Baglioni Chapel
Encyclopedia
The Baglioni Chapel is a chapel in the Collegiate church of Santa Maria Maggiore, Spello
, central Italy
. It is known for its Renaissance frescoes executed by Pinturicchio
from c. 1500 to 1501.
and Siena
. The paintings, as typical for Pinturicchio, was executed rapidly thank to a well-organized workshop, with other masters painting above his drawings.
In the later 16th-century the chapel received a pavement with Deruta
ceramics. It was restored in 1976-1977 and provided with an air conditioning system against the effects of humidity.
s, sitting on thrones and flanked by cartouches with prophecies of the coming of Jesus. Largely damaged and over-painted, they were perhaps made by
Bartolomeo Caporali. The wide grotesque candelabra on the ogives are perhaps from the same artist, due to resemblances with those he painted in church of Sant'Antonio Abate at Deruta.
The three main scenes, in the shape of lunette
s, occupy the three available walls and are enclosed within painted pillars and arches. The latter's painted intrados has geometrical and rosettas decorations, and creates the illusionistic effect of a Greek-cross plan.
whose pavement, depicted in geometrical perspective, leads, behind the hortus conclusus
, to a richly detailed landscape. The main characters are conventional ones: Mary is distracted from reading by an angel, who nears to bless her with a white lily in one hand, a symbol of her virginal purity. In the upper part is the Eternal God, painted within an almond of angels, who sends her a light ray with the Holy Ghost dove.
The right part of the fresco shows a window with a grid; on the left is a shelf with books and an amphor: under it is a painting with Pinturicchio's self-portrait, featuring the dedicatory inscription with jewels, saying "BERNARDINVS PICTORICIVS PERVSIN[VS]".
The shepherds in the foreground have expressive and detailed features, according to the early Netherlandish painting
which influenced Pinturicchio. The young man with a goat on the left has a instead a more idealized beauty, inspired by ancient reliefs with sacrifice motifs. The group of the Madonna with Child re-uses the typology of the Adoration of the Shepherds painted by Pinturicchio in the Presepio Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo
in Rome.
In the upper part there is a choir of angels. The background is rich of details, including a well-defined city with a miniature
appeal. Among the allegoric elements, a peacock sits on the hut as a symbol of immortality.
, which was in turn derived from that adopted by Perugino in his Delivery of the Keys in the Sistine Chapel
. The edifice has a central plan and has two niches with decorations, grotesques and ancient statues.
The crowd is formed by standard characters including young spouses, wise men, toothless women and other normal spectators. These include some portraits, such as that of Troilo Baglioni on the right, wearing the dress of a protonotary apostolic
.
Spello
Spello is an ancient town and comune of Italy, in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Mt. Subasio. It is 6 km NNW of Foligno and 10 km SSE of Assisi.The old walled town lies on a regularly NW-SE sloping ridge that eventually meets the plain...
, central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It is known for its Renaissance frescoes executed by Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
from c. 1500 to 1501.
History
The decoration was commissioned by the prior (later bishop) Troilo Baglioni, and the end of the work is assigned to 1501. The work was the last important one by Pinturicchio in Umbria, before his sojourns in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
. The paintings, as typical for Pinturicchio, was executed rapidly thank to a well-organized workshop, with other masters painting above his drawings.
In the later 16th-century the chapel received a pavement with Deruta
Deruta
Deruta is a hill town and comune in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region of central Italy. Long known as a center of refined maiolica manufacture, Deruta remains known for its ceramics, which are exported worldwide.-History:...
ceramics. It was restored in 1976-1977 and provided with an air conditioning system against the effects of humidity.
