Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Don Giulio Clovio
THE MINIATURIST, DON GIULIO CLOVIO.
[born 1498—died 1578.]
There never has been, and for many ages there probably never will be, a more admirable and more extraordinary miniaturist, I mean a painter of minute objects, than Don Giulio Clovio, who has far surpassed all that have hitherto distinguished themselves in that manner.
He was born in Sclavonia, or Croatia, at a town called Grisone, in the Diocese of Madrucci; his family was of Macedonian origin, and he was baptized Giorgio Giulio. From his childhood he was kept to the study of letters; but he took to design by instinct, and, desirous of improvement, he came to Italy when he had attained his eighteenth year, attaching himself to the service of Marino Cardinal Grimani; labouring for three years in the studies of design, with so much zeal, that his progress went much beyond what had previously been expected from him. Proof of this may be seen in certain designs for medals, and their reverses, which he executed for the above-named Prelate at that time; they are drawn with the pen with infinitely minute detail, and are finished with an extraordinary, nay, almost inconceivable, care and patience.
Perceiving, therefore, that he was more powerfully aided by Nature for minute works than for larger ones, Giulio determined, and very wisely, to become a miniaturist, a decision to which he was advised by many friends, who remarked that his works in that manner were graceful and beautiful to a marvel. Among these counsellors was Giulio Romano, a painter of illustrious name, from whom Clovio first learned to use tints and colours prepared with gum and in tempera.
Among the first works painted by Giorgio Giulio was a Madonna, which he copied, as being a spirited and beautiful thing, from a book of the Life of our Lady, and which was one of the first of Albert Dürer’s wood-engravings. Acquitting himself well in this, Giulio was introduced, by means of the Signor Alberto Carpi, who was then serving in Hungary, to the notice of Lodovico, King of that country, and of Maria his Queen, the sister of Charles V. To that Monarch he took a Judgment of Paris in chiaro-scuro, which gave infinite satisfaction; and to the Queen he presented the Roman Lucrezia killing herself, with other things, which were all considered to be very beautiful. But Ludovico dying, and the affairs of Hungary falling into confusion, Giorgio Giulio was compelled to return to Italy, where he had scarcely arrived before Cardinal Campeggio (the elder) took him into his service. He was thus accommodated to his liking, and painted a Madonna for that prelate, with some other small works. He also disposed himself to study Art with more zeal than ever, and set himself with all his power to copy the works of Michelagnolo.
These his good intentions were nevertheless interrupted by the unhappy sack of Rome in 1527, when the poor man, taken prisoner by the Spaniards, and finding himself in evil case, had recourse, in the extremity of his wretchedness, to the help of God, making a vow, that if ever he got safe out of that miserable ruin, and escaped from those modern Pharisees, he would immediately make himself a monk. Being delivered by the favour of Heaven accordingly, and having reached Mantua, he attached himself to the Order of the Scopetine Canons Regular, and took the habit in the Monastery of San Ruffino. He then received a promise to the effect, that, besides the quiet repose and leisure to serve God there afforded him, he should also be allowed time to work occasionally, as it were for recreation, at his miniatures.
In taking the religious habit, Giorgio Giulio retained his second name, and at the end of a year made his profession, remaining quietly among those Monks, with an occasional change from one monastery to another, for the space of three years; but always doing something in his art. It was at this time that he completed a large Choral-book, with most delicate miniatures and beautiful borderings, among which was a Story of Our Saviour Christ appearing to Mary Magdalen in the Garden, and this was considered most singularly beautiful. Encouraged by success, Don Giulio next painted the Woman taken in Adultery; the group comprising many figures, of much larger size than his works usually exhibit, and being copied from a picture executed in those days by Tiziano Vecellio,[1] a most excellent painter.
Not long after the completion of these works, it chanced that Don Giulio, removing from one monastery to another, as is the manner of those Monks, or Friars, had the misfortune to break his leg; whereupon, being taken by the brotherhood, for his better attendance, to the Monastery of Candiano, he remained there for some time. But he did not recover, perhaps because, as is frequently the case among those Monks, he was treated badly by the Brotherhood as well as by the doctors.[2] The accident coming to the ears of Cardinal Grimani, by whom Don Giulio was much valued for his ability, that Prelate obtained permission from the Pope to take him into his own service, when our artist, throwing off the habit, and having had his leg cured, went to Perugia with the Cardinal, who was Legate in that city, where Don Giulio executed for him the works which follow: an Office of Our Lady, with four most beautiful Stories; an Epistolary, with three large Stories from the Life of St. Paul, one of which was soon afterwards sent into Spain; with a most exquisite Pieta, and a Crucifix, which came, after the death of Grimani, into the hands of Messer Giovanni Gaddi, Clerk of the Chamber.
