
by Gaudenzio, to finish it in six months, and to
receive 35 £cus in payment. Both picture and frame
* This arrangement was evidently altered when Andrea soon
afterwards came of age, and arranged for the frescoes in the
adjacent chapel. These documents are missing.
VERCELLt— 1528 tO 1536 93
were ready and in place by the beginning of 1530.
Alterations and changes were made on the high-altar
in later days when a different taste prevailed.
Gaudenzio's altar-piece, shorn of its carved frame, is
now in the choir, where it was placed about 1623.
It is interesting to note how far the movement of the
day had carried Gaudenzio along the new paths of
artistic expression. Up to a certain period he was
distinctly a reactionary, and only his great gift for
movement and action distinguishes him from the old
Milanese School. We have followed his gradual
evolution, and, as we have just seen in the Como
" Flight into Egypt,"* a new and a powerful influence
had come into his life. In the picture we are now
studying the impression of Correggio's peculiar qualities
is as strongly shown, only, being in oil on wood,
Gaudenzio's rich colouring is better preserved. The
scheme of light and shade is distinctly Correggio's —
namely, a dark background, and a sort of searchlight
turned on to the group from the front. The lively
colouring is subdued by the shadows which are thus
strongly emphasized.
The picture represents the Madonna and Child seated
on a bank and surrounded by saints. To the left are
St. John the Baptist, and St. Christopher carrying
another Child-Christ on his shoulder, while to the right
we have San Nicolo di Bari and the Blessed Orico,
founder of the order, whose bones lie under the high-
altar. In the corner kneels a figure in the robes of the
Order, which probably represents the young Provost
Andrea. In the background is an orange-tree covered
* See p. 88.
94 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
with fruit, which gives the popular name to the picture,
which is known as "La Madonna delle Arangi."
" Putti " are playing about the branches, two of whom
are eagerly studying a scroll, and others are holding
back a curtain. This in itself is not a new motive in
Gaudenzio's compositions, but these particular curtains,
both in colour, proportions, and folds, recall Raphael's
" Madonna di San Sisto," which was at that time at
Piacenza. Two little fellows in the foreground are
making music. There is a spontaneity and freedom in
the action of these "putti" which gives them a lightness
and a vivacity that go far to palliate their too clumsy
build. The type of child which Gaudenzio painted
under the influence of Luini has given place to a less
refined type, and we shall see these rotund little people,
with rolls of flesh instead of firmly modelled limbs,
appear constantly in the works of his last years.
We have no documents relative to the frescoes repre-
senting scenes from the life of St. Mary Magdalen, and
the fine " Crucifixion " over the altar of this chapel, but
we know they were finished by November, 1532. On
December 2, 1530, Gaudenzio signed a contract to
paint an ancona for the Church of St. Mark at Vercelli,
which was to be ready in six months,* and towards the
end of 1531 he began negotiations for an ancona for the
Duomo at Casale,t which was partly executed during
the first half of 1532. It must therefore have been
during the year 1530, the autumn of 1531, and the
autumn of 1532, that the frescoes in this chapel were
painted.
They have suffered much injury in the course of years,
* This altar-piece has disappeared. t See p, 106,
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 95
and more than once were threatened with destruction.
When the Spaniards assaulted Vercelli in 1638, a
cannon-ball broke the wall* and partly destroyed three
of the scenes depicted. Later on a project to pull
down the church, as it interfered with the fortifications
of the town, was decided upon, but the Frati appealed
to the Cardinal Maurice of Savoy to intercede, and the
church and all it contained were saved. But, in spite of
retouching and damp, what remains of the frescoes is
sufficient to show that Gaudenzio maintained a very
high standard throughout. His large decisive brush
is handled with a masterly dexterity. Life and vivacity
are never lacking, but he shows more restraint than is
usual in the composition, while the individual figures
are superbly painted.
Gaudenzio depicted on the wall four scenes from the
life of the Magdalen. They are in two rows, and repre-
sent the following subjects :
1. The Magdalen listening to Christ preaching in the
Temple. ^
2. Christ at the house of Simon the Pharisee, and
the Magdalen at His feet.
3. The Magdalen at Marseilles.
4. The Magdalen being carried to heaven by angels.
Above, in the centre, is a sibyl holding a scroll, and
below is an angel holding up a cartouche, on which is a
long inscription in Italian describing the above subjects.
* This occurred in spite of the express command of the
Marquis de Leganes, the general in command, who tried to save
the church, and gave 400 lire towards restoring the damage done.
The Frati used the Marquis's gift to restore the building, but had
not enough to restore the paintings.
96 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Below is a ^tablet with the following inscription in
Latin :
JO: ANGELUS EX CORRADIS LIGNAN^
PR. ANDREW PR^EPOSITI ET
NICOLAI HUJUS TEMPLI
CONDITORIS PRONEPOS SACELLUM
HOC DIV.E M. MAGDALENE
DICAVIT MDXXXII.
The two upper frescoes are half destroyed, but we
have some idea of the composition from two small pen-
and-ink drawings which are now in the collection of
the Avocat Borgogna at Vercelli, and which were done
previous to the bombardment in 1638.* We find that
in the second scene there were two windows in the
background, through which we see the Magdalen going
to visit the tomb of Christ.
But the best -preserved and, I think, one of the most
interesting frescoes Gaudenzio ever painted is No. 3.
Like so many compositions of the period, we have
several episodes in the same fresco. In the foreground
is a fine group of figures, splendidly painted, while in
the background fact and fancy are charmingly blended,
and in the little scenes depicted the painter tells the
story with his usual vivaciousness. In one place we
see the Magdalen, with her little band, welcoming the
Prince of Marseilles on his return from his pilgrimage,
with the news of his son's restoration to life ; in
another she is preaching from the steps of the Temple
* These may be two pages from the volume of pen-and-ink
drawings done by Pellegrino Tibaldi which was in the possession
of the Marchese d'Adda at the beginning of the last century.
VERCELLI—1528 TO 1536 97
to Diana ; while further on the accident to the young
man is taking place. Beyond and behind stretches
a fanciful landscape, towns and temples, water and
mountains, and castles on crags, a fairy world of
romance. We have a good example of the value of
tones in the way the gray sheen of the water shows up
the little group at the landing-stage, and the effort of
the boatmen pushing the boat off is clearly defined.
The two figures kneeling in the foreground are
obviously portraits of Vercelli patricians, probably
members of the Corradi family. The old-gold-coloured
mantle lined with white fur, and the auburn hair and
beard of the man, make a rich and harmonious scheme
of colour, while the modelling of the heads is excellent.
The bony structure of the skull is admirably felt, and
the roundness and solidity of the muscles are firmly
and strongly drawn. The technique of the two men
kneeling to the right is equally interesting. Tradition
says that they are portraits of Gaudenzio and the
young Bernardino Lanino, who had recently become
his pupil.* There is every reason to accept this state-
ment, for on comparing these heads with the well-
known frescoes in San Nazzaro in Brolio at Milan,
painted by Lanino during the winter of 1545-46, we
find they are distinctly the same types, only much
younger. The youthful vivacity in Lanino's face is
cleverly rendered, while on the face of the older man is
a graver, more care-worn expression.
In the group to the right, the inspiration of the
artist is unhampered by portraiture, though one
recognises that the head of St. Maximian was painted
* In 1530.
7
98 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
from a favourite model. There is a wonderful feeling
of spirituality in the Magdalen's face and gestures, and
the hands are almost transparent. Gaudenzio never
cared to represent the starved asceticism so popular to
the fifteenth-century artists, and in later life he errs
considerably in the other direction. In this, however,
he is only reflecting the general spirit of the late
Renaissance, when material and distinctly opulent
forms superseded the more refined types of an earlier
ideal. The sheath, and not the blade, became the
purpose of art, and it is only Gaudenzio's sincerely
religious nature that enables him still to endow his
figures with a spiritual elevation, which is the keynote
of his life.
The fourth fresco was ruined by the cannon-ball
which pierced the wall and destroyed a great part of
the central group, This represented the Magdalen
rising to heaven, supported by angels, and the part
which escaped destruction is still interesting to study.
One angel supporting the feet of the saint is most
remarkable. The feeling of quick motion, like the dart
of a bird, almost takes one's breath away. In the
background is a fanciful representation of the Estrel
Mountains, and little scenes representing the last hours
of the Magdalen's life can still be made out. The
cartoon for this fresco is in the Albertina Library at
Turin.
The last and most important of this series is the
" Crucifixion " over the altar of the chapel. Though the
details naturally recall Gaudenzio's previous paintings
of this subject, it excels them all by the beauty of the
technique, while its position, facing down the church,
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 99
enhances its impressiveness. We find the same
scheme of composition as in the Canobbio picture,
namely, of lines converging towards the central figure,
and the light radiating from it to the group of the
fainting Virgin to the left. The figures of the
Redeemer and of the penitent thief are very fine. In
the latter, especially, the dead weight of the lifeless
body is admirably felt, while the anatomy shows that it
was not ignorance of the human form, but deliberate
intent, which made Gaudenzio rarely paint the nude.
The angels are not so interesting as the rest, though
the draperies are good ; but, as usual, this part of the
composition is not satisfactory, as it is overcrowded.
Poignant agony and acuteness of grief are there, but
the violence of the actions detracts from the solemnity
and dignity of the scene.
In the lower part of the picture the group of the
fainting Virgin is well painted. Though the type of
the Madonna is not so beautiful as on the screen at
Varallo, or so noble as that in the Church of Santa
Maria delle Grazie at Milan, the face is far superior in
technique. Gaudenzio had long ago abandoned the
hatching of his earliest fresco work, and we have here
a brush which is soft and fluid, depicts the slightest
undulation, and makes each face a network of delicate
chiaroscuro.
Some of the finest figures in the crowd are those of
the soldiers on horseback. That of Longinus is
particularly good. The modelling of the head, neck,
and arms is excellent, while the draping of the cloak
and the general pose of the figure are full of grace and
dignity. The soldier to the right is an equally striking
7—2
ioo GAUDENZIO FERRARI
figure. He wears the huge head-dress with feathers
we find in German and Swiss pictures of this century,
and was possibly painted from some officer command-
ing in the Emperor's army, and stationed at Vercelli.