Description
The chapel has a quadrangular floorplan with cross-vault. The frescoes' theme are the Stories of Mary and of Jesus' Childhood. The vault contains four SibylSibyl
The word Sibyl comes from the Greek word σίβυλλα sibylla, meaning prophetess. The earliest oracular seeresses known as the sibyls of antiquity, "who admittedly are known only through legend" prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a deity, originally— at Delphi and...
s, sitting on thrones and flanked by cartouches with prophecies of the coming of Jesus. Largely damaged and over-painted, they were perhaps made by
Bartolomeo Caporali. The wide grotesque candelabra on the ogives are perhaps from the same artist, due to resemblances with those he painted in church of Sant'Antonio Abate at Deruta.
The three main scenes, in the shape of lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
s, occupy the three available walls and are enclosed within painted pillars and arches. The latter's painted intrados has geometrical and rosettas decorations, and creates the illusionistic effect of a Greek-cross plan.
Annunciation
The left wall shows the Annunciation, set in a large Renaissance loggiaLoggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
whose pavement, depicted in geometrical perspective, leads, behind the hortus conclusus
Hortus conclusus
Hortus conclusus is a Latin term, meaning literally "enclosed garden". "The word 'garden' is at root the same as the word 'yard'. It means an enclosure", observed Derek Clifford, at the outset of a series of essays on garden design, in which he skirted the conventions of the hortus conclusus...
, to a richly detailed landscape. The main characters are conventional ones: Mary is distracted from reading by an angel, who nears to bless her with a white lily in one hand, a symbol of her virginal purity. In the upper part is the Eternal God, painted within an almond of angels, who sends her a light ray with the Holy Ghost dove.
The right part of the fresco shows a window with a grid; on the left is a shelf with books and an amphor: under it is a painting with Pinturicchio's self-portrait, featuring the dedicatory inscription with jewels, saying "BERNARDINVS PICTORICIVS PERVSIN[VS]".
Adoration of the Shepherds
The right wall has the Adortion of the Shephers, depicting the arrival of the Magi procession in the backhroud. The scene is set on a lawn before the Nativity hut, portrayed with sotto in su perspective. A landscape can be seen behind a window in the hut.The shepherds in the foreground have expressive and detailed features, according to the early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting
Early Netherlandish painting refers to the work of artists active in the Low Countries during the 15th- and early 16th-century Northern renaissance, especially in the flourishing Burgundian cities of Bruges and Ghent...
which influenced Pinturicchio. The young man with a goat on the left has a instead a more idealized beauty, inspired by ancient reliefs with sacrifice motifs. The group of the Madonna with Child re-uses the typology of the Adoration of the Shepherds painted by Pinturicchio in the Presepio Chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo
Santa Maria del Popolo
Santa Maria del Popolo is an Augustinian church located in Rome, Italy.It stands to the north side of the Piazza del Popolo, one of the most famous squares in the city. The Piazza is situated between the ancient Porta Flaminia and the park of the Pincio...
in Rome.
In the upper part there is a choir of angels. The background is rich of details, including a well-defined city with a miniature
Miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small variation. It may refer to:* Miniature , a small painting in an illuminated text** Persian miniature, a small painting in an illuminated text or album...
appeal. Among the allegoric elements, a peacock sits on the hut as a symbol of immortality.
Dispute with the Doctors
The central wall is occupied by the Dispute with the Doctors. The Child Jesus is surrounded by two groups of philosophers of the Temple of Jerusalem, which can be seen in the background and is characterized by a large dome. The scene follows a scheme already used by Pinturicchio in the Bufalini ChapelBufalini Chapel
The Bufalini Chapel is a side chapel of the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Rome, Italy. First chapel on the right after the entrance, it houses a cycle of frescoes executed c. 1484-1486 by Pinturicchio depicting the life of the Franciscan friar St...
, which was in turn derived from that adopted by Perugino in his Delivery of the Keys in the Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio...
. The edifice has a central plan and has two niches with decorations, grotesques and ancient statues.
The crowd is formed by standard characters including young spouses, wise men, toothless women and other normal spectators. These include some portraits, such as that of Troilo Baglioni on the right, wearing the dress of a protonotary apostolic
Protonotary apostolic
In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...
.