faithful companion of Domenichino during the life of that master, and
after his death completed some works left unfinished by that artist, and
executed them in the genuine spirit of his departed friend, as may be
seen in Titi. He appears to have inherited from his teacher his learning
rather than his taste. One of his most beautiful pictures is the Virgin
del Riscatto at S. Francesca Romana a Capo alle Case. Out of Rome there
are few public or private works to be met with by him. He was considered
exceedingly expert in his knowledge of the hands of the different
masters, and on disputed points, which often arose on this subject in
Rome, his opinion was always asked and acted on, without any appeal from
his judgment. Of Pietro del Po, also a disciple of Domenichino, and of
his family, we shall speak more at large in the fourth book.
Giannangiolo Canini, of Rome, was first instructed by Domenichino, and
afterwards by Barbalunga, and would have obtained a great reputation for
his inventive genius, if, seduced by the study of antiquities, he had
not for his pleasure taken a short way to the art; which led him to
neglect the component parts, and to satisfy himself with a general
harmonious effect. He possessed, however, great force and energy in
subjects which required it, as in the Martyrdom of S. Stephen at S.
Martino a' Monti. The works which he executed with the greatest labour
and care, were some sacred and profane subjects, which he was
commissioned to paint for the Queen of Sweden. But although he was
appointed painter to that court, and was also a great favourite with the
queen, it should seem that he did not much exercise his profession
either for her or others, as his great pleasure was in designing from
the antique. He filled a large volume with a collection of portraits of
illustrious ancients, and heads of the heathen deities, from gems and
marbles. This book, the Cardinal Chigi having carried it with him into
France, he presented to Louis XIV., and received a collar of gold as a
remuneration for it. On his return to Rome he was intending to eulogize
the queen in verse, and to continue in prose the lives of the painters,
which he had in part prepared when he died. His biographical work
probably afforded assistance to Passeri or to Bellori, his intimate
friends.
With Canini worked Giambatista Passeri, a Roman, a man of letters, and
who became afterwards a secular priest. It is recorded, that in the
early part of his life he lived on very intimate terms with Domenichino
at Frescati, and he adhered much to his style. There exists by him a
Crucifixion between two Saints at S. Giovanni della Malva, but no other
work in public, as most of his pictures are in private collections. In
the Palazzo Mattei are some pictures representing butcher's meat, birds,
and game, touched with a masterly pencil; to these are added some half
figures, and also some sparrows (_passere_), in allusion to his name.
There is also, by his hand, at the academy of S. Luke, the portrait of
Domenichino, painted on the occasion of his funeral; on which occasion
Passeri, and not Passerino, as Malvasia states, recited a funeral
oration, and probably paid some poetical tribute to his memory, since he
was accustomed to write both verse and prose as Bellori did; and his
silence on the Lives of Bellori, which had then appeared, and which he
had numerous opportunities of noticing, probably arose from feelings of
jealousy. He is esteemed one of the most authentic writers on Italian
art; and if Mariette expressed himself dissatisfied with him, (v. Lett.
Pitt. tom. vi. p. 10,) it probably arose from his having seen only his
Life of Pietro da Cortona, which was left unfinished by the author. He
possessed a profound knowledge of the principles of art, was just in his
criticisms, accurate in his facts; if, indeed, as has been pretended by
a writer in the _Pittoriche Lettere_, he did not in some degree
depreciate Lanfranc, in order to raise his own master, Zampieri. His
work contains the lives of many painters, at that time deceased, and was
published anonymously, it is supposed, by Bottari, who in many places
shortened it, and improved the style, which was too elaborate,
containing useless preambles, and was occasionally too severe against
Bernino and others, on which account the work remained unedited for more
than a century.
Vincenzio Manenti, of Sabina, who was first the scholar of Cesari, and
afterwards of Domenichino, left many works in his native place. Some
pictures by him are to be seen in Tivoli, as the S. Stefano in the
Duomo, and the S. Saverio at the Gesu, which do not exhibit him as an
artist of very great genius, but assiduous and expert in colouring. Of
Ruggieri, of Bologna, we shall speak elsewhere.
