SODOMA
129
SODOMA
tion of the Society of Jesus the sodahtiea grew cnor- apprenticed for seven years to a glass-painter from
mously. In the fifty years after the declaration of Ciusale, named Spanzotti, and with him the young
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception nearly Sodoma went to Milan, where he came under the
35,000 new sodalities were united with the Roman influence of Leonardo da Vinci, although it is exceed-
main sodality. In the year 1910, 1192 new sodalities ingly doubtful whether he ever entered his studio,
were established, of which 178 were in North America. He executed his first important decorative work in
At various times and in various countries emperors, 150.3 for a small Olivetan convent near Picnza, and,
kings, and princes have been zealous members of two years after, he passed on to the mother-convent
sodalities, and have encouraged the growth of these of the same order, known as Monte Oliveto Maggiore,
bodies. In the seventeenth century alone eiglity car- to continue the work commenced by Signorelli.
dinals and seven popes came from them. In all
Catholic countries the Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin
include among their most faithful members, the
greatest and noblest men of every position in life,
generals and scholars of the highest rank. St. Stanis-
laus Kostka, St. John Berchmans, St. Francis de Sales,
St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, St.
Leonard of Port Maurice, St.
Peter Fourier, St. John Baptist
de Rossi, the Venerable Jean
Eudcs, and many other saints,
blesseds, and venerables, were
proud to belong to the sodali-
ties of the Blessed Virgin. For
six years St. Francis de Sales
worked, during his student
life, in the sodality of the Col-
lege of Clermont at Paris as
member, assistant, and prefect.
Others, like St. Alphonsus
Liguori and St. Charles Bor-
romeo, praised and recom-
mended the SodaUtics of the
Blessed Virgin as nurseries for
youth and for growth in per-
fection. Above all it has
always been the teachers and
shepherds of the entire Cathohc
Church, the popes, who have,
in their words and actions,
highly honoured these sodaU-
ties, and who have earnestly
recommended them to all tlie
faithful-, e. g. Gregory XIII,
Sixtus V, Gregory XV, Bene-
dict XIV, Leo XIII, Pius X.
There he not only painted twenty-five large frescoes,
but many other smaller ones; "these constitute his
most notable and perhaps his greatest works. Two
years later he was at Rome, one of a number of
artists employed by Julius II to decorate the Vatican.
He then went to Siena, and, returning to Rome, exe-
cuted important commissions
for Agostino Chigi in the Villa
Farnisena. Having completed
that work he returned to Siena,
where he spent a considerable
time, iiainting some wonderful
pictures, including his "Christ
Bound to the Column". We
do not know where he was be-
tween 1518 and 1525, but in the
latter year he was at work at
fresco decoration, painting a
world-renowned panel, now in
the Uffizi Gallery at Florence,
with its almost unapproachable
figure of San Sebastian; and
various smaller pictures. In
1526 he was back at Siena,
painting his famous frescoes in
the Chapel of St. Catherine and
St. Domenico, following them
by other fresco works in the
Palazzo Pubblico, and then by
his decorations in the Chapel
of San Spirito. It was these
latter works which obtained
honours for him from the Em-
peror Charles V, who created
him a count palatine. He then
wandered to Volterra, Pisa,
- i Antonio Bazzi. Called Sodoma
Self-portrait, Uffizi Gallery
Undoubtedly a well-conducted Sodality of the Lucca, and various other places, leaving behind him
Blessed Virgin is in itself the best method of spiritual traces of fine artistic work, and finally returned
development for the members and also the best aid to to Siena in his old age. He was an erratic and ex-
the priest in his anxietj' for the well-being of his en- traordinary man. Vasari gives various malicious
tu'e flock. In addition these sodalities are the most reports about him, many of which are palpably
universally extended of all pious associations and con- untrue, and others probably exaggerated. There is
fraternities, for they can be and are erected separately little doubt, however, that his moral character was
for each sex, for every age, and every station in life, not above reproach, and at the very least coarse
so that they include in themselv^es the advantages of and lascivious. He drew perfectly, and with great
all unions for ditTerent positions in life. Moreover, as ease, his colouring is delightful, sumptuous, and
has been ah-cady clearly shown, they seek to attain at times sensuous; he was greatly influenced by
as fully as possible in their members the twofold object Leonardo, and to a certain extent by Raphael, and
which all other confraternities, in a certain sense, only there is a remarkable charm and poetic feeling
strive for partially, namely, to attain to true love of running through all his works, while at times the
God by the exercises of the Divine service, prayer and beauty of the faces of his women and children is al-
reception of Holy Communion, and to attain to true most irresistible. His works are scattered all over
charity by exercising the most universal possible zeal Italy, perhaps the greatest being those which are
for souls. , ^ ,„ , , «it or near Siena, the painting already alluded to in
C^^Zi^d:!:lS:Z S;«^Jrrf ^l^ei Ivl^ini^Tsbs"! f'^-'f^' and examples of his work at Milan Munich,
MOLLAN, The Smlali/y n/ Our Lady Studied in the Documents i/Ondon, and Kome. Even,- possible scraj) of informal
(New York. 1912); Delplace, Histoire des Congrtgationst de la tion respecting him has been gathered together in a
Sainu ri<TB« (Bruges, 1884); Loffler, Die marianischen Con- memoir issued in 1906 by R. H. H. Cusf . This is the
standard book on Sodoma, and contains the very latest information concerning him. It is more im- portant than his original statements, to form a proper judgment concerning the artist, because it contains
(3rd ed., Freiburg) ;
LXXVni, 437sqq.
Joseph Hilgers.
Sodoma (Giovaxxi Antonio Bazzi, or De'Bazzi,
often miscalled Razzi, more usually known by his all that Vasari states, together with many important
nickname, Sodoma), Piedmontese and Florentine documents and new pieces of information, dealing
painter, b. at Vercelli in Piedmont, 1477; d. at Sien:i, with the life of the painter, and refuting many of
1.549. His father, Giacono da Bazzi, w.as a shoemaker the statements which have been made concerning him.
who had settled in Vercelli. The son was in 1490 He must be regarded as an extraordinary genius, XIV.-9
