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

94 VINCENZO FOPPA
ber 20, 1473/ Gadio writes from Milan to the Ducal Secretary, Simonetta, to
inquire if it was actually the Duke's intention to place the ancona, which was
being made at Milan, in the castle at Pavia. If so, he would at once send an
engineer and one of the carvers in order to inspect the place where it was to
be set up ; for as we know from another letter of September 26,' Gadio had
found that it would be necessary to go to some expense in preparing the wall
and floor of the chapel to receive a work of the size of this ancona. Gadio's
plan was also to have a wall built across the chapel (probably a species of
screen) similar to the one in the chapel of the Castle at Milan, ^ with a door in
the centre and a window on each side, through which those in the chapel
"might be able to follow the Mass and also see the ancona."*
Gadio also noted that the ancona was fifty braccia'^ in length and eight in
height, a size which he considers excessive, for, according to him, two-thirds
of the dimensions would have been sufficient; "which ancona," he adds,
"will fill three sides of the chapel,® that is presumably of the sanctuary, and
we must infer that this immense structure filled not only the altar wall, but
also the north and south walls of the chancel."'
This letter^ gives us an idea of the unparalleled size
of the ancona, which
ancona must have been engaging his attention between 1472 and 1473. Though in very
bad health at the time (he was a chronic sufferer from gout), Gadio states that he had
been forced to go three times to Pavia to attend to certain works, not specified ; and at
the end of the letter he alludes to "that blessed ancona of the relics," an expression
which seems to imply that the work had already been occupying him for some time and
had given him considerable trouble.
1 Arch, di St. Milano, ibid., Beltrami, p. 309.
2 Gadio to Simonetta, Beltrami, 309 note.
^ " Fare uno muro traverse come h. quello alia cappella di questo Castello" (letter of
September 20,
written from Milan).
* " Accio che melio si possa veder messa at cost lanchona " (Beltr., ibid.).
^ A braccia—one cubit, equal to sixty centimetres.
8 "Quale, secundo intendo e longha braccia 50 e alta 8, che in vero bastaria li due
terzi, quale anchona andara di tri canti della cappella" (ibid.). The ancona would therefore
have measured thirty metres in length and four metres eighty centimetres in height.
^ This chapel was evidently a building of considerable size. D'Adda, Indagini,
p. 147, quotes a document which speaks of it as "cappella o vero gexia (chiesa)" ; and
Elia Giardini, Memoj-ie topografiche di Pavia, p. 16, calls it a large chapel.
^ The whole of this letter was not printed by Beltrami. In the unpublished portion
Gadio speaks of the time which will be required for providing the carvings, both on
account of the paucity of carvers at Milan, and also because Ferrini had removed the
carvings, already executed for the ancona, and had used them for another Majestas
ordered by the Duke. He concludes by saying that "though it is not my province to
provide altarpieces (sebbene non e mio ufficio di far fare ancone), still I will do my
utmost to carry out the Duke's wishes."