DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.63509#0050
GIOVANNI ANTONIO LICINIO.
painting these frescoes to work armed with his sword and buckler. The
emulation of these rivals was probably inflamed by their joint employment in
the church of St. Gio. Elemosinario, where Titian’s celebrated picture of the
Saint, which embellished the great altar, always maintained its superiority
over the St. Roco and other saints, and the frescoes of the cupola by Porde-
none. The latter however considered his best specimen to be an altar-piece
at Sta. Maria dell’Orto, at Venice, representing St. Lorenzo Giustiniani, St.
Francis, St. John Baptist, and St. Augustin: in which, says Mr. Fuseli, “the
St. John surprises no less by correctness of form than the St. Augustin by a
boldness of fore-shortening, which makes his arms start from the canvas.”
The Marquis of Stafford possesses a fine picture of this master, the subject of
which is, the Woman taken in Adultery.
Duke Ercole II. for whom Pordenone had designed a series of cartons from
the Odyssey, invited him to Ferrara, but he died a few days after his arrival,
and it was generally supposed that poison had snatched him from the envied
favour of the duke, who evinced by a splendid funeral his respect for the me-
mory of this eminent artist.*
He was learned, accomplished, and polite; the ambition of equalling Titian
was his ruling passion, and in some parts of his art he succeeded. The asser-
tion of Vasari, that many appeared friends to Pordenone only because they
were the enemies of Titian, is probably true; but it detracts nothing from the
reputation of the former.
* Ridolfi.
painting these frescoes to work armed with his sword and buckler. The
emulation of these rivals was probably inflamed by their joint employment in
the church of St. Gio. Elemosinario, where Titian’s celebrated picture of the
Saint, which embellished the great altar, always maintained its superiority
over the St. Roco and other saints, and the frescoes of the cupola by Porde-
none. The latter however considered his best specimen to be an altar-piece
at Sta. Maria dell’Orto, at Venice, representing St. Lorenzo Giustiniani, St.
Francis, St. John Baptist, and St. Augustin: in which, says Mr. Fuseli, “the
St. John surprises no less by correctness of form than the St. Augustin by a
boldness of fore-shortening, which makes his arms start from the canvas.”
The Marquis of Stafford possesses a fine picture of this master, the subject of
which is, the Woman taken in Adultery.
Duke Ercole II. for whom Pordenone had designed a series of cartons from
the Odyssey, invited him to Ferrara, but he died a few days after his arrival,
and it was generally supposed that poison had snatched him from the envied
favour of the duke, who evinced by a splendid funeral his respect for the me-
mory of this eminent artist.*
He was learned, accomplished, and polite; the ambition of equalling Titian
was his ruling passion, and in some parts of his art he succeeded. The asser-
tion of Vasari, that many appeared friends to Pordenone only because they
were the enemies of Titian, is probably true; but it detracts nothing from the
reputation of the former.
* Ridolfi.