Giuseppe Bergamini

PALAZZO ANTONINl-MANGILLl-DEL TORSO

Lecture held October 18,, 1984, in Palazzo del Torso site of Centro Internazionale di Scienze Meccaniche. Published by Accademia di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti di .

Photographs by G. Bergamini, E. Ciol, with permission oflstituto per l'Enciclopedia del Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Banca del Friuli. GIUSEPPE BERGAMINI IL PALAZZO ANTONINI - MANGILLI - DEL TORSO A UDINE

The history of the building which is commonly called Palazzo de! Torso, or Palazzo Mangilli - del Torso, and which it would be more correct to call Palazzo Antonini - Mangilli - del Torso, begins on February 22nd 1447, according to documents, when Erasmo degli Erasmi, "decretorum doctor", granted to master Giovanni the dyer, son of the late Stefano di Ferrara, "domos suas de Grezano muratas solleratas cuppisque copertas cum curia et orto pospositis sitos in burgo Grezano extrinseco, in contrada Della Bevorchia" (1). And so we discover that outside Grazzano gate (which was still in existence and quite visible at the end of the last century, at the beginning of the present via Cesare Battisti, at the corner of Palazzo Antivari-Kechler), opposite the open spaces which later became piazza dei Barnabiti (and which today, with some considerable modifications, is piazza Garibaldi) there were some houses of which two belonged to Erasmo and one to his brother Antonio. The latter house passed through inheritances into the hands of the family of Giovanni Ricamatore, who was born in that very house on 15 October 1487. It was a suitable place for dyers, since there was a small canal flowing through which caused many an argument over its use. This canal still flows through, though it is now covered. And in 1452, on December 17th, after frequent brawls over the use of the wash-house between Erasmo and a certain Andrea, son of Francesco Zani from Spilimbergo, to prevent "omnem scandalum et ranchorum existentem inter prefatos tinctores", it was decided that

(1) A.S.U., N. Giovanni Lovaria, 5143, vacch. instr. 1447, ff. 42 v-45 r, now in: G.B. DELLA PORTA, Memoria su le antiche case di Udine, by V. MASUTTI, Udine 1984, p. 123.

1 Erasmo would be conceded "locus habilis et idoneus in quo construi et fieri facere possit unum lavadorium in quo possit lavare facere possos sue tinctorie" (2). For some time we have no other news of the Erasmi house: we only know that towards the end of the fifteenth century the son of Erasmo, Ambrogio, also lived in borgo Grazzano prope rugiam. We also know that on 16 March 1518 the Erasmi house was rented for 9 ducats a year (3) to Giovanni Fontana, the architect from Lombardy

G.B. CECCHINI, Piazza dei Barnabiti di Udine (lithograph, 1843).

living in who had come to Udine to rebuild the castle which had been destroyed by the earthquake of 1511 and the fires which followed. The reconstruction work bi::>gan on 2nd April 1517, and was carried out according to the plans of Fontana himself. For some time

(2) Annales, XXX, ff. 19Sv-196r, now in: G.B. DELLA PORTA, Memorie, p. 123. (3) V. JOPPI, Contributo quarto e ultimo al/a storia dell'arte in Friu/i, Venezia 1894, p. 125.

2 more than five hundred people were invo.ived in the work. At about the middle of the sixteenth century (but there is a shortage of documents on the subject) the Antonini family acquired the property. A stone inside says that the present building was begun in 1577 on the decision of the nobleman Andrea who was married to the noblewoman Felicita Hofer of Duino. It is also known that in the seventeenth century the house was inhabited by Alfonso, the celebrated warrior and poet (4) who is said to have published his first "Rime" under the pseudonym of Sereno. His brother Giacomo, who was no less famous as cavalry captain,

The beautiful seventeenth century facade.

( 4) Alfonso died on April 16th 1657 and "fu sepolto in S. Francesco della Vigna de' Padri Minori Osservanti", G.G. CAPODAGU, Udine i/lustrata, Udine 1665 p. 80.

