Vault: “God says to Abraham he will be
the father of a multitude of nations” about 1612 by Antonio
Viviani aka il Sordo
“The Three Fates” about 1545 Marco Bigio
“An ancient
description allows to attribute the mysterious painting, long considered a work
of Sodoma, to the Sienese painter Marco Bigio. The work depicts the three Fates
busily spinning the destiny of men, accompanied by a large group of allegorical
characters. On the right, Clotho, who presides at birth, place the thread from
the spindle; on the left Lachesis spins the thread turned red to signify the
physical love of maturity, which is also alluded by the young black woman with
four breasts, symbol of fertility. Atropos the Fate in the center, cuts the
thread of life decreeing the time of death. In the background one can see the
tree of Adam and Eve, another dead tree with a bird of prey perched, and a
skeleton with a scythe, the symbol of vanitas. The old man with the hourglass,
Allegory of Time, holds in the fold of his dress medals with names of
historical figures, such as those on the ground, over which two little boys are
squabbling. The three different metals - gold, silver and bronze - allude to
the different value of characters: the birds that populate the scene will pick
up from the river Lethe, represented in the background, only the coins with the
names of men worthy of immortal fame, and not those with the names of those who
fall into oblivion” (Lorenza Mochi Onori)
“Rape of the Sabine Women” about 1507 and “Mystic Marriage of
St. Catherine of Alexandria” about 1540 by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi aka Sodoma (1477/1549) from Vercelli but active in Siena
“Uncertain
and discussed is the origin of the nickname 'Sodoma' that appears in documents
from 1512 and with which Bazzi himself signed several times. It seems however
out of the question that it would have referred to the artist's sexual
preferences. Although of imaginative temperament, bizarre and unconventional,
he lead a life morally irreproachable, he enjoyed the esteem and friendship of
the most remarkable personalities of his time and was appointed by Pope Leo X
with the title of 'Knight of Christ'. The nickname (...) was probably a
pseudonym that (...) seems to derive from a humorous misunderstanding in the
Tuscan dialect of his accent from Piedmont ('su'nduma!' = Come, let's go!)”
(Enzo Carli - Biographical Dictionary of Italian Treccani)
“Madonna and Child with St. John” about 1530 by Domenico Beccafumi (1486/1551)
“Extraordinary
brightness of contrasts in a continuous vibration of light and shadow, as Sanminiatelli
expressed, seeing in the work the most restless interpretation of the
expressive hermetic characteristics of Leonardo” (Lorenza Mochi Onori)
“Mystic
Marriage of St. Catherine” about 1520 by Girolamo Genga
(1476/1551)
“St. Catherine of Alexandria” about 1540 by Callisto Piazza da Lodi (1500/61)
“Madonna
and Child with Sts. Elizabeth and John” by Martino
Piazza da Lodi (about 1475/1530) artist who was in charge, together with
his brother Callisto, of an important workshop in Lodi
“Madonna
and Child with Sts. Nicholas and Catherine of Alexandria” by Bartolomeo Neroni aka Riccio (about 1500/71) in style
similar to that of Sodoma
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