Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato: Painter of Beautiful Madonnas

Giovanni Battista Salvi (August 25, 1609-August 8, 1685) usually is known simply as Sassoferrato, in reference to his birthplace in east central Italy, or the natal epithet is appended to his name: Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato.

Artistic influences

Giovanni first apprenticed with his father, Tarquinio (or Carpinio) Salvi, one of whose frescoes is extant as a fragment in the town’s Church of St. Francis (Chiesa di San Francesco). A large “Rosario” (“Rosary”) in the Church of the Eremitani (Chiesa degli Eremitani, “Church of the Hermits”) at Rome, signed and dated 1553, is Tarquinio’s only recorded work. (Michael Bryan, p. 442)

Further details of Giovanni’s training, and of his life as well, are elusive, although he is usually connected with Domenico Zampieri, known as Domenichino (October 21, 1581-April 16, 1641), who assisted Annibale Carracci (November 3, 1560-July 15, 1609) in the completion of his grand frescoes, deemed incomparable masterpieces, in the imposing, sixteenth-century Palazzo Farnese (Farnese Palace) in Rome.

Giovanni was influenced by two other Carracci students, Francesco Albani (March 17 or August 17, 1578-October 4, 1660) and Guido Reni (November 4, 1575-August 18, 1642).

Other influences upon Giovanni’s paintings are identified as:

*** Albrecht Dürer (May 21, 1471-April 6, 1528), a multi-talented artist-mathematician-theorist from the southeastern German city of Nuremberg (Nürnberg) who is regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance that spanned the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries;

*** Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (February 8, 1591-December 9, 1666), nicknamed Guercino (“squinter”) for his strabismus (crossed eyes), whose vast body of work, executed quickly and of consistently high quality, brought him great renown in his own lifetime;

*** Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (April 6 or March 28, 1483-April 6, 1520), known as Raphael, the Italian artist grouped with Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519) and Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (March 6, 1475-February 18, 1564) into the triad of High Renaissance paragons;

*** Pierre Mignard (November 7, 1612-May 30, 1695), French portraitist who refined the Italian Baroque style, introduced to him by his mentor, Simon Vouet (January 9, 1590-June 30, 1649), by his protracted residence in Italy (1635 to 1656)

Artistic output: pittore delle belle Madonne ("painter of beautiful Madonnas")

Apparently largely supported by private patrons, Giovanni excelled at painting multiple copies or variants of devotional images for his commissions. One of his most popular images, the Madonna in prayer, was composed in a variety of formats. He was known in his lifetime in Rome as pittore delle belle Madonne (“the painter of beautiful Madonnas”), a complimentary appositive that was appended to his name even in the eighteenth century. Because he painted so many Madonnas, art historians bestow upon him the label of Madonniere (“painter of Madonnas”), a title which he shares with such luminaries as Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516) and Italian High Renaissance painter Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Raphael).

As Giovanni was a superb copyist, he regularly was commissioned to paint in the style of a great master such as Raphael. Even though Giovanni flourished during the Italian Baroque period, his style was reminiscent of the Renaissance. Baroque art evinces dramatic contrasts and evokes passionate emotions, whereas the Renaissance yields the subtly transformative atmosphere of chiaroscuro (“light-dark”), which suggests, rather than demands, the desired emotional effect.

In 1630 Giovanni received the single most extensive commission of his life, from the Benedictine abbey of St. Peter (Monastero di San Pietro) in Perugia. The commission required copies of certain works by Raphael --- “Entombment” (Cristo Morto Portato alla Sepoltura, “Dead Christ Carried to the Grave”) and “Annunciation” (Annunziata) --- as well as original compositions --- Judith (Giuditta).

In the 1640s Giovanni fulfilled two commissions from Olimpia Aldobrandini-Pamphili, Principessa di Rossano (April 20, 1623-December 18, 1681). One project was to fresco “The Blessed Virgin Appearing to St. Francis of Paola” on the sacristy ceiling of San Francesco di Paola ai Monti, a church whose construction was funded by Olimpia in honor of St. Francis of Paola (March 27, 1416-April 2, 1507), a mendicant friar from Italy’s southern “toe” who founded the Order of the Minims (Ordo Fratrum Minimorum, “Order of Smallest Brothers”). Built adjacent to the order’s Generalate, the church was and still is served by the order.

The other project was to paint an alterpiece for the Chapel of Santa Caterina in Santa Sabina at the Aventine (Santa Sabina all’Aventino), a fifth century classical, rectangular basilica in Rome. His work, “La Madonna del Rosario” (“Madonna of the Rosary”), is still there and is considered his masterpiece.

Marriage

Details of Giovanni’s personal life evade researchers. Private patronage can provide public anonymity. Shying away from public commissions and grandiose projects also shields an artist from public purview. Giovanni's predilection for not signing or dating his creations further beshadows his life.

When Giovanni married in 1648, he was living in eastern central Rome in the archaeological rich Monti district.

A Quiet Death: When, but not much more

Giovanni’s will was dated June 29, 1685. He passed away a little over a month later on August 8th. He was survived by six children.

Giovanni’s extant works

Over three hundred works by Giovanni have survived into this century, three and a quarter centuries after his death. These works include his sketch and drawing studies, some of which are in the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris, and Musée Massey (Massey Museum) in Tarbes, southwestern France. Most of Giovanni's studies are held in the British Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Considering that the estimable royal collection also includes drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest artists of all time, Giovanni’s work keeps really good company.

“Madonna del Rosario” poses the Virgin Mary on a wooden throne with a wreath or crown of flowers on the step below her left foot. St. Dominic (San Domenico, 1170-August 6, 1221), in profile with head raised to behold the Madonna, is on her right, kneeling on the step. His right arm is bent at the elbow with palm upturned to receive the rosary that the Madonna is presenting to him with her right hand.