These works made Don Giulio known at Rome as an able artist, and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, who has always assisted, favoured, and desired to have about him, distinguished and able men, having heard the fame and seen the works of this artist, took him into his service, and there he has remained ever since, even to his present advanced age. For this Signore, Don Giulio has executed a vast number of most beautiful illuminations and miniatures, but of these I propose to name a part only, since to mention them all would be impossible. In one of his small pictures he has painted the Madonna with the Divine Child in her arms, and Pope Paul III. kneeling before her; the last is a portrait from the life, and so good a resemblance that this minute form appears to be living, nor do the other figures want anything but the actual breath of life. This picture was sent, as the extraordinary work that it really is, to the Emperor Charles V., then in Spain, and that Monarch was quite astonished at the beauty and excellence thereof.
The Cardinal then caused our artist to commence the miniature stories and illuminations for an Office of the Madonna, written in fine letters by Monterchi, who is very clever at that work. For this production Don Giulio resolved to put forth his utmost efforts, and gave so much care to every part of it that no work of the kind could ever receive more; he has, in fact, here effected such amazing things with his pencil, that one fails to comprehend how the eye and hand can have gone so far. The series is divided into twenty-six small stories arranged in pairs, and representing the symbol with that which is symbolized: each picture is surrounded by a delicate bordering of figures and fancies, in harmony with the subject represented, nor will I refuse to take the trouble of briefiy describing them, seeing that it is not every one who can obtain a sight of this work.
The first plate, where the office for Matins commences, represents the Angel of the Annunciation, and the border is formed of children whose beauty is miraculous; on the opposite plate is Isaiah speaking to the Hebrew King. In the second, which is for the Lauds, we have the Visitation, the frame-work of which imitates metal; and on the opposite plate are Justice and Peace embracing each other. For the Primes there is the Birth of Christ, with Adam and Eve eating the apple in the terrestrial Paradise on the opposite plate, the frames of both are filled with figures nude and draped, some human, others of animals. At the Horary office called the Terza, are the Shepherds with the Angels appearing to them; and opposite to this is the Tibertine Sybil, showing to the Emperor Octavian the Virgin in Heaven with the Son born to her; both are adorned with figures and coloured ornaments of various kinds, among which is the head of Alexander the Great, with the Portrait of Alexander Cardinal Farnese. At the Sesta is the circumcision of Christ; and in the figure of Simeon we have a likeness of Pope Paul III.; portraits of Mancina and Septimia, gentlewomen of Rome, of great beauty, are also to be found in the story itself. A beautifully formed decoration surrounds this and the next picture, which represents St. John baptizing Christ, and wherein are exhibited many nude figures.
For the Nones we have the Adoration of the Magi, with the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon opposite thereto, and both together have a framework, at the foot of which is the whole Festival of the Testaccio, represented in figures not so big as ants; a thing which cannot be seen without amazement, that the point of a pencil can have been made to produce such perfection in objects so minute: this is indeed one of the most extraordinary works ever effected by mortal hand, or seen by eye of man. All the colours or liveries given by the Cardinal Farnese to his people on that occasion are clearly to be distinguished in this singular production.[3] At Vespers we have the Flight into Egypt, with the Submersion of Pharaoh in the Red Sea on the opposite side, the framework exhibiting much and varied beauty of ornament. For Complins there is the Coronation of Our Lady in the Heavens, with a multitude of Angels, opposite to which is the Story of Esther crowned by Ahasuerus, the framework of both being appropriately decorated.
At the Mass of the Madonna, Don Clovio has given us a framework painted to imitate Cameos, and representing Gabriel announcing the Word to the Virgin; the pictures within are. Our Lady with the Infant Christ in her arms, and God the Father creating the Heavens and the Earth. Opposite to the Penitential Psalms is the Battle in which Uriah the Hittite was exposed to death by command of King David; and here there are horses and riders with the warriors wounded and dead, depicted in a manner that is miraculous; the picture opposite to this shows King David in his repentance, the framework being composed of grotteschine and other ornaments.
