Bartolomeo Manfredi and Pomarancio: Some New Documents

Author(s): Raffaella Morselli

Source: The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 129, No. 1015 (Oct., 1987), pp. 666-668
Published by: The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd.
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 SHORTER NOTICES

perhaps stem from this invenzione. Stylistically the medallist's

features can convincingly be compared, despite the enormous
disparity of scale, with heads in the Transfiguration,now in the
Vatican.17 In Rome Raphael painted several likenesses of his
other friends, whose social status was comparable to that of
Belli.18 He also gave examples of his art to other famous crafts-
men such as Albrecht Dilrer.19
As a dated late work by Raphael the roundel occupies a
place in his last years out of proportion to its size.

'7F. MANCINELLI: 'Raffaello Sanzio, La Trasfigurazione', Raffaello in Vaticano,

exh.cat., Rome, Vatican [1984], pp.307-09.
'8K. OBERHUBER: Rafaello,Milan [1982], pp.156ff.
'9R. QUEDNAU:'Raphael und "alcune stampe di maniera tedesca"', Zeitschrift
/ A4/' AX? 46 [1983], pp.129-75, 130.
4/k
fir Kunstgeschichte,

0 / Bartolomeo
ManfrediandPomarancio:
some
-
.
newdocuments
BY RAFFAELLA MORSELLI

THE recent discovery of three documents in the Mantuan ar-

chives sheds new light on the career of Bartolomeo Manfredi,
one of Caravaggio's closest followers. The first, Manfredi's bap-
tismal certificate, has already been published, and has finally
established the year of his birth as 1582.1 The other two are
published here in their entirety for the first time.
In his biography of Manfredi, Baglione informs us that 'he
was placed with the illustrious Cavaliere Pomarancio while still
a giovanetto'.2Baglione does not, however, offer any clue as to
15. Letter from Manfredifrom Rome, 20th August 1622.
how the boy from the Po Valley came into contact with the
(Archiviodi Stato di Mantova, Gonzaga Archive).
Tuscan artist whose main sphere of activity was restricted to
central Italy and who was thirty years older than his pupil. A
letter in the Mantuan archives suggests that the two may have
met at the Gonzaga Court, for it reveals that Pomarancio was
in Mantua in 1595 when Manfredi would have been thirteen
years old. A letter, written from Nancy on 5th October 1595 by
Dorothea Duchess of Brunswick to Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of
All Manua (see Appendix A) states that Pomarancio was then a
. o. prisoner in Mantua.3 The ostensible subject of the letter is
Pomarancio, but in fact this is largely a pretext to ask the Duke
to intercede for Muzio Manfredi, the Duchess's 'honoured servant'.
In the customary language of diplomacy, she requests what
amounts to two favours: leniency towards Pomarancio who was
A then confined, but 'most comfortably and not debarred from
/... receiving visitors' (from which she infers that his offence must
be light); and a safe-conduct for her own servant.4 Pomarancio
was freed shortly afterward, and maintained excellent relations
0"4 with the Gonzaga as is shown by the numerous letters which he
wrote them in the years following his return to Rome, and later
. .
from Loreto.5

SSee G. MERLO: 'Precisazioni sull'anno di nascita di Bartolomeo Manfredi',

Paragone, No.435 [May 1986], pp.42-46.
2G. BAGLIONE: Le vite de'pittori, scultorie architetti. . ., Rome [ 1642].
3Mantua, Archivio di Stato: Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.712. The letter was
partially published in A. BERTOLOTTI: 'Muzio Manfredi e Giuseppe Passi Letterati
in relazione con il Duca di Mantova', Il Buonarotti[1887], pp.155-69. As Bertolotti
was primarily concerned with Muzio Manfredi of Cesena, a playwright and
poet, he did not publish the part of the letter that relates to Pomarancio.
4Muzio Manfredi must have gone to Ferrara by way of Milan, where there was
apparently someone in the pay of Vincenzo under orders to assassinate him.
Thanks to the intervention of the Duchess, he reached the Este territory safely.
5See A. BERTOLOTTI: Artisti in relazione coi Gonzaga nei secoli 160 e 17', Modena
[1885], pp.46-48. Another unpublished letter, dated Mantua 18th July 1608
(Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.2269) refers to a painting by Pomarancio, the
subject unspecified, which 'Madama Duchessa ? ansiosa di ricevere'. It is from
Annibale Chieppo, secretary to the Gonzaga, to Giovanni Magni, the Mantuan
16. Postscript to letter in Fig. 15. ambassador at Rome.