With his red beard and steel armour, he makes a fine
bit of colour.
The St. John and the Magdalen are more insignificant,
and though the soldiers gambling are well painted, the
composition is rather confused. The portrait of an
elderly man kneeling to the left is probably that of
Giovanni Angelo Corradi, who died before the com-
pletion of the wrork.
The frescoes on the other side of the church are
equally fine and in a far better state of preservation.
The contract was signed on November 3, 1532, by
Gaudenzio and the new head of the Order, who is now
called " the Reverend Sieur Andrea Corradi, Provost
of St. Christopher." Gaudenzio undertook to paint
the Assumption of the Virgin, and such scenes from
her life as should be agreed upon by the Provost and
himself. The painting was not to be in any way
inferior to that of the frescoes in the Chapel of St. Mary
Magdalen, and he was to begin the work in the spring
of the following year, and to receive 80 £cus d'or in
payment.
During the intervening months he must have been at
Vigevano, where he painted a " Descent of the Holy
Ghost" for the chapel in the Ducal Palace. In the
list of expenses for the first four months of 1533, kept
by the Intendant Giovanni Aloysio for the Duke of
Milan, is the following entry : " A Maestro Gaudenzio
pittore in Vigevano lire 63." This picture is praised
Boeri pJioto
THE MAGDALEN AT MARSEILLES
San Cristoforo, Vercelli
To face p. 100
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 101
by Lomazzo, and was evidently an important work ;
but it has disappeared, and I have been unable to trace
it. It. is certainly not the picture in the collection of
the Prince Hercolani at Bologna, which, however, is
an interesting atelier work done some fifteen years
earlier.
In the Chapel of the Virgin in the Church of St.
Christopher at Vercelli, Gaudenzio arranged the scenes
on much the same plan as in the chapel opposite. The
" Assumption " is over the altar, and corresponds in
dimensions with the " Crucifixion " on the other side
of the church, while the side-wall is divided into four
spaces. As the window is shorter on this side, the
space beneath it is of sufficient height to admit of an
extra composition, which consists of a fine group of
figures representing St. Catherine of Siena, St. Nicholas
of Bari with two ladies kneeling, who were probably
members of the Corradi family. Beneath them is the
following inscription :
R. P. FR. ANDREAS EX CORRADIS
LIGNAN.E. HUJUS ECCLESLE
HUMILIATORUM RELIGIONIS
PR^POSITUS, SACELLUM HOC
VIVENS FIERI CURAVIT
MDXXXIIII.
The head of St. Nicholas is obviously done from the
same model as the head of St. Martin in the Turin
Gallery.* There is the same sharp nose, small, com-
pressed mouth, and ridge across the forehead, only in
this fresco he is a trifle older and stouter. It is a
* See p. 88.
102 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
refined face, full of kindness and humour, and was pro-
bably the portrait of some ecclesiastic living at Vercelli.
Over the window is a Sibyl with a scroll, much
injured, but very similar to the one in the chapel
opposite. The following scenes were chosen for the
rest of the wall :
1. The Birth of the Virgin.
2. The Sposalizio.
3. The Nativity.
4. The Visit of the Magi.
The first scene is slightly injured by damp. The
subject is treated in a homely manner, and the
peasant women, busy over the child in the fore-
ground, are simply and naturally grouped. In the
background is a charming figure of a little maid
bringing in food, while the expression of anxious inquiry
depicted on the face of the nurse bending over St. Anna
is excellent. She has brought her the boiled egg which
it is still the custom in Piedmont and Lombardy to
give the mother as soon as she can take refreshment.
In the background is the angel appearing to St. Joachim
and St. Anna.
No. 2 recalls the Como " Sposalizio." The grouping
is practically the same, and there is the same element
of exaggeration in the attitudes of the disappointed
suitors. The one to the left is in the same whirling
pose as in the Como picture, and in his green and
yellow tights he is an even more fantastic figure, both
as regards colouring and attitude. There is a great
advance in the technique of the Vercelli fresco, and the
general scheme of colouring is light and harmonious.
Boeri fihoto
San Cristoforo, Vercelli
DETAIL OF THE HEAD OF A WOMAN IN "THE MARRIAGE OF
THE VIRGIN"
To face p. 102
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 103
The expression and pose of the Virgin have a certain
quiet and simple beauty. The finest heads in this
group are, however, those of the three women standing
behind her. To the extreme right is a singularly
beautiful and dignified woman of mature years. Next
to her is another head of great distinction, while the
one looking over the Virgin's shoulder, with her sweet
expression and starry eyes, is a particularly winsome
personality. The careful delineation and the refine-
ment of the features show that they are portraits,
probably of members of the Vercelli aristocracy, as
they are very different from Gaudenzio's usual types.
In this series it is obvious that the Virgin is done from
a very beautiful model of the peasant class.
In the background is the Temple, and to the left is
a small group representing the Presentation of the
Virgin. These little figures are lightly sketched in, but
the attitudes are admirable, that of St. Anna being
particularly good.
No. 3 represents the Nativity, and is the most
completely satisfactory of the series. It is the finest
work of this subject painted by Gaudenzio in the
" maniera moderna," as Vasari calls it. The compos -
tion, technique, and feeling are of the highest order,
and the nearest approach to it is the Dorchester House
" Nativity," which takes the same high place as a panel
picture as this does as fresco work. The Madonna in
the Arona " Nativity " stood supreme in a byegone
world of a calmer devotional atmosphere. Though her
features show a delicate emotion, she does not, how-
ever, possess the intense dramatic qualities that vivify
the interesting figure in the Vercelli work. Both
104 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
pictures are fine works of art, but as different in style
as in technique. The beauty of face and gesture and
the grand sweep of the Madonna's cloak are wonderfully
fine in the fresco we are now studying. The somewhat
clumsy type is redeemed by the simplicity of the atti-
tude, and elevated by the beauty and intensity of the
feeling.
What we have already mentioned about Gaudenzio's
technique is very apparent in this fresco, and the model-
ling of the old shepherd's head is a good example of his
skill in chiaroscuro. The angels making music are
amongst the most perfect he ever painted. The land-
scape is roughly but admirably indicated. The sharp
line dividing off the little scenes above, though it cuts
into the sky, has a certain constructive value in separa-
ting the Annunciation and the Presentation, which
are depicted in architectural surroundings, from the
wild, lonely landscape beneath.
The fourth scene represents the Visit of the Magi, and
is composed differently from the rest. The figures of
the kings and their retinues fill the foreground and middle
distance, and cover the space allotted to this picture.
There is no distant background with little scenes, as we
have seen in the other frescoes. The composition is
original, but rather overcrowded and confused, and the
subject has given Gaudenzio another opportunity to
introduce in the figures of the three kings fine portraits
of Vercelli magnates in all the bravery of Renaissance
dress. The nobleman standing to the right, in his
brown and gold surcoat slashed with green, and the
richly dressed young man getting off his horse and
doffing his plumed cap, to the left, are superbly painted.
.....
Boeri photo
THE NATIVITY
San Gaudenzio, Vercelli
To face p. 104
»•».»•»
LIFORjx
DETAIL OF THE ASSUMPTION
San Cristoforo, Vercelli
To face p. 104
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 105
The strength and breadth of treatment, combined with
a keen insight into character, make it a matter of regret
that Gaudenzio neglected this branch of art, for he here
shows himself to be the equal of any portrait- painter of
his day.
The kneeling Magian, in his shot mauve and yellow
mantle, is also fine, but the fresco has suffered from
damp and has been retouched. In the collection be-
longing to the Avocat Borgogna at Vercelli is a painting
in oils which is believed to be the original sketch for
this fresco. In its present condition it is difficult to
recognise Gaudenzio's brush, but it has a special
interest, as it contains more figures to the right than
the space of the wall allowed of.
The horses are badly done, as Gaudenzio never could
paint or model horses with any success, and he prob-
ably left them to his assistants to finish. He had
undertaken to paint all the figures himself in these
frescoes, but in this particular scene there is much
inequality, and some of the heads are painted by
another hand. This is, however, the only one of the
series in which this is noticeable.
We will now turn to the " Assumption of the Virgin "
over the altar of the chapel. With all its faults, it may
rank as the finest representation of this subject. The com-
position may lack the simplicity of Titian's great work
at Venice, but it far exceeds it in the intense and subtle
qualities of expression and feeling. The Correggiesque
influences are noticeable, but the fervour and rapture
that pervade this great work are far more vigorous and
human. The intensity of devotion expressed furnishes
an upward lift for thought and imagination. But
106 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
though the spiritual expression on her face recalls
St. Placida in Correggio's picture at Parma, this
beautiful Madonna is Gaudenzio's own creation, as,
rapt in ecstatic self - surrender, she floats upwards,
drawn by an irresistible force, ending her earthly
existence in the spirit of her first utterance, " Behold
the handmaid of the Lord ; be it unto me even as thou
wilt."
Above the Virgin's head is the Almighty holding a
crown, while all round her are " putti " and clouds.
Though nothing can destroy the distinction of the
principal figure, the general effect is crowded and con-
fused. The type of " putti " is unpleasing, and these
muscular and rubicund children, in their violent atti-
tudes, go far to destroy the spiritual atmosphere of the
scene.
In the lower part of the picture are the disciples,
drawn on a slightly larger scale to emphasize the
distance from the group above. The heads are the
usual types found at this period of Gaudenzio's art.
The faces are full of awe, amazement, and grief. The
gestures of the hands are rather monotonous. They
are of a coarse type, well drawn, with the artist's usual
peculiarities. Though much of the detail is unsatisfac-
tory in this fresco, the dramatic qualities and the
powerful technique, combined with sincerity and depth
of feeling, not only save it from the deadening influences
of mannerism and fleshiness, but also raise it to a very
high place in the realm of imaginative art.
As we have seen from the inscription, these frescoes
were finished in 1534. On July 9 of that year Gau-
denzio makes a final arrangement about the altar-piece
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 107
for Casale, which we have already mentioned,* and
which he undertook to finish by the next September.
The remains of this work now hang in the Cathedral
of Casale Monferrato, but are hardly worth visiting, as
they were badly injured by fire in the eighteenth cen-
tury. The central panel, representing the Baptism of
our Lord, now hangs in the second chapel to the left of
the west door. The St. John recalls the St. John in
the Varallo screen, but here wears a red cloak. The
figure of Christ is quite spoilt by sentimentality. Some
smaller fragments hang in the choir, but the damage
done by the fire and the subsequent restoration have
quite ruined the original work.
