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

128 VINCENZO FOPPA
these saints are conspicuous by their absence ;
are we to assume that Pasta
mistook St. Clara for St. Monica and St. Louis of Toulouse for St. Augustine ?
Such a solution seems hardly credible, more especially as the name of the
saint represented is inscribed upon each respective panel. But granting that
Pasta was right in speaking of the St. Francis as part of the polyptych, we
are inclined to think that what he described was in point of fact a later reconstruction,
for the Anonimo, who saw the altarpiece in its original position
above the High Altar of S. Maria delle Grazie, does not mention the St.
Francis, but speaks only of the Madonna as the most important figure, and of
saints in compartments at the sides of this panel. Is it not possible that
Pasta's words, "and above' St. Francis receiving the stigmata flanked by SS.
Augustine, Monica, and other saints," may have applied to other pictures
independent of the altarpiece, but hanging above it on the same wall ? Such a
possibility is suggested by some further words of Pasta ;
immediately after
speaking of the predella of the ancona he continues, "and above at the sides
there is a picture of the B. Virgin with the Child, and below S. Bernardino by
the hand of Giacomo Cotta,"^ thus proving that at this date other pictures
had been hung in closest proximity to Foppa's work.^
On the whole, then,
a reconstruction based upon Pasta's words does not
appear altogether convincing ; but assuming that our doubts may be
unfounded, we should then have in this ancona of S. Maria delle Grazie a
rare instance of a painter allowing himself an almost unprecedented licence
and acting in direct opposition to liturgical rule and tradition.
As to the question of its authenticity as a work by Foppa there can be no
doubt, though we are disposed to think that it belongs to a somewhat later
period of his career than that to which we have assigned the Brera altarpiece.
It appears to be more nearly related in style and feeling to certain frescoes,
be mentioned later, which were formerly in the Church of S. Maria del
Giardino at Milan. It must once have been a typical work, and like
these frescoes full of the best qualities of his art in point of expression
and feeling ; this is apparent, in spite of its injured condition, in
the illustration which we give of the picture when it was first removed from
Busto Garolfo. Before being placed in the Brera the necessary restoration
had to be undertaken, and we are reluctantly obliged to admit that this has
completely changed the original character of the work, and the fervent expres-
' i.e. above the eight gilded compartments of the ancona.
2 " Lateralmente in alto v' ha la B. Vergine col Bambino e sotto S. Bernardino, di
mano di Giacomo Cotta " (Pasta, op. cit., p. 104).
^ For in Pasta's day, it must be remembered, the ancona was no longer in the
position where it was seen by the Anonimo, i.e. over the High Altar, but had been removed
to the wall at the end of the choir.
to