Ambiguous Siciolante
With word ambiguous I mean a painting of Girolamo Siciolante(1521-1575),
Italian painter of Sermoneta, who had painted an altarpiece on slate(Fig.1);
this altarpiece was commissioned, perhaps, by Antonio Caetani, for Franciscan
convent of Cisterna, next Sermoneta, then ready feud of Caetani, this painting
has a history for his attribution very dynamic; a visit and description of 1685,
of a Franciscan monk, Ludovico da Modena, describes this altarpiece:…are 7 altars(in church)Saint Anthony Abbot dedicated, whose is
image painted on stone(slate), that
represented him together father…Saint Paul on feet and they look Virgin painted
on superior part with Christ baby. On sides are few angels that adore her…”[1],
unfortunately today this altarpiece is alone half, because right part is lost,
but charming moment of this altarpiece is signature(Fig.2), that in conformity
with evidence would be of Tullio Siciolante, son of Girolamo who would has
painted this altarpiece; but the logic says other, this is: data that we see
documents that: “Tullius Siciolantes anno Domini
M.D.LXXII hanc Beatae Mariae imaginem
aetatis vero suae XX pinxitet obit(Tullio Siciolante in year of Lord 1572
this painting of Virgin he has painted at his age of 20 years”; this would be
in conformity with text wrote, but this is very false, because Tullio
Siciolante died at same year, 1572, and is very difficult that a dead can
paints; in conformity with opinion of John Hunter[2]
this is alone a homage of Girolamo to his son by now dead, in fact Hunter says:
“Inscription that is present on painting Tullius Siciolantes anno Domini M.D.LXXII hanc Beatae Mariae imaginem aetatis vero suae
XX pinxitet obit, isn’t sign
of Tullius but alone declaration of his father”. In fact this painting is very
next to Siciolante for to be of other painter, Hunter had identified model for
this painting with Virgin of Saint Bartholomew in Bologna(Fig.3); and in fact
the style is same for cloth very heavy, and translate that of Virgin in
Diocesan Museum of Sermoneta(Fig.4), and that of altarpiece in Caetani castle(Fig.5),
in Sermoneta, the face of Virgin that is equal with typical face of Siciolante;
certainly some collaborator was present for this altarpiece, and perhaps also
Tullio, but this painting is almost all of Girolamo, and data is 1572.
Alessandro Lusana
Fig.1
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