Vincenzo Foppa of Brescia, founder of the Lombard school, his life ...

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CHAPTER III
C. 1465—C. 1473 AND LATER
safe-conduct for six years— Notices of a painter Vincenzo in the Castello at Milan
The Portinari Chapel— Foppa's frescoes in the Certosa— His brother-in-law Bartolomeo
Caylina working there also— Death of Francesco Sforza—^Foppa's altarpiece
for a church at Monza— His letter to Pigello Portinari— Foppa acquires property
and citizenship at Pavia—The Duke takes him into his service and grants him a
Not Vincenzo Foppa— Foppa seeks employment in the Campo Santo, Pisa—Takes
a house at Pavia for four years— Returns to Genoa— His signed altarpiece for a
church at Brescia— Returns to Milan—Values frescoes there—Documents relating
to the valuation of works of art—Foppa's Madonnas : in the Castello Museum,
Milan—At Berlin—Milan—Settignano— Philadelphia—Newport, U.S.A.— Decorative
borders of drapery— Picture by Foppa at Addlington Castle, near Maidstone.
Most intimately connected in its decorative motives with the Medici Bank,
was the Chapel of St. Peter Martyr, which Pigello Portinari erected in the
Church of S. Eustorgio at Milan, for the love which, according to Bugati
the chronicler of S. Eustorgio, he bore to the saint, and partly also, according
to later writers, in order to gratify the Milanese,' and more especially the
Duchess Bianca Maria, who had a particular devotion to this church. The
chapel, which was later known as " Cappella a capite St' Petri," was to contain
the head of the saint, which had been severed from the body by order of
the Archbishop Giovanni Visconti, and had been placed in a silver tabernacle
when the saint's remains were removed in 1340 from their original restingplace
in the church, and were enshrined in the marble sarcophagus made to
receive them by Giovanni Balducci. Pigello had caused himself to be portrayed
in a panel picture kneeling at the feet of St.
Peter Martyr, which probably
gave rise to the popular belief, repeated by many of the earlier writers,
that the saint had appeared to him in a vision and commanded him to build a
1
Pigello had already ingratiated himself with the Milanese in 1450 by building,
with his brother Azzareto, the sacristy and choir of S. Pietro in Gessate, on the exterior
of which some traces of the Portinari arms may still be seen ; this further act, of building
a chapel for the head of the Dominican saint, greatly increased his popularity at
Milan.
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