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

30 VINCENZO FOPPA
The terms of the agreement were extraordinarily harsh. Vincenzo was to
the colours and other requisites with the exception of the gold and
provide all
silver ; the price of each picture was to be determined by the priors, the
painter agreeing to abide by their decision. He was to begin the work on
the 1st of April ; nevertheless, if before that date the priors should have found
another painter whom they considered more competent, Vincenzo bound himself
to relinquish the work, and to restore the fifteen gold ducats which he had
received from the priors as earnest money, and for which Gaspare dell' Acqua,
a painter of Lodi, living at Genoa, had become surety.
It is most surprising that Foppa, who had already made his mark as
a painter and stood in high favour with the Duke of Milan, should ever have
agreed to such a contract. Only the necessity of obtaining work, added
perhaps to the desire of gaining fame in a new place, could have induced him
to stay in Genoa and accept the terms of the priors. No better painter
seemingly was found by them, and that Vincenzo actually began the work, as
agreed, in April is clear from the next document (No. 4). Apparently, after
working for some weeks in the chapel, he reflected that he might better his
position with his employers by obtaining a personal recommendation from
Francesco Sforza to the Doge of Genoa, and he therefore returned to Pavia in
order to solicit this favour. On June 28 the letter of recommendation was
written and entrusted to Vincenzo, together with a copy for the priors of the
confraternity, his employers, and armed with these missives he probably set
out immediately on his return to Genoa. The ducal missive speaks in the
warmest terms of Vincenzo Foppa the painter, as one thoroughly well skilled
in his art ; and though the Duke expresses his conviction that no words of
recommendation are needed, yet, to meet the painter's wishes, and because
his excellence in painting and his loyalty and devotion to the Sforza family
merit such recognition, and "in order that he may apply himself more diligently
to the work which he has begun in the Chapel of St. John Baptist
in your city," Francesco Sforza earnestly commends him to the Genoese
authorities.
This document is most important from several points of view. In the first
place, it proves beyond all possibility of doubt that Vincenzo of Brescia who
undertook to paint the chapel in January, 1461, is identical with Vincenzo
Foppa, though Moiraghi,^ in order to support his theory of Foppa's Pavian
origin," endeavoured to deny this identity and ignored the letter. As it
was published as far back as 1878^ it must be assumed that he was aware of
its existence. Secondly, the letter clearly demonstrates that Vincenzo did
'
In Alman. Sac, p. 333.
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App. I, Note i.
5 Arch. Stor. Lomb., p. 104.