Italian Baroque art

Il patrizio genovese Gerolamo Imperiale, pittore e incisore dilettante, nel 1622 inizia orgogliosamente a firmare le proprie opere. Trasferitosi a Parma per frequentare le lezioni universitarie del rifondato Studium parmense già nel 1614 e poi, con continuità, tra il 1619 e il 1623 e ancora nel 1627, 1 nel 1622 ha evidentemente raggiunto una maturità tecnica e stilistica che gli permette di inserirsi sul panorama artistico cittadino, di ricevere ve-re e proprie commissioni e venire retribuito per il suo lavoro. La figura di Imperiale si inserisce così in bilico tra quella dei gentiluomini dilettanti, che si fanno guidare dai pittori di casa, o frequentano le scuole e le accademie istituite nelle abitazioni dei pittori, ma che non ambiscono a esercitare la professione di pittore e quella dei membri della nobiltà che vi si dedicano pienamente e divengono talvolta 'pittori di fama'.

Il volume riunisce i saggi di diversi studiosi che si sono interessati alle opere conservate nel complesso conventuale delle agostiniane di Salamanca, un vero e proprio scrigno di arte italiana trapiantata in territorio spagnolo. Il programma decorativo prevalentemente "italiano", pianificato da Manuel de Fonseca y Zuñiga, VI conte di Monterrey, prima ambasciatore presso la Santa Sede dal  al  e poi viceré a Napoli fino al , si configura come una delle più ricche testimonianze del dialogo artistico e culturale tra Italia e Spagna in età vicereale.

El Bellas Artes de La Coruña celebra su centenario con la exposición "After the whale", comisariada por Fernando Castro Flórez, en la que el fotógrafo y poeta gallego revisa los géneros clásicos de la pintura y ofrece una poética lectura sobre la vida y la muerte, dos temas recurrentes en su trabajo.

The day when Colonizers met the Taíno people was not a single day—it was a shattering of time itself. Amerikan history tells us it happened on a morning- full sails being carried to foreign land and an ocean full of salt pushing and pulling; when pale wood ships pierced the horizon like hungry teeth. The Taínos saw strangers. The strangers saw land. But beneath that meeting was something deeper—a collision between two cosmologies.

A recently discovered fragment of a fresco by Johann Cristoph Storer from the rooms of Palazzo Omodei in Cusano Milanino, with of some other mythological friezes believed to be the work of Storer's workshop, has sparked a reflection on this significant monument in 17 th century Lombardy. the authors also argue that the figures in the palace hall, displayed within an expansive architectural framework (formerly attributed to Giovanni Ghisolfi), should also be assigned to Storer. the analysis of those quadratures suggested a reconsideration of Ghisolfi's art, with the proposal for some new attributions (and another new attribution to Storer).

È vietata la duplicazione con qualsiasi mezzo. L'editore rimane a disposizione per gli aventi diritto per le fonti iconografiche non identificate. s i l l a b e Ringraziamenti Desideriamo esprimere la nostra gratitudine ai funzionari e al personale delle istituzioni che hanno facilitato la realizzazione di questo volume consentendo l'autorizzazione alla pubblicazione delle immagini Kunsthistorisches Institut, Firenze

Tematem pracy jest przedstawienie motywu pamięci obecnego w malarstwie artysty-Janusza Tarabuły. Scharakteryzowano malarstwo materii jako nurt stylistyczny stanowiący odpowiedź na potrzebę wyrażenia traum związanych z koszmarem wojny i nowopowstałej rzeczywistości powojennej. Opisano przynależność artysty do Grupy Nowohuckiej i II Grupy Krakowskiej. Omówiono wystawę prezentowaną na Galerii XX i XXI wieku w Muzeum Narodowym w Krakowie o tytule: "Janusz Tarabuła. Pamięć." Przedstawiono sylwetkę krakowskiego artysty i charakterystykę jego prac w kontekście omawianego zagadnienia pamięci i potrzeby upamiętniania. Topic of a thesis is the presentation of the motif of memory present in the painting of the artist-Janusz Tarabuła. Matter painting is characterized as a stylistic trend that is a response to the need to express traumas related to the nightmare of war and the newly created postwar reality. The artist's affiliation with the Nowa Huta's Group and the Second Krakow Group, is described. The exhibition presented at the 20th and 21st Century Gallery at the National Museum in Krakow entitled: "Janusz Tarabuła. Memory" is discussed. The artist's profile and the characteristics of his works are presented in the context of the discussed issue of memory and the need for commemoration.