We now come to Gaudenzio's last great masterpiece,
the Choir of Angels, in the dome of the pilgrimage
Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli at Saronno. Gau-
denzio had already begun negotiations relative to this
piece of work, for in the contract which he signed at
Milan on September 28, 1534, mention is made of a
design which he had already submitted for the approval
of the deputies of the sanctuary. In this document the
terms are more generous than usual. The deputies
undertake to give lodging and wine for himself and his
assistants, and to pay for the scaffolding and for the
replastering of the surface of the dome where necessary.
In return Gaudenzio undertakes to start work at the
end of Easter week in the following year, and not to
begin anything else till it was finished. He was to
receive 200 scudi d'or, and there are the same condi-
tions relative to the judgment of an expert, when the
work is completed, that we have found in previous con-
* See p. 94.
io8 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
tracts. The beauty of the work is such, however, that
we are not surprised to find that Gaudenzio eventually
received 250 scudi d'or. He must have taken about
a year over it ; for though he was back at Vercelli on
October 4, 1535 (which is the last mention of him in
that town), the entries in the Saronno archives show
that the final payments for the frescoes were not made
till June ii and November 17, 1536.
The cupola at Saronno displays some of Gaudenzio's
finest qualities, and this in spite of the fact that he was
undoubtedly helped by his assistants in the execution
of these frescoes. The idea was probably inspired by
Correggio's domes at Parma, but the composition of
this one is entirely Gaudenzio's work. In the centre is
the Almighty in a circle of cherubim and seraphim,
from which radiate flames and rays of light. Though
not as a rule using gesso in this work, Gaudenzio uses
both carving and gesso for this group. Below is a ring
of " putti " in every attitude of ecstatic joy. They are
rather injured by damp and by cracks in the plaster,
but are on the whole well preserved. They were done
in part by Gaudenzio's assistants. The majority of the
figures in the crowd of angels were painted by Gau-
denzio himself, but a certain number of the heads lack
the lively touch of his own brush. His chief assistants
were probably his son Gerolamo and his pupil Ber-
nardino Lanino. They had been working under him
since about 1532, and we shall find them still working
under him a little later at Varallo.
In these frescoes we find Gaudenzio's usual gay but
harmonious scheme of colouring — yellows, browns,
greens, mulberry reds, grays and whites, with blues
Anderson photo Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Miracoli, Saronno
DETAIL OF FRESCOES OF ANGELS IN THE CUPOLA
To face p. 108
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 log
sparsely introduced. Though he is always inclined to
make the draperies too voluminous, they are well mani-
pulated and beautifully painted. The varied kinds of
musical instruments are very curious and most effec-
tively introduced. Among the many beautiful figures
is one of an angel blowing bagpipes. This noble and
dignified figure, in a dark-green dress and pale-reddish
mantle, is one of the finest in this work. Next it, to
the right, Gaudenzio has painted the youthful head
with flaxen ringlets we have met with before — notably
in the Novara " Last Supper " and in the St. Chris-
topher frescoes at Vercelli. Another figure of special
interest is an angel with an S-shaped trumpet. The
action is a trifle too vigorous, but the swirl and flow
of the pinky draperies are charming. Next it, to the
right, in dark-green robes and brown mantle, is the
beautiful figure of a singing angel rapt in adoration.
But the supreme quality of this great work is the
extraordinary life that pervades it. As we stand below
and look up at this busy throng animated with a holy
joy, we can but marvel at the astonishing vitality and
movement, and it almost seems that we hear the rustle
of this swarm of angels. The intense excitement and
tension shown in every face, the energetic and heart-
whole devotion of each single angel to its own particular
function in this vast throng, the whole painted with
strength, simplicity, and directness — all these qualities
combine to make this cupola one of the most remark-
able works in Italy.*
* The group representing the Assumption of the Virgin, with
" putti," is quite new. The surface of the cupola is covered with
cracks, and the whole structure is said to stand in need of
reparation.
no GAUDENZIO FERRARI
Gaudenzio probably left Vercelli in 1536, for in that
year the French invaded Piedmont, and, after taking
Turin and some other towns, menaced that place.
The unsettled state of the country would be sufficient
reason for him to move up into the Valsesia.
There is very little left of his other works at Vercelli.
The anconas painted for the Churches of St. Mark
and of the Holy Trinity have quite disappeared. Gone,
too, are the frescoes of a Madonna and Child in the
Church of San Nazarro, and those in the Basilica of
Santa Maria Maggiore.* The famous frescoes repre-
senting the life of St. Roch, and painted on the fa$ade
of the Church of St. Thomas as an ex voto against the
plague for the people of Vercelli, were already perishing
from exposure in 1672 when Cusano saw them, and
they have now quite disappeared. In the Church of
St. Francis is a fine picture of Sant' Ambrogio,! now in
the first chapel to the right of the west door ; but the
" Conversion of St. Paul " seen by Lanzi in this church
has gone. In the Badia of Sant' Andrea, the picture
once over the high-altar, representing the Madonna
and Child with St. Francis and Santa Clara, is no
longer to be found ; but in the sacristy there are still
the remains of a fresco of the Madonna and Child with
three " putti " playing on musical instruments. It
is very much injured, but the " putti " have still a
certain charm.
A small picture representing the Nativity is in
* Some fragments of these frescoes were once in the Palazzo
Gattinara, Vercelli, but I have been unable to trace them,
t Signor Masoero believes it to be by Giovanni Giovenone.
VERCELLI— 1528 TO 1536 in
the Archbishop's Palace at Milan. It is painted in oil
on wood, and belongs to the Vercelli period. The
composition is very similar to the big fresco in St.
Christopher, only the Madonna is kneeling on the
right, and a little St. John is kneeling by her. Three
angels playing musical instruments, and St. Joseph
kneeling to the left, complete the group, over which
stand St. Jerome and St. Christopher. In the back
is a charming landscape with a lake and mountains,
which recalls the view of Lake Maggiore from Luino.
The surface of this panel is, unfortunately, much injured
and blackened, but the colouring must have been of
great brilliancy. The draperies are well painted, and
the reds, yellows, browns, and greens, give a warm
effect, while the chiaroscuro is intensified by a bright
light which is thrown on the figures from the left.
Gaudenzio is known to have painted a banner for the
Society of Masons belonging to San Germano, a village
about seven miles from Vercelli. A bad copy is now
in the Royal Castle of Rivoli. Many works were once
attributed to him in the Vercelli district. Those that
still remain are not his work, but show that he had
influenced a number of smaller artists who were
working in that neighbourhood long after he had left.
CHAPTER VIII
LAST YEARS
THE next trace we have of Gaudenzio is at Varallo,
where he was working till 1539. Assisted by Lanino
and his son Gerolamo, he painted the cupola of the old
church on the Sacro Monte. This church was pulled
down in later years, but we know the subject was the
same as in the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista
at Parma — namely, Christ in glory with the Twelve
Apostles and angels, and is another proof of Correggio's
influence. Gaudenzio painted the principal figures,
and his assistants did the rest. This is the last mention
of Lanino as assistant to Gaudenzio. He had already
undertaken work on his own account, as the contract
for his earliest signed picture is dated April 24, 1534,*
and he probably now definitely began his independent
career, for his fine altar-piece at Borgosesia is dated
I539- We also find a proof of this in the fact that
in the Chapel of the Magi, Gaudenzio's next work at
Varallo, he is assisted by his son, and Lanino's name
is not mentioned.
We have, unfortunately, reached the period of de-
generation in Gaudenzio's art, which rapidly developed
with his declining years. This chapel was not altered
* No. 65 in the Turin Gallery. This picture was originally in
the parish church of Ternengo, near Biella.
112
LAST YEARS 113
in later times, and though it has suffered considerably
from damp, it can never have been pleasing, and from
what is left of the frescoes we can see that they were
roughly and coarsely executed, while both the painted
and modelled horses are very bad. Gesso is used
in the armour and trappings, a return to his early
methods. The rocky background is obviously done
from studies in the immediate vicinity of Varallo.
While engaged on this work great sorrow came to
Gaudenzio. In 1538 a violent quarrel broke out
between the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, relative
to the administration of the finances of the Sacro
Monte, a condition of things particularly distasteful to
a man of Gaudenzio's pious and gentle nature. Certain
" signori della Castellanzi " had subscribed 200 scudi
d'or to found this chapel, and some of the money had
been diverted to other uses. In the midst of this
trouble, early in 1539, Gaudenzio lost his son, and the
broken-hearted father apparently left Varallo at once,
and went to live at Milan. He seems to have broken
off all further connection with the home of his youth,
for on August 15 he sells his house at Varallo for
700 lire.
The document relative to the sale was signed at
Milan, and from this time till his death his home was
there, though he made two or three journeys to execute
commissions in different parts of the duchy.
The first of these commissions was the altar-piece
for the Church of Santa Maria di Piazza at Busto
Arsizio. It is composed of six panels ; the largest, in
the centre, represents the Assumption of the Virgin.
At the sides are St. John the Baptist, St. Michael,
8
H4 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
St. Jerome, and St. Francis. Above is God the
Father, and below is a predella with scenes from the
life of the Virgin. This is divided into three partitions :
to the left we have the birth of the Virgin, in the
centre the Sposalizio, and to the right the angel
appearing to Joseph in the carpenter's shop. The
Assumption is the same composition as the Vercelli
fresco, but lacks the spiritual atmosphere of that fine
work. The forms are coarser, and the colouring,
though rich, is heavier. The favourite yellow mantle
appears well in front. The surface of the picture has
been much blackened by the smoke of the candles on
the altar beneath. In the predella, however, we still
have a trace of that vein of delightful fancy which we
have often noticed. These little scenes are painted in
brown and yellow chiaroscuro with a light, quick brush,
and have a vivacity and a delicacy lacking in the larger
panels. They are full of natural incidents, such as a
child playing with a dog, a dog asleep, the Virgin
reading, etc. The drawing for this " Sposalizio " is
probably the one now in the Ambrosiana Pinacoteca
at Milan.