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 SHORTER
At this time, according to Mancini, the young Manfredi
already showed an outstanding talent for drawing. He would
thus have been ready, after meeting Pomarancio at the Mantuan
court, to become the latter's pupil and to follow him to Rome.
Unfortunately, there is no definite proof that such a meeting
did occur, but the evidence of the letter suggests that it may
have, and appears to justify Baglione's anecdote.
The third document is an autograph letter from Manfredi in
Rome to Duke Ferdinand in Mantua, dated 1622 (Appendix 2,
Fig.15).6 In it, Manfredi undertakes to execute four canvases.
The subjects are not mentioned, but Manfredi emphasises that
the Duke had sent him a note about them in his own hand. This
might imply that the patron had made a request for four specific
subjects, to create an iconographic programme that Manfredi
willingly took on. It is also noteworthy that Manfredi thanks
the duke for remembering his talents, indicating either that the
Gonzaga already had personal knowledge of the painter or that
this was not the first commission they had entrusted to him. In
the postscript intended for the Duke's secretary (Fig. 16) Manfredi
firms up the terms of the commission. He describes four very
large pictures, each of which should include two life-size figures
as well as 'other small figures to enrich them'. This is a significant
specification, as Manfredi has hitherto been known for pictures
with half-length figures, usually ofequal size and placed in interiors.
The fact that he could be called upon to produce 'figurine' as
well, suggests more varied compositions, with subsidiary figures
disposed in the background. Furthermore, when describing the
canvases, Manfredi speaks of their 'tanta grandezza'; if this refers
to their dimensions, it may be a further indication that his style
gradually evolved to meet the requirements of new patrons,
adapting to changing taste during the third decade of the century.
Manfredi would appear, then, to be abandoning the 'Manfrediana
methodus', described by Sandrart,7 for which he was famous.
This 'moduspingendi'had a great influence with northern European
painters, many of whom adopted a Caravaggesque style through
the example of Manfredi, the only artist who codified a Cara-
vaggesque manner that could easily be adopted by others. His
preferred subjects, presented as genre-scenes, were banditi, card-
and dice-players, drinkers and musicians seated at table. They
are usually represented in half-length with strongly accented
facial features and sharply defined contrasts of light and shade.
The postscript also specifies the price of the paintings, 150
scudi, and that this was a special price for Duke Ferdinand. The
normal cost would have been 200 scudi for each painting. Com-
paring these prices with those paid a few years earlier by Cosimo
II Medici for several paintings by Manfredi at 300 and 400 scudi
a piece,g one notes a difference of at least one hundred scudi per
painting. Other payments made earlier by the Gonzaga, known
from unpublished documents, can also be used for comparison.
The first is for a painting by Pomarancio at 400 scudi,? the
second for an otherwise unknown painting by Caravaggio: '200
scudiof this currency which represents half the cost of the picture
6Mantua, Archivio di Stato: Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.1024. See M. MARANI
and c. PERINA: Mantova. Le Arti, Mantua [1965], Vol.III, note 227, which
alludes to one Mantuan document relating to Manfredi: 'l'ordine accettatoa Roma
ii 20 Agosto 1622 di eseguirequattroteleper il Duca'. An indication of the existence of
this document was given in the 'Busta Pittori' in the lists of the nineteenth-
century Mantuan archivist, Davari, who sorted the Gonzaga archive and briefly
annotated all its art-historical holdings.
7j. VON SANDRART:Teutsche Academie der Edlen Bau-, Bild-, und Mahlerei-Kunste,
Nuremberg [1675], pp. 180-81.
"See G. MANCINI:Considerazioni sulla pittura, (ed. A. Marucchi and L. Salerno)
Rome [1956], p.251.
9Mantua, Archivio di Stato: Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.2163. The Duchess
Eleonora to Magni in Rome, Mantua, 16th February 1608: '... intornoal quadro
fatto dal Pomarancioper Vostroservizio ? stato appuntatoil prezzo da Pietro Paulo in 400
scudi d'oro, non sappiamoche dire in contrario. .'