This essay provides an overview of the collecting experiences in the Palazzo Doria Pamphili at the Collegio Romano, between 1839 and 1856, by Prince Filippo Andrea V Doria Pamphili (1815-1876) and his wife, Princess Mary Talbot (1818-1856). The analysis of archivial materials deposited in Archivio Doria Pamphili and Archivio di Stato di Roma, like the catalogs and the travel literature, allowed to focus the role played by the Doria Pamphili in the promotion the arts in Rome during the Nineteenth century. In the same years began the works for the inner post-neoclassical decoration and the modernization of the palace that were supervised by Tommaso Minardi and were realized by Annibale Angelini, Filippo Vittori and local craftsmen.

Per arricchire la cronologia già pubblicata da Paolo Arrigoni (Arrigoni 1935) sono stati presi in esame, oltre la bibliografia citata nel presente testo, lo spoglio della rivista "L'Edilizia Moderna" e le preziose annotazioni sui disegni del pittore conservati presso la sede centrale di Allianz spa a Trieste, ancora in fase di studio. Tale fondo -pervenuto ad Allianz spa nel 2007 tramite l'inglobamento del gruppo finanziario Lloyd Adriatico che a sua volta l'aveva acquistato sul mercato antiquariale -è costituito prevalentemente da progetti, alcuni dei quali mai realizzati come quello per la chiesta di Zibido al Lambro o per la Villa Morlani a Stezzano, ma anche da riproduzioni di decorazioni esistenti, come quelle del Castello della Malpaga. Di alcuni disegni resta ancora da identificare l'edificio destinatario del progetto decorativo. Il fondo, in fase di inventariazione, è costituito da carte non numerate. Allo stato attuale non è dunque possibile fornire i riferimenti archivistici precisi dei fogli citati.

The article presents a drawing containing an initial "quadratura"
design made in 1636 by Baldassare Franceschini (il Volterrano) for the frescoes in the courtyard of the Villa della Petraia, near Florence. The
artist’s interest in a coherent architectural layout remained strong even
when his patron Don Lorenzo de’ Medici opted for a cycle with narrative scenes; this is borne out by the attention given in other drawings to
details relating to the basamenti of the principal episodes.

,The new religiosity of clear counter-reformist origin promoted by Carlo Borromeo in Milan was not limited only to the diffusion of Catholic doctrine, through preaching and the organisation of religious institutes, but also aimed to address the existential problems of the believer.
Carlo Borromeo’s christian sensibility is perhaps the key to understanding the atmosphere of modernity that shines through in Caravaggio’s work. However, the art historian Ferdinando Bologna is persuaded that Caravaggio’s primary concern was the harmonization of the meaning of things and people, thus going against Borromeo’s Counter-Reformation persuasions, who, on the contrary, maintained that it was essential in a pictorial work, whether sacred or profane, to distinguish the main theme from accessory elements.

In contemporary society the image plays a major role in educating, expressing and
defining ideas, beliefs and culture. This has not changed much since the 17th century, and as
proof of this statement stands the print from the Brukenthal National Museum’s collection
of European Prints entitled “Carolus de Longueval” by Lucas Vorsterman I after the
commemorative portrait of Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, painted
by Peter Paul Rubens. The print, of an impressive artistic expression, render in an allegorical
frame Charles Bonaventure de Longueval, Count of Bucquoy, a representative personality
in the context of the Thirty Years War. Starting from the count’s portrait, the present study insists on his public image, revealing details about his biography, about how such an
important character was “seen” in his era. Conceived as an allegorical portrait, made shortly
after the count’s death, this work reveals not only the physiognomy of a significant historical
personality and its public perception at that time, but it also highlights certain details about
the count’s military and political-administrative career, about the confessional motivations
of his actions. Indirectly, through its inscriptions, the print also conveys information about the
role of the engraver Lucas Vorsterman I in the career of P. P. Rubens, but also about their
friendship which was deeply affected by the very reproduction of the count’s painted
portrait. As a possible instrument of the early 17th century imperial propaganda, the portrait
of the Count of Bucquoy highlights as well the need for an exemplary model in a society
affected by a devastating war, with strong religious motivations.