The side-walls of the choir are covered with frescoes
by Lanino, which are nearly all taken from Gaudenzio's
designs. As Gaudenzio left his cartoons to Lanino on
his death, this is not surprising.
There are no documents to be found relative to Gau-
denzio's work during the years 1540 and 1541. In a
document signed by him at Milan on March 27, 1540,
he appointed his stepson agent for his wife's property
at Morbegno, and it is probable that his last visit to the
Valtellina took place during these two years. Little is
LAST YEARS 115
left now of the work he executed during this visit. A
" Coronation of the Virgin " in the parish church of
Traona, about three miles from Morbegno, was highly
praised by Lomazzo, who speaks of the " Christ who
crowns the Virgin, surrounded by angels similar to the
Saronno ones." Beneath it was a " Conversion of
St. Paul." They were both painted in fresco, but the
wall was rebuilt in later years and the frescoes were not
preserved. All that remains of them now are some
broken fragments in a store-room behind the choir. At
Premona, above Talamona, a little higher up the valley,
Don Santo Monti found a fresco on the wall of a house,
which is undoubtedly by Gaudenzio. The figures are
life-size, and represent St. Anthony and St. Roch. It
is much injured by weather. At Morbegno itself Gau-
denzio painted a 'Nativity " in a lunette over the door
of the church belonging to the suppressed Convent of
St. Anthony, which is now used as barracks. The
fresco is protected by a wire-netting, which makes it
difficult to see. In spite of a certain crudity in the
colouring and coarseness in the execution, the work is
redeemed by the devout and earnest intention of the
artist and the beauty of sentiment in the figures.
In 1542 Gaudenzio was commissioned to paint the
Chapel of Santa Corona in the Church of Santa Maria
delle Grazie at Milan. As the name of the chapel sug-
gests, the subjects chosen were those scenes of the
Passion in which the crown of thorns appears. On the
right wall we find the "Flagellation," and above it
" Christ being shown to the People" ; on the left wall
is the " Crucifixion," an exaggerated version of the
Vercelli masterpiece; and in the vaulting are eight
8—2
n6 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
angels bearing the signs of the Passion. They are
coarsely and heavily painted, but are the same types as
we have seen in the Saronno cupola.
Though far inferior to the work of his earlier years,
certain details in these frescoes are still fine. The face
of our Lord in the " Flagellation " is pathetically ren-
dered, while that of the Virgin fainting in the scene of
the " Crucifixion " is one of the finest known. The
realism of this noble face worn out with grief has never
been surpassed.
The frescoes have been much injured by damp, and
much of the fiery colouring has faded, but the coarse
execution and the violent attitudes of most of the
figures — many of which are over life-size — make one
feel that these frescoes can never have been satisfac-
tory. We find Gaudenzio again using gesso for the
trappings of the horses.
The picture of St. Paul now in the Louvre at Paris
was painted in 1543 for the altar of this chapel. It
was replaced in 1558 by a "Crowning with Thorns," by
Titian, and both pictures were taken to France in 1800,
and were not restored in 1814. St. Paul is painted in
a green dress and red mantle, seated before a desk on
which is an open book. Through a window in the
background is seen the town of Damascus, and a small
group of figures representing the episode of the con-
version of the saint. It is signed and dated on the
desk, " 1543 Gaudentius." It is not a pleasing picture,
for the colouring is too strong and fiery, and the type of
face is ugly.
About 1543 Gaudenzio must have lost his wife, for
on July 4 of that year we find him renting a house for
LAST YEARS 117
three years, together with a certain Giovanni Battista
della Cerva, who became his partner for a short time.
Tradition says that Della Cerva had begun as a pupil
of Lanino, and his work shows he belongs completely
to Gaudenzio's school. He has not the strength or the
imagination of the old master, and his colouring is
grayer, but he has a certain grace, and his execution is
good. It is to Della Cerva's brush that I should ascribe
the greater part of the execution of the charming
" Madonna and Child " now in the Carrara Gallery at
Bergamo, and the " Christ rising from the Tomb " now
in the National Gallery in London, as they both lack
the vivid strenuousness of Gaudenzio's own technique.
The most important work they did together is the
" Last Supper " for the Chapel of St. John the Evan-
gelist in the Church of the Passionists at Milan. The
original contract is lost, but a document exists dated
February 18, 1544, referring to the payment for the
picture, and also for the frame, which was made by a
certain Giovanni Pietro from a drawing given by Gau-
denzio. Delia Cerva is mentioned as Gaudenzio's
associate.
The general tone of this picture is light and gay, but
the flesh tints are grayer, and the colours have no longer
the intensity of Gaudenzio's earlier work. Through
the open window we see a building which is supposed
to represent the original Church of the Passion before
it was enlarged. There is a touch of humour in the
two little gamins who have climbed up to the window
and are watching the feast. In the principal group the
types of the heads, the attitudes of the figures, and the
folds of the draperies, are more or less copied from his
n8 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
older works, but the composition lacks the early spon-
taneity and vivacity.
This " Last Supper " was commissioned by a certain
Don Aurelio, Prior of the monastery. He tried to
make a stipulation that, in return for his gift, the
monks of the Passion should say a yearly mass for him
on the anniversary of his death. As he could not get
this arrangement made, he presented the picture to the
Church of Sant' Ambrogio at Merate in 1546, and in
1549 cancelled his original deed of gift to the Passionists
of Milan. Litigation ensued, as Gaudenzio's death had,
no doubt, sent up the value of the work, and finally, in
1551, the picture was restored to its original place.
To this period belongs the " Martyrdom of St. Cathe-
rine " now in the Brera. This picture was originally
painted for the Church of Sant' Angelo. It is an unfor-
tunate specimen of the work of his last years. The
strength is there, but spoilt by violent and uncouth
attitudes. The brilliant colour, no longer subdued by
delicate half-tones, has degenerated into crudeness, the
types are coarse, and in the case of the central figure
ruined by sentimentality. The flesh tints are grayer and
browner, and the technique heavy and laboured, while
the composition is incoherent and confused. Such as
it is, however, it was immensely admired by Gaudenzio's
contemporaries, and in later times* we find the Austrian
Government giving 48,000 lire to secure it for the Brera.
Being in that important gallery and being a work of
such magnitude, this picture has, perhaps, more than
anything else tended to give a wrong estimation ot
Gaudenzio's very real talents.
* In 1829.
LAST YEARS ng
Another late work is in the Church of Santa Maria in
Celso at Milan. It is in the ambulatory, and represents
the Baptism of Christ. The St. John recalls the
Casale picture, but the figure of Christ is more dignified.
They are painted life-size. To the right are two angels,
and above are God the Father, and the Holy Ghost
descending in the form of a dove. Around are five
" putti " and clouds. In the background is a charming
landscape with hills and mountains, and a castle by a
stream. It is one of the most pleasing of Gaudenzio's
last works.
In the Basilica of Sant' Ambrogio is a canvas painted
in tempera. It is in the third chapel to the right, that
of St. Bartholomew, and that saint is represented
standing on one side of the Madonna and Child, with
St. John the Evangelist on the other, while above two
" putti " hold a crown over the Madonna's head. The
figures are life-size, but the colours have sunk in, the
surface of the canvas has been much blackened and
injured by time, and it is in a very bad light. Like
most of Gaudenzio's other work of this period, it is
mentioned by Lomazzo.
A picture of St. Jerome in the Church of San Giorgio
is also attributed to Gaudenzio. It is in the first
chapel to the right, but it is extremely doubtful that
this coarsely-painted picture was his work. His special
characteristics are lacking in the drawing, though his
favourite red is used for the cloak of the saint, and
the general impression given by this picture makes
me think that it belongs to a slightly later period.
Tradition says that the kneeling figure to the left is
the portrait of a member of the Delia Croce family
120 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
who was Abbot of the adjoining monastery, now sup-
pressed.
In the Borromean Gallery at Milan are two " putti "
who evidently once formed part of an altar-piece. The
type of child belongs to this late period, and the pale
flesh-tints and gray tones would point to Delia Cerva's
assistance in the execution. Some foliage recalls Gau-
denzio's own brush, and the curtains are painted a
certain red he constantly uses.
In 1545 Gaudenzio worked again at Saronno. He
painted four tondos below the cupola with the follow-
ing scenes from the story of the Fall :
1. The Creation of Eve.
2. Adam and Eve in Eden.
3. The Temptation of Eve.
4. The Expulsion from Eden.
The first two are ruined by damp, but the two last
named are in a fair state of preservation. We do not
know who were Gaudenzio's assistants, as the only
name mentioned in the archives is a certain Battista, a
wood-carver, but these frescoes entirely lack Gaudenzio's
usual animation. The tone of colouring is light, with
pale, distant landscapes. The figures are painted
against the skyline, and the anatomy is good.
Gaudenzio also painted an "Assumption of the
Madonna" with the Apostles, which was destroyed
when an organ was placed on that wall in the seven-
teenth century. From the Saronno archives we learn
that he received 100 gold scudi for this work, which
shows that it was an important one.
In the latter part of 1545 Gaudenzio must have
LAST YEARS 121
undertaken the frescoes representing the stories of the
Madonna, of St. Anna, and of St. Joachim, for the
Church of Santa Anna della Pace at Milan.* These
frescoes, which are now in the Brera, were left incom-
plete at Gaudenzio's death in January, 1546. They
were finished by inferior artists, and, though the exe-
cution is often poor, the composition shows that the
vein of lively imagination was still strong in the old
artist. Inferior as these frescoes are to Gaudenzio's
masterpieces at Vercelli and Saronno, their one claim
to consideration may be that they are said to have
influenced Paolo Veronese, and in some of these figures
we can see the forerunners of the great Venetian's
courtly crowds.
* This church was secularized, and the pictures dispersed, early
last century.
CHAPTER IX
DRAWINGS
A GOOD many of Gaudenzio's drawings and cartoons
are to be found at Turin. In the Royal Library is an
album containing a good many small drawings belong-
ing to the Lombard School, of which fourteen may be
attributed to Gaudenzio. He generally drew on gray
or brown paper, sometimes in pen and ink or in crayon,
or he painted in gouache. Sepia is chiefly used with
white for the high lights, and he also occasionally uses
a green colour. Another interesting collection of small
drawings is in the possession of the Cavaliere Antonio
Abrate of Turin. There are a good many by Lanino
in this collection, but twelve are certainly by Gaudenzio,
and are very well preserved. The earliest represents
the Visit of the Magi, and is about the time of the
Varallo screen. Another of the same subject, in pen
and ink touched up with white, belongs to a slightly
later period. It is very good. Many of these drawings
are chequered for enlarging.
