Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/396

 374 THE BUILDING NEWS. May 10, 1872. He eee ee ee en ee ee. CRITICAL NOTES ON GREAT ITALIAN ARCHITECTS.—XI. By J. B. WARING. BACCIO PINTELLI, GICLIANO AND BENEDETTO DA MAJANO, N our notices of the Italian architects of the Renaissance, it would be unjust to omit the Florentines Giuliano da Majano, his brother Benedetto, and Baccio Pintelli, who were amongst the foremost to practice the revived art of antiquity, and left the impress of their style on the cities of Rome and Naples in a very marked manner. Giuliano da Majano, the son of a stone carver, was born in Florence in 1432, com- menced life as a worker in wood, and, having, whilst quite a youth, executed some tarsia work at the Annunziata in Florence and at Fiesole which was greatly admired, was invited to execute similar works in the Cathedral at Pisa, where some examples of his art still exist in the choir. Ile subsequently visited Naples, where he constructed a palace—the Poggio reale, since destroyed—for Alfonzo of Aragon (D. 1458), and yarious works of less importance. At the inyitation of Pope Paul IT. (1464—71) he repaired to Rome, where he built one of the courts of the Vatican (that of San Pietro), and the marble loggia from which the Pope gave his benediction. But his greatest works were the Palace of S. Mark, or ‘*‘ di Venezia,” designed for the Pope, who was a Venetian, and completed in 1468, and the Church of S. Mark, the facade and the entrance door of the last presenting good examples of the Revival. The palace, however, is the most interesting and important of the two, not only from its great size, but from many peculiarities in design. Itis alarge building, massive and rather heavy in its general character, re- sembling somewhat the Castle of Caffagiuolo, near Florence, built for Cosmo de’Medici by Michelozzo. Externally it presents plain walls surmounted by a cerbel table and battlements, combined with a double areade, and accompanied by a square tower. The courtyard consists of a double-arched loggia of a composite order, similar, it would appear, to that of the Poggio reale at Naples. The principal doorway to the Piazza is good in detail, and remarkable for the boldness of its consoles, from which depend the armorial shield of the Pope, and for the effective orna- ment of the architrave. But the most striking feature in the design is the employ- ment by Majano of transomed and mullioned windows, quite unusual in Italy before or after his time. According to Vasari, Giuliano wasappointed architect to the Cathedral at Florence, after Brunelleschi’s death, but as he died in 1446, it must have been some time after. Rumohr, in his ‘ Italiiinische Forschungen,” informs us that he was employed at the Cathedral as late as the years 1460 and 1471. The proof of the first is found in an extract from the archives of the Duomo, in which *‘ Guliano di Nardo da Majano, Legnaiuolo presente et conducente et in suo nome proprio le due facce della sagrestia. . . . Et in quel modo et forma che si dimostra pel modello dato per detto Guliano. . . . Et qualedeveloavere fatto per tutto Ottobre, 1465,” &e. Again, in 1471, his name occurs as being engaged on work | in the choir together with Francesco di Giovanni di Francesco and Francesco di Domenico, detto Moncatto, tutti Legnaiuoli,” and ‘Maestri Peritissimi.” Vasari states that he was also employed at Loretto in re- pairing and enlarging the church, but it is difficult to identify any work he may have done there. Vasari states that Giuliano died at Naples in the year 1490, that he was honoured with a magnificent funeral by order of the King, and that his works there were subsequently completed by the painter, Ippolito del Donzello, who had previously assisted him. Lanzi describes Ippolito and his brother Pietro as being ‘relatives of the celebrated architect, Giuliano da Majano, by whom they were instructed in that art.” Benedetto da Majano, born at Florence in 1444, a younger brother of Giu- liano, also commenced his artistic career as a carver and worker in tarsia or inlaid wood, and was soon regarded as pre-eminent inthat line. Asa designer and sculptor of ornament he is specially distinguished : witness his masterpieces, the tomb of Phillip Strozzi in S. M. Novella, and magnificent marble pulpit in Santa Croce, Florence. The last named—covered with subjects from the life of S. Francis, allegorical figures, and delicate ornaments—has been fully illustrated by Lasinio: ‘‘ I] Pergaino Scolpito in Marmo nella Chiesa di Santa Croce,” &c., to which the student should refer. As an architect he was less employed ; but deserves special mention as being the designer of the Strozzi Palace at Florence, commenced in 1489, the cornice and courtyard being finished by Cronaca. The cornice, however, was, probably, part of Benedetto’s original design, as it was always a characteristic feature in the Florentine palaces, though the one executed by Cronaca is possibly of greater excellence than that of Benedetto, owing to his closer study of the antique. The proportions and details of this palace, as designed by Benedetto, are of the highest order of merit, and serve alone to establish his reputation as an accomplished architect. He was also employed on alterations in the Palazzo Vecchio, in which he had to deal with difficulties of construction which he success- fully overcame, and which are fully described by Vasari. The apartments thus formed by him above the Hall ‘del Dugento” still exist, and justify Vasari’s remark that ‘the whole work was conducted with admirable art, and finished with extreme care and dili- gence.” The only other purely architectural works known by him are the portico of the Madonna delle Grazie, near Arezzo, of which Vasari speaks