Having identified a preparatory drawing, the author revises the
attribution of a painting of the seventeenth-century Florentine school
in the Roberto Longhi collection. Long attributed to Felice Ficherelli,
the canvas had in the past been rightly compared by Mina Gregori to
another work that was also believed to be by him, but which was reattributed some time ago to Baldassare Franceschini (il Volterrano).

The representation of the city of L'Aquila, in the banner, the so called Gonfalone, painted in 1579 by Giovan Paolo Cardone, is
the oldest known view of the historic center. Contrary to what usually occurs in devotional representations, mostly symbolic, the
banner gives a surprisingly detailed image, where the numerous elements still recognizable today appear strongly corresponding.
The mountainous nature of the territory, even close to the city, allow to have points of view from above of the urban center that
offer sights similar to the one represented. The contribution, based on the reconstruction of the historical and cultural context, as
well as through a detailed analysis of the artifact and the critical comparison with the current panorama, proposes that a camera
obscura has been used to realize the view depicted in the gonfalone.

In the archives of the Olomouc Metropolitan Chapter a unique set of 38 letters written by Jakob Ernst von Liechtenstein-Kastelkom (1690-1747) to Canon Georg Heinrich von Mayerswald (1676-1747) written between 1738 and 1740 has been preserved. These sources offer a unique insight into the everyday life of the new Moravian shepherd. The paper aims to analyse the daily concerns of the new Olomouc Ordinary, which he shared with his friend, Canon Mayerswald. The specific character of the addressee, who was both a high dignitary of the Olomouc Chapter and the bishop's friend, is reflected in the content of the letters. The correspondence primarily addresses legal matters surrounding his
accession to the See of St. Methodius, as well as the state of the bishopric's finances. Occasionally, the letters contain information about Kastelkorn's state of health. This collection represents the only coherent set of sources on the history of the bishopric written by Kastelkorn himself. Mayerswalďs letters were probably destroyed when the archbishop's přiváté correspondence was shredded after his death. The letters primarily focus on the concerns of the incoming Ordinary regarding the condition of the diocese he was taking over and the related legal matters. Jakob Ernsťs awareness of the problematic financial situation of the episcopal estates shortly after his election as Moravian Ordinary is particularly noteworthy. At the same time, Kastelkorn's efforts to fulfil both the secular and spirituál roles of prince and bishop are evident. He sought to implement an economic reform of the episcopal estates, address feudal matters, conduct pastora! visits, renovate the episcopal residences, and refurbish the cathedral. Information of a personál nátuře makes up only a minor part of the content of the bishop s letters. Such references include mentions of Kastelkorn s health issues (such as headaches) and the death of his younger brother, Rudolf Maximilian (+1739).

Maurizio Noè
Tuscania: Historical events and the evolution of the town architecture of the church and monastery of Sant’Agostino

Beatrice Rosa
Exploring Michele da Firenze’s work in Mantua and his artistic legacy

Jacob Willer
Una rivalutazione degli affreschi trascurati di Orazio Gentileschi nell’Abbazia di Farfa

L’‘AURORA’ DI GUIDO RENI NEL CASINO PALLAVICINI ROSPIGLIOSI
Ilaria Sgarbozza
Observations on how the painting was received and perceived from the eighteenth to the twentieth century
Claudio Seccaroni
The popularity of photographic reproductions of the piece during the second half of the nineteenth century
Laura Cibrario
A fresh interpretation of the fresco following its recent restoration

