Turning from the head city to Savona, a third native of Alexandria, called Gio. Massone, painted about the year 1490, in the church erected by Sixtus IV. for the sepulture of his family. Although not mentioned in history, he must have been distinguished in his time, to have been selected for such a work, and remunerated with one hundred and ninety-two ducats for his labour. It is comprised in a small altar-piece, where, seen at the feet of the Virgin, are the portraits of the pope, and the cardinal Giuliano, his nephew, afterwards Julius II. The same city, preserving so many ancient memorials, has also snatched from oblivion the names of one Tuccio di Andria, an artist employed at S. Jacopo in 1487, and of two natives of Pavia, who somewhat later perhaps painted on canvass, and signed themselves, the one Laurentius Papiensis, the other Donatus Comes Bardus Papiensis. Another foreigner, by birth a Brescian, and a Carmelite by profession, presents us with a signature, to be found at S. Giovanni, below an altar-piece of the Nativity of our Saviour. It has written on it, "Opus F. Hieronymi de Brixia Carmelitæ, 1519." By the same hand, in the cloister of the Carmelitani at Florence, is a Pietà with this inscription, F. Hieronymus de Brixia. This artist is well deserving of notice, if only on account of his knowledge in perspective, an art so much cultivated after Foppa in Brescia, and throughout Lombardy. Doubtless he was a pupil of that monastery, in which the art of painting was then cultivated; as it is stated by Averoldi, who extols one F. Gio. Maria da Brescia, and the cloister of the Carmine, decorated by him with a number of histories of Elias and of Eliseas. This Girolamo I believe to have been his companion or disciple, a name that has in some way escaped Orlandi, who belonged to the same order.
No one of the foreign painters is known to have opened school in Liguria, except a native of Nizza, who, through his succession, is almost regarded as the progenitor of the ancient Genoese School. He is called Lodovico Brea, and his works are by no means rare at Genoa and throughout the state, with notices of him between the years 1485 and 1513. In point of taste he is not equal to the best among his contemporaries in other schools, employing gilding, and more strongly adhering to the old dryness of design. His style, nevertheless, yields to that of few in the beauty of its heads, and in the vividness of its colouring, which still remains almost unimpaired. His folding is also good, his composition tolerable, he selects difficult perspectives, and his attitudes are bold. From his whole painting he might be rather pronounced the head of a new, than the follower of any other school. He never attempted grand proportions; in smaller, as we see in the Slaughter of the Innocents, at S. Agostino, he is excellent. His S. Giovanni, in the chapel of the Madonna di Savona, executed by commission for the Card. della Rovere, in competition with other artists, is highly praised.
Thus, until the year 1513, painting in Genoa was in the hands of strangers, and if the natives at all practised it they were few only, as we shall shortly show, while both one and the other were far behind the best methods of their age. Ottaviano Fregoso, elected doge in the above year, at length shed new lustre on the arts. He invited to Genoa Gio. Giacomo Lombardo, a sculptor, and Carlo del Mantegna, a painter, who succeeded, as we have stated, both to the works and reputation of his master. Carlo not only painted in Genoa but taught, and with a success that would seem quite incredible, were it not that the works of his imitators are still in existence. Thus the Genoese School first took its rise from Brea, and was promoted by Carlo, as we find it described by two painters in two volumes; a school of a long, uninterrupted, and illustrious succession. The first volume is by Raffael Soprani, a patrician of the city, who wrote lives of the Genoese professors of design up to 1667; and added also notices of foreign ones who had been employed in that splendid capital. The second is by the Cav. Carlo Ratti, secretary to the Ligustic academy, who, after having republished the Lives of Soprani, accompanied by useful notes, continued the same work in another volume and on the same plan, down to the present day. He has moreover published, in two small volumes, a Guide, intended to give an account of the best specimens of art, both in private and public, which Genoa and every district of the state can boast; an extremely useful undertaking, and, if I mistake not, without example either in or beyond Italy. Thus, owing to the exertions of this deserving citizen, the pictoric history of Liguria has become one of the most complete among those of all Italy as respects the number of its artists, and the most certain in enabling us to form a correct opinion of their merits. Directed by these, and by other additional information received on the spot from Sig. Ratti himself, as well as from others, I proceed to resume the thread of my narrative.
