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

Chap. VII. FOPPA ORDERED TO RETURN TO SAVONA 169
the Council of Brescia,' returned to Pavia, perhaps with the intention of
fulfilling his engagement with Griffi ; but here further disagreeables awaited
him. The community of Savona, exasperated at the painter's conduct in
leaving the altarpiece for their cathedral unfinished, appealed to the Duke
to exercise his authority and compel Master Vincenzo to fulfil his agreement.
The letter was forwarded to Erasmo Trivulzio, the Duke's Commissioner
at Pavia, and on November 3, the latter replies (Doc. No. 48) that he has
received the ducal missive ; that he at once sent for Foppa and admonished
him to finish the work for the Cathedral of Savona without delay, otherwise
he would certainly be arrested and so severely dealt with that he would
have cause to regret not having obeyed immediately. To one who had
enjoyed the friendship and esteem of former dukes such treatment could not
have been agreeable, but we cannot doubt that under the circumstances
Foppa lost no time in returning to Savona ;
this is indirectly proved by the
Pavian documents relating to a certain dispute between the painter and his
brother-in-law Bartolomeo Caylina— the same question, in fact, of which we
heard so much in Doc. 33, Foppa's petition addressed to the Duke of Milan. In
this fresh dispute no more is said of the house at Brescia which Bartolomeo had
fraudulently endeavoured to sell, ^ but Vincenzo seemingly had not even by this
time fulfilled his part of the contract in paying all that was due to Bartolomeo
as his share of the inheritance, according to the dispositions of Caterina
de Bolis, the mother of Bartolomeo Caylina. Both painters, however, on
October 29, 1489 (Doc. No. 47) agreed to submit their differences to the arbitration
of the Provost of S. Invenzio and his associate Giov. Antonio
Barbauschi, and declared themselves willing to abide by their decision or to
pay a fine of twenty-five gold ducats. Judgment was to be given within a month
though the term might be extended if the parties concerned so desired,
which in effect was done, for on November 20 (Doc. 49), the two arbitrators
decided to defer judgment for one month, the reason of this evidently being
that owing to the absence of Foppa at Savona, the case could not be
proceeded with. But although the sentence was deferred for one month, we
gather that Foppa returned to Pavia much sooner, for judgment was actually
delivered by the arbitrators a fortnight later— namely, on December 5. The
inference is therefore that immediately after Trivulzio's admonition, Foppa
started for Savona, and after making all arrangements for recommencing
work there at no distant date, and after satisfying the authorities that he
would not fail them again and giving them the most solemn assurance of his
good faith, he was permitted to return to Pavia, which he reached before
December 5. The verdict delivered on this day is so full of interest for the
light it throws on several points that we give the substance of it here.
1
See p. 165.
- See chap. vi.