Renaissance and Baroque Polychrome Sculpture in Lombardy and Piedmont

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/1974/29202

The mountains and lakes of Lombardy and Piedmont are both picturesque and rich with little-known cultural heritage. In the Renaissance and Baroque, northern Italy, which bordered Protestant lands, was central to promoting and supporting the Catholic faith. Life-sized painted sculptures made of wood, terracotta, and other materials were arranged to create naturalistic tableaux in chapels on holy mountains, pilgrimage sites which the devout visited at night, whipping themselves before sculptures must have seemed to come to life by the flickering light of lanterns. Sculpted bodies with a range of skin tones, some thin from suffering and illness and others Herculean in their muscular energy, have actual hair and are bound with real ropes or eat from real dishes. Other fleshy sculptures inhabit huge, theatrical altarpieces. Many of these living statues continue to be the focus of cult today and so are adorned with real jewelry and other offerings made by the faithful. These sculptures are site specific, embedded in the landscape, politics, and devotional practices of the region, but also the work of cosmopolitan artists and patrons with international connections.

This database offers high-resolution images of and information about over 185 sculptures and sculptural groups. The information and photographs can be used freely for research, teaching, and publication.

Map

This interactive map, created by Kennis Forte, shows the current locations of all of the sculptures in the database and is colour-coded by material.

Authors

Kennis Forte (ABD, Queen’s University) and Una D’Elia (professor, Queen’s University) created this database. If you have any questions or comments or would like to contribute information or photographs to this database, please contact Una D’Elia (deliau@queensu.ca).

Renaissance Polychrome Sculpture in Other Regions

This database is a part of a larger project to offer information about and high-resolution images of Renaissance polychrome sculpture in different regions of Italy. Two databases are already published:

A database of polychrome sculptures in Sicily is in progress, and other regions will follow.

Virtual Exhibitions

Because this database and those for the other regions of Italy include thousands of high-resolution photographs for research and publication, and because entries for each object synthesize previous scholarship, including conservation reports, making this information available to English-speaking audiences, the database can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses, and the students can publish their research in the form of online virtual exhibitions. For more information on using these databases for teaching, please contact Una D'Elia (deliau@queensu.ca). Students in undergraduate and graduate classes at Queen’s have used these databases to create exhibitions:

Support

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Department of Art History and Art Conservation at Queen’s University, and the Queen’s University Libraries.

Contact

If you have any questions or comments about this larger project or would like to collaborate on producing future databases, please contact Una D’Elia (deliau@queensu.ca).

Using the Images

Photographs of sculptures in this collection are freely available for teaching, research, and publication.

