The Sacred Art

Sacred painting is definitely the most represented artistic genre in the Pinacoteca. Splendid specimens of gold backgrounds paintings can be admired from the first rooms, such as the panels by Bicci di Lorenzo

St. Thomas and St. John the Baptist

This panels with a gold background were part of a polyptych with the Virgin and Child.

The saints' feet seem to slip into the neutral background. That artifice of adherence to the feet on the ground had not yet developed, which will then be seen concretely in the early 1400s.

In the scroll the inscription "Agnius" is visible, alluding to the Lamb of God

In the panel the right, of highest-quality, are represented Giacomo Minore and San Nicola. The first holds in his right hand a stick, an instrument of martyrdom, and in the left hand a book, symbol of the word of God; the second holds in his right hand the golden balls, which represent the gold given to provide dowries for three impoverished maidens, saving them from prostitution.

On the robe of Saint Nicholas is visible the design of the contour lines in the dress, but what is striking are the decorations.

John
the baptist is represented by a Sienese painter in another gold
background painting: a very expressive face, with a long beard and
loose hair, long cheekbones and thin eyes. In his left hand he holds
a scroll with the words "Ecce agnus dei" ("Behold the
Lamb of God") pronounced when Jesus stood before him on the bank
of the Jordan to be baptized.

The details of scroll’s inscription is worthy of note: Ecce Agnus Dei.

The Virgin with Child and Saints by Francesco Maria Rondani, a follower
and collaborator of Correggio, is dated to a later period. Also in
this work he refers to the tutelary deity of Parma painting, heavily
accentuating the physiognomy of the two saints and St. John, and
giving the protagonists somewhat blocked poses. The face and the
sweet expression of the Virgin are by Correggio, as well as the
affectionate gesture of bowing her head towards her son. In the
background a large tree with luxuriant foliage acts as a backdrop
that give us a glimpse of the landscape.

The expression of the Virgin is reminiscent of Caravaggio's, along with the profiles of the saints.

The tree and the landscape, i on the other hand, act as a background in which the scene takes place.

In
the Holy Family by Orazio Samachini, from an original by the Flemish
Marteen de Vos, Mary gently embraces Jesus and breastfeeds him, while
in the foreground, Joseph invites us to observe the scene. Some
angels, with large wings, assist the family, setting up the baby’s
crib and tendering the fire. A third indicates the maid who appears
at the door. The holy family is represented during their forced stay
in Egypt, where they took refuge to escape the massacre of the
innocent.

The angels, the figure on the bottom and Joseph form a kind of imaginary circle, within which the main moment takes place.

Joseph's gaze is turned towards the spectator, also underlined by the finger pointing the Virgin and Child

From a work by the Flemish Marteen de Vos derives the Noli me tangere, with Mary Magdalene who, near the tomb, mistakes the resurrected Jesus for the gardener; she recognizes him after he has called her by name. She tried to touch him but Jesus told her she shouldn’t, the famous "Noli me tangere" ("Touch me not"). Jesus wears a wide-brimmed hat that resembled a gardener and opens his arms to avoid contact, while the Magdalene, on her knees, leans forward to touch him.

It is the precise moment in which Christ refuses contact with Mary Magdalene. Known as the "Noli Me Tangere".

In dark colors is the sketch with The martyrdom of Sant’Ottavio by Giovanni Lanfranco, with the soldier of the Theban legion who was martyred. He wears shiny armor, on which the emblem of the cross stands out, and a large red cloak, which recalls the color of the sacrifice. His arms are open wide, in a near ecstatic state, accentuated by his wide open mouth and eyes turned upwards. To his right a bearded man, the executioner, thrusts a spear into his chest.

Note the light parts of the armor, although not fully detailed, since the work is still a sketch.

Despite being a sketch, the expressiveness of Sant'Ottavio is easily recognizable, at the moment when the martyrdom is taking place.

Another sketch, larger in size and with lighter colors, represents The rest during the flight into Egypt by Andrea Lanzani, for the church of Saint Joseph in Ganza di Lecco. The author's interest in Correggio's works stands out, in particular The Madonna della Scodella. In a hilly scene, the Virgin, in the center with the baby Jesus, takes the clothes from a basket to dress her son. On the opposite side is Joseph, who picks the fruit from a tree, helped by the angels. In the work there is a late baroque thrill, absent in Correggio's works.

The reference to Correggio's painting is clearly visible in the upper part, where the angels fill the space of the composition.

The Child is the most illuminated figure, as well as part of the Virgin.

A
similar dynamism is evident in the draft copy, made by Francesco
Fontebasso, of the Miracle of San Francesco di Paola by Sebastiano
Ricci. In late Baroque style, which used diagonals, movement and
variety of poses, the composition is divided into two registers: a
divine one, at the top with the appearance of angels among soft
clouds, and one at the bottom, where the miraculous action takes
place: the saint, recognizable by his Capuchin habit, raises the
child held in his mother's arms.

The upper part is filled with angels.

The lower part is occupied by human figures, with the saint performing his miracle by resurrecting the child.

The column is inspired by Venetian painting, started by Titian and continued by Veronese and Ricci.

Belonging to a religious order, such as San Francesco di Paola, is San Brunone, depicted by Ignazio Stern in a beautiful oval. A German religious who lived between 1030 and 1101, and founder of the Carthusians, Brunone appears in the candid dress of his order and the particular hairstyle worn by Christian monks. He is caught contemplating the crucifix he holds between his fingers, accompanied by two cherubs, angels close to God and dedicated to protection. The skull in the foreground, wisely foreshortened, is the memento mori, which recalls the emptiness and precariousness of human existence.

Note the lightness of the composition, with the detail of the saint’s fingers and the depiction of the crucifix.

The skull, symbol of the Memento Mori, very common in the medieval period.

This brief review is closed by Saint John of the Cross by Giovanni Battista Borghesi, the favorite artist of the Duchess Maria Luigia. The saint turns his gaze towards heaven, accompanied by an angel who assists him in carrying the cross, and who looks directly at the viewer. In the cartouche we read the answer, in Latin, that the religious gave regarding a possible reward for the many pains suffered: "Domine, pati et contemni pro te" ("Lord, to suffer and be despised for You!").

The gaze of Saint John is directed upwards, as if to indicate his closeness to the Divine or to make it possible to hear His voice.

The scroll depicting the saint's response which also summarizes his will to work for the word of God.