3 governor of Udine and brilliant orator, also lived there (5). The historian Capodagli states that Alfonso, "joined with other literary personages in 1606 and instituted the noble Academy of the Reckless; he made his own house a worthy meeting-place and so, to the universal consent of the Members of the Academy he was made the first P!"ince" (6). The Academy had its seat in Palazzo Antonini until 1653 (7): at that time, writes Gia. Francesco Palladio degli Olivi in 1660, "Camillo Gorgo, a singular lover of the virtuous, took it to his own (house) where he erected a noteworthy apartment and with generous prodigality assigned an annual income to maintain a member of the Academy in Padua, to study" (8). The house in borgo Grazzano was for many centuries the house of the Antonini family, who gradually enriched it with precious paintings, a rich collection of statues and Roman fragments from Aquileia. Among those who lived there was Giacomo's son Daniele who married the rich heiress Caterina Mantica, the sister of Carlo Mantica who in 1680 built Udine's first theatre, called "Teatro Mantica", on some land he owned near the Cathedral. In 1744 the Albini family also lived there. They were distant relatives of the owners: a great-grand daughter of Caterina's, Maria Antonietta Mantica, had married a certain Maffia Albini in 1732. The last discendent of this branch of the Antonini family was Caterina, another rich heiress. In 1733 she became the wife of the nobleman Francesco Papafava dei Carraresi, knight of St. Stephen. She wanted her descendents to add her surname to their own. She did not retain the ownership of the property but preferred to sell it to

(5) There is a lively biography by his contemporary G.C. CAPODAGLI, in Udine illustrata p. 279-284. (6) G.C. CAPODAGLI, Udine i/lustrata, p. 67. (7) L. MILOCCO, L'Accademia udinese deg/i "Suentati" (sec. XVII-XVIII), Udine 1970, pp. 54-55 (taken from Un secolo di uita dell'Accademia di Scienze lettere e arti di Udine, by V. FAEL, Udine 1970).

(8) G.F. PALLADIO de gli OLIVI, Historie della Prouincia de/ Friuli, parte seconda, Udine 1660, p. 241. About palazzo Gorgo, later Maniago, cf. · G. BERGAMINI. L. SERENI, Tra case e pa/azzi, in Raccontare Udine, Udine 1983, pp. 140-144.

4 the Mangilli family in 1746. The buyer was a certain Gio. Battista, a native of Bergamo who had come to Udine as a "young salesman". He later became a shopkeeper and was so rich that he left /a patrimony of two hundred ducats. Once he had taken up residence in the prestigious house opposite the newly built church, he spent the rest of his life, proud that his son Benedetto followed in his footsteps and showed himself to be an equally successful business­ man (9). The excellent social position of the Mangilli family is also proved by the many works of art which still embellish the house, and those recorded by various sources including pictures by Francesco Floreani and Sebastiano Bombelli (10). If it is true that the house was altered in the eighteenth century, we can attribute to the Mangilli family the initiative of extending this beautiful building where they would live until the beginning of this century. Probably the restoration and modifications were carried out at different stages: for example the careful subdivision of the rooms was planned by Andrea Scala in 1851 when the internal buildings overlooking the vegetable garden were destined to other uses. As late as 1837 they had a forge and a shop on the ground floor and a chapel with a painted vault on the first floor.

(9) For the history of these characters, and the relative documents, cf. G.B. DELLA PORTA, Memorie, p. 124; V. DELLA FORZA, Famig/ie Friulane, B.C.U., ms. f. 19; E. DEL TORSO, Genea/ogie: Albini, Antonini (B.C.U., ms. D.T. 162/1); Mangilli, Mantica (B.C.U., ms. D.T. 162/VII). I feel it is my duty to point out that, especially as regards the events in the lives of the families who lived in the house, the substance - and often the form - of this text is taken from the essay 'Tra Case e Palazzi', in Raccontare Udine, pp. 109-110, by G. Bergamini and L. Sereni but the fruit mainly of L. Sereni's research.

