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

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Chap. III. THE PORTINARI CHAPEL 69
Some years ago the idea prevailed that these frescoes were all
the work of
an unknown Tuscan painter ;' but whether in architectural and decorative
features we are
to regard the building as more Tuscan than Lombard, or vice
versa, in the pictorial adornment of the chapel we are disposed to think that
Lombard influence predominates, and, taking into consideration the relations
of Foppa with Pigello Portinari, his position at that period in regard
to other artists—being admittedly the best painter in the land as well as the
best judge of the capacities and merits of others—and the fact that the earliest
writer who mentions the chapel speaks of the painter as Vincenzo Vecchio, we
think we are justified in regarding him as the leading spirit in the work, and
as the one who directed and superintended the whole. As to the date, Bugati,
who states briefly that everything was completed by 1468, is again our only
guide. It must be admitted that it is extremely difficult to accept this
early date for all the frescoes ;
yet the unanimity which prevails in the
entire system of decoration makes it hard to believe that the whole series was
not produced at one period." The colour scheme is the same in all the frescoes,
and this also might tend to show that they were executed simultaneously.'
1 It may here be noted that Bonifazio Bembo is sometimes quite erroneously held to
be of Tuscan origin. The error is traceable to Lomazzo, who for no apparent reason
calls him Fazio Bembo da Vaidarno {Trait., p. 405). The mistake is repeated by later
writers, among them Calvi (II, p. 87) and Malaguzzi {Pittori, etc., p. 97), who both
refer to documents published by Sacchi in proof that the family came from Vaidarno.
We have found no confirmation in these documents to support such a theory, nor
among all the records known to us relating to Bembo, is he ever spoken of as "da
Vaidarno," but almost invariably as "da Cremona." It is desirable to make this clear,
as we have heard it suggested that the " Tuscan origin " of Bembo might account for
certain Tuscan elements in the frescoes of the Portinari Chapel, an idea which
seems to have been first put forward by Monger!, op. cit., p. 63. The existence of
a " Lago " and " Conca d'Arno" in Brescian territory— namely, in the Val Camonica
might possibly explain the subsequent confusion with the Tuscan valley of the same
name.
^ We might of course conjecture that Foppa planned, and produced during the lifetime
of Pigello Portinari, the Four Fathers of the Church and the busts of the apostles
only, and that he may have been employed in later years to superintend the painting of
the walls ; or it might be assumed that Bugati made a mistake in writing the date 1468,
and that the decoration of the chapel was actually executed at a later period. In that
case, however, nothing but the architectural part of the work would have been completed
before the death of Pigello ; but neither of these suggestions are very probable, and
the traditional date seems on the whole the most worthy of credence.
^ The prevailing colours are : a light watery blue, bright green, deep red shading to
a lighter tone and to lilac, and orange yellow. The chapel, as already observed, was
several times restored, but we may assume that the general plan of the colour scheme
has been preserved in spite of later retouching.