_Cosimo Tura_ (Ferrarese: 1420-1495).
Cosimo Tura (pronounced Cosmè in Ferrarese) is the first
Ferrarese painter of eminence and of native talent whose
works have come down to us. He was a well-to-do citizen, and,
like Titian after him, dealt in timber. As an artist he was
in the service of Duke Borso of Ferrara (whose portrait is
introduced in the background of No. 773), and other members
of the princely house of Este. The court of Ferrara was then
one of the most learned of Italy. A curious instance occurs in
this picture, where, on either side of the Virgin's throne,
are inscribed the Commandments, in Hebrew characters. Such
inscriptions are common in Ferrarese pictures, and point to
the presence of some Hebrew scholar or scholars. It was at
this court that Cosimo came under the influence of Flemish
art as described below, for the house of Este (which was of
Lombard origin, and thus had a natural affinity perhaps for
northern art) had invited Roger van der Weyden to Ferrara. Tura
was "first employed by the Duke of Ferrara in 1451. Between
1452 and 1456 his whereabouts are uncertain. Possibly he was
then in Padua among the followers of Squarcione, or else in
Venice, to the poor of which city he left by will part of the
fruits of his long and industrious life. In 1458 he rose to
a fixed appointment in the Ducal service. He made a fortune,
risked it in trade, and died a wealthy man" (Catalogue of the
Burlington Fine Arts Club's Exhibition, 1894, p. xv.). Some
of his works are to be seen at Ferrara, others are in the
Berlin Gallery, at Bergamo, and the Correr Museum at Venice.
He is one of the most unmistakable and least fascinating, yet
most interesting of painters. Of beauty or grace in the human
figure he had no perception. His colour schemes are peculiar,
and harmonious rather than beautiful. But he had sincerity
of purpose and vigour of manipulation. Where his subjects
lend themselves to strength, he is impressive, as in the "St.
Jerome" (773), but his Madonnas (772 and 905) are both affected
and ugly. His patience in the execution of detail, and quaint
if superabundant ornament, are always interesting. The picture
now before us is thoroughly characteristic of a master who
alternately repels and attracts.
The decorative detail here deserves close attention. Compare, for
instance, the ornament of the pilasters here with that of the pilasters
in Crivelli's "Annunciation" (739), which was painted about the same
time. "Crivelli follows the traditional lines common to all such
features from later Roman times downwards, while Tura's accessories
are full of inventiveness and are evidently designed for this especial
picture. Thus the cup, balls, and wing-like appendages in the pilaster
are quite original. The general scheme of colour in the picture, also,
with its contrasts of red and green, is quite apart from anything
existing in contemporary Italian art, and recalls rather a Flemish
stained-glass window of the fifteenth century" (G. T. Robinson in _Art
Journal_, May 1886, pp. 149, 150). The musical instruments are also
worth notice. "One of the angels, on the left, holds an ornamental
viol, having five strings, with a carved man's head; another angel, on
the right, holds a similar viol, with a carved woman's head. In the
centre is placed a positive organ--that is, a small organ not intended
for removal. The player is on the left, in front of the organ; the
blower is on the right, behind it. Only natural keys are visible, but
there are three stops to be drawn out from the side, in the primitive
way, by means of cords attached to them, to control the pipes, of which
thirty are visible and three are drones. These pipes are grouped in
columnar disposition, like an hour-glass, and not in the order of ranks
usual with small organs. It is noticeable that the player uses both
hands, held nearly in the modern position" (A. J. Hipkins in _The Hobby
Horse_, No. i. p. 19).