In the Albertina at Turin we find a large collection
of cartoons. Gaudenzio bequeathed a great number to
Bernardino Lanino, who at his death left them to his
son Pietro, who valued them at 400 scudi. His heir,
the Canonico Carlo Solero, sold them for 800 scudi to
the Marchese Serra. Later they got dispersed, but in
122
DRAWINGS 123
the reign of Charles Emmanuel I. of Savoy a certain
number were acquired for the Royal Gallery at Turin.
In 1830 King Carlo Alberto ordered all drawings in
the Royal Collection to be transferred to the Royal
Accademia Albertina delle Belle Arti, where they have
remained ever since. There are fifty-eight in all, but
some are by Lanino, and in nearly all these cartoons
the original strokes of the chalk h*ve been gone over
again and again, so that it is difficult to recognise
Gaudenzio's touch anywhere. The following are
probably his work :
NO.
3. The Nativity.
4. Madonna and Child.
6. A single Figure. Possibly pair to No. 49.
9. Christ in Glory, with Putti bearing the Signs of
the Passion. Cartoon for the picture in San
Giovanni, near Bellagio.
13. St. Catherine. Possibly pair to No. 18.
14. Madonna and Child, with Worshippers.
15. The Magdalen rising to Heaven. Cartoon for
the Vercelli fresco.
18. A single Figure. See No. 13.
22. Annunciation. Very similar to the composition
on the Varallo screen.
24. The Deposition.
26. The Resurrection.
27. The Deposition, with Seven Figures.
29. The Nativity.
31. The Apostles.
33. The Sposalizio.
i24 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
NO.
37. An Archangel.
42(?). Signs of the Passion.
4 }. The Madonna kneeling with Angels.
46. The Holy Sepulchre.
49. St. John. See No. 6.
50. A Bishop. Pair to No. 50 bis.
50 bis. A Bishop. See No. 50.
51. Saint and Angel, with Donor kneeling.
53. The Holy Family.
55. The Virgin, Child, and Saints.
58. The Madonna, St. John, and Saints.
The cartoons for Nos. 9 and 42 were used by two of
the Giovenones in pictures now in the Turin Gallery.
A very early drawing exists in the Belle Arti at
Vercelli which is of special interest, as it is a youthful
copy of a drawing by Perugino. It is painted in
gouache in gray and red monotone, and is probably
done from a study by Perugino for his " Deposition,"
which was painted in 1495, and is now in the Pitti, as
the greater part of the design is a facsimile of that
composition. When Perugino was at Pavia in 1498, it
is probable that his sketches were eagerly studied by
the young Lombard artists. The want of proportion,
the ignorance of anatomy, and the clumsiness of the
technique, show great inexperience, while the peculiari-
ties of Gaudenzio's earliest style are found.
In the Uffizi, Morelli found two drawings by
Gaudenzio under other names. They are now cor-
rectly labelled, and are No. 348, which represents an
Assumption of the Madonna with a host of angels,
DRAWINGS 125
and No. 352, which represents a Madonna and Child
with two angels. No. 351 is not by Gaudenzio. It is
a copy of a bit of the fresco on the left side of the
Chapel of the Crucifixion on the Sacro Monte. It is
possibly by the same artist whose copies of the
Magdalen frescoes are in the possession of the Avocat
Borgogna.* There is the same precise but weak
execution, and it is drawn in the same faded yellow
ink.
In the Accademia at Venice is a study of five Apostles,
probably a sketch for a predella. They are painted in
brown, touched up with white, on a gray paper. The
" Last Supper " there is not by him. Morelli men-
tions a "Martyrdom of St. Cecilia" and an allegorical
figure, but I have been unable to trace anything else
that could possibly be attributed to Gaudenzio in this
collection.
At Milan there is a sketch in the Ambrosiana Pina-
coteca, which I have already referred to,t as I believe
it to be a study for the " Sposalizio " in the predella of
the big altar-piece at Busto Arsizio. It is full of life
and movement. In the Ambrosiana Library Dr. Friz-
zoni found another drawing by Gaudenzio. It is
No. 49 in a book called " La Galleria Portabile,"
which consists of a collection of various drawings under
the name of Polidoro di Caravaggio. It is drawn in
pencil, with a sepia wash, and touched up with white,
and represents an octagonal-shaped cupola, with four
angels flying, and in a circular niche is the bust of a
Bishop. Another drawing is in Dr. Frizzoni's own
collection at Milan, and represents a Last Supper.
* See p. 96. t See p. 114.
126 GAUDENZIO FERRARI
It is drawn roughly with the pen, shadowed with sepia,
and lightened with white.
Outside of Italy, London and Oxford are the only
places where drawings by Gaudenzio exist. Morelli
believed that No. 113 in the Dresden Collection was by
him.* It is a decorative scheme representing two
" putti," with foliage and grapes, and, though reluctant
to differ from that eminent critic, I believe it to be the
work of Lanino. It is too finished for Gaudenzio,
whose later drawings are strongly but roughly executed.
This drawing was photographed by Braun under the
name of Correggio,t which is yet another proof of the
influence of that artist on Gaudenzio, and indirectly on
his followers. I
In the Print Room at the British Museum we find
several drawings belonging to the .Milanese School.
Two in the Malcolm Collection are by Gaudenzio.
No. 318 is a design for a lunette, and represents three
figures playing on musical instruments. They are
painted in bistre and heightened with white, and
done on gray paper. The other drawing is one of the
earliest we possess by Gaudenzio, and one of the finest.
The composition recalls Perugino's fine picture of the
same subject at Florence, but the types are different.
The careful manner of delineating the locks of hair is to
be found in all Gaudenzio's early work. The portrait
of the donor shows that this must have been the sketch
* The oil-painting of > Holy Family in the Dresden Gallery
is not by Gaudenzio.
f No. 84 in Braun's Catalogue.
} A picture by an unknown artist in the library at Charterhouse,
of the Coronation of the Virgin, is another proof of this.
DRAWINGS 127
for a commission, and, judging from the finish of the
drawing, it was executed earlier than the screen at
Varallo. It is delicately and minutely drawn in red
chalk, and the high lights painted with white.
Another drawing in the British Museum is probably
a study for the " Madonna degli Arangi " in San
Cristoforo at Vercelli.* There is the same background
of foliage and fruit, with " putti " playing in the boughs
and holding back curtains, and the larger technique
shows that it belongs to the Vercelli period.
Another drawing by Gaudenzio is in the library of
Christ Church, Oxford. It represents the head of a
youth wearing a biretta, and is executed in silver point
heightened with white.
* See p. 93.
CHRONOLOGY
1480-81. Probable date of Gaudenzio's birth at Valduggia.
Father's name, Antonio Lanfranco or Fracchino;
mother's family name, Vincio (of Varallo) : both
dead before 1510.
1494-98. Went to Milan and studied under Stefano Scotto
and Luini.
1498. Possible date of a " Pieta " in fresco in the cloisters of
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo.
1503. Fresco on wall of the Chapel of the Pieta, Sacro Monte,
Varallo, originally Chapel of the Journey to Calvary.
1507. Frescoes in the Chapel of St. Margaret in the Church
of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo.
1508. Probable year of Gaudenzio's marriage. On July 26
he signed a contract at Vercelli to paint a picture
for the Confraternity of Sant' Anna. He is called
" maestro," and described as " Gaudentius de'
Varali." Eusebio Ferrari is mentioned in the deed
as witness for Gaudenzio. The picture was to be
ready by Easter, 1509. It has disappeared.
1509. On May 7 Gaudenzio signed a receipt for payment for
the above-mentioned work, in the Church of St.
Agnes, probably at Vercelli. His son Gerolamo was
born this year.
1510. On February 25 Gaudenzio signed a contract for an
ancona for the Church of Santa Maria at Arona.
To be ready by Easter in the next year.
128
CHRONOLOGY 129
1511. On June 5 and July 26 Gaudenzio signed documents
relative to the above-mentioned ancona at Arona.
1512. His daughter Margaret was born this year.
1513. Gaudenzio finished the great screen in the Church of
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo.
15 [4. On July 20 he signed a contract to paint an ancona for
the Church of San Gaudenzio at Novara. To be
finished in eighteen months.
1515. On May 4 he signed a receipt for a part of the sum due
for the above-mentioned ancona at Novara.
1516. On December 23 he signed receipt for part payment of
San Gaudenzio ancona at Novara.
1518. Gaudenzio signed a document relative to the payment of
the San Gaudenzio ancona at Novara on January 18.
1520. On May 29 Gaudenzio signed a receipt for part payment
for the altar-piece at Morbegno, in the Valtellina.
1521. On January 9 he signed a contract relative to Joseph
Giovenone, who is to begin his apprenticeship under
Gaudenzio on February 13 following.
On February 5 he signed a receipt for further payment
of the San Gaudenzio ancona at Novara.
On October 14 Gaudenzio signed receipt for part pay-
ment of the ancona at Morbegno.
1524. On March 8 and July 21 he signed receipts for pay-
ments at Morbegno.
1525. On May 9 Gaudenzio signed a document as witness at
Vercelli.
On August 12, September 7 and 16, and October 7, he
signed receipts for payments at Morbegno.
1526. On January 26 Gaudenzio signed receipt for payment at
Morbegno.
1528. Early this year Gaudenzio married for a second time,
and went to live at Vercelli. The following docu-
ments are dated from that place :
9
130 CHRONOLOGY
On July 24 he signed a deed as witness.
On October 13 he signed a contract for an altar-piece
for the Church of Santa Trinita, to be ready by
August i, 1529. This picture has disappeared.
On November 8 he signed a deed as witness.
1529. On June 27 Gaudenzio signed the contract for the
altar-piece in St Christopher, Vercelli.
On July 3 he signed a contract with a wood-carver for
the frame of the above-mentioned altar-piece.
1530. On February 3 he signed a deed as witness in the
Convent of San Marco, Vercelli.