{10) G.B. CORGNALI, II pittore Gio. Battista de Rubeis e ii suo catalogo di pregevoli quadri udinesi, in "Udine. Rassegna trimestrale de! Comune" 6 {1938), p. 53 (un quadro esprimente l'Adultera avanti Cristo, opera bella di Francesco de Floreanni Udinese); G.D. CICONI, Udine e la sua provincia, seconda edizione rifusa ed ampliata, Udine 1862, p. 467 (un ritratto de/ Bombelli); G. BRAGA TO, Guida artistica di Udine e suo distretto, Udine 1913, pp. 67 (avvi solo la copia de/ pregiato ritratto di Benedetto Mangilli (1665) dipinto dal Bambelli. L'origina/e trovasi in possesso de/ sig. G. Urbani) e 68 (bei ritratti del/'Antonio/i, Lorenzo e Francesca Mangilli [ ... ] quadro rappresentante Madonna con Bambino[ ... ] opera di scuo/a veneta, sec. XVIII).

5 The slender central window.

6 The house had its moments of glory on lst March 1867 when Giuseppe Garibaldi came to Udine. Antonio Picco, journalist, painter, art critic but above all patriot, described the event: "the city was decorated for a holiday, the houses bedecked with flags, the streets full of local citizens and visitors; Garibaldi's men were toing and froing, wearing their red shirts; a corps of them were standing as guards of honour outside the Mangilli house, where General Garibaldi, who was coming to visit our city that day, was to stay. At the station, at about two o'clock, there were so man~ people that they could not move. A commission of Garibaldi's officers and other distinguished citizens, headed by Gio. Battista Cella, were in the waiting room ready to receive him; at both sides of the entrance of the hall were Garibaldi's men and the veterans of 1848/ 49; there was a Company of the National Guard, Udine City Band, and other bands from Gemona and the Province. Finally the fanfare signalled Garibaldi's arrival and loud cheers rang out from all the onlookers. The General came out of the station accompanied by Benedetto Cairoli, Colonel Cucchi and Friar Pantaleo. He got into his coach and Gio. Battista Cella was with him. He made his entrance, which we may call triumphant, through Aquileia Gate, accompanied by numerous people acclaiming his name and a reborn with enthusiastic cheers. When he reached the house of marquis Mangilli, the citizens filling the square called him to the balcony, applauding him without cease. He accepted and came out to greet the people; he then gave a brief speech, touching on the events which led to the freedom and unification of Italy, and speaking of what Italians still had to do to make Rome their capital (11 ). The event is commemorated by a stone placed on the facade of the house in 1882, on the death of Garibaldi: AT THE PROUD ANNOUNCEMENT/GARIBALDI IS DEAD/THE PEOPLE OF UDINE/IN THE SACRED HARMONY OF GRIEF/WRITE INDEL­ IBLY /lst MARCH 1877/WHEN/FROM THIS BUILDING/THE

11 ( ) A. PICCO, Ricardi popolari dall'anno 1820 al 1866 intorno ag/i operai di Udine e provincia e ad altri distinti cittadini friulani, Udine 1884, pp. 174-175.

7 GREAT HERO/SPOKE OF COUNTRY AND GLORY. . At the beginning of this century the house was partly given over to other uses. It was first used as the offices of the Ledra Consortium and later as other offices .. In 1924 it was purchased by Count Alessandro de! Torso who moved there with his family after having lived for some time in the Palazzo Muratti in via Zanon. The last great society event which took place in the rooms of the Palazzo de! Torso, "in an atmosphere of discretion and great hauteur among the guests", was the sumptuous ball organized in honour of the Prince of Piedmont, who visited Udine in 1935. Count Alessandro de! Torso cede.cl the house to Udine Town

Council, in'.' .1968, ' _•' "with. the. express' wish. that ' it should' be a Museum, anti not ,spoilt" (12 ), It seemed for aJime thatit would house the Fr,iuli Museum of Popular Art i=ind Traditions, which was then (as now) in the "temporary" quarters of the Palazzo Gorgo-Maniago (13). This, at. least, seemed ~o be ,the desire of thwdonor. However the house, in aq::ordance with Ministeria!Decree .n°. 344 of 15 October 1951, b~came the illustrious seat of the CISM (International Centre of Mechanical Sciences). The splendid park was preserved by Ministerial pecree (27/8/1954) and sold to the Udine.Town Council by de! Torso's. wif~. In spring 1970 it became a public park, atruly pleasant oasis of green of about 3,000 square metres in the heart of the city (14). , .Palazzo Antonini- M<;tngilli ~ del Torso is one of the most imposing and also most beautiful in Udine: the building goes back to 1577, as shown by the stone in the internal courtyard, which also commemorates the name of the owner at that time: DANIEL ANDR. F. ANTONINUS AEDES AFUNDAMENTIS EXCITA/TAS SVAE SVORVMQVE COMODI/TATI PERFECIT EXORNAVITQVE/­ MDLXXVU.

