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Giovanni Bellini
(Venice, 1430 ca - 1516)
Santa Giustina 1470 ca
Tempera on panel, 28,4 x 52,3 cm
In 1913, the artist of this very beautiful panel was identified by Bernard Berenson as Giovanni Bellini, instead of Alvise Vivarini, to whom it had been attributed previously. The painting represents S. Giustina, an Early Christian martyr from Padua, who was believed to have belonged to the Vitaliani family, from whom the Borromeo descend. Even if the circumstances of the acquisition by the Bagatti Valsecchi of this work is not known, it probably can be related to the desire to underscore the new and prestigious ties with the Borromeo family to whom the Bagatti Valsecchi were related through the 1882 marriage of Giuseppe to the young Carolina. Towering like a statue in the still clarity of a limpid and cold light, the saint is lost with lowered eyes in silent contemplation, unperturbed by the martyr’s dagger driven into her chest. Like other objects in the house, the painting is placed where the brothers originally intended it to be seen.span> |
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Master Lombard Glass Craftsman,
S. Stephen, 1511
Polychrome and grisaille stained glass;
h 160 x 140 cm
Milano, Museo Bagatti Valsecchi
This stained glass window, dated 1511, is the perfect example of an antique object acquired by the brothers, adapted for re-use and inserted as an integral part of the decoration system of the Bagatti Valsecchi home. The original location of this object, identified in 1918 by Pietro Toesca as coming from the area of Como, is not known for certain. What is certain is the entrusting of its restoration in 1885 by Fausto and Giuseppe Bagatti Valsecchi to Pompe Bertini, at which time the window was enlarged through the addition of the lunette and the exterior frame, in order to adapt it to the size of the window in the Sala Armigeri (Squires’ Room), for which it was destined. Regarding the artist of the drawing used by the Renaissance master glass craftsman, the name of Bernardo Zenale—or, in any case, an artist near to him—has been cited, given the evident ties between this S. Stephen and the one depicted in the Zenale panel, now in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum. Like other objects in the house, the window is placed where the brothers originally intended it to be seen. |
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Ippolito Rombaldoni
(Urbania, 1619 - 1679)
Vaso 1678
Majolica, H 82 x 37 cm Under the foot, this large vase is signed and dated “Ippolito Rombaldoni 1678.” Active in Urbania in the 17th century, this artist was one of the most appreciated artists of his day for majolica decorated with complex narrative scenes and images generally derived from contemporary graphics. As indicated by the Roman capitals running around the foot of the vase, the figures decorating it represent Glory and Eloquence. This work, of great decorative impact for its large size, vivacious colors and sinuous motif of its serpentine handles, is to be compared to three analogous vases belonging to the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza; together, they composed a series realized for the important Barberini family. Like other objects in the house, the vase is placed where the brothers originally intended it to be seen. |
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