The Cathedral Builders Part 39

Cristofero della Pace at Murano. The original Torre dell' Orologio on Piazza S. Marco was also designed by him.

On March 14, 1499, he was nominated _Proto maestro_ of the Ducal Palace in place of Antonio Rizo. Seguso and Selvatico attribute to him, with his sons and nephews, the rich and beautifully sculptured capitals of the pillars which support the lower arches "from the Court of the Senators to the second part of the building"; and the internal facade of the side towards St. Mark's, which Selvatico p.r.o.nounces one of the finest examples of Lombard style. In the interior of the palace he restored the "Camera del Tormento," and built the hall of the Council of Ten, the prisons over the Granaries, and the attic prisons known as "I Piombi."

As a sculptor he was of remarkable genius. Two signed statues in the church of San Stefano, one of which represents S. Antonio, are of extreme beauty, as is the magnificent high relief of the Virgin and Child in the outer arcade towards the bridge. The monument to Cardinal Zeno in S. Marco is a beautiful specimen of Lombard ornamentation. It is rich with carven angels and saints, wreaths of flowers, and all possible wealth of sculpture.

In about 1490 Pietro was engaged on a great work of architecture at Treviso, where the bishop had commissioned him to improve the cathedral by putting a new and ornate facade with a large window, besides building three new chapels.[289] His sculpturesque tastes outweighed his talent for architecture. He left the building at Treviso in the hands of inferior Masters, and went to Venice to sculpture in the _laborerium_ of the guild at San Samuele, the statues and reliefs for its facade. The work not proceeding satisfactorily it was suspended, and on Pietro Lombardo's death even his design was lost in some mysterious manner. The church was not ultimately restored till two centuries later.

He had also the commission to restore the older church of S. Maria Maggiore at Treviso, and there, too, having made his design, he left his son Tullio to execute it. Either for want of means, or disagreements among the Masters, this also remained incomplete.

Probably Pietro had too many interests in Venice, where in 1514 he was elected _Gastaldo_ or Grand Master of the lodge; in which office he continued till his death in 1521, a date proved by his son Tullio taking out papers of administration in that year. We have no particular mention of any great buildings by Pietro's eldest son Giulio, but he was greatly respected in the guild, for on June 3, 1524, the Chapter of S. Roch, while deliberating that "Mistro Bon,"

_i.e._ Master Bartolommeo Bono, a famous architect, should be discharged from the office of chief architect (_Proto_) of the Scuola, because he is _disobedient and not diligent enough_ (we perceive that even a _Proto_ had some superior officers or council above him), elected as _Proto_ in his stead a young Magister Sante, son of Giulio Lombardo, but with the proviso that his father Giulio should be his adviser in everything.

Antonio, Pietro's second son, won a certain rank as sculptor, but he is better known in Padua and Ferrara. He removed to the latter city in 1505 with his family, and died there in 1515.

The third son, Tullio, however, was a bright star in the line. His sculpture was so delicate, and he attained such tenderness in the flesh of his marble statues, that it is thought he had studied under Donatello when he was in Padua in 1450. His decorative sculpture may be judged by the chimney-pieces in the chamber of Udienza, with its antechamber, in the Grand Ducal Palace; by the doors of the Scuola di S. Marco, and the church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, all done about 1500.

The beauty and grace of his figures may be seen in the four kneeling angels which support the altar of the Incoronation of the Virgin in S.

Giovanni Crisostomo; a most exquisite group. This work is signed, "Opus Tullii Lombardi." The fine monument to the Doge Nicol Marcello, at SS. Giovanni e Paolo, and those of Marco and Amerigo Barbarigo, in S. Maria della Carita, are also by him.