(12) L.CIC::ERI,11 palazzo de/ Torso; in "Sot laAape" 2 (1971), p. 70.

'{1.iiy II p'alaz~o

It was finally completed, as far as the facade is concerned, a little before 1680: Fabio della Forza wrote in that year: "Daniele built many buildings in the Grazzano district, which have now grown to a double palace". It would be interesting to know the name of the person - architect or master mason - who thought of this clever solution, which is easily seen from outside. In the facade, which is made pleasant to the eye by a play of light and dark, by the harmony of the decorative parts and the balance of the structural parts, there are two entrance gates: a large one for coaches and a smaller one for

9 pedestrians. There are pleasant windows with arched iron bars in the Venetian style on the ground floor, three mullioned (15) windows on the first floor which have overhanging balconies, as have the four windows which open onto the sides. The central window is the most complex because above the arch it has an incomplete gable with two statues on its unfinished sides. The gable is connected to the lower trusses by means of baroque volutes. At the centre of the building, level with the third floor windows, one can see the family's coat of arms which are partly hidden by the shadow of the widely overhanging eaves, in the traditional Friuli way. The house has remained virtually unchanged in its facade since that time, as is shown by a nineteenth century lithograph by G.B. Cecchini (16). It is made up of four parts surrounding a central courtyard. Inside it has been almost completely re-structured. In fact in 1847 Massimo Mangilli obtained "permission to change the house he owned (17) and entrusted the task to the architect Andrea Scala, still very young at that time. Scala re-divided some of the rooms (for example, the mezzanine floor, which houses the present library, dates from this period) (18) in a way which was quite common at the time: it tended to make those large spaces which had been created with different criteria more suitable for family purposes. Amongst others, it is worth mentioning Palazzo Antonini in via Gemona (which was designed by Palladio and now houses the Bank of Italy) where Valentino Presani changed one room into a two-storeyed apartment on the instructions of Francesco Antonini (19). More recently (1924), Count del Torso, when he bought the

( 15) D. GIOSEFFI, Udine. Le arti, Udine 1972, 154.

(16) G.B. CECCHINI, Piazza dei Barnabiti di Udine (1843), dedicated "Al Nobile Signore Benedetto Mangilli/Marchese di S. Gallo di Moggio/e direttore della casa di Carita nella R. Citta di Udine/In segno di estimazione. Luigi Berletti D." d. G. COMELLI, L'arte del/a Stampa nel Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Udine 1980, pp. 245-246; A. RIZZI, Udine piante (catalogo del/a Mostra), Udine 1983, pp. 176-77.

(17) V. MASUTTI, in G.B. DELLA PORTA, Memorie, p. 124.

(1B) G. BRAGATO, Guida, p. 67.

( 19) G. BERGAMINI - L. SERENI, Tra case e palazzi, p. 254.