On July 1 2 he signed a deed as witness. In the same
document are the names of his son Gerolamo and of
Bernardino Lanino.
On July 24 Gaudenzio signed a deed as witness.
On December 2 he signed a contract for an ancona for
the Church of San Marco, Vercelli. It was to be
ready by June 31, 1531. This picture has dis-
appeared.
1531. On February 23 Gaudenzio signed receipt for part pay-
ment of the above-mentioned ancona.
1532. On January 14 and 19 and on August 7 and 19 he
signed receipts for payments of the altar-piece for the
cathedral at Casale Monferrato.
On May 4 Gaudenzio signed a deed in which his son
Gerolamo appears as witness.
On August 14 Gaudenzio signed a deed in which he
makes himself guarantee for his stepson.
A document dated November 2, relative to his daughter's
marriage and dot, is signed by Gaudenzio and his
son Gerolamo. The money is secured by a mortgage
on his houses at Varallo, and is to be paid in four
instalments.
On November 3 Gaudenzio signed the contract for the
CHRONOLOGY 131
frescoes representing the life of the Virgin in the
Church of St. Christopher, Varallo.
1533. In the list of expenses during the first four months of
1533, kept by the Duke of Milan's intendant at
Vigevano, is the following entry : " A Maestro Gau-
dentio pittore in Vigevano lire 63."
1534. On July 9 Gaudenzio signed a document relative to the
Casale altar-piece, which is to be finished and sent
off in the following September. Signed at Vercelli.
On September 20 Gaudenzio met the deputies from
Saronno at Milan, and signed a contract to paint
the cupola of Santa Maria di Saronno. He was to
begin the next Easter, and to receive 200 ecus d'or.
Signed at Milan.
I53S- On October 4 Gaudenzio signed a deed as witness at
Vercelli. This is the last notice of him in that town.
1536. On June u and November 17 Gaudenzio signed receipts
for payments for the Saronno work. Name of place
is not mentioned, but it was probably Saronno.
1539. On August 8 Gaudenzio signed a document relative to
his wife's property. This and the following docu-
ments are all signed at Milan.
On August 9 he signed a deed selling his house at
Varallo for 700 livres.
On September 22 he signed a document appointing an
agent at Morbegno to administer his wife's property.
On October i Gaudenzio and another artist arbitrate in
a quarrel between a patron and an artist.
On October 8 the decision relative to the above-men-
tioned arbitration was signed.
1540. On January 20 Gaudenzio signed a receipt for the final
payment for his house at Varallo,
On March 27 he signed a deed making his stepson
agent at Morbegno.
9—2
132 CHRONOLOGY.
1543. On July 4 Gaudenzio and Delia Cerva take a house for
three years.
Picture of St. Paul, now in the Louvre, was painted
this year.
1544. A document dated February 18, and relative to the
" Last Supper " in the Church of the Passionists at
Milan, mentions three payments made to Gaudenzio
and Delia Cerva, and one to the frame-maker.
1545. Entries made in the Saronno archives during this year
prove that Gaudenzio and his assistants painted the
four tondos under the cupola during this year ; also
an " Assumption of the Virgin," which was destroyed
in later times to make room for the organ.
1546. Death of Gaudenzio Ferrari, January 31.
CATALOGUE OF THE WORKS OF
GAUDENZIO FERRARI
[N.B. — The letters E and L in this list refer to Early and Late.]
THE BRITISH ISLES.
BRIGHTON, MR. HENRY WILLETT, Montpellier Place.
MADONNA AND CHILD. Doubtful. Oil on wood.
LONDON, NATIONAL GALLERY.
CHRIST RISING FROM THE TOMB (L.). Oil on wood.
Execution probably by Delia Cerva. Formerly in the
Scarpa Gallery at Motta di Livenza, near Treviso. Pur-
chased 1895.
LONDON, BRITISH MUSEUM. [DRAWINGS.]
Malcolm Collection, No. 318, LUNETTE with three figures.
THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN (E.). Red chalk.
Possible sketch for the MADONNA DEGLI ARANGI.
LONDON, CAPTAIN HOLFORD, Dorchester House, Park Lane.
HOLY FAMILY WITH DONOR. Oil on wood, 4 feet n
inches x 3 feet 9 inches.
Formerly in the Palazzo Taverna at Milan. Bought early
in the last century by Gianbattista Etienne, of Brussels, for
5,000 florins, and sold by him to an English gentleman for
40,000 francs.
LONDON, DR. LUDWIG MONO, Avenue Road, N.W.
ST. ANDREW. Oil on wood.
Formerly in the Scarpa Collection at Motta di Livenza
Purchased 1895.
133
134 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
FRANCE.
PARIS, LOUVRE.
ST. PAUL (L.). Oil on wood.
Formerly in the Chapel of Santa Corona in Santa Maria
delle Grazie, Milan. Taken to Paris in 1800.
Inscribed " 1543, GAUDENTIUS."
GERMANY.
BERLIN, NATIONAL GALLERY.
No. 213, ANNUNCIATION. Oil on wood.
"Ave Maria" in Gothic lettering.
BERLIN, HERR EUGEN SCHWEITZER.
THE ANGEL GABRIEL (E.). Oil on wood.
Part of an ANNUNCIATION.
FOUR PUTTI. Small panels in chiaroscuro.
BRESLAU, SCHLESISCHES MUSEUM.
A PORTRAIT OF A MAN. Attributed to Gaudenzio.
KONIGSBERG, THE KUNSTVEREIN.
DELIVERY OF THE KEYS. Attributed to Gaudenzio.
OLDENBURG. GALLERY.
MADONNA AND CHILD AND SAINTS. Doubtful.
ITALY.
ARCORRE, SIGNOR VITTADINI.
MADONNA AND CHILD (E.). Oil on wood.
Possibly from the Church of San Pietro, Rocca Pietra,
Valsesia.
ITALY 135
ARONA, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA.
ANCONA (E.). Finished in 1511. Oil on wood.
In nine divisions. Above, God the Father, 4 feet
7 inches x 2 feet 4 inches, and saints ; centre, Holy Family,
3 feet 6 inches x 3 feet, and saints and donor; below,
predella of Christ and the Twelve Apostles. Engraved by
Piannezza.
Signed and dated.
BELLAGIO, CHURCH OF SAN GIOVANNI.
ALTAR-PIECE, 8 feet 2 inches x 3 feet n inches. Oil on
wood.
Christ in glory, surrounded by angels bearing the signs of
the Passion ; below, saints and donors kneeling in adora-
tion. Cartoon in the Accademia Albertina dei Belle Arti,
Turin. Formerly in a church in the Valtellina, and pre-
sented to the Church of San Giovanni, Bellagio, by the
late Signor Frizzoni in 1849.
BERGAMO, GALLERIA CARRARA.
No. 98, MADONNA AND CHILD. Oil on wood, 5 feet
2 inches x 2 feet 7 inches.
Probably executed by Delia Cerva. Originally in the
Convent of Santa Chiara at Milan. Engraved by Pian-
nezza.
BERGAMO, GALLERIA LOCHIS.
Nos. 48, 49, 50, and 51, DANCING AND PLAYING PUTTL
Oil on wood.
Formerly the predella of the altar-piece, " The Marriage
of St. Catherine," in the cathedral at Novara. Passed into
the Monti Collection at Milan, then into the Borromeo
Gallery, and finally into the Lochis Gallery.
No. 73, HOLY FAMILY (?). Oil on wood, i foot 7 inches x
i foot i inch.
BERGAMO, CHURCH OF SANT' ALESSANDRO DELLA CROCE —
SACRISTY.
ST. JEROME AND THREE DOMINICAN SAINTS (E.). Four
panels, oil on wood. Circa 1510.
136 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
BUSTO ARSIZIO, SANTA MARIA DI PIAZZA.
ANCONA in nine panels. Circa 1539. Oil on wood.
Assumption of the Madonna \ St. John the Baptist and
St. Michael ; St. Jerome and St. Francis ; above, God the
Father ; predella, three scenes from the life of the Virgin.
CANOBBIO, LAKE MAGGIORE, CHIESA BELLA PIETA.
JOURNEY TO CALVARY. Circa 1519. Oil on wood.
Predella : Angels kneeling, and a Pieta in gesso, gilded.
CASALE MONFERRATO, DUOMO.
Altar, left of entrance, BAPTISM OF CHRIST. Oil on wood,
much injured.
In choir, fragments of altar-piece, ST. LUCY AND THE MAG-
DALENE, and predella panels with scenes from the life of
St. Lucy. 1534. Oil on wood, much injured.
COMABBIO, LAKE OF COMABBIO, BAPTISTERY OF
PARISH CHURCH.
ANCONA. Oil on canvas, 2 feet i inch x 4 feet 8 inches.
Doubtful.
Upper part, Madonna and Child, carved and gilded ;
lower part, souls in limbo.
COMO, DUOMO — CHAPEL OF SANT' ABBONDIO.
ANCONA in wood, carved and gilded. Circa 1514-15.
Designed in great part by Gaudenzio, and probably
carried out by Passeri.
To left, FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. Circa 1527. Tempera on
canvas, 10 feet 7 inches x 7 feet 6 inches.
Above, RECUMBENT FIGURE OF PROPHET. Tempera on
canvas.
COMO, DUOMO — CHAPEL OF SAN GIUSEPPE DEL MARCHESI.
MARRIAGE OF THE VIRGIN. Circa 1518. Tempera on
canvas, 10 feet 7 inches x 7 feet 6 inches.
Originally painted for the Chapel of Sant' Abbondio.
ITALY 137
CRESSA FONTANfeTA, PARISH CHURCH.
ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN (E.). Fresco.
GATTINARA, PARISH CHURCH.
Five panels, the remains of an ANCONA, representing the
Madonna and Child and four saints. Circa 1518. Oil
on wood.
GENOA, PALAZZO BALBI.
HOLY FAMILY. Doubtful.
ISLAND OF SAN GIULIO, LAGO D'ORTA, CHURCH
OF SAN GIULIO — FIRST CHAPEL TO RIGHT.
FRESCOES, quite ruined by damp and repainting.
ISOLA BELLA, LAGO MAGGIORE, VILLA BORROMEO.