There is some confusion between the two cousins, Sante, eldest son of Giulio, and Sante, the second son of Tullio. Sante di Giulio was chief architect of the Scuola di San Rocco, from June 1524 to March 1527, and all the finest part of the building is attributed to him. He built the church of S. Giorgio for the Greek colony. This was finished in 1548 by Gian Antonio Lombardo da Cione (Carona), who was son of Pietro Antonio Solari of Carona, so that in this church the Milanese and Venetian branches of the Solari family meet, but the Milan branch has kept the old name, while in Venice it has been merged in the place name, and they are known as the Lombards. The Palazzo Trevisan, which belonged to the family of Bianco Capello, was said to be from the design of Sante.

We have followed up the Venetian architects sufficiently to prove that they, too, had their links with the great Comacine or Lombard Guild.

Sansovino, who succeeded the Lombard Solari family in Venice, was a Master trained in the Florentine Lodge, so even he was not extraneous to the guild.

FOOTNOTES:

[278] _Sulle Consorterie delle Arti Edificative in Venezia_, capo ii.

p. 14.

[279] "I quattro martiri patroni de la dita arte cioe San Nicostrato, San Claudio, San Castorio e S. Superian."--Sagredo, _Sulle Consorterie e, etc._

[280] Agostino Sagredo, _Sulle Consorterie delle Arti Edificative in Venezia_, capo ix. pp. 84, 85.

[281] Gualandi, _Memorie Originali Italiane risguardanti le Belle Arti_, Parte vi. p. 108. Bologna, 1485.

[282] Merzario, _Op. cit._ Vol. II. chap. xxii. p. 16.

[283] _Notizie storiche intorno al Palazzo Ducale di Venezia_, p. 1, by Gius. Cadorin. Venezia, 1838.

[284] Merzario, _Op. cit._ Vol. II. cap. xxii. p. 23.

[285] Monsignor Paolo Giovio wrote a poem on Antonio.

"Un Riccio nel contado all 'eta nostra Nacque di Como, che fu buon scultore E l'opre di costui Venezia mostra: Fece un Adamo, ch'e di tanto valore Che di bellezza cogli antichi giostra," etc.

[286] To show how difficult it is to trace names through the queer old doc.u.ments, we may mention that this sculptor is sometimes written in the archives as "Guglielmo Bergamasco"--probably he entered the lodge at Bergamo--and sometimes "Vielmo Vielmi di Alzano."

[287] Merzario, _I Maestri Comacini_, Vol. II. chap. xxiii. p. 47.

[288] The parentage of Pietro is clearly proved by doc.u.ments in the Venetian archives. One is a deed dated Sept. 19, 1492, drawn up by the notary Gerolamo Bossis. It confirms the will of Magister Petrus Lombardus quondam Martini lapiciola. Another, dated Sept. 8, 1479, drawn up by the notary Bartolommeo de Vegiis, begins--"Io piero lombardo fiolo di ser martino de charona, taj.a.piera in Venesa in la chontrada de samoele in casa del duse testimonio e scrive de mano propria." Here Pietro tells us not only his father's name Martin, but his birthplace Carona, a village near Arogno and Campione--the place his relative Marco da Carona came from. In fact here we have the Campionese school still surviving and sending forth fine artists.

[289] Marchese Ricci, _Dell' Architettura in Italia_, Vol. II. chap.

xix. p. 605.

CHAPTER VI

THE ROMAN LODGE

THE ROMAN LODGE

-------+-----------+--------------------------+---------------------------- 1. A.D. 88 Magister Mutius Pliny's architect.

2. 7th or M. Sisinius Architect represented in 8th the ancient frescoes of century the subterranean church of St. Clement, as directing the building of it.

3. { M. Alberto } { } 4. { M. Cosma } His a.s.sistants in the { } work.

5. { M. Carboncelle } { } 6 & 7. { "Sons of PVTE." } 8. about M. Paschalis, named RITA Sculptured the marble 11th candlestick and inlaid century pulpit of S. Maria in Cosmedin.

9. 1148 M. Paulus A sculptor in marble.

10. M. Johannes } } 11. M. Petrus } His four sons who carved } the ciborium in S. Lorenzo 12. M. Anges (Angelo) } fuori le mura in 1148.