10 house, had it re-adapted to suit his own tastes; this is especially clear in the hall. The monumental staircase, which he wanted installed, is not an original but comes from the Palazzo de Portis in Cividale. It shows a typically Friulan taste, both in its use of dark Piacenza stone and the massive structure of the pillars, which can also be seen in other buildings in Udine, as for example Palazzo Gorgo-Maniago. The canvas painting with the "Allegory of the Arts" which decorates the vault (artes ingenuas opus et laborem dileximus 1925, is written on a standard), was commissioned by the Count from the painter H. Stubysen (at least it seems to read so) who tried to give the composition an eighteenth century air, with hints of the traditions of great Venetian painting. This was a very common practice in Udine at that time (it was exactly at this time that the painter Antonio Gasparini reproduced the Tiepolo painting belonging to the Armani family of Venice on the walls of the renovated Palazzo della Camera di Commercio in via Prefettura on the corner of via Lovaria). The scene is contained in an ovate with a strong stucco frame. It is executed with propriety both in the composition, with daring foreshortenings, and in the fresh luminous colouring. The beautiful bench with a headrest, which can be found in the hall, is an original of the house. These benches are a not infrequent decoration in the noble houses of Udine, though many of them have been destroyed (some beautiful ones, in different styles, can still be seen in Palazzi Morpurgo, Giacomelli, Caimo-Frova, Liruti, etc.). The two paintings which decorate the walls of the staircase are also originals, although they are not exactly in a perfect state of preservation. One is a pleasant canvas with Apollo and Daphne, the other a noteworthy "Scene from a Boar Hunt". This latter is extremely lively in narrative, with fiercely snarling dogs and a fiery steed in the foreground. Tiozzo has attributed these works to Andrea Urbani (20), and del Torso must have appreciated them very much, considering the place of honour which they occupy on the renovated staircase. On the first floor, which has no great reception room but all the space befitting a noble family's residence, some of the rooms are distinguished by their elegant ornaments. In the "Rectors' Room" (to use the present name given by the CISM) there is a painting,

11 Painted settle from the eighteenth century.

(20) G.B. TIOZZO, Andrea Urbani pittore. Opera Completa; Vicenza 1972 p. 69 speaks of three paintings: one 'Landscape, oil on canvass, Udine, formerly in the del Torso collection, obviously inspired by Marco Ricci' and two 'Hunting Scenes, oil on canvas, Udine, formerly del Torso collection. Together they decorate the staircase of Palazzo Mangilli-del Torso. There is obviously some confusion here, especially as he writes on page 13 that "Andrea executed two beautiful oil canvasses with hunting scenes for the walls of the staircase" and does not mention the "Landscape": he publishes it on page 157 (photo 181) as formerly belonging to the del Torso collection. From the photograph it appears to be the work of G.B. Benardelli from Cormons (1819-1858). Saccomani recalls two of his paintings in Palazzo Mangilli (M. Saccomani, II ritorno, p. 36; G. Bergamini, G.B. Benarde/li, Cormons 1985).

12 The Conference Room, withthe frescoed ceiling by Andrea Urbani.

"Contemplation", a pleasant work by the still little known painter from Rauscedo, Jacopo d'Andrea (1819-1906) (21) and also a nineteenth century fresco above the fireplace (Apollo playing). The "Yellow Room" is decorated with light stucco squares 'arr the wbills and ceiling. It also has four ovates with eighteenth'century pairitirtgs of exceHent workmcmship (thoµgh they are veryfaded and tl;)erefore not easily readable). They are '~The Sacr.jfice of Isaac", "Ab'raha.m and the Angel" and two landscapes with figures. Althoughthey'are

(21) There is a brief profile of the painter by L. LUCHINI in Memorie storiche e cronache recenti. 5. Giorgio della Richinvelda e frazioni de/ Coniune, Portogruaro 1968;;pp;65~66.

i3 almost miniatures in size, it is still possible to appreciate their spatial openings, a finesse of touch, certain precious modulations of colour. The nearby room with golden stuccoes and the portraits of the Counts de! Torso leads us into the "Conference Room", where the ceiling is completely covered with frescoes. Domenico Urbani, in the booklet which more than a century ago he dedicated to his great­ grandfather Andrea, "who opened the doors of our house to the art 22 of painting" ( ), recalls that the latter painted "the ceiling of the hall in marquis Mangilli's house in borgo Grazzano in Udine, and the two ceilings of the chapels in the Cathedral" (23 ). The latter, (and there are seven of them: the first three on the left as one enters, and the other four on the right, as Someda de Marco and Grossato have pointed out) can be dated from 1742 to 1749 (24). However there are many other pictorial works: his long and fertile activity, characterized by not infrequent changes of style, was continued by his son Marino who, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, carried out frescoes for the palazzi Caiselli and Fistulario­ Plateo (25). The ceiling of Palazzo Mangilli (representing the "Glory" of the Mangilli family), was formerly attributed to Giuseppe Morelli (26). However it was first dated- after the painter's grandson himself had written that he had no "precise idea of the date of execution" (27) - by Tiozzo who estimated that it was done in about 1750, that is, immediately after he had decorated the Cathedral. A date between 1750 and 1760 certainly seems plausible: the scenographic effect seems to foreshadow (and not to follow, as Grossato says when he

(22) D. URBANI, Andrea Urbani, p. 7.

