Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/133

 102 MAZZUOLI— MEMML sion, and be occasionally attained a real grandeur of form, as in the Moses of the Steccata, a figure of which Sir Joshua Reynolds says it is difficult to decide, whether to admire most the correctness of the drawing or the grandeur of the conception. His atti- tudes also, notwithstanding habitual affectation, are occasionally natural and graceful, and display sometimes great sweetness of expression. His landscape backgrounds are sometimes admirable; and he was, it appears, on all occasions, a most successful portrait- painter. He etched a few plates. There were two other painters of this family, Girolamo and Alessandro, called Bedolo. Girolamo Mazzuoli was a good colourist; he was living at Parma in 1580. Works, Parma, church of San Giovanni, the Marriage of St Cathe- rine: church of the Madonna della Steccata, the ceiling in fresco (chiaro- scuro), representing Adam and Eve ; and Moses breaking the Tables of the Law. Naples, Studj Gallery, Portrait of Americus Vespucci; Lucretia; and several others; portraits; Holy Fa- milies, (fee. Florence, Gallery of the Pitti Palace, the Madonna del GoUo Lungo. Uffi^, his own portrait; a Holy Family. Bologna, the Madonna and Child, with St. Margaret and other Saints ; his most celebrated altar-piece ; and the model of the Carracci. Berlin Galleiy, the Baptism of Christ. Vienna Gallery, Cupid making a Bow (1536), one of his most celebrated easel pic- tures, often copied. Dresden Galleiy, la Madonna della Hosa. London, National Gallery, the Vision of St. Jerome (1527), a very early work. {Vasari, Affo^ Mortara.) MELANI, Cav, Giusefpb, b. at Pisa about 1680, d. 1747. Tuscan School. ' A pupil of Camillo Gabrielli, and a follower of Pietro da Cortona. His master-piece is the large picture of the Death of San Ranieri, in the cathedral of Pisa; but his greater talent lay in fresco-painting, in which he aided his brother Francesco, inserting the figures in his architectural schemes. His brother Francesco d, in 1742, he was a distinguished painter of archi- tecture. The vault of San Matteo, at Pisa, displays the talents of both bro- thers. (Lanzi,) MELZI, Fbancesco, II Conte, still living 1567. Lombard School. A Mi- lanese nobleman, the scholar and inti- mate friend of Leonardo da YincL As he did not make painting a pro- fession, his works are not numerous ; but his pictures bear so strong a re- semblance to those of Leonardo, that they have been mistaken for them. Melzi accompanied Leonardo to France, and inherited his designs, studies, books, and manuscripts; which, with his own personal knowledge, enabled him to furnish Vasari and Lomazzo with some valuable notices of the life of that great painter. Works, The Castle of Vaprio (be- longing to the Melzi family), a Icffge fresco of the Madonna and Child. Berlin Gallery, Vertumnus and Po- mona, the former in the garb of an Old Woman. MEMMI, SiMONE, or rather Smoiix D£ Mabtino; Memmo (William) was the name of his father-in-law; b, at Siena, about 1285, d, at Avignon, 1344> Sienese School. This painter is the chief representative of the peculiarities which distinguished the early Sienese School; showing an admirable inyen- tion, but little taste in design or execu- tion. He is supposed to have been the pupil of Giotto, and to have painted in coigunction with him at Rome. That Simone was Giotto's pupil has been doubted by Rumohr ; he appears to have been rather Giotto's rival, from the manner in which the two painters are mentioned by Petrarch : —