Paolo Russo
A addition to eighteenth–century carved wooden statues in Sicily: The statue of the ‘Risen Christ’ by Antonino Lo Verde in Pietraperzia

Michela Zurla
“Echo the call of Genova at the Exhibition”: Santo Varni and the rekindling of Genoese Renaissance sculptureat the Crystal Palace in London

Fulvio Lanzarone
The Palermo Stadium from 1931 to the present: A restoration that balances conservation with innovation

Joanna Smalcerz
L’influenza politica delle associazioni italiane degli antiquari e la liberalizzazione dell’emendamento del 1903 alla legge Nasi

Enrico Edoardo Barbero – Federico Doneux – Franco Gualano – Lorenza Santa
Restoration and reopening of the Apartments of the Principi Forestieri (Visiting Royals) in the Royal Palace of Turin

Il succorpo della chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo in Ruvo di Puglia ospita il complesso sistema di sepolture gestito dai minori osservanti. La vasta necropoli sotterranea si sviluppa dal sagrato fino all’area absidale e comprende la grande fossa comune per le sepolture collettive; dodici conditori di altrettante famiglie nobili e notabili ruvesi; la tomba del beato Bernardino Fracchiolla e l’area destinata alla inumazione dei francescani. Il progetto dell’area sepolcrale e della chiesa si deve all’ingegnere Giuseppe Fatone de Salustrio di Andria che fu incaricato dai frati francescani nel 1744; i lavori terminarono nel 1775. L’area di sviluppo dell’ipogeo corrisponde alla navata, come si distingue
dalla sovrapposizione della planimetria della chiesa a quella del piano interrato; le murature e gli altari poggiano su fondazioni continue gravanti direttamente sul banco roccioso, senza interferire con il sistema delle coperture dei
conditori familiari.

Reservados todos los derechos. De acuerdo con la legislación vigente, y bajo las sanciones en ella previstas, queda totalmente prohibida la reproducción y/o transmisión parcial o total de este libro, por procedimientos mecánicos o electrónicos, incluyendo fotocopia, grabación magnética, óptica o cualesquiera otros procedimientos que la técnica permita o pueda permitir en el futuro, sin la expresa autorización por escrito de los propietarios del copyright. El procedimiento de selección de originales se ajusta a los criterios específicos del campo 10 de la CNEAI para los sexenios de investigación, en el que se indica que la admisión de los trabajos publicados en libros deben responder a criterios de calidad equiparables a los exigidos para las revistas científicas. Todos los capítulos que componen el presente volumen se han sometido a un proceso de revisión por pares ciegos realizados por expertos externos a la colección y a la editorial.