(23) D. URBANI, Andrea Urbani, p. 17.

4 (2 ) C. SOMEDA DE MARCO, II duomo di Udine, Udine 1970, pp. 119 ss.; L. GROSSATO, Andrea Urbani (1711, 1798) ecenografo e frescante, Padova 1972, pp. 15-20. 25 ( ) G. BERGAMINI - L. SERENI, Tra case e pa/azzi, pp. 193-213.

(26) G. BRAGATO, Guida, p. 68.

(27) D. UREANI, ,Andrea Urbani, p. 16.

14 View of the Conference Room.

Mythological frescoes in the Conference Room.

15 dates the fresco as 1786) (28 ) the style he adopted a few years later in St. Teonisto in Treviso (1758: frescoes destroyed in the Second World War). This scenographic effect, especially in the figurative part, recalls themes which are common to the great Venetian painters of the eighteenth century (above all Fontebasso and Diziani). The architectural composition is noteworthy: it simulates a structure with an arcade of Corinthian columns, parastases, cornices, the whole animated by pleasant figures of cherubs bathed in light, holding garlands of deep blue flowers against a sky furrowed by clouds where the figures of the Mangilli family stand out. Two pleasant frescoed fanlights are also attributed to Urbani. They are in black and white, with lively little figures in elegant frames (such as we can see also in Palazzo Brazza in Udine and in Villa Ottelio in Pradamano) but they are urgently in need of restoration.

If we compare them carefully with certain parts of the frescoes on the ceiling of the Carmine Church in Udine (probably the work of Quaglia at the beginning of the eighteenth century, though till now they have been mostly attributed to Begni or painters from ) (29) and with the remains of the original decoration of Palazzo Strassoldo-Gallici in Udine, which dates back to the end of the 30 seventeenth century ( ), we realize the need for caution and, to form a more informed opinion, a thorough cleaning of the frescoes. Next to the "Conference Room'', there is the "Sofa Room", formerly the ball room designed by the architect Andrea Scala in 1851 and immediately afterwards (1852) decorated with pleasant

(2B) L. GROSSATO, Andrea Urbani, p. 74. But F. Zava Boccazzi, II Settecento, in G/i affreschi de/le ville venete dal Seicento a//'Ottocento, Venezia 1978, pp. 81, 95, believes that it is impossible "that the fresco in the reception room might date from the middle of the ninth decade, either for style or decorative taste".

(29) C. MUTJNELLI, II soffitto de/la chiesa, in "25° di sacerdozio di mons. Felice Spagnolo", Udine 1954; L. PERISSINOTTO, in Affreschi de/ Friuli, Udine 1973, p. 218; G. BIASUTTI, G/i affreschi de/ sof!itto de/ Carmine in Udine e l'esatta datazione, in "Sot la nape" 3-4 (1978), pp. 22-28, with previous bibliography.

30 ( ) G. BERGAMINI - L. SERENI, Tra case e pa/azzi, p. 94.

16 ·ornamentation by Giovanni Pantoni (31 ), one of the many excellent craftsmen of the nineteenth century. The frescoes on the central circle of the ceiling were done by Domenico Fabris from Osoppo, who portrayed 'Irene of Spilimbergo in the act of drawing Titian'. It is a conventional painting which does nothing to increase the reputation of the author, though it demonstrates his undoubted technical ability. The architectural structure where the scene is set is correctly defined, the sense of colour is lively but the characters are absolutely static and expressionless, although the author does manage to make them stand out from the background quite successfully (this can be considered a characteristic element in Fabris' work). The painting must have caused some perplexity at the time amongst its contemporary viewers too, so much so that the contributor to the 'Friuli Review' in 1853 which first noted the work, pointed out some faults, though hastened on to say that they were "slight flaws compared with the artistic beauties with which this painting is adorned" (32). At the end of the nineteenth century, according to Picco, the room was embellished by the two statues by Minisini which are now in the courtyard, and by a portrait of the numismatist Luigi Cigoi, oil on canvas by Luigi Pletti, now in the Museum (33). The nearby former dining room, with a beamed ceiling and wood­ covered walls where the coats of arms of all the noble families of

(31) M. SACCOMANI, II ristauro della Loggia Comunale di Udine e g/i artisti udinesi, Udine 1878, p. 40; A PICCO, Scritti vari (1881-1896). B.C.U. (articoli di quotidiani raccolti in volume) p. 68.

