Coleberti’s sources

Certainly name of Pietro Coleberti, Italian painter of 15^th century, isn’t a famous name, on contrary it is very unknown to major part of readers of art history or critic of art, above all because this painter is limited to some town in south Latium and Rome, but other commissions are very rare, I think that culture of Coleberti is very next to other painter from Viterbo, a Italian city in Latium, this is Antonio da Viterbo, a painter of 15^th century whose we keep today one signed tryptic with date MCCCC(1400)(Fig.1); Colaberti is in Sermoneta, small Italian city in south Latium, at 1422, therefore he was master, because he signed one document in choir of cathedral of Saint Mary in Sermoneta, where is kept one his painting(Fig.2), and during this year he painted in Caetani Castel in Sermoneta, after in Cori(Fig.3) and also in Rome; anyway the frequency that Colaberti used some iconography of Antonio da Viterbo(Figs.4-5); his stylistical similarity is motive very strong to think that Colaberti was pupil of Antonio da Viterbo. I think that he was very next to Antonio da Viterbo and he has kept stylistical character for much time; in fact he has learned these motives and alone on these he has worked; consider this use alone influence is very weak, because cultural influence keeps alone some period but after other influence or personal growth let to painter a search owner style; to Colaberti this influence is constant and therefore it is motive of cultural training; but we must consider these influence: the faces that we find to saints Peter and Paul on painting of Colaberti in church of saint Michael Archangel of Sermoneta(Figs.6-7), we find on tryptic of Antonio da Viterbo(Figs.8-9), the posture of Christ in same church(Fig.5), is same of Christ in tryptic(Fig.4); same cloth of some figure in Cori(Fig.10), is very similar to cloth of saint Paul(Fig.11) in tryptic of Antonio da Viterbo. Training in store of Antonio evidently to Pietro Coleberti was important because he used style of Antonio for much time and for much commissions; really the style of Antonio and Pietro is very old it remembers Byzantine style, and alone occasionally Pietro let something to Renaissance style, with evidently borders but certainly more plastic than Antonio; Pietro follows a style influenced by a traditional concept of figure that, in south Latium, has had very large employment, is sufficient consider Benozzo Gozzoli renaissance painter from Florence that to altarpiece in Sermoneta(Fig.12) he used traditional concept in confront to his painting in Florence, but it is for costumer, and Coleberti has traditional costumers although I think that he would used same style also to different costumers.   

Alessandro Lusana

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