The issue of implementation of Mehoffer’s projects of paintings in John III Sobieski’s Chapel in the church on the Kahlenberg, 1911–1914, in the light of the preserved archives
St. Joseph’s Church on Kahlenberg, built for Camaldolese monks in 1639, was devastated in July 1683 during the Turkish siege of Vienna. On 12 September, just before the battle, Jan III Sobieski and his son Jacob took part in the Mass celebrated by Marco d’Aviano in the Angels’ Chapel next to the presbytery of the burnt church. In 1905 the church became the property of the Convent of Resurrection. Its first rector, Jakub Kukliński, decided to redecorate the church as the monument of Sobieski’s Victory. The historical Angels’ Chapel was renamed Sobieski’s Chapel. In 1909 Kukliński announced the idea of restoration of the chapel and the Polish Applied Arts Association announced the competition for the mosaics. In July 1909 the contest was announced by the magazine “Architect” and won by Karol Frycz.  In 1911 another competition was organised. This time Józef Mehoffer took part, after explaining the controversy related to the circumstances of the competition announcement. Finally, his project “The Mass of Marco d’Aviano” was approved in July 1912. However, there were several financial and technical obstacles. Moreover, because of the outbreak of World War I, Mehoffer’s project hasn’t been completed. In 1930 authorities of the Order asked Jan Henryk Rosen to create the chapel’s decoration. They explained in the letter to Mehoffer that the cost of his project was too high. Between 1911 and 1914 Mehoffer has performed several works for the chapel: a monumental tempera painting "Joannes Vinces", the image of "Archangel Michael over the battlefield" and the project of the painting "Vision of Innocenti XI before the Battle of Vienna". He has also designed some parts of the chapel’s furnishing.
(tłum. Agata Reichert-Zaczek)
Kwestia realizacji Mehofferowskich projektów dekoracji malarskiej kaplicy Jana III Sobieskiego w kościele na Kahlenbergu, 1911–1914, w świetle zachowanych archiwaliów
Kościół św. Józefa na Kahlenbergu, wzniesiony w roku 1639 dla kamedułów, został zniszczony w czasie tureckiego oblężenia Wiednia, w lipcu 1683 r. 12 września, przed bitwą, w kaplicy Aniołów Stróżów, przyległej do prezbiterium spalonej świątyni, król Jan III Sobieski uczestniczył wraz z synem Jakubem w historycznej mszy św., odprawionej przez kapucyna Marca d’Aviano. W roku 1905 kościół św. Józefa na Kahlenbergu stał się własnością zakonu Zmartwychwstańców. Jego pierwszy rektor ks. Jakub Kukliński postanowił świątynię odnowić i uczynić z niej, przede wszystkim zaś z historycznej kaplicy Aniołów Stróżów, przemianowanej na kaplicę Sobieskiego, swoisty pomnik, dedykowany wiedeńskiemu zwycięstwu. W 1909 r. ks. Kukliński ogłosił pomysł restauracji kaplicy i ozdobienia jej mozaikową dekoracją, Zyskał akceptację Towarzystwa Polska Sztuka Stosowana, które w lecie 1909 r. ogłosiło na łamach czasopisma „Architekt” konkurs na dekorację kaplicy; wzięli w nim udział wyłącznie artyści polscy, jego zaś zwycięzcą został Karol Frycz. W 1911r. rozpisano konkurs kolejny; po wyjaśnieniu kontrowersji związanych z okolicznościami jego ogłoszenia, wziął w nim udział Józef Mehoffer. W lipcu 1912 r., do realizacji został zatwierdzony jego projekt "Msza polowa Marca d’Aviano". Pojawiające się przeszkody techniczne i finansowe, następnie zaś wybuch I wojny światowej uniemożliwiały ustawicznie realizację projektu. W 1930 r. władze zakonu wykonanie dekoracji zleciły ostatecznie Janowi Henrykowi Rosenowi; w liście do Mehoffera koszty wykonania jego projektu określiły jako za wysokie. W ramach prac związanych z tym przedsięwzięciem, w latach 1911–1914, Mehoffer wykonał monumentalny obraz w technice tempery "Joannes Vinces", projekt kompozycji przedstawiającej wizję Innocentego XI przed bitwą pod Wiedniem i kompozycji z archaniołem Michałem nad pobojowiskiem. Zaprojektował też niektóre elementy wyposażenia kaplicy.

"We Too Have a Past": Some Thoughts on Neo-Sforza and Neo-Renaissance Architecture and Decoration in Lombardy
Within the cultural framework of the Neorenaissance that emerged in post-Unification Italy, Lombardy engaged in a deliberate re-examination of its own artistic heritage, with the aim of reasserting a distinctive position within the historical and cultural geography of the Italian Renaissance. This heritage is principally identified with the Visconti-Sforza period, which not only encapsulates the most accomplished expressions of the region’s artistic production but also serves as a reservoir of models and values still perceived as capable of being actualized. These are deeply intertwined with strong municipal and regional sentiments, and are articulated through a pronounced sense of identity and collective belonging. Within this interpretive context, the Castello Sforzesco in Milan — at the time undergoing a complex restoration under the direction of Luca Beltrami — emerges as an emblematic monument and a pivotal site for the redefinition of Lombard cultural identity. The castle became both a privileged locus for archaeological research and scholarly inquiry and a magnet for widespread public interest, eventually establishing itself as the center of a specific aesthetic sensibility and stylistic re-elaboration that may aptly be termed “Neo-Sforzesque.” This essay aims to explore these dynamics with particular attention to architectural and decorative manifestations, continuing a line of investigation the author has pursued since the 1990s.