2 (3 ) F., Un a/fresco di pittore friulano, in "Rivista Friulana" 1853 p. 330. This work is mentioned again by M. SACCOMANI, II restauro, p. 13; A PICCO, Scritti vari, p. 68; A MORASSI, Lessico degli artisti friu/ani e di quel/i che nel Friu/i operarono, in "Forum Iulii" 2 (1914), p. 86; G. BRAGATO, Guida, p. 67; F. FIRMIANI, L'Ottocento, in Enciclopedia monografica de/ Friuli-Venezia Giulia. 3. La storia e la cultura. Parte terza, Udine 1980, p. 1756; D. GIOSEFFI, Udine. Le arti, p. 247; G. BERGAMINI- S. TAVANO, Storia dell'arte nel Friu/i-Venezia Giulia, Reana 1984, p. 533.

(33) A PICCO, Scritti vari, p. 79; C. DONAZZOLO CRISTANTE, Contributo a Luigi Pletti, in "Ce fastu?" LVlll (1982), 2, pp. 222-224.

17 The ceiling in the "Sofa Room": fresco by Domenico Fabris and decorations from Giovanni Pantoni.

Friuli are painted, from 1355 (de Ottacinis) to 1914 (Deciani), was done at the express wish of the Count de! Torso soon after he purchased the house in 1924.

18 General view of the frescoes by Francesco Chiarottini in the corridor.

In some of the bedrooms (now being restructured) two eighteenth century wardrobes excite admiration. One of them has four doors, is L-shaped and decorated with ribbons and garlands of

19 Fresco by Francesco Chiarottini in the corridor.

20 Fresco by Francesco Chiarottini in the corridor.

21 flowers, all painted very professionally (34). The frescoes in the narrow corridor which joins the two parts of the building have been attributed to Andrea Urbani. This corridor is in a very bad condition, though it is completely covered with frescoes on the walls and ceiling (which has partly collapsed).

Fresco by Francesco Chiarottini in the corridor.

(34) T. MIOTTI, II mobilefriulano, Milano 1970, pp. 49, 101, 128, 147, mentions as belonging to the palazzo

22 Painted wardrobe from the eighteenth century.

On the walls there are two alternating motifs: a vase on a pedestal between artificial niches; and ovates containing delicious views of imaginary scenes and solemn classical architecture. This short cycle of frescoes is at the centre of an intricate historical-critical story. Bragato (35) attributed them to Giuseppe Morelli, but they are

5 (3 ) G. BRAGA TO, Guida, p. 68. Giuseppe Morelli, from Modena, painter of perspective views, who was a master of this kind of art for Francesco Chiarottini, worked in Udine in the Duomo (1792) in palazzo Pontoni (1793) and in the house of Varmo-Buiatti (1794). (C. SOMEDA DE MARCO. II duomo di Udine, pp. 176, 354-355, 358; G. BERGAMINI - L. SERENI, Tra case e pa/azzi, pp. 74-76, 381-382.

23 The internal courtyard. otherwise ignored by the critics. It was Tiozzo who attributed them to Urbani, since he believed he could make out the initials A. U. and the date 1750: moreover it was for this reason that Tiozzo dated all the works in Palazzo Mangilli that he attributes to Urbani to 1750 (36). Grossato accepted the name but read the date more correctly (on the pedestal of a painted building): 1786 (37). Recently, Zava

(36) C.G. TIOZZO, Andrea Urbani, pp. 7, 33-34.

