Giugno 2013 Susanna Zanuso a Pair of Putti from Palazzo

Annoni_House_Putti_Sovracoperta_ok_Layout 1 10/06/13 10:46 Pagina 1 Susanna Zanuso Susanna Zanuso A Pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni and Bronze Sculpture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in Lombardy A pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni CARLO ORSI via Bagutta, 14 – 20121 Milano tel. +39 02 76 00 22 14 fax +39 02 76 00 40 19 [email protected] Milan www.galleriaorsi.com June 2013 Annoni_House_Putti_Cover_ok_Layout 1 10/06/13 10:47 Pagina 1 Susanna Zanuso Susanna Zanuso A Pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni and Bronze Sculpture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in Lombardy A pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:37 Pagina 1 CARLO ORSI Susanna Zanuso A Pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni and Bronze Sculpture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in Lombardy Milan June 2013 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:37 Pagina 2 Index A pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni p. 6 Bronze sculpture of the late Baroque in Lombardy p. 14 Acknowledgements: The Pozzo Sculptors and Founders Andrea Bacchi Simona Brusa p. 20 Cecilia Cametti Odette D’Albo Andrea Di Lorenzo The Fontana Founders Amanda Hilliam p. 32 Dimitri Zikos Archive and Museo Civico, Lodi The Fontana and the Sculptors p. 52 Catalogue edited by: Italian version Ferdinando Corberi p. 60 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:38 Pagina 4 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:38 Pagina 6 I would like to thank all those that have made his pair of bronze Putti (height 70 cm ca.) originally formed generally entrusted to sculptors, while the casting was 2 The first account of Mellone is in this research possible, in particular Carlo Orsi, S. Zanuso, Schede di scultura barocca in San who has generously promoted Arrigo Coppitz’s part of a larger series, later dismantled, of which we know commissioned from specialised workshops. This separation of Nazaro, in “Nuovi Studi”, 1, 1996, photography, and Cecilia Cametti together T pp. 167-174 and S. Zanuso, Gli stucchi di with all the staff at the Archive and the another six examples in a private collection. On the base of one of skills is recognisable in the Annoni bronzes, whose models are in Carlo Francesco Mellone nel Palazzo Rangoni Museo Civico of Lodi for their willingness and di Parma, in “Parma per l’Arte”, III, 1997, 2 kindness in helping me. these is inscribed “F.a F.cit A.o 1718”. Each of the eight known fact here attributed to Mellone . The inscription “F.a F.cit A.o pp. 35-43. Putti holds an uninscribed ribbon and one of the present bronzes 1718” must instead refer to the author of the bronze casting: the has a half moon under the left foot, perhaps to symbolise the signature can in fact be deciphered as “Fontana Fecit Anno 1718” allegory of Night or to allude to Diana, Goddess of the hunt. Even and therefore relates to the Fontana workshop, the family of if the group’s iconographic programme now eludes us, the absence founders from Valsolda who ran an important workshop in Milan of sacred symbols suggests that the group would have decorated a during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. 3 Mellone himself claimed in 1693, requesting admission to the workshop of stately home, probably a staircase or a bannister, given that the Once back from his Roman sojourn that lasted between 1688 to Milan Cathedral, to have been initially a pupil of Carlo Simonetta who had died that other six privately owned examples are still mounted on sculpted 16933, Carlo Francesco Mellone turned his attention to the year having just returned from Rome where he had stayed for five years (Archive of stone supports that appear to be the original ones. Milanese artistic environment, producing innovative works that Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, now AVFDMi, Archivio Storico, cart. 156/30, The provenance of the whole group from Palazzo Annoni were inspired by what he had learnt during his Roman years. In nn. 1-2). (subsequently Cicogna-Mozzoni) on Corso di Porta Romana in Milan has been confirmed by the living descendants of the house’s owners, which was partially reconstructed after being bombed during the Second World War, making it difficult to identify their original arrangement. Despite the absence of additional information, it is highly likely that in 1718 the Annoni family commissioned works of this nature for their residence; in fact, the house was constructed by Francesco Maria Richini for Paolo Annoni in 1631-1640, but right at the beginning of the eighteenth century was renovated and updated according to the new tastes, and also as a sign of the new importance of the family, who became members of the aristocracy in 1705. As Latuada recalls, at