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Recommended Sites related to Da Forli
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- His portrait and 5 works can be found at the Delfo Website. Including his important work - the c. 1474-7 fresco Pope Sixtus IV Giving Custody of the Vatican Library to Platina (now in Pinacoteca Vaticana). Also, fresco in Cappella Feo, Church of S. Biagio in S. Giirolamo (destroyed 1944 – WWII) and The Benedictory Christ, Urbino, Italy.
- c. 1480-82 six Angels Musicians (now in Pinacoteca Vaticana). Important works and all can be seen at the Vatican Website.
- Detail of Christ, Ducal Palace, Urbino, Italy.
- Painting - Annunciation (Florence, Uffizi) at the Web Gallery of Art
ARTICLE REFERENCES:
- The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, Pub. Columbia University Press, 2001.
- Clark, Nicholas, Melozzo Da Forli, Pictor Papalis, Pub. Sotheby’s London, Harpers & Row, USA, 1990.
- Rundle, David, Editor, The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of the Renaissance, Pub. Westview Press, 1999.
- The Vatican Collection, The Papacy and Art, Pub. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, Exhibition Catalog, 1982.
- OTHER WORKS BY MELOZZO DA FORLI:
- Important work, c. 1478-80 a large apse fresco in Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli in Rome: Ascension of Christ in Glory (now in Palazzo del Quirinale). (no image)
- 1484 frescoes in the Dome of Cappella del Tesoro in Basilica di Loreto in collaboration with M. Palmezzano. (no images)
- 1489 frescoes in Cappella di S.Elena in Chiesa di S.Croce in Gerusalemme (Rome). (no images)
- 1493 decoration of Palazzo Comunale in Ancona. (no images).
- Fresco at Santuario della Santa Casa, Loreto, Central Italy (no images)
- Portrait of Pope St Marcus, San Marco Church, Rome. (no images)
- Portrait of St Mark the Evangelist, San Marco Church, Rome. (no images)
- Fresco Christ: The Judge at the Tomb of Bishop Giovanni di Coca, in Rome. (no image)
One way to investigate the origins of musical instruments is through the study of early paintings. Pre-pianos are the specialty of this musician’s site. If your computer can receive music, then listen to the pre-piano instruments.
Lutes are a very early instrument, too. Pythagorean has paintings and an article about early lutes and musicians that played them. At the Dartmouth site, you can find information about joining The Lute Society.
For early violin development, visit Thinkquest and Gusset Violins or Emory University.
Ever wondered how ants and bees walk on smooth surfaces or on ceilings? Robotic specialists are interested in the latest findings, too. For an explanation, check out Science Daily.
Mountain Men & the Fur Trade,1800-1850. Interesting website maintained by a member of The American Mountain Men. Has ship supply records, mountain men photos, etc. Internet sources and links.
Phonograph, Electric Railroad & Light Bulb - inventions of Edison. Website has archeological survey as well. Presented by Menlo Park, NJ.
Association for Preservation of Virginia's Antiquities, Jamestown's website with the latest findings on America's earliest settlement.
Cuneiform Translator...One of our customers told us about an interesting link at the University of Pennsylvania's website. Visitors can read about the history of cuneiform translate their own name online. Very fun!
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 30+ pages of excellent coverage on Jackson Pollock, including biographical material and images of him at work on his drip-paintings.
Researching the arts...For teachers that may need your assistance in researching topics in the arts, an excellent list of Arts Education Links exists on the server of Library Science Program at James Madison University
American Art..."Calendar of Exhibitions" is the internet's most comprehensive listing of current, upcoming and past exhibitions of American representational art at non-profit institutions.
Wondering about ongoing archeological digs in the Mediterranean... visit the Classics and Mediterranean Archaeology Home Page
VASARI’S QUOTE
Vasari's Lives of the Artists (1550) is the first serious attempt to record developments in Italian painting from the thirteenth through the sixteenth century. The book includes foreshortening, perspective and other topics, which were orally transmitted from teacher to student, and is an excellent resource for understanding artists networking during the Renaissance.
Melozzo da Forli…. was a zealous student of art, especially of foreshortening as may be seen in S. Apostolo at Rome in the tribune of the high altar....But this is most clearly seen in a choir of angels in an Ascension of Christ leading him to heaven, the figure of Christ being so well foreshortened that it seems to be passing through the vault, as do the angels, who are flying about in the airy space with varied movements. The apostles also, on the earth, are so well foreshortened in their different attitudes that Melozzo was very much praised then and has been since, by artists who have greatly profited by his labors. …… Giorgio Vasari’s (1511-1574) Lives of the Artists (1550)
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We have indeed been most fortunate with the acquisition of a limited supply of the Vatican’s reproduction of Melozzo da Forli’s, Angel Playing the Viol!
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The Angel is the ‘most delightful juvenile Musical Angel.’ The 11" plate is made from fine porcelain with a 24k gold-edged banding and is accompanied by a bright red presentation gift box stamped in gold with CVM (Collections of the Vatican Museum). This is a truly beautiful and unique gift! |
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The original artwork was commissioned by Sixtus IV (Pope 1471-84) or by his nephew - the future Julius II (Pope 1503-13). Melozzo da Forlì was commissioned to paint the fresco, Ascension with Christ in Glory, c.1478-80 for the choir of the Church of the Apostles in Rome. Melozzo did the cartoon (master drawing), placed pouncing and chalk dust for the hands and face, and incised the fresco for the wings and clothing placements. He may have also painted the face, but most of the support work was completed by his assistants under his supervision.
