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Melozzo da Forli
Italian, 1438 - 1494
Italian painter. Melozzo occupied a transitional position between the early and High Renaissance. His contact with Piero della Francesca at the court of Urbino was fundamental to his stylistic development. He rose to prominence in Rome during the papacy of Sixtus IV (reg 1471–84) and later worked for the Pope’s family. Many of his works have been lost or damaged, but he enjoyed a long and illustrious career and was famed for his skill in the use of illusionistic perspective.
1. Life and work.
Melozzo was probably trained near Forlì in the Romagna, and it is likely that he was first active in his native town. The fresco known as the ‘Pepper Pestle’ (c. 1460–65; Forlì, Pin. Civ.), formerly located over the entrance to an apothecary’s shop, is traditionally attributed to him. It shows a man energetically pounding pepper. Piero della Francesca is regarded as the major influence on Melozzo during this period and may have introduced him to Rome as early as 1460. Presumably during that visit Melozzo executed two processional banners on canvas. The frontally viewed, enthroned St Mark, Pope and a three-quarter view of St Mark, the Evangelist (c. 1460; both Rome, S Marco) are obviously early works. Despite the constricted banner format, both figures are strongly modelled and seem to project into the viewer’s space, evidence that Melozzo had begun to experiment with the foreshortening that later became his hallmark. An anonymous epigram of c. 1461 says that Melozzo made a replica (untraced) of the Madonna of St Luke, the icon in S Maria del Popolo, Rome, for Lord Alessandro Sforza of Pesaro. The painting is sometimes mistakenly identified as the Madonna of St Luke (c. 1469–70; Montefalco, Pin.-Mus. Com.).
From c. 1465 to c. 1475 Melozzo is believed to have been resident at Urbino, painting at the court of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. This period is undocumented, but Melozzo is praised for his skill in perspective by Giovanni Santi in a poem of 1488, and Luca Pacioli, a resident at the court, noted Melozzo’s skill and that of his pupil Marco Palmezzano at measuring proportion. At Urbino, Melozzo could have strengthened his ties with Piero della Francesca. A series of paintings of the Liberal Arts (c. 1475; ex-Kaiser-Friedrich Mus., Berlin, destr.; London, N.G.), a series of Famous Men (1476–7; Paris, Louvre; Urbino, Pal. Ducale) and a portrait of Federico Montefeltro with his Son (c. 1475; Urbino, Pal. Ducale) have in the past been associated with Melozzo, but current opinion favours as the artist the Fleming Justus of Ghent, who was also employed by the Duke, as was possibly the Spaniard Pedro Berruguete.
Melozzo probably returned to Rome c. 1475 and must have immediately entered the service of Pope Sixtus IV. His fresco of Sixtus IV Founding the Vatican Library (c. 1476–7; Rome, Pin. Vaticana) was originally located on the north wall of the Vatican Library facing the entrance to the Biblioteca Latina. The scene depicts the Pope surrounded by four nephews: Raffaele Riario, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later Julius II), Giovanni della Rovere and Girolamo Riario. The librarian Platina kneels and points to an inscription praising the Pope’s urban renovations. The figures are arranged in the foreground of a deep architectural setting, with grand proportions and classicizing ornament, the space articulated by imposing marble piers and a coffered ceiling. The modelling of form, calculated juxtaposition of individuals, careful delineation of character and use of a low viewpoint recall Mantegna’s group portrait of the Gonzaga family in the Camera degli Sposi (c. 1465–74; Mantua, Pal. Ducale) which must have been familiar to Melozzo. The artist also demonstrated his debt to Piero della Francesca by emphasizing the harmony between space and the human figure. Melozzo began the work after 15 July 1475 and had finished it by 15 January 1477. He received payments for further work (destr.) on the library with Antoniazzo Romano from June 1480 to April 1481.
In 1478 Melozzo signed the statutes of the Compagnia di S Luca, Rome, by designating himself painter of the pope. Around 1479–80 he was occupied with the decoration of the apse of SS Apostoli, Rome, commissioned by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later Pope Julius II) for his titular church. Only fragments of the fresco of the Ascension, which originally occupied the vault, survive; they include Christ Blessing (Rome, Pal. Quirinale) and musical angels (Rome, Pin. Vaticana). The authenticity of one angel (Madrid, Prado) has been questioned (Tumidei). Melozzo’s expert handling of spatial effects made the fresco of SS Apostoli his most influential work. He represented numerous figures of apostles and angels in steeply foreshortened poses circling the figure of Christ, who was illumined by radiant seraphim and cherubim. The composition was dynamic, conveying the idea of revolving figures ascending towards heaven. Vasari praised its illusionism and provided a description of the work in situ.
The frescoes of the vault of the sacristy of the Treasury at the Santa Casa, Loreto, are undocumented. There is general agreement that Melozzo devised the decorative scheme (1477–8) but left its execution to assistants c. 1480–84, probably to his leading pupil, Marco Palmezzano, and possibly also to Giovanni Santi. The painted figures of prophets, angels and cherubs ring the interior of the octagonal dome, resting on, or floating before, a simulated architectural framework. The illusion of a heavenly chorus occupying real space demonstrates Melozzo’s mastery of foreshortening. However, the stiffness of the figures and their uniformity of expression confirm the intervention of his assistants.