the time of Carlo Annoni the house had become one of the liveliest centres addition, he combined other influences, such as Genoese baroque Fig. 1: Detail of signature of the Fontana Founders on the base of one of the other of Milanese intellectual life and had “a well-arranged gallery of that also inspired other contemporary painters such as Legnanino, six Putti (private collection) 1 1 S. Latuada, Descrizione di Milano, Milan paintings, works by excellent masters both old and new” . together with styles from beyond the Alps. Mellone’s embracing 1737, II, p. 270; G.C. Bascapè, I palazzi della vecchia Milano. Ambienti, scorci di vita The eight Putti show the stylistic characteristics of Milanese of Europe was not unrelated to the new political order of the cittadina, Milan 1945, pp. 26-28-61-65, figs. 39-42, 44. sculpture of the beginning of the eighteenth century, the so-called duchy, since it was during these years that the Spanish succession Lombard “barocchetto”, meaning the moment at which the to the throne had brought victory to the Viennese party and the opulent, dramatic forms inherited from the Roman Baroque had election of Eugene of Savoy as governor of Milan in 1706. In the given way to lighter, more playful configurations, animated by an city, it was Giovanni Ruggeri who shared these “international” amiable grace of poses and expressions. In particular, the Putti horizons with Mellone, which advanced local sculpture beyond recall the sculpture of Carlo Francesco Mellone, whose lively, the now tired and repetitive baroque. Ruggeri, a Roman architect graceful marbles would have influenced the best sculptors active and pupil of “cavalier Bernino”, arrived in Milan in 1693 and in Milan and the duchy. At this time in Milan, like in Rome, for often worked alongside Mellone on the same projects4. the production of bronze sculpture the creation of a model was As the archival documents attest, before completing the Annoni 6 7 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:38 Pagina 8 4 See C. Ponte, La cappella del R. Sodalizio Putti the Fontana workshop had already collaborated with dell’Immacolata eretta in S. Francesco Grande e il carteggio dell’architetto Giovanni Ruggeri Mellone on the high altar at the Church of San Nazaro in Milan, (1693-1712), in “Bollettino storico pavese”, II, 1939, p. 40; according to Marcantonio Dal works at that time directed by Ruggeri. Prior to 1708, the then Re (Ville di Delizia o siano Palagi Camparecci nello Stato di Milano... , Milan 1743) Ruggeri leader of the workshop Giuseppe Fontana had taken casts from was also “a worthy pupil of the famous Cavalier Fontana”. For Ruggeri’s the sculptor’s models of the tabernacle that featured The “international” style, see also G. Mezzanotte, Giovanni Ruggeri e le ville di delizia lombarde, Deposition from the Cross. We will return to this particular project in “Bollettino A. Palladio”, IX, 1969, pp. 243- 254 and more recently, A. Pacia, Giovanni later on, but even now it is possible to note how, in the two Ruggeri e il progetto delle coffee houses del Annoni Putti and those present in the bronze relief at San Nazaro, castello Visconti di Brignano, in La nobiltà lombarda: questioni storiche ed artistiche. Atti the barocchetto spirit of the moment appears to have declined in del Convegno (Brignano Gera d’Adda, 4 giugno 2005), edited by A. Spiriti, Treviolo very similar ways. Moreover, the tiny upturned noses of our (BG) 2008, pp. 71-80. Fig. 2: Carlo Francesco Mellone, detail of bronzes, the wide foreheads and high hairlines, the way in which the bronze relief of the tabernacle of the high altar with The Deposition from the Cross, the drapery bends, fluttering between the legs and above all the Milan, Church of San Nazaro, cast by Giuseppe Fontana facial expressions, smiling and full of grace, all reveal numerous similarities with other works by Mellone: from the early Saint Rosalia for the external northern side of Milan Cathedral, executed between 1694 and 1695, to Pope Pius V with the eight allegorical statues in the Ghislieri College in Pavia (1701), to the Madonna della Corona that entered San Nazaro in 1708 with the bequest of Canon Francesco Settala, to the three Allegories of 1716 in the Terni De Gregory Bondenti House in Crema. The 8 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:38 Pagina 10 Annoni_House_Putti_Mellone 2013 10/06/13 10:38 Pagina 12 5 For example, the Putti in wood with white stylistic characteristics displayed by the Palazzo Annoni Putti also varnish situated in the chapel of Saint Ulrich in the Church of San Nazaro in Milan seem to anticipate Mellone’s later works such as Patience in the (which evidence suggests was not their original location) resemble the style of the Bayerisches National Museum of Monaco that could perhaps present works but are of lower quality.

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