Nuove ricerche su San Giovanni di Verdara in Padova: il vescovo Pietro Barozzi e la bottega di Pierantonio Degli Abati

• Autores: Chiara Bonaccorsi
• Localización: Prospettiva: rivista di storia dell'arte antica e moderna, ISSN 0394-0802, Nº. 163-164, 2016, págs. 98-109
• Idioma: italiano
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• Resumen

  • New research on San Giovanni di Verdara in Padua: Bishop Pietro Barozzi and the workshop of Pierantonio Degli Abati.

    The article discusses the authorship and chronology of the 15th-century section of the frescoes in the library of the Lateran canons of San Giovanni Battista di Verdara in Padua, an old monastery today occupied by a military hospital. The identification of one of the 'Illustrious Men' as Bishop Pietro Barozzi (1441-1507) means that for the first time a "terminus post quem" for the cycle of paintings can be established. Bishop Barozzi took up office in Padua only in 1487 and documents from San Giovanni confirm this chronology. Records show that in 1488 the intarsia master Pierantonio Degli Abati from Modena and his son Paolo were working in the monastery. A cross examination of the documentation confirms that the artists were involved in the painted decoration of the library. It may be inferred that Paolo resided premanently in the monastery, while his father superintended the work and moved between Padua and Vicenza coordinating two work projects simultaneously. The present study further substantiates the existence of professional relations between Pierantonio Degli Abati, the architect Lorenzo da Bologna and the painter Bartolomeo Montagna, active in Vicenza and involved in the work of Verdara. What emerges in an unprecedent way is the role of the canons in arranging Pierantonio's commissions and the ability of the latter's workshop in the painting. The frescoes are stylistically homogeneous and their style compatible with the late 1480s, with painted architectures influenced by Bramantesque culture. In conclusion, a new identification of one of the 'Illustrious Men' of the library as Gaetano da Thiene (1387-1465) is proposed, thanks to its similarity with his portrait on a medal.