hall in the house of the Patriarch, and surround an octangular work by the hand of Salviati. The subjects of Francesco’s pictures are chosen from the Story of Psyche, and the paintings are considered to be exceedingly beautiful. [1]
But the place in which Francesco did his utmost and made the best efforts in his power, was the chapel of the most Holy Sacrament, in the church of Our Lady of Loretto. Here he painted Angels surrounding a marble tabernacle wherein the body of Our Saviour Christ is usually deposited,[2] with two stories on the façade of the same chapel,[3] one of these relates to Melchisedec, the other describes the Fall of Manna; both are in fresco. In the vaulting likewise are fifteen compartments adorned with various decorations in stucco, and each compartment being filled by the hand of Francesco with a story, the figures of which are small and the subjects taken from the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Of the divisions above-named nine were executed in painting, and the other six in mezzo-rilievo; a rich and well-considered performance, from which the artist derived so much honour that he was not permitted to depart until he had executed the decorations of another chapel, equal in size to the first, and placed exactly opposite thereto.
The name by which this last-mentioned chapel is entitled is that of the Conception; the vaulting is richly decorated with beautiful works in stucco, wherein Francesco at that time instructed his son Pietro Paolo to labour with him; the young man subsequently did him great honour, and is now become very ably practised in that branch of art. But returning to Francesco himself, I have to relate, that the walls of the chapel in question were painted in fresco by his hand; the subjects chosen were the Birth and Presentation in the Temple of Our Lady; above the altar were depicted Sant’ Anna and the Virgin with the Divine Child in her arms, and two Angels who place a crown on her head.
The works of this master are highly commended by the
- ↑ The Venetian edition of our author describes these works as still adorning the Palace of the Grimani family at Santa Maria Formosa.
- ↑ The Host that is to say.
- ↑ Count Alessandro Maggiori, in a little work entitled Indicazione delle Pitture, Sculture, &c., dello Sacrosanto Basilica di Loreto, gives details of some interest as regards these productions.