Although Melozzo seems to have been the preferred artist of Sixtus IV and his court, he worked in Rome only until 1481 and was not involved in the decoration of the most important project of the Pope’s later years, the Sistine Chapel. Instead, he was engaged in projects in Loreto and Forlì at the behest of Cardinal Girolamo Basso della Rovere, Captain General of the Church and Lord of Forlì. Presumably, he secured Melozzo the title of Painter to the Pope and the patronage of Caterina Sforza of Forlì.
In his later life Melozzo increasingly relied on assistance from his pupils. It is unknown if he received any commissions in Rome during these years. By 1493 he had departed for the north where he painted in the Palazzo degli Anziani in Ancona. He left in May for Forlì and began work on the fresco decoration of the Feo Chapel, S Biagio (destr. 1944). The narrative scenes in the lunettes, representing miracles from the lives of saints, incorporated portraits of the donors, Giacomo Feo and Caterina Sforza. The vault was painted with prophets and cherubs against a background of illusionistic coffering. The somewhat weak execution of the powerful design is given to Palmezzano who completed the work after his master’s death. The architecture of the oratory of S Sebastiano, Forlì, exhibits the classical forms and proportions found in Melozzo’s paintings. He probably designed it and left its execution to the local architect and textile artist Pace di Maso, called Bambase (d 1500).
2. Working methods and technique.
Melozzo’s fresco technique conformed to established practice. Examination of the fragments from SS Apostoli has revealed that he used cartoons to transfer his designs. The portions relating to faces and hands were pounced and then dusted with charcoal while other lines were incised. Melozzo’s acknowledged ability as a draughtsman has resulted in the attribution of several figural studies associated with large-scale projects, although the attributions are unproven (see Ruhmer, 1968). No large working drawings or cartoons have survived. Melozzo may also have worked in mosaic, directing the design of the chapel of S Elena in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome c. 1489–92. Melozzo was aware of historical prototypes; he reinterpreted medieval images, and some paintings from his circle were modelled on icons. He also borrowed motifs from Early Christian iconography: for the fresco in SS Apostoli, he placed a row of standing apostles at the base and the heavenly apparition in the curvature of the apse above in imitation of a scheme typical of early medieval chapels and basilicas. The seated prophets decorating the dome at Loreto hold plaques with biblical passages; the prominence of inscriptions in Melozzo’s work recalls the practice of incorporating dedicatory texts in medieval church decoration. During his years in Rome, he presumably studied antique works because ancient Roman reliefs, architecture and epigraphy were essential to his development as an artist. It is tempting to see Melozzo as a learned artist, familiar with the theories of Leon Battista Alberti and conversant with the ideas of Piero della Francesca.
3. Studio and influence.
Melozzo influenced artists of his native Romagna, Urbino and the local school of Rome. His principal pupil was Marco Palmezzano, who imitated the sculptural forms and dramatic devices developed by his master; he may also have worked as an architect. In Urbino, Giovanni Santi perpetuated the discoveries of Melozzo, perhaps transmitting a knowledge of perspective to his own son, Raphael. Antoniazzo Romano worked closely with Melozzo in Rome. Many works formerly attributed to Melozzo should be credited to Antoniazzo or his workshop: the frescoes in S Giovanni Evangelista, Tivoli (c. 1480), long associated with Melozzo on the basis of a dubious inscription, should be attributed to Antoniazzo. Melozzo’s work also had an impact on painters of diverse regional schools such as Lorenzo da Viterbo (c. 1437–70) and Donato Bramante in Milan and Bergamo. There is an obvious relationship between Melozzo’s perspective and proportion studies and his dynamic style and other branches of the arts, particularly architectural design, sculpture and decorative objects, including maiolica wares from Pesaro and Faenza. Melozzo’s earliest biographer, Leone Cobelli of Forlì, refers to ‘la sua brigada’, most likely members of his studio who remained active after his death. They included Pace di Maso, Cristoforo Bezzi, an architect, and Bernardino Guiritti (d 1511) of Ravenna, an architect, sculptor and decorator. A document cited in the early 19th century refers to Melozzo as the architect of the Cathedral at Forlì. High Renaissance painters were influenced by Melozzo’s apse decoration in particular; Raphael drew inspiration from the papal portrait of Sixtus IV and the apse of SS Apostoli. Later 16th-century painters, particularly in northern Italy, studied Melozzo’s illusionistic cupola paintings which opened the way for Baroque effects.
4. Critical reception and posthumous reputation.
Although Melozzo was praised by Giovanni Santi (1488) and Luca Pacioli (1492), Vasari omitted him from the first edition of the Vite (1550), but in the second edition he corrected the oversight by praising the frescoes in SS Apostoli. Sebastiano Serlio (Trattato dell’architettura, 1540) lauded Melozzo for his mastery of perspective and foreshortening. A resurgence of interest in Melozzo’s career took place when the history of Forlì (the birthplace of Mussolini) attracted attention. A major exhibition of Melozzo’s work was organized in 1938 on the occasion of the fifth centenary of his birth.
Eunice D. Howe. " Melozzo da Forlì." In Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online, http://www.oxfordartonline.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/art/T056715 (accessed April 10, 2012).
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