THE REDEEMER HOLDING A GLOBE. Oil on wood.
Doubtful.
MAGGIANICO, CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO.
ALTAR-PIECE representing Sant' Ambrogio, San Bona-
ventura, and Sant' Antonio.
Originally painted in oil on wood for a church that was
destroyed at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Transferred on to canvas.
MILAN, BRERA.
MADONNA AND CHILD. Oil on wood, 3 feet 5 inches x
2 feet 3 inches.
Bought from the Prinetti family in 1890.
MARTYRDOM OF ST. CATHERINE (L.). Circa 1545. Oil
on wood, 10 feet 10 inches x 6 feet 10 inches.
This picture was originally in the Church of Sant3 Angelo,
Milan. It passed to the Soncini family, and then to the
gallery belonging to the Count Teodoro Lechi of Brescia.
It was sold by him to the Austrian Government in 1829 for
48,000 lire. Engraved by Piannezza.
138 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
MILAN, BRERA— ENTRANCE GALLERY.
A series of FRESCOES representing scenes from the lives of
St. Joachim, St. Anna, and the Virgin.
Begun by Gaudenzio, and finished after his death by his
followers.
MILAN, ARCHBISHOP'S PALACE.
ADORATION OF THE HOLY CHILD. Circa 1530. A small
panel in oil.
MILAN, MUSEO BORROMEO.
No. 12, MADONNA AND CHILD WITH ST. JOSEPH AND ST
ANTHONY ABBOT. Circa 1519. Oil on wood, 4 feet
5 inches x 2 feet 7 inches.
PUTTI (L.). Oil on wood.
MILAN, MUSEO DI CASTELLO SFORZA.
PREDELLA in chiaroscuro. Oil on wood.
MILAN, MUSEO POLDI-PEZZOLI.
MADONNA AND CHILD WITH ST. DOMINIC, ST. PETER
MARTYR, ST. BARBARA, AND ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA.
Circa 1518. Oil on wood .
MILAN, CHURCH OF SANT' AMBROGIO— CHAPEL OF ST. BAR-
THOLOMEW.
MADONNA AND CHILD WITH ST. BARTHOLOMEW AND ST.
JOHN THE BAPTIST AND PUTTI (L.). Tempera on canvas.
MILAN, CHURCH OF SAN GIORGIO AL PALAZZO— FIRST
ALTAR TO RIGHT.
ST. JEROME AND DONOR (L.). Doubtful. Oil on wood,
15 feet 5 inches x 4 feet 9 inches.
Engraved by Piannezza.
ITALY 139
MILAN, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA IN CELSO— AMBULA-
TORY.
BAPTISM OF CHRIST (L.). Oil on wood, 1 1 feet 5 inches x
4 feet 6 inches.
MILAN, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE —
CHAPEL OF THE SANTA CORONA.
Scenes from THE PASSION OF CHRIST, angels in the vaulting
(L.). 1542. In fresco.
Engraved by Piannezza.
MILAN, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA BELLA PASSIONE —
CHAPEL OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST.
THE LAST SUPPER (L.) 1544. Oil on wood.
Assisted by Delia Cerva.
MILAN, SIGNOR CRESPI.
PIETA (E.). Oil on wood, 3 feet 10 inches x 2 feet
ii inches.
Once in the possession of the Rossi family at Turin.
Passed to Signor Bianco at Milan. Bought by Signer
Crespi in 1900.
MILAN, CONTE CICOGNA.
MARRIAGE OF ST. CATHERINE.
MILAN, CONTE LORENZO SORMANI.
ADORATION OF THE CHILD (L.). Doubtful. Oil on canvas.
MORBEGNO, CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION AND OF ST.
LAWRENCE.
ALTAR-PIECE. Circa 1516 to 1523. Carved, gilded, and
painted.
Assisted by Del Magno and Fermo Stella.
140 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
MORBEGNO, CHURCH OF SANT' ANTONIO DEI DOMENICANI
(now used as barracks).
LUNETTE over entrance.
ADORATION OF THE CHILD (L). In fresco, 5 feet x 10 feet
6 inches.
NOVARA, LIBRARY.
Two panels of ANGELS ADORING (E.). Oil on wood.
Bequeathed by Cavaliere Morbio, in whose family they
had been over a hundred years. Engraved by Piannezza.
NOVARA, DUOMO — THIRD CHAPEL TO RIGHT.
MARRIAGE OF ST. CATHERINE. Oil on wood, 7 feet
4 inches x 5 feet 4 inches.
Engraved by Piannezza.
NOVARA, DUOMO— SACRISTY.
THE LAST SUPPER (E.). Oil on wood.
Originally in the form of a tondo, and cut down to fit into
the panelling.
NOVARA, CHURCH OF SAN GAUDENZIO — THIRD CHAPEL
TO LEFT.
ALTAR-PIECE in six partitions and predella (E., circa 1515).
Oil on wood.
Engraved by Piannezza.
NOVARA, CHURCH OF SAN GAUDENZIO — FIFTH CHAPEL
TO RIGHT.
Terra-cotta figure of CHRIST CRUCIFIED (E.).
NOVARA, CASA DELLA FAMIGLIA FAA.
Two panels : ST. MAURICE, ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST.
Oil on wood, 3 feet 6 inches x 2 feet 3 inches.
Part of an ancona originally painted for the Tettona family
of Romagnano.
ITALY 141
NOVARA, COUNT CASTELLANI.
PREDELLA representing the Nativity, Adoration of the Magi,
and the Flight into Egypt. Oil on wood. Much injured
and retouched. Originally in the Parish Church of Bor-
gosesia.
PREMONA (above Talamona, in the Valtellina).
FRESCO on a house, representing the Madonna and Child
with San Rocco and St. Anthony Abbot. Life-size.
QUARONA (near Varallo), CHURCH OF SANT' ANTONIO.
MADONNA AND CHILD (E.). Oil on wood.
RIVOLI, PIEDMONT, ROYAL CASTLE.
A BANNER painted in tempera on canvas. Doubtful.
Much injured.
ROCCA PIETRA (near Varallo), CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN.
ALTAR-PIECE in form of temple, with carved statuettes and
five panels (E., circa 1514). Oil on wood.
ROMAGNANO, VALSESIA, PARISH CHURCH.
DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. Oil on wood.
Early school picture, originally in the form of a tondo, and
painted for another church in the same town.
SARONNO, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DEI MIRACOLI —
CUPOLA.
CHOIR OF ANGELS. 1535-36. In fresco.
Engraved by Piannezza.
Four MEDALLIONS below, painted in 1545. In fresco.
SARONNO, PARISH CHURCH.
THE ALMIGHTY (L). Doubtful.
142 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
TURIN, ROYAL GALLERY.
No. 43, MEETING OF ST. JOACHIM AND ST. ANNA (E.).
Oil on wood, 2 feet 10 inches x i foot 10 inches.
No. 44, THE ALMIGHTY (E.). Oil on wood, 2 feet 10 inches
x i foot 10 inches.
No. 47, THE MADONNA AND CHILD, ST. ANNA AND ANGELS
(E.). Oil on wood, 2 feet 10 inches x i foot 10 inches.
No. 48, St JOACHIM DRIVEN FROM THE TEMPLE (E.). Oil
on wood, 2 feet 10 inches x i foot 10 inches.
These four panels once belonged to Signer Antonio Prina,
and came from near Novara.
No. 46, ST. PETER AND DONOR. Oil on wood (life-size),
5 feet 2 inches x 2 feet.
The right wing of an ancona.
No. 49, THE MADONNA AND CHILD, ST. MARTIN, ST.
MAURICE, AND A PUTTO. Oil on wood, 6 feet 6 inches
x 4 feet.
Belonged formerly to the Confraternita della Scala at
Casale di Monferrato. Bought in 1870 from the painter
Orlandi for 20,000 lire.
No. 50, THE CRUCIFIXION. Tempera on canvas, 5 feet
6 inches x 5 feet 7 inches.
Belonged in 1830 to the Crescia family at Casale di
Monferrato.
No. 51, THE DEPOSITION. Oil on wood. 7 feet x 4 feet
2 inches.
Cartoon in the Biblioteca Albertina, Turin. In 1799 this
picture was sent to Paris and was believed to be by Bramante.
It was returned in 1815.
TURIN, SIGNOR AERATE.
A collection of DRAWINGS.
TURIN, ROYAL LIBRARY.
A collection of DRAWINGS.
ITALY 143
TURIN, BIBLIOTECA ALBERTINA DELLE BELLE ARTI.
CARTOONS and DRAWINGS.
TURIN, MARCHESA DI SANT' ANDRE.
CHRIST IN GLORY, surrounded by saints and angels. Doubt-
ful. Oil on wood.
Signature said to be under the frame.
VALDUGGIA, VALSESIA, CHURCH OF SAN GIORGIO.
HOLY FAMILY, ST. BARBARA, AND A SHEPHERD. Fresco.
Injured.
Engraved by Piannezza.
VARALLO, SACRO MONTE.
Chapel of the Nativity : FIGURES (E.).
Chapel of the Visit of Shepherds : FIGURES (E.).
Chapel of the Pieta : FRESCOES only.
This chapel was originally the Chapel of the Journey to
Calvary.
Chapel of the Crucifixion : FRESCOES and FIGURES.
Chapel of the Magi : FIGURES and FRESCOES (in part).
Chapel of Christ shown to the People : Two FIGURES in
the crowd.
VARALLO, MUSEUM.
ST. SEBASTIAN. Oil on wood.
ST. PANACEA, ST. PETER (E.). Oil on wood.
These two small panels formed part of an ancona in the
Church of San Giovanni at Quarona.
A PORTRAIT OF A MAN IN A RED CAP (E.). Oil on wood.
Two tondi of MONKS' HEADS (E.). Fresco.
ST. FRANCIS RECEIVING THE STIGMATA.
This picture was originally in the old church on the Sacro
Monte. Engraved by Piannezza.
144 CATALOGUE OF WORKS
VARALLO, MUSEUM (continued).
Predella, MARRIAGE OF ST. CATHERINE. Chiaroscuro.
Oil on wood.
VARALLO, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE.
SCREEN across the church, representing twenty-one scenes
from the life of Christ. 1513. In fresco, 34 feet x
26 feet.