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 186

Crucifixion
Dionigi Bussola
This chapel represents the Crucifixion, the fifth and final sorrowful mystery of the rosary. Construction was completed in 1623, but the interior decorations were not added until the second half of the seventeenth century. Dionigi Bussola (1615 - 1687) modeled no less than fifty life-sized figures and seven animals in terracotta for this group. It is not clear exactly when the sculptures were made but it is likely that Bussola worked on them over the course of multiple years, given the number of figures and the number of other projects he was engaged in during the mid-sixteen-eighties. Bussola was also active at the Sacro Monte of Domodossola beginning in 1661, which seems to predate his work at Varese. The figures here were probably finished in 1668, when Antonio Busca (c. 1626 - 1686) began work on the chapel's frescoes, since the Sacri Monti's sculptures were usually installed before painting began. Together Bussola and Busca went on to chair the departments of Sculpture and Painting at the Ambrosian Academy in Milan when it reopened in 1668/69. Like the other chapels on this part of the mountain, the Crucifixion Chapel was built adjoining the natural rock face and suffered greatly from the resultant humidity. In the nineteen-twenties the living stone was cut away from the walls of the chapel, but the use of dynamite caused further damage to the sculptures inside. Girolamo Poloni (1877 - 1954) carried out a comprehensive restoration campaign between 1926 and 1928 under the direction of Ludovico Poghliaghi (1857 - 1950), who had been his teacher at the Brera Academy in Milan. Poghliaghi lived on the mountain -- his house has since become a museum. He is best known for his sculptures on the central portal of Milan's Cathedral. Poloni repainted the damaged frescoes and it is unclear how closely he may have followed Busca's original composition. He also rearranged many of the sculpted figures. The chapel was designed with two access doors, which allowed pilgrims to enter and view the scene as if they were participants, just as Gaudenzio Ferrari had designed the original Crucifixion Chapel at Varallo in the 1520s. This is the only chapel at Varese that we can be sure was accessible to visitors at some point. Poloni used figures from other parts of the scene to block the doorways and fill the space in the foreground that was meant for pilgrims. More recent restorations, in 1985, uncovered some of this space but it was impossible to determine precisely how Bussola had arranged the sculptures. The horses' tack is period appropriate, but not original to the chapel. Similarly, a small collection of wooden arms and armor was tucked out of sight by restorers in 1985, because these objects are believed to have been added sometime after the chapel was finished. A peasant holding a pickaxe at the foot of the cross is believed to be a portrait of the Sacro Monte's architect, Giuseppe Bernascone. / The Sacro Monte sopra Varese is built on Mount Olona, also called Mount Vellate, which is believed to be the site of Saint Ambrose's final victory over an army of Arian heretics in the year 389. A church dedicated to the Madonna del Monte was erected on the site in the 10th century and rebuilt by the duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, in the late 15th century. Two local women established an Augustinian convent there in 1474 and, little more than a century later, another of their number proposed that a Sacro Monte be built leading up to the sanctuary. There are fourteen chapels and three monumental arches illustrating the mysteries of the rosary, preceded by a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The final mystery is represented by the cult statue on the high altar, which is attributed to Saint Luke. The chapels were designed by Giuseppe Bernascone, il Mancino (1565 - 1627), an architect from Varese who trained with Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), or Pellegrino de' Pellegrini, and constructed quickly between 1605 and 1699. They are significantly larger than the chapels at any other Sacro Monte.
Ascension of Christ
Francesco Silva
Chapel Twelve illustrates the second of the rosary's glorious mysteries. Bernascone had originally planned to build the chapel elsewhere, along the medieval road that remains visible between the Arch of Saint Ambrose and Chapel Eleven. Construction had already begun at this site when it was abandoned in favor of the current location in 1624. The fist building was never finished as a chapel but was used as a residential dwelling for many years and then as headquarters for all the restoration work that took place between 1984 and 1990. It is known as the failed chapel, la cappella fallita or falida, and often appears on maps of the Sacro Monte, although it is not usually labeled. Giovanni Pietro Carcano (1559-1624), a wool merchant and banker from Milan, made a large donation to the chapel in 1624, which may have prompted the chapel's relocation. It is not clear whether Carcano's bequest took place before his death or was gifted from his estate. Bernascone also altered his architectural designs, making