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

Chap. IV. THE ANCONA OF PAVIA 99
ancona and the ceiling of the chapel, the design for the latter being very
simple, and consisting only of golden rays on an azure ground, with the Dove
in the centre. Gadio begs the Duke to inspect these drawings and to decide
which of the two designs for the ancona he prefers—the more costly composition,
in which the background would be entirely of gold, or the other, less
expensive in character, with a white background and only the decorative
parts in gold ; he then goes thoroughly into the question of these different
designs and of the expense.
The Vincenzo here mentioned is undoubtedly Foppa—he is so called in a
later communication of June 27 (Doc. No. 24)—and with him are associated
the masters who were certainly among the best of the day : Bembo, Zanetto
Bugati the portrait painter, and Giacomo Vismara. A most interesting
light is thrown on Vincenzo's position in regard to other painters by the
following passage in this letter. Gadio having again emphasized the fact
that all painters, good and bad ("et li perfetti et li imperfetti"), were aspiring to
do the work and causing him great annoyance, says : "but if your Highness
desires to know which are the most competent to carry out the work, Master
Vincenzo will tell you, for every painter is not equal to the task."
An entirely different meaning has always been given to this sentence by
the misinterpretation of one word, a reading which no doubt has puzzled
many, and has certainly put Vincenzo in a totally false light. In Magenta's
version of the document the sentence runs thus :
" Magistro Vincenzo gli lo
dira perche come dipintore non gli e bono," leaving the impression that though
Vincenzo might be good at giving advice he was worthless as a painter. The
document is in a very bad state of preservation, and parts are entirely obliterated,
but this word fortunately is still legible, and it is quite certain that the
reading should be "onia" or "ogni dipintore," referring clearly to the
painters who were capable of undertaking the work, and not to Vincenzo
Foppa, and we learn from this letter (Doc. 24) that, besides being the "best
painter in the land," as stated by Vasari, he was also the best judge of the
works of others and the one whose advice was sought by the Duke in matters
of art.
At the end of this letter Gadio refers to the two hundred caskets, which he
informs the Duke will be ready very soon, and he proposes to have them lined
with sandal-wood furnished by "Gottardo."
As a result of this correspondence and of the interview of the three
painters with the Duke, we have a letter of June 21, 1474 (Doc. No. 23), addressed
to Gadio by Galeazzo Maria, in which he refers to the fact of the
painters Bembo, Vincenzo, and Zanetto having been with him at Pavia, and
gives his opinion of the designs for the ceiling and the ancona, which they
had laid before him. He commands that the ancona is to be finished (though