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

288 VINCENZO FOPPA
glazes. This leaf gilding may underlie the whole of the three kings' robes and the
borders of the draperies, as it certainly does the white robe where the horizontal lines
of the pattern are made by scratching down to it through the paint with a pointed
instrument. At the present time, however, the rich brocade pattern on the tawny robe
is ground gold paint put on with a brush. This may be seen near the leaf-gilt collar
as some strokes overlap it, and all over this drapery there seem to be indications of
gold lines underneath the present work. The enrichment of the red dress may be
partly gold recovered by scraping, and partly brush work. There are a few brush
touches on the white robe. It seems probable that this brush work, which is paler in
colour than the rest, is a restoration. The gilding of the collars is laid over embossed
plaster work, and precious stones are simulated in this by small sunk hollows glazed
with appropriate colours to represent rubies and sapphires. The brush method is the
usual accompaniment of oil-painting, and the gold leaf method, of tempera. Gold
patterns are sometimes also laid on the surface of the picture (especially in tempera) by
painting the design with an adhesive mordaunt and pressing the leaf upon it which, of
course, only remains where there is this preparation.
The fresco in the Wallace Collection presents a different technique, which of course
is inevitable. In tempera the flesh is always hatched. The treatment in fresco is
bolder and much more au premier coup and blended. This is fine work of the best
quality on rough plaster. The head and face, which are in perfect condition, are very
admirably painted with both freedom and delicacy. The construction of the features
and the texture and massing of the hair, especially the angle where it divides on the
forehead, recall the angel on the left in the Brera altarpiece. The hand on the book is
much damaged. The outline of the right hand is blurred, and there is an injury to the
first finger ;
otherwise it is in good condition, and is a well-painted hand, and seems of
the same type as the hands of the Brera altarpiece. The red overdress seems to be
original work. The blue of the underdress is painted originally in all probability with
a bluish terra-verde, but seems to have been a little retouched on the
right arm with a
water-colour blue pigment or distemper, and perhaps also on the right leg. The blue
of the leg on the bench appears to be only terra-verde. To obtain a blue effect with a
greenish pigment may seem impossible of belief to the uninitiated, nevertheless it can be
done.
There is water-colour retouching on the upper pile of books, but not on the open
book nor on the one beneath it. The foot which is on the seat is much injured. The right
foot is in good condition except a mark across the toe ; and the stone seat is also in
good condition. The landscape is fine in quality and well preserved ; the tree edges
are probably painted in original tempera, but except for this there is throughout the
clearness and transparency of fresco proper as opposed to tempera. The architecture
on the left and the pavement are the least satisfactory and suggest the possibility of
some thin distemper washes by a restorer ; but it is not easy to be certain. The black
lines in the pavement are rather rigid and unsympathetic. In many places there are
cracks which have been carefully tinted with distemper colour which slightly overpasses
the edge of the cracks, and there are many fine cracks not tinted. Numerous
little holes are filled up, but there is nothing which destroys the clear tone of the
fresco. Here and there the surface has lost some quality through age and has a blurred
look.