St. Catherine (Santa Caterina, March 25, 1347-April 29, 1380), her head bowed, in profile, with her face largely shadowed and shrouded by a dark cloth draped over her head and shoulders, is on her left, also kneeling. St. Catherine’s right arm is bent at the elbow. Her palm is closed, with her thumb and little finger touching. According to Dominican historian Joachim Joseph Berthier (December 31, 1848-December 21, 1924), St. Catherine is receiving a rosary from Jesus, who is presenting it to her with his right hand. In his left hand he is holding a crown of thrones to place on St. Catherine's head.

The Madonna’s head is tilted slightly to her right. Her eyes are downcast. A blue cloak covers her hair. Her right elbow is resting on the arm of the throne.

Jesus is seated on her left thigh, with his upper body leaning against his mother’s left shoulder. The Madonna’s left hand is resting against Jesus’ stomach to hold him in place.

One cherub’s head is at the top of the throne’s back. There are four more cherubs, two each hovering on each side of the Madonna.

“The Virgin in Prayer” (1640-1650) presents the Madonna with bowed head, downcast eyes, and much of her serene face in shadow. The white cloth shrouding her hair is luminescent and contrasts softly with the ultramarine cloth draped around her shoulders and over her forearms.

In “Madonna and Child” (c. 1650), the Virgin Mary is sitting on clouds and her feet rest on a half moon. Clothed in red and snuggled comfortably against his mother's right shoulder, Jesus is holding onto Mary’s rosary, which ends in a rose, dangling delicately on the blue drape of her clothing over her right arm. Three cherubs peer up from her feet. Five cherubs on each side gaze at the haloed Madonna with Jesus, who has long blond-brown hair that flows below his shoulders.

In “Virgin and Child Embracing,” the Virgin Mary is seated in left profile, in the foreground. Much of her dark hair is covered by a cream-colored cloth. A rich blue cloth is draped over most of her body, except for her left side, which is encased in a red dress with a thin dark belt at the waist.

Jesus is kneeling, facing her, on her lap. His face, in profile also, is close to his mother. His hair seems reddish brown. His right arm is outstretched, possibly with the elbow resting on his mother’s collarbone. His fingers are touching her hair while his thumb is on her jawbone, probably near her ear, which is covered by her hair.

Folds of green cloth seem to be hanging in the upper right segment of the painting.

An arched doorway in the left background opens to an expanse of blue, cloudy sky, pierced by a tall tree. Mountains are in the distance.

Several steps lead up to the doorway. St. Joseph is standing, in profile, and is wearing a knee-length dark green tunic. A red brown shawl hangs diagonally down from his upper right arm.

This “Madonna and Child” features a darkened interior with a window that opens onto a green landscape, with clouds and several light-colored buildings, in the upper right. Jesus is seated on a white cushion on his mother’s left thigh and supported by her left forearm. His short hair seems almost strawberry blond. Jesus holds small flowers in his right hand while the Virgin Mary clasps the same kind of flowers in her left hand. The little finger of Jesus’ left hand is resting lightly on the bent index finger of the Madonna’s right hand.

“Virgin in Prayer” poses the Madonna with her head tilted to the right. A narrow halo outlines her head. Her eyes are downcast, barely open. Creamy white cloth partially covers her head and crisscrosses her bodice. Blue cloth draped over her shoulders and in folds over her forearms seems silky.

Self-Portrait

Giovanni’s self-portrait, painted around 1650, was presented by Cardinal Flavio Chigi (May 10, 1631-September 13, 1693) to Cosimo III de' Medici (August 14, 1642-October 31, 1723), the penultimate Grand Duke of Tuscany, in 1683.

Giovanni’s self-portrait is in the Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) in Firenze (Florence), the stronghold of the Medici dynasty from the fifteenth to the early eighteenth century. Begun as offices (uffizi) in 1560 for Cosimo I de’ Medici (June 12, 1519-April 21, 1574), the palace was completed in 1581. In its vastness was displayed the dynasty’s extensive collection of art masterpieces. Since its addition to the collection, Giovanni’s self-portrait has kept company with such stellar paintings as “The Birth of Venus” (Nascita di Venere) by Italian Early Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-May 17, 1510)

Paintings by Giovanni have been featured on stamps throughout the world. Three commemorative stamps, issued by New Zealand, Italy, and recently the United States, are presented.

1962 New Zealand Christmas Stamp

The 1962 Christmas stamp issued by the New Zealand Post Office on October 15, 1962 featured Sassoferrato’s “Madonna in Prayer,” which hangs in the National Gallery in London.

1976 Italy Stamp Issue of Famous Painters

On November 22, 1976, the Italian Postal Service (Poste Italiane) issued stamps recognizing five famous painters. Sassoferrato’s self-portrait was featured in the series, which also commemorated Carlo Dolci (May 25, 1616-January 17, 1686), Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-December 1, 1455), Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-January 11, 1494), and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (February 13, 1682-April 28, 1754).

On October 20, 2009, the U.S. Postal Service released its traditional Christmas stamp, which had been issued with the theme of Madonna with child since 1978. The 2009 Christmas stamp featured Sassoferrato’s “Madonna and Sleeping Child.” Six hundred million stamps were printed for that issue.

Purchased by American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst (April 29, 1863-August 14, 1951) in 1926, the vibrant painting is still in the collection at Hearst Castle, which was donated to the State of California in 1957. The Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1972 and was designated as a United States National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976.

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Copyright April 18, 2011 by Stessily