in terms of great praise. Tt still exists, though injured by time, and Valery calls it ‘‘a delightful semi- yothic portico, something like—though of another character—the admirable Loggia dei Lanzi at Florence” and a chapel built by himself outside Prato, which still exists. Benedetto appears to have made a fortune by his work, which enabled him to retire to a country house near Prato, where, according to Vasari, he died, in 1498. There appears to have been also another brother, Giovanni, and the Canon Baldanzi has published a pamphlet on the Tabernacle of the Madonna dell ’Ulivo, near Prato, which he ascribes to the three brothers. Of Baccio Pintelli, or Pontelli, a Florentine architect, we have no precise details, but he was largely employed at Rome during the second half of the fifteenth century, especially under the Pontificate of Sixtus IV. (1471 — 1484), and, according to Vasari, ‘‘in con- sideration of his ability in architecture, was employed by that Pope in all the fabrics undertaken in his time.” Among these were the Capella Sistina in the Vatican, plain in design, but forming a fine vaulted hall of about 130ft. in length, 43ft. in width, and 58ft. high. It is now specially noted for the fine frescoes subsequently painted there, among which is the celebrated “ Last Judg- ment” of Michael Angelo. For this chapel, also, were designed the tapestries by Raphael, some of the original cartoons from which now belong to us. He built, also, the Library of the Vatican about the year 1475, and many small churches which were raised in that year (being a jubilee), amongst which Vasari cites Sant’Apostolo, San Pietro in Vincoli, and San Sisto, allnow more or less modernised ; and S. Agostino, built for the Cardinal d’Estouteville, Bishop of Ostia, in 1483, but altered by Vanvitelli in 1740, remarkable for its well-constructed cupola, one of the earliest of the Revival in Rome. Church and Convent of S. M. Del Popolo, erected between the years 1472—1477 (altered by Bernini); the beautiful della Rovere Chapel within the church, and a palace for the Cardinal della Rovere in the Borgo Nuovo. He also designed the churches of S. Maria della Pace (which contains Raphael’s celebrated ‘ Sybils,”) and San Giacomo dei Spagnuoli (now closed). San Pietro in Mon- torio, is also ascribed to him as the original designer. The vast hospital of Santo Spirito in Sassia, at Rome, having been destroyed by fire, was rebuilt and extended by Pintelli about the year 1471. The antique bridge of San Sisto was also restored and strengthened by him, besides other works of minor impor- tance in Rome. For the Cardinal della Rovere, who succeeded D’Estouteville as Bishop of Ostia, he rebuilt the Cathedral in that town, and probably designed the Castello, subsequently carried out by G. da San Gallo. In the year 1480 he was sent by Pope Sixtus to enlarge and strengthen the cele- brated Monastery at Assisi, and to him are due the great buttresses of the northern wall. After the death of Sixtus, in 1484, he visited Urbino, where he was employed by Duke Guid’ Ubaldo to complete the building of the ducal palace, designed, and mostly carried out, by the Illyrian, Luciano Martini da Lauranna (probably a pupil of Brunel- leschi). ‘This palace is enriched with the fine sculpture of Francesco di Giorgio of Siena. Pintelli would appear to have been made a citizen of Urbino, as he subsequently signed his name ‘‘ Urbinas,” and probably died there at the close of the century, The last work ascribed to him is the Church of S. M. delle Grazie, at Sinigaglia, built in 1491, for Giovanni della Rovere, of which we have been unable to find any illustrations. Inthe works of Baccio Pintelli and Giuliano da Majano, at Rome, a strong smack of the Florentine origin of their style is observable, Majano preserving more the character of the old Tuscan style, and Pintelli showing the influence of Brunelleschi. The facades of his churches, such as those of S. M. del Popolo, S. Giacomo dei Spagnuoli, &c., are founded on the type of S. M. Novella and San Miniato, the centre portion being highest and pierced with a circular window, and joining the lower sides by curved console-shaped sweeps, all very plain; whilst the three doors of entry are more or less richly ornamented with sculpture, and are formed very closely on the model of Brunelleschi’s door to the Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce, Florence. The chapels designed by him in §. M. del Popolo are fan-vaulted, and very richly deco- rated with painting and sculpture, especially the third from the right entrance, with its elaborate altar-piece. His Convent of the Gesviti Penitenzieri is very good, though plain, and seems to have influenced the style of Bramante. The principal door- way of S. M. Sopra Minerva, by him, is good, but somewhat heavy in detail, and this applies to his design generally ; the mouldings are heavy in comparison with the ornament. His entrance doorway to the Hospital of Santo Spirito is exceedingly rich and elegant, whilst his cloisters at San Pietro in Vincoli are of the plainest description. On the doorway of the Church of S. James ‘dei Spagnuoli” he has used nail-heads formed by the scollop-shell of that Patron of Pilgrims, which are still there, and havea very good effect. As regards Giuliano da Majano, we have only to add that he uses the Doric order in the lower range of loggia in the courtyard of the Palazzo di Venezia, and the Corinthian order immediately above it, a system which was effectively carried out in the next century by Alessi at Genoa. For amore complete understanding of the style of these masters, the student is referred to Letarouilly’s most valuable work, ‘ Les Edifices de Rome Moderne,” in which he will He designed the | find them fully illustrated.