But let him who has a mind to be utterly amazed, cast an eye on the Litanies, where the artist has minutely interwoven the letters which form the names of the Saints; and in the margin above is the Most Holy Trinity in Heaven, surrounded by innumerable Angels, together with whom are the Apostles and other Saints. Opposite to this is the Madonna, also in Heaven with the Holy Virgins; and in the margin beneath is the Procession in which Rome performs the Solemnity of the Corpus Christi. Here we have the various officials bearing torches, with the bishops, the Cardinals, and the Holy Sacrament, carried by the Pope, who is followed by the remainder of the Court, and the Guard of Lancers; finally there is the Castel Sant’ Angelo, whence they are firing salutes; the whole being a thing well calculated to astound and awaken the admiration of the most acute intellect.
In the commencement of the Office for the Dead, we have Death himself, who is represented as triumphing over Kingdoms and the mighty of the Earth, as over those of the lowest degree. Opposite to this is the Resurrection of Lazarus, and herein is Death again perceived in combat with certain figures on horseback. For the Office of the Crucifixion, the artist has depicted Christ on his Cross, opposite to which is Moses lifting aloft the brazen Serpent; and for that of the Holy Ghost he has chosen the Descent of the Spirit on the Apostles, with the building of the Tower of Babel by Nimrod placed opposite thereto.
Nine years did Don Giulio labour over this work, which could never be paid for, so to speak, whatever the price that might be given for it; the variety of fanciful ornaments, the divers attitudes and movements of the figures, nude and draped, male and female, placed in the most appropriate manner for the embellishment of the whole, with the beauty of every detail, and the studious care given to all points, are not to be described; the diversity and excellence of this production are indeed such as to make it seem not of human so much as of divine origin. The figures, the buildings, and the landscapes are all made duly to recede by the art of the master, and the nice arrangement of his colours; the laws of perspective are observed in every particular, and whether near or far, each portion of the work maintains its due place and is viewed with surprise and admiration; the trees, to say nothing of other parts, are so well done that they seem to have been made in Paradise.
In the stories and inventions of these pictures there is the most admirable design; in the compositions the most perfect order; the vestments are singularly rich and varied; while the whole work is conducted in such a manner that one thinks it could not possibly have been executed by the hands of men; wherefore it is perfectly true, as we said at the first, that in this performance Don Giulio has surpassed both the ancients and moderns, having been the Michelagnolo in little of our day.
The same artist executed a small picture, with minute figures, for the Cardinal of Trent; and this was so beautiful that the Prelate sent it as a present to Charles V. He subsequently executed a Madonna for the same Cardinal, with a Portrait of King Philip IL, which were in like manner presented for their beauty to the Catholic King above mentioned.
For Cardinal Farnese, Giulio painted Our Lady with the Divine Child in her arras; Sant’ Elizabetta, the little San Giovanni, and other figures being in the same picture, which was sent to Rigornes in Spain. In another picture, which the Cardinal Farnese still retains, this artist painted San Giovanni Battista in the Desert: the work exhibits a beautiful Landscape with Animals; and Don Clovio made a second, exactly like it, for the same Prelate, who sent the work into Spain for King Philip. A Pieta by his hand was also presented by Farnese to Pope Paul IV., who kept it in his own apartments till he died. A story exhibiting David cutting off the head of Goliath, was given by the same Cardinal to Madam a Margherita of Austria, who sent it to King Philip her brother, with another, which that most illustrious Lady caused Don Clovio to paint, as the companion of the above; this last is a Judith taking off the head of Holofernes.[4]
Many years since, Don Giulio stayed for some months with Duke Cosimo, and during that time he executed several works for his Excellency; some of these were sent to the Emperor and other great personages; the rest were kept by the Duke for himself. Among other works he copied a small Head of Christ, from one of great antiquity in the Duke’s possession, which formerly belonged to Godfrey King of Jerusalem, and which is said to be a more exact resemblance of the Saviour than any other in existence. Don Giulio also executed for His Excellency a Crucifix with the Mary Magdalen at the foot thereof, which is a work of infinite beauty.[5] The same artist likewise painted a small picture, the subject a Pieta, of which we have the design in our book,[6] with another, also by the hand of Don Clovio, representing Our Lady dressed in the Hebrew manner, and holding the Infant Christ in her arms; she has a choir of Angels around her, with several nude figures, representing Souls in the act of recommending themselves to her mercy. But to return to the Signor Duke: that Prince has ever greatly admired the abilities of Don Clovio, and taken pains to procure his works; nay, had it not been for the respect due to Cardinal Farnese, he would not have permitted our artist to leave him at the time when he remained, as we have said, during some months in his service at Florence.