Guido cannot be said to have contributed much to the Roman School,
except in leaving in the capital a great number of works displaying that
charm of style, and distinguished by that superhuman beauty, which were
his characteristics. We are told of two scholars who came to him at the
same time from Perugia, Giandomenico Cerrini, and Luigi, the son of
Giovanni Antonio Scaramuccia. The pictures of Cerrini, (who was commonly
called Il Cav. Perugino) were frequently touched by his master Guido,
and passed for originals of that artist, and were much sought after. In
his other works he varies, having sometimes followed the elder
Scaramuccia. His fellow disciple is more consistent. He displays grace
in every part of his work, and if he does not soar, still he does not
fall to the ground. There are many of his paintings in Perugia, both in
public and private, amongst which is a Presentation at the Filippini,
from all accounts a beautiful performance. He left many works in Milan,
where in the church of S. Marco, is a S. Barbera by him; a large
composition, and extremely well coloured. He published a book in Pavia,
in 1654, which he intituled _Le Finezze de' Pennelli Italiani_. It is
full, says the Abbate Bianconi, _di buona volonta pittorica_. It
possesses nevertheless some interesting remarks.
Gio. Batista Michelini, called Il Folignate, is almost forgotten in this
catalogue; but there are in Gubbio various works by him, and
particularly a Pieta, worthy of the school of Guido. Macerata possessed
a noble disciple of Guido, in the person of the Cav. Sforza Compagnoni,
by whose hand there is, in the academy de' Catinati, the device of that
society, which might be taken for a design of Guido. He gave a picture
to the church of S. Giorgio, which is still there, and presented a still
more beautiful one to the church of S. Giovanni, which was long to be
seen over the great altar, but is now in the possession of the Conte
Cav. Mario Compagnoni. Malvasia mentions him in the life of Viola, but
makes him a scholar of Albano. The Ginesini boast of Cesare Renzi, as a
respectable scholar of Guido, and, in the church of S. Tommaso, they
shew a picture of that saint by his hand. In addition to the scholars of
Guido, whose names have been handed down to us, I shall here beg leave
to add an imitator of Guido, who from the time in which he flourished,
and from his noble style of colour, probably belonged to the same
school. I found his name subscribed Giorgio Giuliani da Civita
Castellana, 161.., on a large picture of the Martyrdom of S. Andrew,
which Guido painted for the Camaldolesi di S. Gregorio at Rome: and
which this artist copied for the celebrated monastery of the Camaldolesi
all'Avellana. It is exposed in the refectory, and notwithstanding the
dampness of the place, maintains a freshness of colour very unusual in
pictures of that antiquity.
The Cav. Gio. Lanfranco came to Rome whilst yet young, and there formed
that free and noble style, which served to decorate many cupolas and
noble edifices, and which pleases also in his cabinet pictures when he
executed them with care. Giacinto Brandi di Poli was his most celebrated
scholar in Rome. He at first adopted his master's moderate tone of
colour, the variety and contrast of his composition, and his flowing
pencil; but in consequence of his filling, as he did, Rome and the state
with his works, he neglected correctness of design, and never arrived at
that grandeur of style which we admire in Lanfranc. He sometimes indeed
went beyond himself, as in the S. Rocco of the Ripetta, and in the forty
martyrs of the Stigmata in Rome; but his inordinate love of gain would
not allow him to finish many works in the same good style. I have been
informed by a connoisseur, on whose opinion I can rely, that the best
works of this artist are at Gaeta, where he painted at the Nunziata a
picture of the Madonna with the Holy Infant; and where, in the inferior
part of the Duomo, he painted in the vault three recesses and ten
angles, adding over the altar the picture of the martyrdom of S.