} 13. M. Sa.s.sone } 14. 12th M. Niccol, son of Sculptured the curious century Angelo di Paulus mediaeval candelabrum in San Paolo fuori le mura.

{ Two brothers from the 15. 1196 M. Ubert { lodge at Piacenza, who { cast the bronze doors of 16. M. Petrus { the sacristy of S. John { Lateran.

17. 1190? M. Lorenzo (ancestor of Sculptured the facade of S.

the Cosmati) Maria in Falleri, and the pulpit at Ara Cli in Rome.

18. 1205-10 M. Jacopo, his son Sculptured at Civita Castellana, San Saba, Rome, and at Subiaco.

19. 1210-77 M. Cosimo, son of Jacopo Worked at Anagni. His four sons made the name of Cosimo famous, and were known as the Cosmati.

20. 1231-35 M. Luca, eldest son of Died young.

Cosimo 21. 1231-95 M. Jacopo, second son C.M. of Orvieto in 1293.

22. 1294 M. Adeodatus, or Made the ciborium in S.

Deodatus, third son. Maria in Cosmedin; the cloister of S. John Lateran, etc.

23. 1290-1303 M. Giovanni, fourth son Made several famous monuments in Rome.

24. M. Arnolfo, c.u.m socio } Made the tabernacle of S.

} Paolo fuori le mura.

25. M. Petro } 26. 1224 M. Rainaldo Canon of Anagni, and member of the Masonic Guild.

27. 13th M. Ba.s.saletti (written His name is on the column century Va.s.salecti or Basalecti) of S. John Lateran, and on a marble lion in the porch of the S. Apostoli in Rome.

28. 1447 M. Beltramo da Varese C.M. of the Roman Lodge in 1447: he designed the restorations of the Campidoglio, and built the Palace of the Conservators.

29. " Magister Pietro da a.s.sisted his uncle. He Varese (nephew) also worked at Orvieto in 1450.

30. " M. Paolo da Campagnano Worked with his (near Varese) fellow-countrymen in 1452-3. Restored the roof at S. Pietro, 1460.

31. 1455 M. Antonio di Giovanni { Joint architects of the { Pontifical Palace in 32. M. Paolino da Binasco { the reign of Pope { Calixtus III.

33. " M. Bartolommeo of Como Directed the works of fortification at Castel S.

Angelo.

34. " M. Stefano da Bissone of Sculptured in S. Spirito.

Como 35. 1460 M. Manfred of Como } Joint C.M. of the Vatican } from 1460 to 1463.

36. " M. Domenico of Lugano } 37. " M. Angelo of Como } Adorned some of the rooms } of the Vatican.

38. " M. Martino Lombardo } 39. 1466 M. Giacomo di Cristoforo A famous builder and sculptor, C.M. of the _laborerium_ at Rome. He designed Palazzo Venezia.

40. " M. Andrea of Arzo Sculptor working under Giacomo. He carved some inlaid doors at the Vatican.

41. 1466-70 M. Giacomo di Giovanni } da Como } } 42. M. Alberto di Giovanni } da Como (his brother) } } 43. M. Nicola di Guglielmo } da Varese } } 44. M. Pietro di } Cristoforo da Bregnano } All these were Lombard } _Magistri_ receiving pay 45. M. Simone di Giovanni } in the Roman Lodge between da Binego } 1460 and 1470.

} 46. M. Giovanni di Antonio } da Bellinzona } } 47. M. Michele Lombardo } } 48. M. Benedetto Lombardo } } 49. M. Domenico di Martino } Lombardo (son of } No. 38) } { Two members of the 50. 1475 M. Baccio Pontelli { Florentine Lodge who were { employed as architects at 51. " M. Giuliano da Majano { the Vatican under { Manfred.

{ Florentine brothers, 52. " M. Giovanni di Dolci { architects at the { Vatican, the Sistine 53. " M. Marco di Dolci { Chapel, and the fort of { Civitavecchia.

54. 1484-92 M. Antonio di San Gallo A Lombard, naturalized Florentine. He built the Borgia apartment.