DOI Heft:
Nr. 2
DOI Artikel:Białostocki, Jan; Diziani, Gaspare [Ill.]: Pictures by Gaspare Diziani in Poland
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17136#0043
dcath of Sebastiano Ricci, \\-hich took place in 1734 — he cleared up his palette and was morę
Ricciesąue than ever before16.
The Child Moses Spurning Ute Crown of the Pharaoh in our museum, which is so close in
compositional arrangement to the Joseph series of the Bovi collection has an interesting architec-
tural background. A large. round structure. often found in representations of Jerusalem, appears
there. It is perhaps less justified in a picture showing an Egyptian scenery, but in generał this
structure, being round, may mean a pagan building, especially a pagan temj)le. The same, or
very close, motif appears again in a picture belonging to the group painted by Diziani in 1733 for
San Stefano in \ enice17, the Massacre of the Innocents, wliere it forms the most prominent accent
in the architectural background18. In this way, we get another connection, which strengthens
our dating of the Warsaw picture in the thirties.
We did not find any preparator}- drawing for our picture10, but we would like to draw attention
to some sirnilarity existing between the figurę of the woman to the right as well as the position
of the child Moses and the figures of the Yirgin and of Jesus in the drawing representing an
Adoralion of the Magi in Museo Correr in Yenice, ascribed to Gaspare Diziani by Dott. Pignat-
ti*° (fig 5).
The subject of the Warsaw picture is rather rare: it was taken from Joseph's Antiąuitates
Judaeorum. II, 9, 7 but has appeared also in the Speculum Humunae SaIvationis21. The most
famous example of this theme in painting is the composition of Nicolas Poussin in the Louvre22,
classical in character, with figures situated in zones parallel to the picture surface. But otherwise
it does not occur in French, but rather in Dutch and Italian painting. Its relative vogue con-
centrated around Rembrandt and in WIlIth century ^ enetian painting, as can be deduced
from Pigler's lists-3. He mentions works depicting this scenę, done by Sebastiano Ricci (Modena,
coli. Campori), by Pellegrini, Amigoni — artists contemporary of, and close to, Diziani.
Giambattista Tiepolo painted this subject in a picture belonging to the Kress Foundation,
now at the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. Texas (fig. 6);4. The conception of that work is
somewhat similar to our picture, although it is \ertical in format, whcreas the Warsaw one is
horizontal. Compared with Poussin both Yenetian pictures show close similarities. The splendor
of oriental coslumes, of monumental architecture, draperies. soldiers and richely clad women
link Diziani's Warsaw work with that of his great contemporary. As this last is dated by critics
in Tiepolo's early Milanese period25, it can not be excluded, that it might have played some
part in Diziani's invention.
16. Rodolfo Palluochini, La piltura reneriana del Seltecento, II., Lezioni tenute nell'Universita di Bologna, 1951 — 1952,
Bologna, n. d., p. 13.
17. For the dating see Valcauover, op. cit., pp. 85—102.
18. Cf. tlic reproductioii in Feuyó, op. cit., p. 98, fig. 14.
19. I have not scen the drawing ascribed to Di/Jani and representing Lolh and his daugktęrę in the Lonvrc (nr 1803),
menlionfd by Pigler, op. cif., I, p. 41.; I cannot say if it has any connection with the Craeow pieture.
20. Museo Correr, Disegni 944, 274x 183 cm. I ani indehted to dott. Terisio Pignatti, who in a ntost libera] way has
shown me his inaterials, provided tlie płiotograph and allowed its reproduetion.
21. Pigler, op. cit., p. 91; he quotes Lutz and Perdrizet's work on Sprculum.
22. Otto Grantoff. ISicolas Poussin. Miimhen, 1914, II. nr 110; Exposilion Nicolas Poussin. Musee ilu Loufre, Catalogue,
Paris, 1960, nr 76.
23. Pigler, op. cii., pp. 91-93.
24. Wilhelm Suida, „Dic Sammlung Kress. New York," Pantheon. XIII, 1940, OL p. 281.
25. The Samuel II. Kress Collection al the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. 1953 (Catalogue by W. Suida), nr 28; authoritica
agree ahout the attrihutiou. except for Tietze, who thought that the picture has heen painted by Zugno.
43
Ricciesąue than ever before16.
The Child Moses Spurning Ute Crown of the Pharaoh in our museum, which is so close in
compositional arrangement to the Joseph series of the Bovi collection has an interesting architec-
tural background. A large. round structure. often found in representations of Jerusalem, appears
there. It is perhaps less justified in a picture showing an Egyptian scenery, but in generał this
structure, being round, may mean a pagan building, especially a pagan temj)le. The same, or
very close, motif appears again in a picture belonging to the group painted by Diziani in 1733 for
San Stefano in \ enice17, the Massacre of the Innocents, wliere it forms the most prominent accent
in the architectural background18. In this way, we get another connection, which strengthens
our dating of the Warsaw picture in the thirties.
We did not find any preparator}- drawing for our picture10, but we would like to draw attention
to some sirnilarity existing between the figurę of the woman to the right as well as the position
of the child Moses and the figures of the Yirgin and of Jesus in the drawing representing an
Adoralion of the Magi in Museo Correr in Yenice, ascribed to Gaspare Diziani by Dott. Pignat-
ti*° (fig 5).
The subject of the Warsaw picture is rather rare: it was taken from Joseph's Antiąuitates
Judaeorum. II, 9, 7 but has appeared also in the Speculum Humunae SaIvationis21. The most
famous example of this theme in painting is the composition of Nicolas Poussin in the Louvre22,
classical in character, with figures situated in zones parallel to the picture surface. But otherwise
it does not occur in French, but rather in Dutch and Italian painting. Its relative vogue con-
centrated around Rembrandt and in WIlIth century ^ enetian painting, as can be deduced
from Pigler's lists-3. He mentions works depicting this scenę, done by Sebastiano Ricci (Modena,
coli. Campori), by Pellegrini, Amigoni — artists contemporary of, and close to, Diziani.
Giambattista Tiepolo painted this subject in a picture belonging to the Kress Foundation,
now at the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. Texas (fig. 6);4. The conception of that work is
somewhat similar to our picture, although it is \ertical in format, whcreas the Warsaw one is
horizontal. Compared with Poussin both Yenetian pictures show close similarities. The splendor
of oriental coslumes, of monumental architecture, draperies. soldiers and richely clad women
link Diziani's Warsaw work with that of his great contemporary. As this last is dated by critics
in Tiepolo's early Milanese period25, it can not be excluded, that it might have played some
part in Diziani's invention.
16. Rodolfo Palluochini, La piltura reneriana del Seltecento, II., Lezioni tenute nell'Universita di Bologna, 1951 — 1952,
Bologna, n. d., p. 13.
17. For the dating see Valcauover, op. cit., pp. 85—102.
18. Cf. tlic reproductioii in Feuyó, op. cit., p. 98, fig. 14.
19. I have not scen the drawing ascribed to Di/Jani and representing Lolh and his daugktęrę in the Lonvrc (nr 1803),
menlionfd by Pigler, op. cif., I, p. 41.; I cannot say if it has any connection with the Craeow pieture.
20. Museo Correr, Disegni 944, 274x 183 cm. I ani indehted to dott. Terisio Pignatti, who in a ntost libera] way has
shown me his inaterials, provided tlie płiotograph and allowed its reproduetion.
21. Pigler, op. cit., p. 91; he quotes Lutz and Perdrizet's work on Sprculum.
22. Otto Grantoff. ISicolas Poussin. Miimhen, 1914, II. nr 110; Exposilion Nicolas Poussin. Musee ilu Loufre, Catalogue,
Paris, 1960, nr 76.
23. Pigler, op. cii., pp. 91-93.
24. Wilhelm Suida, „Dic Sammlung Kress. New York," Pantheon. XIII, 1940, OL p. 281.
25. The Samuel II. Kress Collection al the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston. 1953 (Catalogue by W. Suida), nr 28; authoritica
agree ahout the attrihutiou. except for Tietze, who thought that the picture has heen painted by Zugno.
43