Erasmus, bishop of the city, who was buried in that church. Brandi did
not perpetuate the taste of his school, not leaving any pupil of
eminence except Felice Ottini, who painted in his youth a chapel at the
P. P. di Gesu e Maria, and did not long survive that work. Orlandi also
mentions a Carlo Lamparelli di Spello, who left in Rome a picture at the
church of the Spirito Santo, but nothing further. An Alessandro Vaselli
also left some works in another church in Rome.
After Brandi, we ought to commemorate Giacomo Giorgetti, of Assisi, who
is little known beyond his native city, and the neighbouring towns. He
is said to have first studied the art of design in Rome, when he learned
colouring from Lanfranc, and became a good fresco painter. There is by
him in a chapel of the Duomo at Assisi, a large composition in fresco,
and in the sacristy of the Conventuals, various subjects from the Life
of the Virgin, also in fresco; works coloured in a fine style, and much
more finished than was usual with Lanfranc. If there be any fault to be
found with them, it is the proportions of the figures, which not
unfrequently incline to awkwardness. His name is found in the
_Descrizione della Chiesa di S. Francesco di Perugia_, together with
that of Girolamo Marinelli, his fellow citizen and contemporary, of whom
I never found any other notice.
Lanfranc instructed in Rome a noble lady, who filled the church of S.
Lucia with her pictures. These were designed by her master, and coloured
by herself. Her name was Caterina Ginnasi. There were also with Lanfranc
in Rome, Mengucci, of Pesaro, and others, who afterwards left Rome, and
will be mentioned by us elsewhere. Some have added to these Beinaschi,
but he was only an excellent copyist and imitator, as we shall see in
the fourth book. At the same time, we may assert, that none of the
Caracci school had a greater number of followers than Lanfranc; as
Pietro di Cortona, the chief of a numerous family, derived much of his
style from him, and the whole tribe of machinists adopted him as their
leader, and still regard him as their prototype.
Albano too, here deserves a conspicuous place as a master of the Roman
School. Giambatista Speranza, a Roman, learned from him the principles
of the art, and became a fresco painter of the best taste in Rome. If we
inspect his works at S. Agostino, and S. Lorenzo in Lucina, and in other
places where he painted religious subjects, we immediately perceive that
his age is not that of the Zuccari, and that the true style of fresco
still flourished. From Albano too, and from Guercino, Pierfrancesco Mola
di Como derived that charming style, which partook of the excellences of
both these artists. He renounced the principles of Cesari, who had
instructed him for many years; and after having diligently studied
colouring at Venice, he attached himself to the school of the Caracci,
but more particularly to Albano. He never, however, equalled his master
in grace, although he had a bolder tone of colour, greater invention,
and more vigour of subject. He died in the prime of life whilst
preparing for his journey to Paris, where he was appointed painter to
the court. Rome possesses many of his pictures, particularly in fresco,
in the churches; and in the Quirinal palace, is Joseph found by his
Brethren, which is esteemed a most beautiful piece. There are also many
of his pictures to be found in private collections; and in his
landscapes, in which he excelled, it is doubted whether the figures are
by him or Albano. He had in Rome three pupils, who, aspiring to be good
colourists, frequented the same fountains of art as their master had
done, and travelled through all Italy. They were Antonio Gherardi da
Rieti, who on the death of Mola frequented the school of Cortona; and
painted in many churches in Rome with more despatch than elegance;[76]
Gio. Batista Boncuore, of Abruzzo, a painter in a grand though somewhat
heavy style;[77] and Giovanni Bonatti, of Ferrara, whom we shall reserve
for his native school.
Virgilio Ducci, of Citta di Castello, is little known among the scholars
of Albano, though he does not yield to many of the Bolognese in the
imitation of their common master. Two pictures of Tobias, in a chapel of
the Duomo, in his native place, are painted in an elegant and graceful
style. An Antonio Catalani, of Rome, is mentioned to us by Malvasia, and
with him Girolamo Bonini, of Ancona, the intimate friend of Albani.