About the period that Carlo arrived at Genoa, the same city was also so fortunate as to become the residence of Pier Francesco Sacchi, commended by Lomazzo, who calls him Pierfrancesco Pavese, an artist well skilled in the style then prevailing at Milan. He was a good perspective painter, delightful in landscape, and a diligent, correct designer. The public is still in possession of his altar-piece of the Four Holy Doctors in the oratory of S. Ugo. The style of Sacchi nearly resembles that of Carlo del Mantegna, from what we gather from his works in Mantua, there remaining no vestiges of them in Genoa. Two youths of very fine genius for the art were at this period educating in the school of Lodovico Brea. One was named Antonio Semini, the other Teramo Piaggia, or Teramo di Zoagli, the place of his birth. There is no account of their being indebted either to the advice or examples of the new masters, when they began to be employed for the public, but their altar-pieces display the fact. They painted conjointly, and affixed both their names to their productions. In that of the Martyrdom of St. Andrew, which they conducted for the church of that name, they likewise added their own portraits. None can have witnessed this very beautiful altar-piece, without seeing traces of Brea's style already enlarged and changed into one more modern. The figures are not of those dimensions which we subsequently see in a better age, nor is the design sufficiently soft and full, but there is a clearness in the countenances that rivets attention, an union of colouring that attracts; the folding is easy, the composition somewhat thronged, though not by any means despicable. Few originators of the style which is now termed modern antique, can be fairly preferred before these two artists and friends. Teramo in his individual specimens at Chiavari and at Genoa itself, retains somewhat more of the antique, particularly as regards composition, but is always animated in his countenances, studied and graceful. Antonio appears to me almost like the Pietro Perugino of his school. In his Deposition from the Cross he approaches nearer the better age, a painting in possession of the Dominicans at Genoa, as well as in some other pieces highly commended for the figures, and the accessories of perspective and landscape, though his great merit does not appear most conspicuous here. For this we should consult his Nativity, painted for S. Domenico in Savona, and we shall be convinced that he also emulated Perino and Raffaello himself.
Before proceeding to an improved epoch, we ought here to insert the names of a few other native artists to whom we already alluded. It is doubtful whether Aurelio Robertelli ranks in this list, by whom, at Savona, is a figure of the Virgin painted on a column of the old cathedral, dated 1499, and transferred to the new one, where it excites the particular veneration of the people. A little subsequent appeared a painting by Niccolo Corso, at Genoa, bearing the date of 1503. It represents a history of S. Benedict, painted in fresco for the villa of Quarto belonging to the Padri Olivetani, in whose refectory, cloister, and church near the Corso, he was much employed. Soprani enumerates other histories, of which he extols the richness of invention, the passionate expression, and especially the vividness and durability of the colouring. He adds, that were he less hard, he might rank among the very first of his profession. The same writer commends Andrea Morinello for an altar-piece formerly seen at S. Martino di Albaro, dated 1516; an artist very graceful in his countenances, excellent in portrait, soft and clear in his outlines, and one of the first in those parts who opened the way for the modern manner. He likewise praises F. Lorenzo Moreno, a Carmelite, skilled in fresco, who painted the Annunciation in a cloister of the Carmine, now cut out of the exterior wall of the building in order to preserve it. Finally he extols an ecclesiastic of the Franciscan order, by name F. Simon da Carnuli, who, in his church at Voltri, painted two histories in one large altar-piece in 1519. One of these represents the Institution of the Eucharist, the other the preaching of St. Antony. Still it is not free from the hardness peculiar to the age as regards the figures; but in the architecture of the edifices, and in the gradual receding of the perspective, it is so perfect that the celebrated Andrea Doria was eager at any price to purchase it, in order to present it as a gift to the Escurial. But the people of Voltri refused every offer, and still keep possession of it. A few others, who enjoyed a degree of reputation from their sons, will be mentioned along with them in the epoch of which we shall next proceed to treat.