Engraved by Piannezza.
VARALLO, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE —
CHAPEL OF ST. MARGARET.
SCENES FROM THE CHILDHOOD OF CHRIST. Circa 1507.
Fresco, 8 feet x 7 feet 10 inches.
Engraved by Piannezza.
VARALLO, CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE —
CLOISTER.
PIETA (E.). Fresco.
Engraved by Piannezza.
VARALLO, CHURCH OF SAN GAUDENZIO— CHOIR.
ALTAR-PIECE in six parts. Oil on wood.
Engraved by Piannezza.
VARALLO (outside), CHAPEL OF LORETO.
LUNETTE over entrance, representing Holy Family and
angels. Fresco, 6 feet 6 inches x 3 feet 9 inches.
VENICE, LADY LAYARD.
ANNUNCIATION (E.). Oil on wood.
VERCELLI, CHURCH OF ST. CHRISTOPHER — CHOIR.
ALTAR-PIECE, representing Madonna and Child, saints and
putti. 1529. Oil on wood.
Engraved by Piannezza.
ITALY 145
VERCELLI, CHURCH OF ST. CHRISTOPHER — CHAPEL TO
RIGHT.
SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE.
1530 to 1532. Fresco.
VERCELLI, CHURCH OF ST. CHRISTOPHER — CHAPEL TO
LEFT.
SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN. 1532 to 1534.
Fresco.
VERCELLI, INSTITUTO DELLE BELLE ARTI.
DEPOSITION (E.). After Perugino. Painted in gouache.
ST. ROCH. Fresco. Injured.
VERCELLI, BADIA OF SANT' ANDREA — SACRISTY.
MADONNA AND CHILD AND PUTTI. Fresco.
VERCELLI, CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO — FIRST CHAPEL
TO RIGHT.
SANT' AMBROGIO. Oil on wood.
VERCELLI, AVOCAT BORGOGNA.
MADONNA AND CHILD, SAINTS AND PUTTI. Doubtful.
Oil on wood.
FOUR PUTTI in chiaroscuro. Oil on wood.
10
INDEX
AMBROGIO, SANT', no
Anconas: Arena, 36, 37; Como,
57, 58 ; Rocca Pietra, 60 ;
Varallo, 68 ; Morbegno, 75 ;
Busto Arsizio, 113
Andrew, St., 90
Angels, 35, 60, 64, 70, 79, 89, 98,
108
Annunciation : Berlin Gallery, 19,
67 ; Venice, 35 ; Novara, 62
Arcorre, 59
Arienta, Signer, 78
Arona, 6, 7, 29, 36, 37, 103
Assumption of the Virgin: Fon-
taneta, 73; Busto Arsizio, 113
Baptism of Christ : Varallo, 47 ;
CasaleMonferrato, 107 ; Milan,
119
Bellagio, 26, 89
Bergamo : Sant' Alessandro della
Croce, 41 ; Galleria Lochis, 85 ;
Galleria Carrara, 117
Berlin. See " Annunciation "
Bologna, Prince Hercolani, 101
Boltraffio, 67
Bordiga, 6, 32
Borgosesia 4, 27
Borgognone, A. F., 5, 6, 10, 22, 24,
25, 30, 36, 40, 60, 62
Brighton, Mr. Willett, 74
Busto Arsizio, 14, 113
Butler, Samuel, 78, 83
Canobbio, 71
Casale Monferrato, 10, 18, 94
Cerva, G. B. della, 15, 16, 28,
117, 120
Cesarini, Cesare, 24, 65
Christ in Glory, 26, 89
Christ in Hades, 55
Christ rising from the Tomb :
Varallo, 56; London, 117
Comabbio, 136
Como, 9, ii, 26, 69, 88
Conway, Sir Martin, 25
Correggio 12, 21, 26, 27, 87, 88,
93, 106, 126
Crucifixion : Varallo, 54, 77 ;
Vercelli, 98 ; Milan, 115
Deposition: Varallo, 55; Turin,
87
Descent of the Holy Ghost, 10
Drawings: British Museum, 126,
127; Florence, Uffizi, 124;
Milan, Ambrosiana Library and
Pinacoteca, 125 ; Signer Friz-
zoni, 125 ; Turin, Albertina
Library, 123; Royal Library,
123 ; Cavaliere Abrate, 122 ;
Vercelli, 124
Ferrari, Eusebio di, 4, 5, 20
Ferrari, Gaudenzio : birthplace
and parentage, 4 ; sent to Milan,
5 ; influence of artists at Milan
and Pavia, 22-24 > his early
work at Varallo, 31-33 ; his
marriage, 7 ; ancona at Arona,
37 ; screen across Santa Maria
delle Grazie, Varallo, 43 ; work
at Novara, 60, 66 ; Varallo, 68 ;
Como, 69 ; Canobbio, 71 ; Mor-
begno, 75 ; Chapel of the Cruci-
fixion, Varallo, 78 ; Valduggia,
83 ; Novara, 84 ; Como, 88 ;
Valtellina, 89 ; frescoes in St.
146
INDEX
147
Christopher, Vercelli, 93, 101 ;
Choir of Angels at Saronno,
107 ; other work at Vercelli, 1 10 ;
returned to Varallo, 112 ; settled
at Milan, 113 ; work at Busto
Arsizio, 113; in the Valtellina,
115 ; Milan, 115 ; Saronno, 120;
death of Gaudenzio, 16; por-
traits, 16, 97 ; personal appear-
ance and characteristics, 16, 17
Ferrari, Gerolamo, 14, 108, 112,
I][3
Flight into Egypt, 33, 47, 88
Florence, 124
Fontaneta, 73
Fornoni, Professor Elia, 41
Frizzoni, Dr. Gustavo, 27, 125
Gattinara, 80
Giovenone, Joseph, n, 20
Isola Bella, 73
Jerome, St., 41, 119
Joachim driven from the Temple,
30
Journey to Calvary, 53, 71
Lanino, Bernardino, 14, 16, 27,
28, 86, 97, 112, 113, 117, 122,
126
Last Supper, 34 ; Varallo, 48 ;
Novara, 66 ; Milan, 117
Leonardo da Vinci, 5, 9, 20, 24,
30. 34. 39. 66, 68, 83, 85
Lomazzo, G. P., 2, 9, 16, 22, 23,
101
London : National Gallery, 38,
117 ; British Museum, 52, 126,
127 ; Dorchester House, 86 ;
Dr. Mond, 90
Luini, Bernardino, 5, 9, 10, 22, 24,
58-67
Macrimo d'Alba, 20, 67
Madonna and Child : Quarona,
34 ; Arcorre, 59 ; Milan, 67 ;
Brighton, 74
Madonna, Child, saints, and
angels: Turin, 30; Varallo, 64;
Lake of Orta, 65 ; Milan, 70,
72 ; Valduggia, 84 ; London,
86; Turin, 88 ; Milan, in, 119
Maggianico, 88
Marriage of St. Catherine : Var-
allo, 68 ; Novara, 84
Martyrdom of St. Catherine :
Varallo, 69 ; Milan, 118
Milan, i, 3, 5, 15, 21, 107, 113;
Ambrosiana Library and Pina-
coteca, 33, 114, 125 ; Arch-
bishop's Palace, in ; Belgio-
iosa Palace, 69 ; Brera, 19, 67,
1 18, 121 ; Church of the Passion,
117; Signer Crespi, 53, 67,
68; Poldi Pezzoli Gallery, 28,
70; Sant' Ambrogio, 119; San
Giorgio, 119; Santa Maria in
Celso, 119 ; Santa Maria delle
Grazie, 15, 99, 115; San Naz-
zaro in Brolio, 16, 97
Milanese School, 20-23, 26
Morbegno, 9, 10, n, 14, 21, 28,
57. 75. H5
Novara : Count Castellani, 73 ;
cathedral, n, 84, 88 ; San
Gaudenzio, 8, 40, 59, 60, 64 ;
Avocat Faa, 73 ; library, 60
Oldenberg, 134
Orta, Lake of, 7, 65
Oxford, 126, 127
Paris, 15, 116
Parma, 12, 84, 106
Passeri, Andrea, 58
Paul, St., 15, 116
Pavia, 6, 9, 19, 20, 65, 75
Pellegrino da Modena, 54
Perugino, 6, 20, 24, 38, 124, 126
Peter, St., 71
Pieta, 29, 53, 68
Premona, 15, 115
Putti, 85, 120
Quarona, 34
Raphael, n, 23, 33, 94
Redeemer, the, 73
Rivoli, in
Rocca Pietra, 8, 57, 60
i48
INDEX
Romagnano, 10
Rome, ii, 33, 51
Sacro Monte. See " Varallo "
Saints, 35, 73, 88
Saronno, 13, 16, 21, 26, 107, 120
Schweitzer, Herr Eugen, 35
Scotto, Stefano, 5, 22, 83
Sposalizio : Como, 69 ; Vercelli,
102 ; Milan, 114
Statue of Christ Crucified, 64
Tibaldi, Pellegrino, 96
Traona, 115
Turin : gallery, 27, 33, 55, 70, 87 ;
Albertina Library, 49, 68, 86,
89, 98, 122, 123 ; Royal Library,
122 ; Cavaliere Abrate, 122
Vaillate, Nicolo di, 92
Valduggia, 4, 83
Valsesia, 4, 12, no
Valtellina, 12, 89
Varallo, 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 21, 113 ;
museum, 35, 69, 72 ; San Gau-
denzio, 68 ; Santa Maria delle
Grazie, 6, 8, 25, 29, 31, 42, 57,
59 ; Santa Maria di Loreto, 64 ;
Sacro Monte, 5, 29, 31, 42, 64,
77, 112 ; Chapel of the Cruci-
fixion, 77; Chapel of Christ
shown to the People, 31 ; Chapel
of the Holy Family, 31 ; Chapel
of the Magi, 112 ; Chapel of
the Pieta, 29; Chapel of the
Shepherds, 32
Vasari, G., 2
Venice, 35, 125
Vercelli, 3, 7, n, 13, 20, 26, 36,
91, 108 ; Accademia delle Belle
Arti, 124 ; Avocat Borgogna,
96 ; St. Christopher, 92
Vigevano, 100
Zenale, 22, 52
Zucchero, F., 79, 82
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