These artists resided in Bologna, and were employed there, as we shall
see in our history of that school. Of the second we are told that he
painted both in Venice and in Rome; and Orlandi praises his works in the
Sala Farnese, which either no longer exist, or are neglected to be
mentioned in the Guida of Titi.
Lastly, from the studio of Albani issued Andrea Sacchi, after its chief
the best colourist of the Roman School, and one of the most celebrated
in design, in the practice of which he continued until his death.
Profoundly skilled in the theory of art, he was yet slow in the
execution. It was a maxim with him that the merit of a painter does not
consist in giving to the world a number of works of mediocrity, but a
few perfect ones; and hence his pictures are rare. His compositions do
not abound with figures, but every figure appears appropriate to its
place; and the attitudes seem not so much chosen by the artist, as
regulated by the subject itself. Sacchi did not, indeed, shun the
elegant, though he seems born for the grand style--grave miens, majestic
attitudes, draperies folded with care and simplicity; a sober colouring,
and a general tone, which gave to all objects a pleasing harmony, and a
grateful repose to the eye. He seems to have disdained minuteness, and,
after the example of many of the ancient sculptors, to have left some
part always unfinished; so at least his admirers assert. Mengs expresses
himself differently, and says, that Sacchi's principle was to leave his
pictures, as it were, merely indicated, and to take his ideas from
natural objects, without giving them any determinate form: on this
matter the professors of the art must decide. His picture of S. Romualdo
surrounded by his monks, is ranked among the four best compositions in
Rome; and the subject was a difficult one to treat, as the great
quantity of white in the vestures tends to produce a sameness of colour.
The means which Sacchi adopted on this occasion have always been justly
admired. He has placed a large tree near the foreground, the shade of
which serves to break the uniformity of the figures, and he thus
introduced a pleasing variety in the monotony of the colours. His
Transito di S. Anna at S. Carlo a' Catinari, his S. Andrea in the
Quirinal, and his S. Joseph at Capo alle Case, are also beautiful
pictures. Perugia, Foligno, and Camerino, possess altarpieces by him
which are the boast of these cities. He enjoyed the reputation of an
amiable and learned instructor. One of his lectures, communicated by his
celebrated scholar, Francesco Lauri, may be read in the life of that
artist, written by Pascoli, who, as I have before remarked, collected
the greater part of his information from the old painters in Rome. He
has probably engrafted on them some sentiments either of his own or of
others, as often happens in a narrative when the related facts are
founded more in probability than in certainty; but the maxims there
inculcated by Sacchi are worthy of an artist strongly attached to the
true, the select, and the grand; and who, to give dignity to his
figures, seems to have had his eyes on the precepts of Quintilian
respecting the action of his orator. He had a vast number of scholars,
among whom we may reckon Giuseppe Sacchi, his son, who became a
conventual monk, and painted a picture in the sacristy, in the church of
the Apostles. But his most illustrious disciple was Maratta, of whom,
and of whose scholars, we shall speak in another epoch.
We find a follower of the Caracci, though we know not of what particular
master, in Giambatista Salvi, called from the place in which he was
born, Sassoferrato,[78] and whom we shall notice further when we speak
of Carlo Dolci, and his very devotional pictures. This artist excelled
Dolci in the beauty of his Madonnas, but yielded to him in the fineness
of his pencil. Their style was dissimilar, Salvi having formed himself
on other models; he first studied in his native place under Tarquinio,
his father,[79] then in Rome and afterwards in Naples; it is not known
precisely under what masters, except that in his MS. Memoirs we read of
one Domenico. The period in which Salvi studied corresponds in a
remarkable manner with the time in which Domenichino was employed in
Naples, and his manner of painting shews that he adopted the style of
that master, though not exclusively. I have seen in the possession of
his heirs many copies from the first masters, which he executed for his
own pleasure. I observed several of Albano, Guido, Barocci, Raffaello,
reduced to a small size, and painted, as one may say, all in one breath.
