Tag Archives: Pisanello

Biblioteca and Pinacoteca Ambrosiana Diary

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This library and art gallery in Milan is named after the patron saint of the city, Ambrose. The library harkens back to 1609, when Cardinal Federico Borromeo founded it, and the same year it opened to the public.

One of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings of the Codex Atlanticus

The biblioteca houses the Codex Atlanticus by Leonardo da Vinci as well as many of his other manuscripts plus about 12,000 drawings by European artists, ranging from the 14th to 19th century. Raphael and Pisanello are represented in this collection of drawings, too. Many of its more than a million printed volumes hail from the 16th century. There are almost 40,000 manuscripts in numerous languages, including Italian, Latin, Greek and Arabic as well as some 22,000 engravings. Ancient maps, musical manuscripts and parchments also make up the collection. Some prominent guests included poet Lord Byron and novelist Mary Shelley.

Another of Leonardo’s drawings from the Codex Atlanticus

During World War II the library was damaged, and the opera libretti for La Scala Opera House were destroyed. The building was opened again in the early 1950s after undergoing renovations. More reconstruction took place in the 1990s.

When I visited, some of Leonardo’s works for the Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of da Vinci’s drawings and writings, were on display in the library. The exhibition left me spellbound. I perused studies in aerodynamics and drawings of mechanical wings as well as various types of weapons. Leonardo rendered a large sling to throw stones and a machine to pump water from a well inside a building, for example.

I gazed upwards after studying the drawings by Leonardo, and I was filled with awe. I don’t know if I have ever seen such an incredible library. I just wanted to stand there all day, gazing at the wall-to-wall bookcases as I wondered about the titles and contents of each volume.

Established in 1618 with the collections of Cardinal Federico Borromeo, the pinacoteca was just as impressive as the library. The 24 rooms were dominated by Renaissance artworks but also boasted of renditions by 17th century Lombard artists, 18th century painters and 19th and early 20th century creators. I was especially struck by da Vinci’s 15th century “Portrait of a Musician” as it was the only portrait that he had painted. I noted the musical scroll in one hand of the sitter and was captivated by the detailed curly locks of hair, the musician’s brown eyes and his red cap.

Caravaggio’s insect-infested “Basket of Fruit” tells a story of diminishing beauty by displaying rotting fruit. Bramantino’s “Adoration of the Christ Child” shows the kneeling Bernardino of Siena, Francis of Assisi, Benedict of Nursia and the Virgin Mary making an understandable fuss over baby Jesus. I loved the angels playing musical instruments behind those figures. Emperor Augustus also makes an appearance.

Bergognone’s “Sacred Conversation” shows the Virgin Mary and Christ Child on a massive golden throne, baby Jesus on the Virgin Mary’s lap. Solemn angels flutter in the background. I was struck by the details of the Virgin Mary’s hair and by the material of the clothing worn by the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The two were surrounded by saints with captivating headwear, including Saint Ambrose and Saint Jerome.

Another painting that left me speechless was Sandro Botticelli’s “The Madonna of the Pavilion.” The artist’s meticulousness was evident. The artwork shows the Virgin and Child with much symbolism. The pavilion that two angels open to reveal the Christ Child is rich in biblical meaning both in the Old and New Testament. I could almost feel the paper of the pages making up the open book in the painting.

Raphael’s School of Athens

Raphael’s cartoon of the “School of Athens” is a study for the Italian Renaissance fresco painted in the early 1500s for the Raphael Rooms in the Vatican Museum. I recalled seeing the skillful rendition of philosophers and scientists from Ancient Greece at the Vatican on my 40th birthday as I mulled over the dominant role that perspective played in the artwork. Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras appear in the fresco. Leonardo and Michelangelo are present as Plato and Heraclitus.

Other paintings that awed me were the fantastic landscapes of Paul Brill, whose works I had discovered some years earlier in Edinburgh. Jan Brueghel’s detailed landscapes and still lifes also are close to my heart, and I adored masterpieces from the Netherlands. I stared at these paintings, losing myself in the fantastical landscapes and details that were so masterfully rendered by both artists. I felt a special connection to these works featuring a dream-like quality as if I could be transported into a fantasy world by merely peering at the canvases.

Other paintings that captured my undivided attention had been created by Bernardino Luini (I fondly recalled his paintings in Milan’s Church of Saint Maurizio), Tizian, Jacopo Bassano, Moretto and Daniele Crespi as well as Francesco Hayez, whose works I knew well from the Brera Gallery in the same city. Andrea Bianchi had created “The Last Supper,” imitating da Vinci’s masterpiece. Tizian’s “Adoration of the Magi,” Bramantino’s “Madonna of the Towers” and the locks of hair of Lucrezia Borgia all left me awe-struck.

The sculptures and frescoes from the second to 16th century in the Sala del Bambaia are very noteworthy. The Hindu art of the Berger Collection captivated me. The Flemish and German painting from the 15th to 17th century enthralled. Ceramics also play an intriguing role in the collection.