«Però abbiamo un passato!». Alcune considerazioni sul neosforzesco e neorinascimento lombardo, tra architettura e decorazione
Nel contesto culturale del neorinascimento sviluppatosi nell’Italia postunitaria, la Lombardia rivolge un’attenzione privilegiata alla propria tradizione artistica, nella prospettiva di riaffermare un ruolo distintivo all’interno della geografia storico-culturale del Rinascimento italiano. Tale tradizione si identifica prevalentemente con la stagione visconteo-sforzesca, la quale non solo cristallizza i momenti più alti della produzione artistica locale, ma si configura anche come il deposito di valori e modelli ancora suscettibili di attualizzazione. Questi ultimi, profondamente radicati in sentimenti municipali e regionali, si manifestano attraverso un’accentuata coscienza identitaria e un marcato senso di appartenenza. In tale orizzonte, il Castello Sforzesco di Milano — oggetto, in quegli anni, di un articolato intervento di restauro condotto da Luca Beltrami — si impone quale monumento emblematico e nodo strategico per la ridefinizione di un’identità culturale lombarda. Esso assurge a luogo privilegiato di indagine archeologica e riflessione scientifica, ma anche a centro di attrazione per interessi diffusi, diventando fulcro di una specifica inclinazione estetica e di una rilettura stilistica che si può definire, a pieno titolo, “neosforzesca”. Il presente contributo intende indagare tali dinamiche, con particolare attenzione alle manifestazioni architettoniche e decorative, proseguendo un percorso di ricerca che l’autore ha intrapreso fin dagli anni Novanta.

La comunicazione ricostruisce per la prima volta, attraverso l’indagine effettuata su fonti archivistiche primarie, la biografia di Alessandro Campi, pittore della scuola di Andrea Celesti, misconosciuto agli storici dell’arte sino a pochi decenni fa. Sono inoltre messe in piena luce le circostanze della sua morte violenta e le ragioni emerse in processo, interpretate attraverso i canoni della “legge di comunità”.

El de Serlio, tal vez el definidor último del sistema de órdenes clásicos, que después cristalizará Viñola, fue el más importante de entre los sistemas teóricos de arquitectura que llegaron al Virreinato de la Nueva España a lo largo de su existencia. Pero, a la vista de las realizaciones prácticas a que los alarifes novohispanos llegaron a lo largo de ese periodo ¿podemos realmente hablar de un sistema teórico de arquitectura?. En este artículo esperamos poder arrojar algo de luz sobre la oposición de dos formas distintas de entender el mundo, en este caso, desde el imaginario arquitectónico: el relato escrito que constituyen los textos teóricos que llegaron hasta el virreinato; y las obras construidas en definitiva. Este artículo estudiará las huellas de Serlio en Nueva España. Al presentar estas fuentes esperamos poder mostrar los diferentes usos y tipos de recepción que la arquitectura virreinal tuvo para con la obra de Serlio Boloñés.

On 13 October 1967 Virginia P. and Robert C. Greenlease donated a walnut crucifix by French sculptor César Bagard to Rockhurst University’s Jesuit community in Kansas City, Missouri. This gift initiated a collaboration of thirty years between Mrs. Greenlease and Rockhurst’s president, Father Maurice E. Van Ackeren, S.J. Together they sought to enhance the university and its students’ spiritual and educational experience by making fine religious works of art accessible for viewing on campus. Virginia financed the purchases that Father Van Ackeren made, the sum of which came to be known as the Van Ackeren Collection of Religious Art. Throughout their endeavor, the two took advantage of the expertise of the curators of the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art in Kansas City, Missouri (now known as The NelsonAtkins Museum of Art) and employed that institution as an intermediary station for evaluating works before they were purchased. The majority of objects were acquired during the 19...

This essay considers three paintings in the Colby College Museum of Art, which have the remarkable distinction of being by four 17th-century artists who knew each other and who, as it were, meet again, across time and space. Uncovering such connections feels like experiencing “encounters across time” as one does when strolling through Rome’s historic center and having street names remind one of momentous events, for instance in Caravaggio’s tormented life.