GENOESE SCHOOL.
EPOCH II.
Perino and his Followers.
Whilst the art was advancing in Genoa and her territories, there occurred the celebrated siege of Rome, and the calamities which accompanied and followed it, in consequence of which the scholars of Raffaello were dispersed, and established themselves some in one city and some in another. We have seen in the course of this work Polidoro and Salerno in Naples, Giulio in Mantua, Pellegrino in Modena, and Gaudenzio in Milan, distinguish themselves as the masters of eminent schools; and we find one school founded by Perino del Vaga in Genoa, which has maintained the splendour of its origin in a way inferior to none. Perino arrived in Genoa in a state of distress in 1528, after the sacking of Rome. He was there liberally welcomed by Prince Doria, who employed him for several years in the decoration of his magnificent palace without the gate of S. Tommaso. He superintended as well the external decorations of the sculptures, as the internal ornaments of the stuccos, the gilding, the arabesques, the paintings in fresco and in oil. This place, in consequence, breathes all the taste of the halls and loggie of the Vatican; the celebrated works of which, at that time, attracted universal admiration, and in the execution of part of which Perino had a considerable share. This artist has indeed no where displayed his talents to such advantage as in the Doria palace; and it is doubtful whether Perino in Genoa, or Giulio in Mantua, have best sustained the style of Raffaello. We find in the palace some small histories of celebrated Romans, of Cocles, for example, and Scævola, which might pass for compositions of Raffaello; a group of Boys at Play, likewise, has all the air of that master; and on a ceiling, in the War of the Giants against the Gods, we seem to behold in conflict the same persons whom Raffaello had represented as banqueting in the Casa Chigi. If the expression be not so noble, the grace so rare, it is because that grand specimen of art may be emulated by many, but equalled by none. It may be added, that Perino's style is less finished than his master's, and that, in his drawing of the naked figure, he, like Giulio, partakes of the style of Michelangiolo. Four chambers, Vasari informs us, were painted in the palace from the cartoons of Vaga, by Luzio Romano, and some Lombards, his assistants; one of whom, of the name of Guglielmo Milanese, followed him to Rome, and held in that court the office of Frate del Piombo. The others have left no name behind them, and must have been individuals of inferior talents and poorly paid, as we occasionally find rude and heavy figures. Such defects are not uncommon in the works which Perino undertook, for when he had made his cartoons or designs he gave them to his pupils to execute, with material advantage to his pecuniary interests, but with detriment to his reputation. This is observed by Vasari, nor do I know how he could have the courage to mention in connexion with this circumstance the works which were executed with the assistance of their scholars by Raffaello and Giulio Romano, illustrious masters, irreproachable in the selection of their assistants, indefatigable in their application, and contemning that avidity of gain which drew down on Perino merited reprehension. There is still, in the palace Doria, a frieze of boys, commenced by him in one of the loggie, continued by Pordenone, and finished by Beccafumo; and the remains of what was there painted by Girolamo da Trevigi, who, through jealous rivalry towards Perino, forsook both the city and the state. Perino painted some pictures for the churches in Genoa; where too we find some by eminent foreign hands, amongst which is the St. Stephen, painted by Giulio Romano for the church of that saint; an altar-piece perhaps the most copious in composition, and the most striking that issued from the studio of that master. It was at this time too that many noble individuals applied themselves to collect foreign specimens of every school, and they have since been emulated by their posterity, who in this pursuit perhaps surpass all the private collectors in Italy, except those of Rome.