the finished chapel more elaborate than he had originally planned. Carcano's family crest is prominently displayed in the pediment above the porch. His patron saint and that of his nephew, Giovanni Antonio Carcano, Saints Peter and Anthony of Padua, also appear in stone sculptures on either side of the archway. The author of these works is unknown. The sculptures inside the chapel were modeled by Francesco Silva (1568 - 1641) in 1632. An inscription bearing this date was discovered on the left shoulder of the Madonna in the restorations of 1989. The terracotta figures are life-sized and mostly hollow, with the exception of the non-corporeal cherubim, which are modeled in solid clay or stucco. The circle of golden rays behind the sculpture of Jesus are made of gilded wood. A man with short hair and no beard stands slightly outside the semi-circle of disciples on the left-hand-side of the group. His features are somewhat reminiscent of Silva's reputed self-portrait in Chapel Five. If this figure were another image of the artist it would help explain why there are twelve men present, since Christ's ascension was believed to take place after Judas' death and before the apostles elected a new member to complete their number. The clear distinction between three registers of figures, the semicircular host of angels, and the apostle in the foreground who reaches up with his back to the viewer recalls the composition of Titian's Assumption of the Virgin (1518) at the Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. The frescoes were originally painted in 1633 by Giovanni Francesco Lampugnani (1588 - 1651) and Giovanni Battista Lampugnani (1590 - 1640), two brothers from Legnano. This date is recorded in a painted plaque inside the chapel and documented in a nineteenth-century guidebook, although the inscription is no longer legible. It seems that the interior was repainted at least twice, including by Girolamo Poloni (1877 - 1954) in the early twentieth century. The existing frescoes mimic the hilly landscape surrounding the chapel. Before the neighboring trees grew up to their current extent, this continuity between the interior and exterior landscapes would seem to dissolve the separation between the two spaces, effectively transforming this hilltop into the site of Christ's Ascension. The potential to use local geography for theatrical effect in this way likely motivated Bernascone to choose this site for the new chapel, because the views were more dramatic and the building could be built farther away from the mountain's slope than was possible at the original location. Inside, the figures are arranged on an artificial hill that continues the slope of the actual mountain. Recent restorations have removed the rocky outcroppings, tufts of grass, and recreation of the Sacra Orma, Jesus' footprint, that were painted and sculpted into this ground. It is not clear whether these elements were part of the original decorations or added in subsequent interventions. / The Sacro Monte sopra Varese is built on Mount Olona, also called Mount Vellate, which is believed to be the site of Saint Ambrose's final victory over an army of Arian heretics in the year 389. A church dedicated to the Madonna del Monte was erected on the site in the 10th century and rebuilt by the duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, in the late 15th century. Two local women established an Augustinian convent there in 1474 and, little more than a century later, another of their number proposed that a Sacro Monte be built leading up to the sanctuary. There are fourteen chapels and three monumental arches illustrating the mysteries of the rosary, preceded by a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The final mystery is represented by the cult statue on the high altar, which is attributed to Saint Luke. The chapels were designed by Giuseppe Bernascone, il Mancino (1565 - 1627), an architect from Varese who trained with Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), or Pellegrino de' Pellegrini, and constructed quickly between 1605 and 1699. They are significantly larger than the chapels at any other Sacro Monte.
Presentation at the Temple (or The Circumcision)
Andrea Prestinari or Cristoforo Prestinari, attr. to
These carved wooden figures sit on the altar in the left nave of the sanctuary at Santa Maria del Monte. Neither the altar nor its sculptures are mentioned in the record of a pastoral visit ordered by Carlo Borromeo in 1578, which called for the construction of an altar in the left nave to mirror the existing structure in the right nave of the sanctuary. By the time church authorities returned for the next inspection in 1581 the altar, which is attributed to Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), had been completed. The sculptures are smaller than life-size and may have been added some time later. A document in the Archivio di Stato di Milano records that the figures in the Presentation were covered, or recovered, with gesso by Andrea Prestinari in 1596, and presumably painted and gilded shortly thereafter. Andrea (dates unknown) seems to have been a younger relative of Cristoforo Prestinari (1573 - 1623), who made sculptures