"oMantua, Archivio di Stato: Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.2269, Minute de
cancelleria. To Magni in Rome, 18th July 1608 (unpublished): '200 scudi di
questa monetache rispondela metd del costo del quadrodi pitturafattoci dal Caravaggio, ii
ristantel'havria di quest' altra settimana'.
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NOTICES
made for us by Caravaggio, the rest of which he will have next
week'.'1 In 1622 Manfredi's pictures would therefore appear to
have fallen in value compared with his prices of previous years
and those charged by contemporary artists. One might assume
from this that his works were not much in demand; but it is not
improbable that he valued his canvases according to the number
of full-sized figures they contained. This was standard practice
at the time, and would explain the 200 scudi - one hundred for
each figure.
The signed letter is the only autograph by Manfredi that has
so far come to light. Its date of 1622 is also proof that he did not
die during the pontificate of Paul V (1605-21) as Baglione
stated: on the contrary, at the age of forty Manfredi was working
feverishly to finish a number of pictures before he could take on
Duke Ferdinand's demanding commission 'with more peace of
mind'.
It is impossible to know if Manfredi ever finished this com-
mission, or if the paintings ever reached Duke Ferdinand. There
is no further mention of them in the Gonzaga archives, nor do
they appear in the Gonzaga inventory of 1627.11 It is more than
likely that Manfredi died soon after accepting the commission.
1
C. D'ARCO:Inventario
dellagalleriadi quadrie di altri oggettid' artedellacortedei
Duchidi Mantova,compilatanell'anno1627,Mantua [1857].
Appendix
A. Letterfrom Dorothea, Duchess of Brunswick, at Nancy to Vincenzo Gonzaga at
Mantua. (Mantua, Archiviodi Stato: Archivio Gonzaga, busta N.712)
1595 5 Agosto Nansi
Serenissimo Signore
Havendo io inteso, che I'A.V. tiene il Pomarancio prigione, ma comodissimamente
e senza anche negargli le visite, onde stimo che per leggiera colpa sia et havendo
in mente le larghe et cortesissime profferte da lei in Fiorenza particularmente
fattemi e con molti favori e grazie che da lei ho ricevute confirmatemi io era
quasi in procinto di scriviere all'A.V, et di domandarglielo in dono ma intanto
il signor Muzio Manfredi mio carissimo et honorato servitore, mi ha mostrata
una lettera che da un suo amico gli viena scritta da Milano, avertendolo che
venendo egli in Italia, quando che sia, s'abbia buona guardia per
ci6 che in
quella cittie 6 chi ha comandamento di V.A. di fargli far dispiacere questo non
solamente mi ha levato I'ardire di domandarle il Pomarancio ma mi ha posta in
grande confusione per la grazia gid concedutami per lo G. Muzio ...
Le bacio le mani e La priego di ogni bene
Di Nansi a di 5 Agosto 1595
Dorothee de Lorraine Duchesse de Brunswick.
B. Autograph
letter
fromManfredi in Rometo Vincenzo in Mantua.(Mantua,
Archivio
diStato:Archivio
Gonzaga
Gonzaga,bustaN.1024)
Theletterconsists
of twosheets.Thefirstis theletteritself,written
to theDukein
thesecond
person; isanappendednotefortheDuke's personal secretary.
Firstsheet
1622 20 AgostoRoma
Illustrissimo et reverendissimo Signore Padron Colendissimo non poteva ricever
io da VostraSignoriaIllustrissimahonorpiuisegnalato,che di esserfavoritodi
far per S.A. Serenissimali quattroquadri,de' quali mi ha mandatonotae si
cometantagraziariconoscoio dellaSuacortesemano,cosisforzerommi di usar
ogniisquisitadiligenzapercheSuaAltezzarestiseneappienodi me sodisfatta,e
che quel talentoche Dio mi ha dato sia statotuttoda me impiegatoin servire
dell'A.V. Procurer6 d' isbrigarquantoprimaalcuniquadri,che sonoin obligo
di fare e che gid stanno a buon termine, perche' possa poi con
pili quiete et con
animo piii riposato, dar principio alla opera dalla quale non levaro la mano
prima ch' essa sia affatto finita et di quando in quando le dar6 conto di quanto
si fara. In questo mentre ringrazio con ogni affetto V.S. Illustrissima della
memoria che si compiace di conservaredella devota mia virtii, e supplicandola
a vedere ch' io non ceda a chi si sia in oscurare, col honorar la Persona sua,
humilissimamente mel inchino.
Di Roma 20 Agosto 1622
Della Signoria Illustrissima et Reverendissima humilissimo et obligatissimo
servidore
Bartolomeo Manfredi
667
 SHORTER NOTICES