Unfortunately, the fresco was destroyed in 1711 when Pope Clement XI had the choir enlarged. A few figures of the fresco were detached and saved including: "Christ Triumphant" (presently on the Quirinal staircase) and the Apostles and six Musical Angels (presently in the Pinacoteca at the Vatican). During a 1982 restoration of two of the angels, a few of the original marks placed by Melozzo da Forli were found on parts of the fresco fragments. Our Angel Playing the Viol is a representation of one of the two restored angels.
IMPORTANCE OF HIS FRESCOS AND MUSICAL ANGELS
For several hundred years after their creation, Melozzo da Forti’s two surviving main frescos and other works were considered by artists to be the ‘first examples’ of extreme foreshortening and superb perspective used in pictorial vaulting and ceiling painting. But in later centuries, as the field of Art History developed, this honor was given to other artists. Da Forti, however, is accepted as a pioneer who contributed to the knowledge and technique of later artists.
The Musical Angel’s radiant beauty is evident in its charming, fresh face and delicate features. Locks of curly hair, frame the face which draws our eye to the remnants of a halo and to the expansive wings. The colors in the clothing seem so appropriate for the personality. The Angel quietly watches the heavenly activities and is a vision of grace.
Near the Angel’s left shoulder or at the chest level, is a precursor to the violin - a Renaissance viol, which appeared before the 1500’s and is identified by its two crescent-shaped sound holes.
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| The evolution of the violin continued through the classification - viola da braccio. Eventually, present-day violins were standardized by Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) in the late 1600’s to early 1700’s. The Musical Angel’s natural gracefulness is seen in the gentle pose of the bowing hand.
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VATICAN AUTHORIZATION AND APPROVAL OF PLATES
This reproduction of the Angel Playing the Viol plate has been authorized and approved by the Vatican. Which means, this piece of artwork has met strict quality controls for the artwork’s representation and for the quality of materials used in the finished product. The Vatican’s authorization and approval makes reproductions from their collections very desirable.
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Seal of the Papacy from the front of the plate
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EARLY CATHOLIC CHURCH
During 1309-1377, the papacy was based in Avignon, France. When Pope Martin V. Colonna arrived in Rome on September 28, 1420, he found the city crumbling with unsanitary and ruinous street conditions. With the help of wealthy patrons, he and his successors created conditions essential to artistic production by rebuilding the city’s infrastructure, constructing monumental buildings, having books and maps copied for the papacy, and employing a multitude of artists to design and execute the work required.
A later Pope, Sixtus IV (1471-1484) is known for nepotism and unsuccessful political endeavors but is credited with suppressing abuses during the Inquisition and is considered the first Renaissance Pope because of his major support for literature, arts and architecture. Continuing Rome’s restoration, he rebuilt thirty churches and constructed seven new ones; inaugurated a collection of classical statues on the Capitol; widened Rome’s streets, paving them with bricks; built both a bridge over the Tiber River and the Sistine Chapel; and reestablished the expansion of the Vatican Library, which today is a major resource for important early Christian and European history. An inscription under the Melozzo da Forlì Vatican fresco, Pope Sixtus IV Giving Custody of the Vatican Library to Platina (c. 1474-77), describes his accomplishments:
- "You gave your city temples, streets, squares, fortifications, bridges and restored the Aqua Virgine as far as the Trevi."
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Panoramic view of the Vatican
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The 15th century in Rome is important to the history of art. Besides the works of Melozzo da Forti, many other artists contributed significant works during the preparations for the Holy Year of 1475 such as: Verroccio, Signiorelli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Botticelli, Pinturicchio. Amidst this period of celebration, Melozzo worked on many artworks but unfortunately, only one major work survives, Pope Sixtus IV Giving Custody of the Vatican Library to Platina, c.1474-77, and several fragments including Ascension of Christ in Glory, c.1478-80, which includes our Angel Playing the Viol.
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BIOGRAPHY
In 1438, Melozzo da Forlì was born as Michelozzo degli Ambrogi, to Giuliano and Giacoma of the Ambrogi, near the city of Forli, in Central Italy. His parents' professions are unknown, but his brother, maternal uncle and brother-in-law were specialized craftsmen and possibly part of the developing classification of wealthy craftsmen and merchants.
His first official mention is in public records dated to December 2, 1461. He is described as "a painter". This designation is significant because during this period, individuals needed years of extensive training in order to be approved by a panel of established artists and to earn the honor of being called a craftsman. His last public record was in 1464. Between 1464 and c.1474 (when he was working in Rome) Melozzo may have worked throughout Central Italy in cities such as Forli, Urbino, Ancona and Loreto just as he did in later life. The work he completed in Rome brought Melozzo recognition. The few pieces which have survived through the centuries are from his years in Rome. He died in Forli, Italy in 1494.
The artists who may have trained Melozzo is a topic of speculation. Scholars believe that Piero della Francesca (c.1415–1492) could have been a major influence because of the similarities in their works such as: the choice of religious subject matters; the fleshed-out, rounded human forms; the linear perspective and foreshortening; and the vaulted ceiling paintings.
In addition, during the early-to-mid 1400’s, Francesca worked in Florence, Italy where the Angel was exposed to 15th century master-artists who laid the foundation for the Italian Renaissance: Donatello (powerful sculptor); Mantegna (painter-used solid monumental forms, perspective and foreshortening); Brunelleschi (architect-used scientific perspective); and Masaccio (painter-used solid, round figures and linear perspective). These artists' influences can be seen in Piero della Francesco’s work which in turn may have influenced Melozzo da Forlì.
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CONCLUSION
Even though only a few of Melozzo da Forlì's artworks have survived throughout the centuries, the Angel is still considered a master of extreme foreshortening and perspective. The Musical Angel is a testament to his talents. It shows his technique as well as his exceptional skill at expressing the inner beauty of the human form and the ethereal quality of this heavenly messenger. Angel Playing the Viol is truly beautiful and a delight to contemplate on this high quality, certified reproduction!
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