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

Chap. I. CONNECTION WITH JACOPO BELLINI 9
but subsequently, in 1897, was disposed of with other remaining pictures of
the Passalacqua Collection in the Negroni sale, and with better judgment
was then ascribed to Civerchio,' a name retained by the purchaser, Cavaliere
Noseda.
That these two panels (Trivulzio and Noseda) originally formed one
picture, there can be no question. The angel completes and brings into harmony
the whole composition, which without it would have been an overcrowded
and ill-balanced fragment, and shows moreover the closest and most
intimate connection with the group on the right in character and expression
and in every detail of drawing and technique. The facts being absolutely
incontrovertible, the possessor agreed to cede the angel to the owner of the
Madonna. The panel was heightened to its original size," and was thus,
after a separation of many years (perhaps even of centuries) reunited to
the main composition. The picture is now owned by Cavaliere Aldo Noseda,
who acquired it from Prince Trivulzio in 1903.
Unfortunately no other works by Foppa of this class are known, and the
next in order, the Crucifixion at Bergamo, which is his earliest dated work,
shows that he must have developed and perfected his art in another school ;
for side by side with the Veronese elements other tendencies are manifest.
We have no works which would give us a clue to Foppa's gradual development
and fill the gap intervening between the Noseda picture and the Crucifixion
at Bergamo. In this last, the connection with Verona, as represented
by Pisanello, is still very striking in parts ;
but the dominant influence is, we
think, that of Jacopo Bellini. At Verona, Vincenzo Foppa must have been
familiar with Jacopo's great fresco of the Crucifixion, painted in 1436 in the
chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas in the cathedral, a work in which, according
to the inscription, the painter described himself as the pupil of Gentile da
Fabriano.
In Foppa's Crucifixion at Bergamo, in addition to the links with Pisanello,
we have proof of the influence of Jacopo Bellini, an influence so strong
that it can only be explained, it appears to us, by assuming that Vincenzo was
the direct pupil of Jacopo, probably at Venice.
From documentary evidence we may assume that Jacopo Bellini had a
workshop at Venice from 1440 onwards, and we meet with notices of him in
that city, which appears to have been his settled home, between the years
1429 and 1470.^ In this Venetian workshop his sons Gentile and Giovanni
1
See Cat. della Coll. del fa Sig. Conte G. B. Liicini Passalacqua, IV Parte,
Milano, 1897 : " No. 22, Angelo con violino. Pittura su tavola illuminata in oro. Del
Civarchio [j;'c] alt., 022x014."
-
The trees on the left were added on this occasion.
' Paoletti, Race, di Doc. inediti, fasc. i.