Secondsheet

Non ho voluto far menzione nella lettera del prezzo delli quadri, imaginandomi
che V.S. Illustrissima sia per mostrarla a S.A. Serenissima. Dirolle pero confi-
dentemente il senso mio et e che dovendo essere in ciascun quadro due figure al
naturale, oltre altre figurine per arricchirlo perche altrimenti essendo di tanta
grandezza riusciriano poveri, non posso accettar l'impresa per meno di 150
scudi per ciascuno quadro et credami V.S. Illustrissima da quel vero servitore
che io le sono, che non li farei per altri per manco di 200 scudi l'uno, perch3 so
la fatica ed il tempo che ci anderai. Ho voluto dirle liberamente l'intenzion mia
acciocch3 risolvendosi S.A. ch'io La serva possa ordinare che mi si diano denari
inanzi a buon conto, altrimenti non posso metter mano all'opera in modo
alcuno.

AngelikaKauffmann's
'Costanza'
BY PETER TOMORY

ANGELIKAKauffmann's Costanza(Fig. 17) belongs to an import-

ant commission the artist received in Rome in 1783, and, contrary
to her general practice, it exists in no other version nor was it
ever engraved.' Since the four vertical ovals of the commission
were dispersed at some time in the nineteenth century, this work,
now in Queensland but with no known provenance earlier than
1900, is the only one which can be now identified positively.
While versions of the others have survived, none of them can be
traced to the Caetani collection.2
The four ovals were commissioned by Abate Onorato Caetani
(1742-97) on behalf of his brother Francesco, Duca di Sermoneta
(1738-1810) for the family villa on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. 17. Costanza, 83.5by 65.1cm. (oval).
byAngelikaKauffmann.
The artist had already painted a portrait of Onorato in September ArtGallery).
(Queensland
1783, and shortly after painted a version of Calypsogiving hospitality
to Telemachusfor Francesco." The commission of the four ovals Verri.6 Isola disabilala had been written in 1752 and had met
then fobllowedand according to the artist's Memorandum of Paintings with much success in performance at Vienna, Madrid and in
was completed by the end of 1783 or early 1784. The titles and Italy over the years, having been set to music by a number of
sources of these ovals are as follows: The nymphat the Temple of composers, includingJosef Haydn in 1779.
Immorlality (Ariosto, Orlando Furioso), Erminia writing on the tree Kauffmann chose to illustrate the first scene, which opens
(Tasso, GerusalemmeLiberala), Silvia and Daphne (Tasso, Aminia) with Costanza carving her testimony on a rock with the broken
and Coslanza (Metastasio, Isola disabilata). The Ariosto subject sword of her missing husband, Gernando. The text reads:
had been engraved (vertical oval) by D. Jenkins in 1781, the DAL TRADITORGERN'fANDO
Erminia (vertical oval) by J.K. Sherwin in 1781 and the Silvia COSTAVZAABBADOA TA I GIOR.NISUOI
(vertical oval) by P.W. Tomkins in 1787, presumably from a 1N Q9UESTO LIDO STRANIERO
version already in an English collection.4 TERMIN.O
AMICOPASSAGGIERO [sic]
While the Metastasio subject was new, Angelika Kauffmann SE UVA TIGRENONSEII,
had already used the poet as a source in her Cupidand Aglaia and O VENDICA,0 COMPIANGI... I CASIMIEI
Cupidand Euphrosynepainted in the mid 1770s.5 The choice of a Gernando, however, has not abandoned Costanza and her infant
subject from the poet's operetta (1752) was probably due more sister Sylvia, but after a fight with pirates has been carried off
to Onorato Caetani, than his brother whose main interest was captive, hence the broken sword. Sylvia, far from despairing,
astronomy, for Onorato, historian and man of letters, was a cor- has grown up in innocence on the island and loves the simple
respondent of Mtlc?stalsioand friendly with Pietro and Alessandro life. In Scene II she tells her sister,
Oft have I heard
You boast the wealth, the wisdom, the arts,
'Queensland Art Gallery, Australia, donated by Sir James Robert Dickson, The manners and delights of Europe
1900. It is almost certain that Sir James Robert Dickson acquired Costanza in ... this peaceful life for me has greater charms ...
Italy when he was touring in Europe 1889-92. 1 am grateful to the Curatorial Later she adds,
staff of the Queensland Art Gallery for this information.
2A rigorous search of all the Kauffmann sources has revealed no reference other
And yet these boasted lands are filled
than that in her Memorandumof Paintings. See v. MANNERS and G.c. WILLIAMSON: With man, whose species is our deadly foe7
Angelica Kauffmann,London [1924], p. 144. In Scene III she sighlts a ship and hurries off to tell her sister,
3s. ROTTGEN: 'I Ritratti di Onorato Caetani dipinti da Mengs, Batoni e Angelica Costanza. The ship is captained by Gernando, free after many
Kauffmann', Paragone, 221 [1968], pp.62-65.
4The most complete record of prints after Kauffmann is .G. BOERNER: Angelika years, who is returning to the island with his friend Henriques,
to search for his wife. Predictably, all ends well and even Sylvia
Kauffmanund ihre Zeit: GraphikundZeichnungenvon 1760-1810, Dusseldorf [1979] in
which these prints are listed and illustrated, except for the upright oval of
Erminia by Sherwin.
50n the prints of these by Skorodomoff and Burke respectively, Metastasio Vol. 7 6For the most recent biographies of Francesco and Onorato Caetani see the
is inscribed. However, on a print by Burke of Cupidand Aglaia the source is given Dizionario Biograficodegli Italiani, Rome [1973], Vol. 16.
as Metastasio Vol. 4. There is no connection between these subjects and the 7J. HOOLE:Dramas and other Poems of the AbbWPietro Metastasio, London [1800],
poet's Isola disabitata as stated in BOERNER,
op.cit. at note 4 above, pp.62-63. Vol. 1I, p.394 ff.

668

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