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

APPENDIX I
279
On the other hand the facts, so far as they are at present known, relating to Vincenzo
Foppa's connection with Brescia, point so strongly to his having been a native of that
province that they appear conclusive.* The earliest document at present known referring
to Foppa speaks of him as Vincentio de Fopa, painter, son of the late Johannis,
citizen and inhabitant of the city of Brescia, and is of May, 1458 (Doc. No. 2). That
he should describe himself as an inhabitant of Brescia when at that date he appears to
have been living at Pavia might show that even as late as May, 1458, he had not
definitely decided to abandon his old home and settle permanently at Pavia, and being
the owner of a house at Brescia, or having at least some share in it through his wife
(as is proved by Docs. 33 and 34, which are discussed in chap, vi), he would naturally
describe himself as an inhabitant or householder of Brescia. A letter of Galeazzo
Maria Sforza of October, 1468 (Doc. No. 15), gives the clue to the probable date of his
removal to Pavia. In it the Duke observes: "We are informed that for the past
twelve years, Vincenzo de Fopa, the painter, has resided continuously in this our city
of Pavia with his wife, his children, his journeymen, and all his belongings, and has
chosen our said city for his habitation and home."
From this we may conclude that Vincenzo's connection with Pavia began about
1456, and to this period belongs his earliest dated work signed Vincencius Brixiensis,
and therefore probably painted when Foppa was absent from Brescia. In 1461 he
appears at Genoa, agreeing to decorate the Chapel of St. John Baptist in the cathedral
with frescoes. The parties to this contract were the priors of the Confraternity of
St. John Baptist on the one part, and "Master Vincenzo of Brescia" on the other
(Doc. No. 3).
The identity of this Vincenzo of Brescia with Foppa is absolutely proved by
Francesco Sforza's letter to the Doge of Genoa of June 28, 1461 (Doc. No. 4). A
similar letter had also been sent by him to the Priors Niccolo Adorno and Lazzaro
Doria ; in these missives the painter is called "Vincentius de Foppa," and in them
allusion is made to the work which " he has begun in the Chapel of St. John Baptist."
This leaves absolutely no doubt that the painter who contracted to execute the work in
January, 1461, is identical with the artist so warmly recommended by the Duke, and
consequently is "Vincenzo de Foppa da Brescia."
That he was a citizen of Brescia as early as 1458 we know from the document
already alluded to (No. 2), and it is probable that this citizenship was his by right of
birth, his father, as we shall see in Note 3, having also lived for many years at Brescia.
The Pavian citizenship, on the other hand, we know to have been acquired at a much
later date. Bianca Maria Sforza, Duchess of Milan, writing to the Podesta of Pavia
on June 27,
1467 (Doc. No. 13), on behalf of "our well-beloved Vincentio de Fopa," informs
him that Vincenzo desires to acquire property in the city or its territory " in the
same manner and to the same extent as though he were a native and true-born citizen."
The Duchess would scarcely have alluded to him in these terms had he actually been
of Pavian origin. Strangers living at Pavia were not permitted to buy property there,
this privilege being only granted to those who were either citizens by birth or had
acquired these rights.^
From Bianca Maria's allusion to Foppa, it is clear that in 1467 neither of these
'
For Foppa's Brescian origin see an article in La Sentinella Bresciana, January 15, 1899.
2 Moiraghi, op. at., pp. 338, 339.