(37) L. GROSSATO, Andrea Urbani, p. 74

24 Statue of Heraclitos by Luigi Minisini. Bas reliefs from the Roman age.

Boccazzi, although she accepts the date proposed by Grossato, has suggested that the paintings should not be attributed to Urbani, but to Francesco Chiarottini, because of the "antique views" with a "repertoire both accurate and full of archeological references" which is foreign to Urbani's culture, and closer to that of Chiarottini, who boasted direct experiences in Rome (38). This is an acceptable theory so we can state that the decoration of the small corridor should not be attributed to Urbani, but to Chiarottini from Cividale, who

(38) F. ZAVA BOCCAZZI, II Settecento, p. 95.

25 View of the park with the loggia.

painted numerous frescoes in different houses in Udine and managed each time to adapt to different spaces. (The reception rooms in palazzo Mantica, Chizzola and Palazzo Pantoni, the corridor in Palazzo Mantica-Chizzola and the loggia of Palazzo Tritonio-Maroldi-Beretta, the staircase in Palazzo Zigoni, and a little room in palazzo Mattioli-Caimo-Frova) (39).

(39) G. BERGAMINI - L. SERENI, Tra case e palazzi, passim.

26 Frescoes by Tommaso Turk in the loggia.

In the small internal courtyard, which has an ancient well parapet in the centre, some precious sculptures are preserved. There are two finely modelled statues by Luigi Minisini (1816-1901) repre­ senting, as is written on the scroll which they hold in their hands, the two Greek philosophers Heraclitos ("every thing from fire") and Democritos ("every thing from the atom"), (40). There is a fine stone seventeenth century lavabo, some Roman statues all tondo, two beautiful bas reliefs, again from the Roman age, including one by C.

(40) They were commissioned by Count Mangilli to be placed in niches, provided especially for this purpose, in the room with the frescoes by F abris (F., Un a/fresco di pittore friulano, p. 330). They are mentioned by PICCO (Ricardi popolari, p. 79), SACCOMANI (II ristauro, p. 43), ANONIMO (Ne/lo studio de/lo scultore friulano Minisini, in "La Patria del Friuli" 23 aprile 1884), G.S. (Luigi Minisini, in "Illustrazione ltaliana" 1901, II, p. 287), BRAGATO (Guida, p. 67), A FORNIZ (Arte poco nota del/'Ottocento be/ Friuli Occidentale, S. Vito al Tagliamento 1971, p. 9).

27 Clodio, a masterpiece of efficient portrayal (41 ). There is also the stone bearing the year of foundation (1577) of the house, as already stated, and a small patera. The park outside is rendered particularly fine by its long­ stemmed plants and its very size (nearly 3,000 square metres). Inside there is a massive construction which would appear at first sight to date from the Renaissance; an open, cube-shaped loggia, where the vault is decorated with grotesque paintings which are good in ideas but poor in execution. Recently it was attributed to Giovanni da Udine (who had his house nearby) and the news was reported in the local newspapers (42). In fact it is a nineteenth century decoration, probably by the painter Tommaso Turk. He was born in Udine in 1824 and died in T riest in 1880 after working for a long time in Zadar, Split and other places in Dalmatia. Today he is completely unknown, but he was respected in his day and worked in Udine in other houses too: for example, Palazzo Garzolini, Palazzo Mantica-Chizzola, and Palazzo Antonini-Bank of Italy (43 ) where he did some very fine frescoes (somewhat similar to these in Palazzo de! Torso) in the nineteenth century salotto.

(41) Published by M. BORDA, I ritratti repubblicani di Aqui/eia, in "Mitteilungen d. Deutsch. Arch. Inst. Roemische Abteilung" LXXX, 1 (1973), pp. 35-57. The other Roman pieces will be published in a forthcoming article by Maurizio Buora. 42 ( ) In perico/o ii parco dei conti de/ Torso. Perderemo anche questo po' di uerde?, in "Messaggero Veneto" 6 marzo 1958: "fra i suoi alberi secolari [ii parco] custodisce una cappellina affrescata (pochi lo sanno) da un certo signor Giovanni da Udine".

43 ( ) Regarding Ttirk, d. A. PICCO, Scritti uari, pp. 228-229; G. BERGAMINI. L SERENI, Tra case e pa/azzi, pp. 120, 259, 293, 372, 389.

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