Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/132

 MAZZA— MAZZUOLI. 101 ofifby the Eagle, as the decoration of a ceiling. This picture was long consi- dered as a work of Titian's, and was afterwards removed elsewhere as such, says Lanzi. Its description corresponds with that in the National Gallery, from the Colonna Palace, Borne, and attri- buted to Titian. {Bidolfi.) MAZZOLINI, LoDOYiGO, b. at Fer- rara, about 1481, d. about 1530. Fer- rarese School. Pupil of Lorenzo Costa. He adopted the somewhat fan- tastic manner which is characteristic of the earlier Ferrarese painters; he seems firequently influenced by a quaint capri- cious taste, shown by the introduc- tion of most trivial incidents (though not unnatural), even in the gravest or most elevated subjects. His heads have a strong individuality, and appear to be taken from the life; they are extremely ordinary in character, but are painted with great care : this pecu- liarity applies to his countenances of old men, they are hard; his style of form, however, is full and good, and shows, apparently, the influence of Garafalo ; his colouring is also rich and positive. His architectural backgrounds are very remarkable; he was fond, also, of introducing bassi-riUevi : his works are, throughout, carefully finished and symmetrically composed. Owing to his omission by Yasari, Mazzolini's name is not as well known as it de- serves to be; he is the Malini only very slightly noticed by that writer. Works, Bologna, the Nativity of Christ ; God the Father. Borne, Doria Palace, Christ Disputing with the Doc- tors : Gallery of the Capitol, the same subject. Berlin Museum, the same, on a larger scale, dated 1524, and by some considered Mazzolini's master- piece; it was formerly in San Francesco, at Bologna; there are three other sacred' subjects in this collection. London, National Gallery, two Holy Families, with Saints, and Angels, &c., good and characteristio examples. Louvre, a Holy Family. {Lanzi.) MAZZUOLI, 6r MAZZOLA, Giro- LAHO FBA.NCBSCO Masia, Called II Pabmigiano, and sometimes Pabhe- GiAMiNO, b, at Parma, Jan. 11, 1508, or, correctly, 1504, d, Aug. 24, at Casal Maggiore, 1540. Lombard School. He was the son of Filippo Mazzola, and the pupil of his uncles, Michele and Pietro, Ilario. He went in 1523 to Bome, and he remained in that city until 1527, when it was sacked by the soldiers of Bourbon ; he was then en- gaged on his picture of St. Jerome, in the National Gallery. He returned to Parma in 1531. Parmigiano now re^ ceived his important commission to decorate the church of Santa Maria della Steccata with frescoes, but, being of dissipated habits, he was so dilatory, and delayed so long, that he was finally thrown into prison for breach of con- tract. When released, instead of con- tinuing the works, as he had promised, he fled to Casal Maggiore, and died shortly afterwards, leaving the frescoes little more than commenced. Parmi- giano ranks foremost among the follow- ers of Correggio, whose style influenced him from his early youth : gifted with great natural capacity, he reproduc6d, with considerable success, many of the peculiar beauties which distinguished Correggio, but was unable to escape from the mannerism, which it is the fate of most imitators to fall into: foreshortening and soft gradated round- ness of form became an essential aim with Parmigiano. Truth of action is sacrificed to an aflected grace of atti- tude, exaggerated passion is substituted for forcible emotion. Parmigiano en- deavoured to combine the noble forms of the Boman School with his own peculiarities of manner, but his elon- gated necks and limbs rendered such a result impossible. His execution is, however, distinguished by great ded-