In his introductory remarks, Rudolf Wittkower explains why he chose the cathedrals of Milan, Bologna, and Florence to illustrate his thesis, and at the beginning of chapter I he gives his reason for the preeminence assigned to Milan in the story he has to tell-part of this reason being the extraordinary, and as yet not fully tapped richness of the Archivio del Duomo. Our work in the archive was so very enjoyable not only because of the many unexpected finds among the documents directly related to the history of the cathedral, but also because of the incidental glimpses afforded in the widest sense into the social history of Milan. Even the various stages in the cataloguing of the documents are revealing. The first attempt at ordering the miscellaneous papers was made as early as 1592, but really serious steps were taken only in 1742 when it was decided to create "an archive" as distinct from a mere collection. This task was entrusted to a worthy avvocato who devoted five years of love and labor to the ordering and registering of some two hundred and fifty of the most ancient papers and parchments. The turn from this antiquarian approach of the eighteenth century to the methodical procedure of the early twentieth century is well attested in the book L'archivio delta Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, riordinato e descritto dal Dr. E. Verga. Between his appointment as director of the archive in 1902 and the publication of his book in 1908 Dr. Verga had systematically reordered and catalogued the entire collection. Subsequent librarians have refined and elaborated what he began, so that today the archive is one of the best-kept and easiest sources of information a scholar may hope to find. It may sound paradoxical, but one of the fascinations of the documents lies not so much in what they actually say, but in what they imply. As were all the Italian cities and states, Milan was constantly torn by wars, famine, plagues, and changes in government. The Viscontis and Sforzas came and went. There were brief French and Swiss interregnums. The Spaniards, who ruled from 1535 to 1713, were followed by the Austrians. Napoleon appeared on the scene in 1796 and governed, with one brief interval, until 1815, when the Austrians took over again. Foreign rule was finally ended in 1895. But (7) 1,200,000 lire. Thus the final execution of the facade was secured. But no imperial decree could change human nature. As before, artists were appointed and dismissed. Quarrels raged and were forgotten. Plans were made, discussed, and laid aside. And, inciden- tally, it had taken barely two years to turn the cittadini amministratori back into at least signori deputati. (8) Preface The Charles T. Mathews Lectures Bequest, endowed in 1934, stipulates that a series of ten illustrated lectures on Gothic architecture be offered annually under the joint auspices of the School of Architecture of Columbia University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. With only five exceptions these lectures have been given each year since 1935. Considering the changes in taste over these almost four decades one might think that it would be increasingly difficult to find scholars prepared' to present, and a public willing to attend, talks of such seemingly limited scope. Yet the variety of possible approaches to the problems offered by one of the great phases of our architectural heritage is such that the only concessions that have been made are to allow slightly more general medieval subjects and to cut down on the number of lectures. Instead of offering ten lectures of one hour each, they are usually now given as five longer sessions. When Kenneth A. Smith, then Dean of the School of Architecture of Columbia University, invited Rudolf Wittkower in 1968 to give one of the Mathews series he accepted with alacrity. For quite some time he had been fascinated by a particular and hitherto all but neglected aspect of Gothic architecture. He wanted to find out what the great church builders and their patrons were thinking and doing when faced with the necessity of compromising between the Gothic past and the Classical-Baroque present in the later history of finishing major medieval churches. After his retirement in 1969, Rudolf Wittkower began to sift his many, but rather haphazardly gathered notes, and started systematically to collect new material. The lectures were scheduled for the fall of 1971. From the outset he planned them as the nucleus of a future, more extensive publication, and for this reason he had already written the manuscripts for the lectures well ahead of time. But he was destined to present no more than the first of his five talks, suffering his fatal heart attack a few days before delivering the second. The first lecture had already aroused great interest, however, and it was decided to present the lectures in full in the year after his death. Five of his former students and friends consented to read the lectures in the fall of 1972, and my warmest thanks go to Professor

The study of the pictorial support of the work the Crucifixion by Pieter Brueghel the Younger involved non-invasive xylotomic and technological analyses. The five boards that make up the structure were obtained from deciduous oak-type wood (cf. common oak and cornish), while a cavicle used for their joining was obtained from beech wood. The examination of aspects related to the operational chain for the production of the panel involved the evaluation of the assumed minimum diameter of the logs from which the various elements were obtained, the type of sawing and the expedients dictated by a know-how resulting from empirical
experience gained within a Flemish carpenter’s shop in the early 17th century.

