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

Chap. IV. ANCONA FOR THE CHAPEL OF THE RELICS 93
him to Pavia to discuss the question of the decoration of the Sala della
Balla.'
If, however, we have no information relating to Foppa's work at Milan, we
have many documents which throw light on his share in the great ancona
which was to serve as the shrine of innumerable relics in the Chapel of the
Castello at Pavia, a work which since 147 1 had been occupying the attention
of Gadio. This chapel was on the ground floor^ near the great staircase and
contained these relics, which were among the most treasured possessions of the
Sforza.' The Milanese Archives contain a great number of published and
unpublished letters relating to this work which throw a most interesting light
upon the methods pursued in preparing and setting up the structure. The
earliest reference to it is, we believe, of November 24, 147 1, and is contained
in a letter written by Gadio to the Duke on that day, in which he complains
bitterly of the high-handed conduct of Benedetto Ferrini, the
Florentine architect,^ who was always a thorn in the flesh
to him, and whom
he never loses an opportunity of abusing. After stating his grievances and
inquiring whether it was the Duke's pleasure that Master Benedetto should
spend the money allotted for a certain work without giving account to any one,
he proceeds further to ask if it were in accordance with the wishes of the
Duke that Ferrini should stop the works of the ancona of Pavia, "by taking
away the masters engaged upon it, as he has done without my permission and
without saying a word to me about it."^ Subsequently to this letter, we have
no further direct references to the ancona until two years later." On Septem-
^ How elaborate the decoration of this room was to be we gather from a MS. in
the Archivio di Stato, Milan (published by Beltrami, p. 365), which contains a list of
the subjects to be painted on the walls.
'^
There was a second chapel in the castle which in documents is described as the
chapel "with the loggetta above the moat" (see F. Sacchi, Notizie, etc., p. 219).
^ Some of these relics had been given to Gian Galeazzo Visconti on December 24,
1389, by the Emperor of Constantinople, as we learn from the inventory of the relics of
November 22, 1499 (Arch. Not. Pav. Atti di Agostino Gravanago). They were shown
to any of the Duke's visitors who happened to come to Pavia : the Florentine ambassadors
saw them in 1461 and wrote of them with great enthusiasm ; they were also shown
to King Christian of Denmark in 1474, and to many other distinguished personages.
* For some notices of Ferrini see Arch. Stor. Lomb.y 1885, p. 166, and Paoletti,
UArchitettura , . in Venezia.
^ "
. . . Et cosi se vole toglia de li lavori de lanchona de Pavia e leva li magistri da
essa opera de detta anchona come ha tolto e fato senza mia licenza e senza havermene
parlato" (Arch, di Stato Milano, Ingegn. Architetti, Gadio B. XVIII, Sezione Storica).
This letter is alluded to in the Arch. Stor. Lomb., 1876, p. 536, but is wrongly dated
December 24.
• From an incidental notice in an unpublished letter of Gadio's of November 22,
I473> relating to events of the past year and earlier, we gather that the works of the