Besides the works above-mentioned, Duke Cosimo has a small picture by Don Clovio, representing Ganymede borne to Heaven by Jupiter turned into an Eagle: this was copied from that designed by Michelagnolo, and which is now in the possession of Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, as we have said elsewhere. The Duke has also in his writing-room a figure of San Giovanni Battista, seated on a stone, with some Portraits by the same artist, which are truly admirable. Don Clovio formerly painted a Pieta, with the Maries and other figures, for the Marchioness of Pescara, with one exactly similar for Cardinal Farnese, who sent it to the Empress, sister of King Philip, and wife to the Emperor Maximilian.
Another work, executed with infinite care, and representing St. George killing the Dragon, with an exquisite Landscape, was sent by Farnese to his Imperial Majesty; but this was surpassed in design by a larger picture, which Don Giulio painted for a Spanish gentleman; the subject is the Emperor Trajan, as he is represented on those medals which have the Province of Judea on the reverse. This picture also was sent to Maximilian, now Emperor.
For Cardinal Farnese Don Griulio has executed two other pictures; in one of these is a nude figure of Christ with the Cross in his hand: the second also represents Our Saviour, but here he bears the Cross on his shoulder, and is led by the Jews, who are accompanied by an immense crowd of people, to Mount Calvary. Behind him is Our Lady with the other Maries, in attitudes and with expressions that might move a heart of stone to pity. In two large plates, for a Missal, the artist has furthermore depicted for the same Cardinal, Our Saviour Christ instructing the Apostles in the Doctrines of the Gospel in the one, and the Last Judgment in the other. They are both so beautiful, or rather so admirable and amazing, that I stand confounded wlien I think of these works, and feel persuaded that there can be nothing in miniature, I do not say done, but even imagined, which could surpass them in. beauty.
In many of these works, more particularly in the Office of the Madonna, there are figures not larger than a very small ant, which yet have all the parts so distinctly drawn and so perfectly formed, that they could not be more correctly exhibited in figures the size of life; and there are besides innumerable portraits of men and women dispersed over these pictures, which are no less faithful likenesses than they might have been, had they been of the size of life, and proceeded from the hands of Titian or Bronzino. Some of the little figures in the frames also, whether draped or undraped, being painted in imitation of cameos, have all the effect of colossal figures, although so excessively minute: such was the extraordinary ability and enduring patience which Don Giulio exhibited in his works.[7]
Of these I have desired to give the world this notice, that such as cannot see those productions, for they are almost all in the hands of Princes or other great personages, may at least know something of them and of him. I say almost all, because I know some private persons who have small cases, containing beautiful portraits, by his hand, of Sovereigns, of their friends, or of ladies whom they have loved.
GG2 But be this as it may, we are certain that the works of this
master are not in public places where they may be seen by
all, as are for the most part the paintings, sculptures, and
buildings of others who practise these our arts.
Now Don Giulio, although being old he does not study
or do anything, but seek the salvation of his soul by good
works, and a life spent wholly apart from mundane affairs,
being in all respects an old man, and living as such,[8] does
yet continue to work occasionally, amidst the repose and
comfort by which he is surrounded in the Farnese Palace,
where he most willingly and courteously shows his productions to those who visit him for the purpose of seeing the
same, as they would any other of the wonders of Rome.[9]
- ↑ Vasari has not mentioned this picture in the Life of Titian, but there is one on the subject in question, in the Brera at Milan, which has been engraved by Anderloni as a work of Titian’s, but has usually been considered one of Palma Vecchio’s.
- ↑ The accomplished churchman Bottari will not have us believe this, and maintains that Don Clovio continued the friend of these Canons all his life, which may well be, even though our author were not far wrong, placable and good as the miniaturist is known to have been.
- ↑ Which the reader may examine at his leisure, since it is still in the Museo Borbonico at Naples, and in a state of excellent preservation.
- ↑ Della Valle, in the Sienese Edition of Vasari, has given the letter written to the Princess Margaret by Don Clovio, and sent with this work.
- ↑ Now in the Directory of the Uffizj: the colour is somewhat faded, but considering the lapse of time, three hundred years, the work may be called well-preserved. It bears the inscription, Julius Macedo, fa. 1553.
- ↑ In the Pitti, in the “Hall of the Education of Jupiter.”
- ↑ A small round portrait of Don Giulio in oil, at a very advanced age, is in the Uffizj, but is not certainly known to be by his own hand.
- ↑ He died in 1578, at the age of eighty, and is buried at San Pietro in Vincola, where the reader will find his portrait, a basso-rilievo in marble. It is in the Tribune, and is accompanied by an inscription.
- ↑ Baglioni also, Vite, &c., has written the Life of Don Giulio Clovio, but has made few additions to that here given by Vasari.