Chapter XVII: Book IV: Neapolitan School (4)

[Footnote 124: The _Memorie de' Messinesi Pittori_ mentions a Gio. Porcello, who, after studying under Solimene, returned, it is said, to his native country, where he found the art at an extremely low ebb; and he attempted to revive it by opening an academy in his house, and diffusing the taste of his master, which he fully possessed. A still better style of painting was brought from Rome by Antonio and Paolo, two brothers, who, fresh from the school of Maratta, also opened an academy in Messina, which was greatly frequented. They worked in conjunction in many churches, and excelled in fresco, but in oil Antonio was much superior to his brother. There was also a third brother, Gaetano, who executed the ornamental parts. Their works on the walls and on canvass are to be seen in S. Caterina di Valverde, in S. Gregorio delle Monache, and elsewhere. There flourished at the same time with the Filocami, Litterio Paladino, and Placido Campolo, a scholar of Conca in Rome, where he derived more benefit from the antique marbles than from the instructions of his master. Both these artists executed works on a very large scale; and of the first they particularly commend the vault of the church of Monte Vergine, and, of the second, the vault of the gallery of the Senate. Both are esteemed for their correct design; but the taste of the second is more solid and more free from mannerism. The above named five artists all died in the fatal year of 1743. Luciano Foti survived them, an excellent copyist of every master, but particularly of Polidoro, whose style he adopted in his own composition. But his characteristic merit consisted in his penetration into the secrets of the art, which enabled him to detect every style, every peculiar varnish, and the various methods of colouring, so that he not only ascertained many doubtful masters, but restored pictures, damaged by time, in so happy a manner as to deceive the most experienced. A man of such talents outweighs a host of common artists.

To these we may add other artists of the island itself, born in different places. Marcantonio Bellavia, a Sicilian, who painted in Rome, at S. Andrea delle Fratte, is conjectured, though not ascertained, to be a scholar of Cortona. Calandrucci, of Palermo, is named among the scholars of Maratta. Gaetano Sottino painted the vault of the oratory at the Madonna di C. P., a respectable artist. Giovacchino Martorana, of Palermo, was a machinist, and in his native city they boast of the Chapel de' Crociferi, and at S. Rosalia, four large pictures from the life of S. Benedict. Olivio Sozzi, of Catania, painted much in Palermo; particularly at S. Giacomo, where all the altars have pictures by him, and the tribune three large subjects from the infancy of Christ. Another Sozzi, of the name of Francesco, I find praised for a picture of Five Saints, Bishops of Agrigentum, in the Duomo of that city. Of Onofrio Lipari, of Palermo, there are two pictures of the Martyrdom of S. Oliva in the Church de' Paolotti. Of Filippo Randazzo, there are to be seen in Palermo some vast works in fresco, as well as of Tommaso Sciacca, who was an assistant of Cavalucci in Rome, and who left some large compositions at the Duomo and at the Olivetani of Rovigo.]

[Footnote 125: Gio. Tuccari of Messina, the son of an Antonio, a feeble scholar of Barbalunga, although he painted much in other branches of the art, owes the celebrity of his name to his battle pieces, which, by the despatch of his pencil, were multiplied beyond number. They were frequently sent into Germany where they were engraved. He had a fruitful and spirited genius, but was not a correct designer.]

[Footnote 126: Among the painters of Messina is mentioned Niccolo Cartissani, who died in Rome with the name of a good landscape painter, and Filippo Giannetti, a scholar of Casembrot, who in the vastness of his landscapes and his views surpassed his master; but he will not bear a comparison in the correctness of his figures and in finishing; though he was, from his facility and rapidity of pencil, denominated the Giordano of landscape painters. He was esteemed and protected by the Viceroy Co. di S. Stefano, and painted in Palermo and Naples.]

Transcriber's notes:

Standardized spacing after apostrophes in Italian names and phrases.
Standardized inconsistent hyphenation.
Retained archaic spelling and punctuation, except as noted below.
Moved footnotes to the end of each chapter.

Other adjustments:

Changed 'Pistoia' to 'Pistoja' for consistency with remaining text.
...Pistoja, Rimino, and Bologna...
Changed 'Winckelman' to 'Winckelmann'
...as Winckelmann has observed...
Changed 'Niccolo Alunno' to 'Niccolo Alunno'
...different from Niccolo Alunno...
Added missing end quotation mark
..."connoisseurs are very commonly considered as his."...
Changed 'antient' to 'ancient'
...he retained the ancient custom...
Changed 'beautifully' to 'beautiful'
...some singularly beautiful grotesques...
Changed 'della' to 'dello'
...called dello Spasimo, which...
Eliminated duplicate 'as as'
...as in the martyrdom of S. Lucia..
Added accent to 'Niccolo' Circignani
...Niccolo Circignani, or delle Pomarance,...
Changed 'hat' to 'that'
...in the style of that master...
Retained two-dot ellipsis to represent missing partial date
...Castellana, 161.., on a large picture...
Eliminated duplicate 'was was'
...he was called Il Trevisani Romano...
Changed 'Vandyk' to 'Vandyke'
...together with one by Vandyke...

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