for Chapel One and Chapel Three at Varese and also decorated many chapels at the Sacro Monte of Orta. Some experts suggest that Cristoforo also carved these figures, although most of his surviving work is made of terracotta rather than wood. Conservation efforts in 1982 revealed the existence of two paint layers that are composed of similar materials and difficult to separate, which suggests that one was applied shortly after the other. It is possible that Andrea Prestinari's figures were repainted soon after he finished them, or that he himself had repainted a group that had been carved by his older relative. The intervention of 1982 also revealed that the Virgin Mary's hands had been repositioned, so that the statue of the infant Christ could be placed in her arms. This change left the remaining figures staring at an empty altar, so conservators returned the figure's hands to their original position. In 1983 Gianluigi Bennati (1929 -2011) carved a new pair of doves to replace a lost set that was carried by the woman with the basket at far right. The small boy in front of her, carrying a plate and pitcher, was stolen during the night of May 19, 1983 along with another figure from the Adoration group. Mario Rudelli (1938 - present) made the existing copy from a photograph. / The Sacro Monte sopra Varese is built on Mount Olona, also called Mount Vellate, which is believed to be the site of Saint Ambrose's final victory over an army of Arian heretics in the year 389. A church dedicated to the Madonna del Monte was erected on the site in the 10th century and rebuilt by the duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, in the late 15th century. Two local women established an Augustinian convent there in 1474 and, little more than a century later, another of their number proposed that a Sacro Monte be built leading up to the sanctuary. There are fourteen chapels and three monumental arches illustrating the mysteries of the rosary, preceded by a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The final mystery is represented by the cult statue on the high altar, which is attributed to Saint Luke. The chapels were designed by Giuseppe Bernascone, il Mancino (1565 - 1627), an architect from Varese who trained with Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), or Pellegrino de' Pellegrini, and constructed quickly between 1605 and 1699. They are significantly larger than the chapels at any other Sacro Monte.
Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Francesco Silva and Agostino Silva
Despite the fact that this is the last freestanding chapel in the series at Varese, it was among the first to be built. (The final mystery is represented inside the Sanctuary.) It represents the fourth glorious mystery of the rosary: the raising of Mary's physical body into heaven after her death. Belief in the Immaculate Conception, which made the Virgin worthy of bodily assumption, was still being debated during the Counter Reformation. The Franciscans were among the strongest supporters of this dogma and because the Sacri Monti developed out of Franciscan spiritual practices a number of the sites include scenes of Mary's conception or assumption, including Varallo, Varese, Oropa, Crea, and Ossuccio. The chapel was built between 1606 and 1610. It is set on top of a manmade terrace, above the natural slope of the via sacra, with retaining walls on either side to secure the chapel's foundations along the crest of the mountain. There were few trees nearby when it was built, and the chapel had clear views in all directions, which are now somewhat obscured. Its prominent position and metal roof caused the chapel to be hit by lightning so frequently that major structural interventions were necessary only seventy years later. Most of the chapels at Varese were originally roofed in bronze or lead panels. Apart from Chapel Four, these metal roofs have all been replaced by terracotta tiles. Work to repair the building was led by Giulio Buzzi between 1681 and 1687, although further reconstruction was already necessary by 1698. Buzzi (born 1649) belonged to a family of Milanese architects, his father Carlo had a leading role in the ongoing work at the Duomo from 1638 until his death in 1659. The sculptures inside are usually attributed to Francesco Silva (1568 - 1641), although some scholars suggest they were modeled by Martino Retti. The figure of Mary was certainly in place by 1623. In 1990 conservators discovered a fragmentary inscription on one of the figures that included Silva's name and a date from the eighteenth century in which the last two numbers are illegible. This may suggest that Agostino Silva (1628 - 1706) restored or finished this group around the same time as he treated his father's works in Chapel Eight, 1701. The frescoes were started by Stefano Maria Legnani, but left unfinished at his death, which occurred sometime between 1710 and 1715. Pietro Gilardi, or Girardi, finished the paintings sometime later, perhaps based on a cartoon left by the original artist. It is unclear when the wooden sarcophagus at the center of the scene was carved, but it may date to the early seventeenth century, like the wooden furniture in Chapel