I was so awed by this gallery and library that I visited it twice during my first trip to Milan. I peered at every painting and sculpture, trying to take in each artistic creation, feeling so blessed to be able to see all these masterpieces with my own eyes.

Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.

Castelvecchio Museum Diary

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My first stop in Verona was the Castelvecchio Museum, a sprawling edifice that looks like a medieval fortress. The Castelvecchio hails from 1354 to 1356, when it was built for Cangrande II della Scala as a defensive structure. The Della Scala family lived there for a short time. During Napoleon’s reign, from 1801 to 1806, the building was transformed into barracks, and it served this purpose until 1924. The Castelvecchio was seriously damaged during World War II, during the time when the Germans destroyed all of Verona’s bridges. From 1958 to 1974, architect Carlo Scarpa renovated the Castelvecchio, adding modern elements to the original style that harkens back to the Middle Ages.

The expansive medieval and Renaissance spaces inside house 30 halls of Italian and European painting and sculpture, dating from the Romanesque era to the 1700s. I also saw ancient weapons, ceramics, gold artifacts, bells and miniatures, for instance. I especially liked the walkways outside. They offer panoramic views of romantic Verona.

Artists represented in the collection include Pisanello, Giovanni Bellini, Jacopo Bellini, Carlo Crivelli, Andrea Mantegna, Jacopo Tintoretto and Tiepolo. Pisanello’s “Madonna of the Quail,” Jacobo Bellini’s “Madonna of Humility” and Mantegna’s “Holy Family” are a few of the highlights. The Romanesque sculpture also is impressive.

An intriguing true crime story is connected to the museum. In 2015, three thieves made off with 17 paintings, including masterpieces by Jacopo Bellini, Giovanni Bellini, Andrea Mantegna, Tintoretto, Peter Paul Rubens and Hans de Jode. The following year, the museum got the works of art back from Odessa thanks to Ukrainian border guards. It remains one of the most significant art heists to take place in Italy.

Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.

Basilica of Saint Anastasia Diary

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I first set eyes on this basilica during a day trip from Milan to Verona in 2023.  The largest church in Verona, Dominicans began to build it in 1280. It is dedicated to both Saint Anastasia and Saint Peter, a Dominican and a patron of the city. The basilica’s Late Gothic façade was never completed but is stunning nonetheless. For the most part, it is made of brick, and the front includes a rose window. I also noticed a 15th century portal. Its belltower measures 72 m2 and has nine bells. With the exception of the façade, the church has been finished, a feat that took two centuries.

The amazing interior features a Latin cross plan with a nave and two aisles plus cross vaults. The columns are made of white and red marble. It contains many intriguing chapels, including one decorated with a fresco of Saint George and the Princess by Pisanello, dating from the 15th century. Two stoups are decorated with hunchbacks. The Baroque organ hails from 1625. The floor boasts of a red, white and black design.

The presbytery includes the main altar carved in light yellow marble. Twentieth century stained-glass windows and a 15th century fresco of the Annunciation are other highlights of this section. The mausoleum of Cortesia Serego shows off richly carved sculpture and remarkable painting. The left transept includes a fresco by the Second Master of Saint Zeno, a disciple of Giotto. It has three paintings featuring Saint Nicholas, Saint Cecilia, Saint Hyacinth and Saint Mary Magdalene, among others.

The Pelligrini Chapel with a superb fresco by that artist may be the best known of all the chapels. Art on the walls depict scenes from Christ’s life. A lunette has another exquisite fresco from the late 14th and early 15th century. The sarcophagus is adorned with stunning sculpture.

The other chapels are stunning, too. The Cavalli Chapel has a late 14th century fresco. Other frescoes, including ones depicting the Virgin and Child and Saint Christopher, add to the allure of this chapel. The Lavoagnoli Chapel, dating from the 15th century, features frescoes dedicated to Saint John the Baptist.

The Salerni Chapel shows off frescoes by the Second Master of Saint Zeno. This chapel hails from the 14th century. The stained-glass windows in the Giusti Chapel harken back to 1460. A 15th century wooden choir is part of the décor. The rudder of a ship hangs from the ceiling and dates from the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The Rosary Chapel is dedicated to the victory of the Battle of Lepanto and hails from the late 16th and early 17th century. The paintings are exquisite. The Crucifix Chapel includes a 15th century wooden cross and a 15th century funerary monument.

Altars in the basilica are exquisite. The Bevilacqua-Lazise Altar, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, includes a marble sculptural grouping and a richly decorated frieze. Frescoes also make up the décor of this altar. The paintings in the Mazzoleni Altar from 1592 are noteworthy as well and include artwork by Liberale da Verona, showing three saints. The Centrego Altar features a painting of Our Lady enthroned between Saint Thomas and Saint Augustine by a Veronese artist. The Fregoso Altar is another outstanding piece of art.

I was overwhelmed by the superb art in this basilica. Both the exterior and the interior exhibit stunning beauty and masterful craftsmanship. This basilica was one of the highlights of my second trip to Verona.

Tracy A. Burns is a writer, proofreader and editor in Prague.