This poem meditates on the enigmatic inscription and symbolic legacy of Rosslyn Chapel, weaving historical, spiritual, and poetic themes into a tapestry of truth and discovery. Through vivid allusions to the chapel’s iconic imagery—the Lady of the Chapel, the altar’s highest step, and the kingdom of heaven—the poem explores the interplay of strength in wine, kings, women, and ultimately, truth as the supreme force. Inspired by a personal pilgrimage and reflections on clarity, justice, and revelation, it celebrates the breakthrough of understanding achieved in a lifetime, honoring those who ascend the metaphorical staircase toward insight. The work pays homage to the delicate balance of vision and history encapsulated in Rosslyn Chapel’s enduring mystique.

The Eagle and the Heifer: The Mattei di Giove’s Art Collection and Patronage as a Means of Preserving Family History.
In the 14th century, the Mattei family were cattle farmers and agricultural traders in rural Roman villages, known as “bovattieri” within the Roman patriciate. They swiftly rose to nobility, securing positions in Capitoline magistracies and the curia. This essay examines how the Mattei family used art collections to celebrate their lineage.
The research concentrates on the early 17th century, when the family acquired fiefdoms and the title of marquis (1605), exploring the patronage aims of Asdrubale Mattei. By studying the little-known frescoes in the Umbrian castle of Giove, the essay proposes a reconstruction of the
family’s intentions to celebrate and transmit their legacy. This is achieved through iconographic analysis of scenes depicting the Stories of Giove, the myth of Jupiter and Io, and the grand procession for Pope
Paul V’s possession.  The paintings in the Mattei collection
also exemplify the preservation of family memory. A thorough reexamination of the ownership history of Caravaggio’s The
Taking of Christ reveals that it was the only painting by the Lombard master in the Mattei family’s possession at the start of the 17th century to remain in their collection until the early 19th century.

Sobre todo, me gustaría agradecer la atención cercana y ayuda del director de presente trabajo fin de master, Emilio Moreno Aguado, que ha sido un guía y supervisor excelente durante el proceso de la elaboración del trabajo, de principio a fin. También me gustaría dar las gracias a mi professor de violín, Manfredo Kraemer, que con su aportación de ideas musicales me ayudó a desarrollar mi creatividad necesaria para la elaboración de mis propias versiones ornamentadas y compartió su opinion sobre ellos.

A short treatise on painting by the Bourges lawyer Nicolas Catherinot (1687) contains the remarkable admission that men avoid teaching women for fear of being surpassed by their students. This brief research article explores the broader context in the history of seventeenth century ideas about women in the arts and recent psychological explanations of human behavior relating to self-image. Les hommes ne se mettent point fort en peine de faire tant instruire les femmes, car elles pourroient les exceller. This is not a feminist writer laying blame on men but the admission of a seventeenth century French gentlemen in his Treatise on Painting from 1687. 1 Nicolas Catherinot (1628-1688) was a lawyer in Bourges of considerable erudition whose numerous books on history and culture include Axioms of French law and eight books of Latin epigrams. 2 His Treatise on Painting is mostly derivative and includes several technical and historical summaries dependent on Franciscus Junius and André Félibien. 1 Traite de la peinture (Bourges, 1687) rpt: Minkoff, 1973; online at gallica.bnf.fr. The treatise is signed with the date 18 October 1687. The treatise was published in 1876 in Bulletin de la Société de l'historie de l'art français, 2 (1876): 7-10. 2 Dictionnaire de biographie française, edited by M. Prevost and Roman d'Amat, 16 vols, Paris: