DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42071#0251
ROSSO
237
ROVEZZANO
di Paride Alfani, P., for whom he designed a cartoon
of the Adoration of the Magi. He joined, soon
after, Bishop Lionardo Tornabuoni, who also had
fled from Rome, at Borgo S. Sepolcro. Here
Raffaello del Colle gave him an opportunity of
painting a fine Deposition from the Cross for the
church of Sta. Chiara, of which an old copy may
now be seen in the Duomo. On July 1, 1528, R.
received a commission from the men of the Company
of the Corpus Domini of Citta di Castello to paint
a picture for the price of 150 ducats which was to
represent the Resurrection with the Marys and a
great multitude of people below. While about to
commence this work in Citta di Castello, R. met
with an accident from a roof falling on him, and,
being attacked with fever, had to be carried back
to Borgo. For change of air he went to Pieve a
S. Stefano, and from thence to Arezzo, where lie
res. in the house of Benedetto Spadari. In this
city, through the influence of Giovanni Antonio
Lappoli, P., his intimate friend, R. was commissioned
to paint, in fresco, a vault in the church of the
Madonna delle Lacrime, with subjects referring to
the Virgin Mary. These paintings had originally
been given, on May 24, 1527, to Niccolo Soggi for
the price of 125 ducats, but were transferred to R.
on Nov. 24, 1528, at the increased payment of
300 ducats of gold. R. began to prepare elaborate
cartoons, but the frescoes were never painted.
Vasari says that R. was not fond of fresco painting,
and that he delayed the completion of the cartoons
with a view to the frescoes being carried out by
Raffaello del Colle and others. In 1530, when
Florence was besieged, the Aretines rose against
the Florentine garrison in the Citadel, and R.
returned to Borgo S. Sepolcro. The cartoons, after
remaining with the Compagnia della Nuntiata for
some years, were presented in 1583 to Don Giovanni
de’ Medici, a natural son of the Grand-Duke Cosimo
I., and nothing more is known of them. At Borgo
R. finished the picture, previously referred to, for
Citta di Castello, substituting, however, the Trans-
figuration for the Resurrection. At the same date
he was engaged in the study of anatomy.
Desirous of passing his life in France and of
escaping from the poverty which he declared was
the lot of artists working in Tuscany, and having
acquired a knowledge of Latin, R. left Borgo by
night, via Pesaro, for Venice. His departure was
hastened by a quarrel he had had with a priest,
in defence of a lad who he thought had been too
severely chastised for misconduct in church. At
Venice R. made, for Messer Pietro Antonio, a
drawing of Mars and Venus with the Loves and
Graces, which has since been engraved. From
Venice he proceeded to France, about the year
1531. R.’s name first appears in 1532 in the
Accounts of the Royal Buildings, with the title of
Painter in Ordinary to the King (Francis I.), and
with the monthly salary of 14 livres tournois. The
King also gave R. a house in Paris, which he used
but little, passing most of his time at Fontainebleau.
Here he lived in state and worked for ten years.
For his services Francis I. appointed him canon of
the church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Besides
his works at Fontainebleau, R. made an infinity of
designs for salt-cellars, vases, shells (conche), etc.,
which were executed in silver. He also painted
several pictures, designed various cartoons and made
the drawings for a work on anatomy, which he
intended to have published in France. On the
visit of the Emperor Charles V. to Fontainebleau
in 1539 half the decorations ordered by the King
for the reception of his guest were carried out by
R. , the other half by Francesco Primaticcio. Vasari
states that, shortly before his death, R. had more
than xooo scudi of income, besides the sum allowed
for the Works of the Palace (provvisioni dell’ Opera),
which were very large. The occasion of R.’s death
was through a robbery of some hundreds of ducats,
of which he accused his friend and countryman
Francesco di Pellegrino. Francesco was put to the
question, but, being found innocent, was released
and brought an action for damages against R., who,
being unable or unwilling to defend himself, sent
for a powerful poison, which he took, and so ended
his days. R. was of a goodly stature, red-haired,
as his nickname denotes, and in his actions grave,
thoughtful and judicious, except in his last rash
act. After R.’s death his place in the service of
Francis I. was taken by Primaticcio, who caused
many of his works to be destroyed.
Principal Works :—Florence (SS. Annunziata, S.
Lorenzo, Sto. Spirito ?, Uffizi and Pitti Galleries).
Rome. Citta di Castello (Duomo), Volterra (Duomo,
chapel of S. Carlo). France (Fontainebleau, Louvre).
(Milanesi, Vasari; id. MSS.; Layard’s Kugler;
Phy. A. Registers.)
46. Rovezzano, Giovanni di Francesco del
Cervelliera da. B. 14—, d. 1459. P. MI.
Phy. A. Jan. 24, 1441/2. Pop. S. Simone (Reg. 21).
S. L. ( ? Giovanni di Francesco) 1448. p. of Andrea
del Castagno (Vasari), assistant of Fra Filippo Lippi
(Milanesi). According to documents discovered and
referred to by Milanesi in his commentary on the
life of Filippino Lippi (Vasari, III. 489-90), G.
placed himself with Fra Filippo about 1450, when
an agreement was entered into by which the master
bound himself to pay G. 40 flor. of gold at the
end of that year. On G.’s demanding the money,
Fra Filippo declared that it had already been paid,
and exhibited a receipt signed by G. An action
was brought before the Archiepiscopal Court of
Florence, both parties being obstinate in their
affirmations. Under this strong argument the
Frate confessed that he had forged the receipt.
G. was probably bom about 1420, or perhaps a
little earlier, and therefore would have been about
forty at the date of his death.
(Milanesi; Vasari; Phy. A. and S.L. Registers.)
237
ROVEZZANO
di Paride Alfani, P., for whom he designed a cartoon
of the Adoration of the Magi. He joined, soon
after, Bishop Lionardo Tornabuoni, who also had
fled from Rome, at Borgo S. Sepolcro. Here
Raffaello del Colle gave him an opportunity of
painting a fine Deposition from the Cross for the
church of Sta. Chiara, of which an old copy may
now be seen in the Duomo. On July 1, 1528, R.
received a commission from the men of the Company
of the Corpus Domini of Citta di Castello to paint
a picture for the price of 150 ducats which was to
represent the Resurrection with the Marys and a
great multitude of people below. While about to
commence this work in Citta di Castello, R. met
with an accident from a roof falling on him, and,
being attacked with fever, had to be carried back
to Borgo. For change of air he went to Pieve a
S. Stefano, and from thence to Arezzo, where lie
res. in the house of Benedetto Spadari. In this
city, through the influence of Giovanni Antonio
Lappoli, P., his intimate friend, R. was commissioned
to paint, in fresco, a vault in the church of the
Madonna delle Lacrime, with subjects referring to
the Virgin Mary. These paintings had originally
been given, on May 24, 1527, to Niccolo Soggi for
the price of 125 ducats, but were transferred to R.
on Nov. 24, 1528, at the increased payment of
300 ducats of gold. R. began to prepare elaborate
cartoons, but the frescoes were never painted.
Vasari says that R. was not fond of fresco painting,
and that he delayed the completion of the cartoons
with a view to the frescoes being carried out by
Raffaello del Colle and others. In 1530, when
Florence was besieged, the Aretines rose against
the Florentine garrison in the Citadel, and R.
returned to Borgo S. Sepolcro. The cartoons, after
remaining with the Compagnia della Nuntiata for
some years, were presented in 1583 to Don Giovanni
de’ Medici, a natural son of the Grand-Duke Cosimo
I., and nothing more is known of them. At Borgo
R. finished the picture, previously referred to, for
Citta di Castello, substituting, however, the Trans-
figuration for the Resurrection. At the same date
he was engaged in the study of anatomy.
Desirous of passing his life in France and of
escaping from the poverty which he declared was
the lot of artists working in Tuscany, and having
acquired a knowledge of Latin, R. left Borgo by
night, via Pesaro, for Venice. His departure was
hastened by a quarrel he had had with a priest,
in defence of a lad who he thought had been too
severely chastised for misconduct in church. At
Venice R. made, for Messer Pietro Antonio, a
drawing of Mars and Venus with the Loves and
Graces, which has since been engraved. From
Venice he proceeded to France, about the year
1531. R.’s name first appears in 1532 in the
Accounts of the Royal Buildings, with the title of
Painter in Ordinary to the King (Francis I.), and
with the monthly salary of 14 livres tournois. The
King also gave R. a house in Paris, which he used
but little, passing most of his time at Fontainebleau.
Here he lived in state and worked for ten years.
For his services Francis I. appointed him canon of
the church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Besides
his works at Fontainebleau, R. made an infinity of
designs for salt-cellars, vases, shells (conche), etc.,
which were executed in silver. He also painted
several pictures, designed various cartoons and made
the drawings for a work on anatomy, which he
intended to have published in France. On the
visit of the Emperor Charles V. to Fontainebleau
in 1539 half the decorations ordered by the King
for the reception of his guest were carried out by
R. , the other half by Francesco Primaticcio. Vasari
states that, shortly before his death, R. had more
than xooo scudi of income, besides the sum allowed
for the Works of the Palace (provvisioni dell’ Opera),
which were very large. The occasion of R.’s death
was through a robbery of some hundreds of ducats,
of which he accused his friend and countryman
Francesco di Pellegrino. Francesco was put to the
question, but, being found innocent, was released
and brought an action for damages against R., who,
being unable or unwilling to defend himself, sent
for a powerful poison, which he took, and so ended
his days. R. was of a goodly stature, red-haired,
as his nickname denotes, and in his actions grave,
thoughtful and judicious, except in his last rash
act. After R.’s death his place in the service of
Francis I. was taken by Primaticcio, who caused
many of his works to be destroyed.
Principal Works :—Florence (SS. Annunziata, S.
Lorenzo, Sto. Spirito ?, Uffizi and Pitti Galleries).
Rome. Citta di Castello (Duomo), Volterra (Duomo,
chapel of S. Carlo). France (Fontainebleau, Louvre).
(Milanesi, Vasari; id. MSS.; Layard’s Kugler;
Phy. A. Registers.)
46. Rovezzano, Giovanni di Francesco del
Cervelliera da. B. 14—, d. 1459. P. MI.
Phy. A. Jan. 24, 1441/2. Pop. S. Simone (Reg. 21).
S. L. ( ? Giovanni di Francesco) 1448. p. of Andrea
del Castagno (Vasari), assistant of Fra Filippo Lippi
(Milanesi). According to documents discovered and
referred to by Milanesi in his commentary on the
life of Filippino Lippi (Vasari, III. 489-90), G.
placed himself with Fra Filippo about 1450, when
an agreement was entered into by which the master
bound himself to pay G. 40 flor. of gold at the
end of that year. On G.’s demanding the money,
Fra Filippo declared that it had already been paid,
and exhibited a receipt signed by G. An action
was brought before the Archiepiscopal Court of
Florence, both parties being obstinate in their
affirmations. Under this strong argument the
Frate confessed that he had forged the receipt.
G. was probably bom about 1420, or perhaps a
little earlier, and therefore would have been about
forty at the date of his death.
(Milanesi; Vasari; Phy. A. and S.L. Registers.)