One. The shape of the sarcophagus and bold gestures of the apostles that peer into it recall figures from The Coronation of the Virgin or Madonna di Monteluce by Giulio Romano (c. 1499 - 1546) and Giovan Francesco Penni (c. 1488 - 1528), who was called il Fattore. This altarpiece was painted around 1505 - 1525 and was widely known through printed reproductions. The crowd of childish angels pushing up the clouds beneath Mary's feet may be related to Titian's famous Assumption (1518) at Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice. / The Sacro Monte sopra Varese is built on Mount Olona, also called Mount Vellate, which is believed to be the site of Saint Ambrose's final victory over an army of Arian heretics in the year 389. A church dedicated to the Madonna del Monte was erected on the site in the 10th century and rebuilt by the duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, in the late 15th century. Two local women established an Augustinian convent there in 1474 and, little more than a century later, another of their number proposed that a Sacro Monte be built leading up to the sanctuary. There are fourteen chapels and three monumental arches illustrating the mysteries of the rosary, preceded by a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The final mystery is represented by the cult statue on the high altar, which is attributed to Saint Luke. The chapels were designed by Giuseppe Bernascone, il Mancino (1565 - 1627), an architect from Varese who trained with Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), or Pellegrino de' Pellegrini, and constructed quickly between 1605 and 1699. They are significantly larger than the chapels at any other Sacro Monte.
Adoration of the Magi
Andrea da Saronno, attr. to
This altar sits at the end of the right transept in the sanctuary of Santa Maria del Monte. The figures are made of wood and smaller than the life-sized figures in the chapels along the Via Sacra. They are usually dated to the third decade of the sixteenth century. The group was first attributed to Andrea Retondi (c. 1475 - 1547), who is also known as Andrea da Milano or Andrea da Saronno, in 1999. Since then, most experts have agreed on his authorship, pointing to the similarities between this group and Bernardino Luini's (c. 1480 - 1532) frescoes of the same subject (c. 1525) in the Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli at Saronno. The sculptor must have known Luini's paintings well, since he made two groups of wooden figures for the church himself: A Lamentation (1528 - 1530) and a Last Supper (1530 - 1534). These figures were restored at least four times in the last century. During one intervention, probably around 1901, three-dimensional stars were applied to the niche behind the Virgin and Child. In the intervention of 2003 - 2004 they were removed. One of the Magi's African pages, the small figure at far left, was stolen on the night of May 19, 1983 along with a similarly sized figure from the corresponding group across the church. Mario Rudelli (1938 - present) used a photograph of the lost figure to carve its replacement, which still stands on the altar today. The page's facial features are more caricatured than the Black Magus he serves. His garments are also more exoticized than the king, who wears European style clothes and has idealized features. The only other sculptural group of this subject at the Sacri Monti was designed by Gaudenzio Ferrari in Chapel Five at Varallo. Ferrari's terracotta figures (c. 1520 - 1530) also include a Magus and two attendants with dark skin and is roughly contemporary with this wooden group at Varese. The frescoes surrounding the group were painted by Giovanni Mauro delle Rovere (c. 1575 - c. 1640), who like his brother Giovanni Battista delle Rovere (1561 - 1627), was called Il Fiamminghino. Giovanni Mauro signed and dated his work 1632 in a nearby lunette of the Wedding at Cana. / The Sacro Monte sopra Varese is built on Mount Olona, also called Mount Vellate, which is believed to be the site of Saint Ambrose's final victory over an army of Arian heretics in the year 389. A church dedicated to the Madonna del Monte was erected on the site in the 10th century and rebuilt by the duke of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, in the late 15th century. Two local women established an Augustinian convent there in 1474 and, little more than a century later, another of their number proposed that a Sacro Monte be built leading up to the sanctuary. There are fourteen chapels and three monumental arches illustrating the mysteries of the rosary, preceded by a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The final mystery is represented by the cult statue on the high altar, which is attributed to Saint Luke. The chapels were designed by Giuseppe Bernascone, il Mancino (1565 - 1627), an architect from Varese who trained with Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527 - 1596), or Pellegrino de' Pellegrini, and constructed quickly between 1605 and 1699. They are significantly larger than the chapels at any other Sacro Monte. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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