There are also some landscapes of his composition, and a vast number of
sacred portraits; several of S. John the Baptist, but more than all of
the Madonna. Though not possessing the ideal beauty of the Greeks, he
has yet a style of countenance peculiarly appropriate to the Virgin, in
which an air of humility predominates, and the simplicity of the dress
and the attire of the head corresponds with the expression of the
features, without at the same time lessening the dignity of her
character. He painted with a flowing pencil, was varied in his
colouring, had a fine relief and chiaroscuro; but in his local tints he
was somewhat hard. He delighted most in designing heads with a part of
the bust, which frequently occur in collections; his portraits are very
often of the size of life, and of that size, or larger, is a Madonna, by
him, with the infant Christ, in the Casali palace at Rome. The picture
of the Rosario, that he painted at S. Sabina, is one of the smallest
pictures in Rome. It is, however, well composed, and conducted with his
usual spirit, and is regarded as a gem. In other places the largest
picture by him which is to be seen, is an altarpiece in the cathedral of
Montefiascone.
A follower of the Caracci also, though of an uncertain school, was
Giuseppino da Macerata, whom a dubious tradition has assigned to
Agostino. His works are to be seen in the two collegiate churches of
Fabriano; an Annunciation, in oils, in S. Niccolo, and at S. Venanzio
two chapels, painted in fresco, in one of which, where he represented
the miracles of the apostles, he surpassed himself in the beauty of the
heads and in the general composition; in other respects he is somewhat
hasty and indecisive. Two of his works remain in his native place; at
the Carmelites the Madonna in Glory, with S. Nicola and S. Girolamo on
the foreground; and at the Capucins, S. Peter receiving the Keys. Both
these pictures are in the Caracci style, but the second is most so;
corresponding in a singular manner with one of the same subject which
the Filippini of Fano have in their church, and which is an authentic
and historical work of Guido Reni. The second, therefore, is probably a
copy. There is written on it _Joseph Ma. faciebat_ 1630, but the figures
of the year are not very legible. Marcello Gobbi, and Girolamo
Boniforti,[80] a tolerable good imitator of Titian, lived at this time
in Macerata. Perugia presents us with two scholars of the Caracci,
Giulio Cesare Angeli and Anton. Maria Fabrizzi, the one the pupil of
Annibale in Rome, the other of Lodovico in Bologna. They were attracted
by the fame of their masters, and secretly leaving their native place
for about the space of twelve years, they obtained admission for some
time into their school, if we may rely on Pascoli. Fabrizzi, who is also
said to have worked under Annibale, does not shew great correctness; and
the cause may be ascribed to his too ardent temperament, and the want of
more mature instruction; for Annibale dying after three years, from a
scholar he became a master, and was celebrated for his vigorous
colouring, his composition, and the freedom of his pencil. Angeli was
more remarkable for expression and colour than design, and excelled
rather in the draped than in the naked figure. There is a vast work by
him in fresco in the oratory of the church of S. Agostino in Perugia,
and in part of it a limbo of saints, certainly not designed by the light
of Lodovico's lamp, if indeed it ought not to be considered that this
lunette is by another hand. This branch of the Bolognese School, which
was constantly degenerating from the excellence of its origin, being at
such a distance from Bologna as not to be able to be revivified by the
pictures of the Caracci, still survived for a long time. Angeli
instructed Cesare Franchi, who excelled in small pictures, which were
highly prized in collections; and Stefano Amadei also, who was formed
more on the Florentine School of that age than on the School of Bologna.
Stefano was also attached to letters, and opened a school, and by
frequent meetings and instructive lectures improved the minds of the
young artists who frequented it. One of the most assiduous of these was
Fabio, brother of the Duke of Cornia, of whom some works are mentioned
in the Guida di Roma, and who entitled himself to a higher rank than
that of a mere dilettante.