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

132 VINCENZO FOPPA
this panel is undoubtedly only a frag-ment of a large altarpiece, and its
original position may very probably have been in the centre of the architrave,
in a polyptych consisting perhaps of several tiers.'
A note of originality is struck by the introduction into the background
of St. Jerome as a penitent, a very unusual accompaniment to the Annunciation
; the composition with some modifications, being a repetition of the
example at Bergamo. The picture was bought by the late Signor Vittadini
from a Milanese dealer and was in a much injured condition, the whole of the
centre being hidden under a coating of dark paint. This was removed by
Professor Cavenaghi, and the composition of St. Jerome kneeling before the
Crucifix then came to light."
A very impressive work of this period was discovered by Dr. Frizzoni in
the collection of M. Cheramy in Paris. It is a figure of the Ecce Homo seen to
the waist against a dark green background wearing the purple robe, which in
this case is of Foppa's characteristic shade of reddish lilac, and the crown of
thorns ; the hands, which bear the closest resemblance to the hands in the
Arcore Annunciation and in other authentic works by Foppa, are crossed
upon the breast. The whole picture is characteristic of the master in the
highest degree in form and colour scheme, in modelling of the features,
in the very typical drawing of the upper lip and of the eyelids, and more
especially in the severe and solemn expression which alone would be sufficient
to proclaim the authorship of Foppa. The iris of the right eye is opaque
in quality, as is almost invariably the case in the works of Foppa ; the treatment
of light in the left eye, on the other hand, is unusual with this master and
may be due to later retouching.
The picture was formerly owned by M. Ravaisson Mollien, who ascribed
it to Mantegna, and on the dispersal of his collection it was acquired by its
present owner. In May, 1908, M. Cheramy disposed of many of his pictures
at the Galerie Georges Petit,' and it was stated by some papers that the Ecce
Homo by Foppa was among those sold,^ but this is a mistake ; the picture
was not included in the sale, and is still in the possession of M. Cheramy,
through whose kindness we are able to give an illustration of this very
interesting composition.
^ See chap, viii, p. 194.
^ Dr. Frizzoni (Arte, 1899, p. 322) pointed out the similarity between this composition
and that of an Annunciation in the Borromeo Collection at Milan, which he therefore
considered to be by Foppa. The Borromeo picture like that in the Vittadini Collection
is also the fragment of a large altarpiece of which no other parts are at present known.
An illustration of this picture is given in chap. x.
^ See The Times, May 11, 1908.
* See Corriere della Sera, March 6, 1908, where it was stated that the picture fetched
4,000 francs.