FRANCIA, Francesco

This altarpiece is also called Pala Bentivoglio. The scene of Adoration is depicted with Sts Joseph, Augustine and Francis, and two angels, in the presence of Anton Galeazzo and Alessandro Bentivoglio.

This panel comes from the church of Santa Maria della Misericordia in Bologna, where it formed a predella to a Renaissance altarpiece. Executed with great technical expertise, this painting from Francesco Francia’s mature period enchants the viewer particularly with the perfect harmony achieved between the iconic subject and the naturalistic setting. On the left we see the adoration of the Child. On the right, the pictorial story continues with a subtle evocation of an allegorical subject fairly rare at the time: St Augustine hesitating between the blood of Christ and the Virgin’s milk. The inspiration behind this picture is Raphaelesque.

This early painting by Francia shows the influence of Perugino and Lorenzo Costa.

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The portrait represents the young Federigo II Gonzaga (1500-1540), son of Francesco Gonzaga and Isabella d’Este. Francesco Francia was commissioned for this portrait which served as an aide-m�moir during the absence of his young son who was taken as a hostage in Rome. As Federigo was to travel to Rome through Bologna, Isabella offered the commission to Francia, and the artist did the portrait in a span of twelve days.

The ten-year-old Federigo is shown bust-length in an expansive landscape. Dressed in a white chemise with a black gown, he holds the pommel of a sword and wears a gold chain with coloured stones and a pendant pearl.

Scene 1 of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia depicts the Marriage of Cecilia and Valerian. It was painted by Francesco Francia. The figural arrangement of the painting follows the conventional iconography of the marriage of Mary and Joseph. The small secondary scene in the background above and to the right suggests a wedding banquet.

Scene 10, the last scene of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia, painted by Francesco Francia, depicts the saint’s burial. Three men hold taut a shroud supporting her lifeless body above a sarcophagus that appears to be much too small. Among the bystanders in this pastoral landscape are several sorrowing women, Pope urban, and a priest.

Scene 3 of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia, painted by an unidentified collaborator of Francesco Francia, depicts the baptism of Valerian. He is baptized by the pope and given a white robe. In the background we see him heading home, accompanied by a female figure, who is provided, like him, a halo.

Scene 4 of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia, painted by an unidentified collaborator of Francesco Francia, shows the angel, now visible to Valerian as well, placing wreath of flowers from paradise on the heads of the bride and groom. The angels offers to grant Valerian one wish, and Valerian asks that his brother Tiburtius might also convert to Christianity. The scene to the left in the middle distance depicts the discussion between Valerian, Tiburtius, and Cecilia about Christ’s Passion and his earthly succession - a discussion that took place before Tiburtius received baptism. To the right in the background the brother has sought out the pope as well, and is saved.

Scene 7 of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia, painted by an unidentified collaborator of Francesco Francia, shows Cecilia disputing with Almachius. By her arguments in this debate Cecilia managed to convert four hundred soldiers, all of whom were baptized by Pope Urban, but nothing of this is shown. In an idyllic landscape, the prefect sits on steps in front of a tall pediment supporting statues of two pagan gods, to whom Cecilia refuses to present an offering. This panel presents no further episodes from the legend, only a number of figures who respond to her arguments in various ways.

Scene 8 of the Cecilia cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia, painted by an unidentified collaborator of Francesco Francia, depicts the martyrdom of St Cecilia. We see Cecilia standing naked in the cauldron of boiling water from which she emerged unscathed. One young man kneels down to poke the fire; another, seen in a provocative pose from the back, leans still more split logs against the furnace. A soldier standing behind Cecilia is about to strike her with his sword. The prefect sits on a throne to the right.

This painting is now very badly deteriorated.

A mixture of influences - the Gothically dry painting of Ferrara, the Umbrian pursuit of soft singing lines, and Venetian colouristic refinement - led the Bolognese Francia to the “sweetness and harmony of paints” that Vasari noted. The artist was noted no less as an engraver, medallist and goldsmith than as a painter. The relief ornaments on the base of the throne indicate that Francia was originally a goldsmith. The inscription reads, “Signor Ludovico Calcina…, canon of San Petronio in Bologna, the reviver and creator, founder and restorer of that church [for which the painting was made] valued me, Francia the goldsmith, highly. Bologna. 1500.”

The works of the Bolognese School are perhaps the most lyrical and emotional of fifteenth-century Italian paintings. The adherents of the school, headed by Francesco Francia, tried above all to achieve a tender, poetic manner of expression and to evoke atmosphere. They were much less interested in revolutionary ways of representing nature than their colleagues of Florence, Ferrara or Padua, and in composing their works they were for the most part content to use traditional types and well-proven solutions.

Francesco Francia began his career as a goldsmith and we can discern in his paintings the brilliant technique and dexterity of the craftsman. Working as a pupil of Francesco del Cossa in his native town of Bologna, he was especially admired for his representations of the Virgin in which a gentle and charming Mary is seen against a delicate, atmospheric landscape. His preference was for the Sacra Conversazione, showing the Virgin surrounded by a group of saints - a devout but static type of composition, devoid of narrative.

The popularity of Francia’s paintings arises from their very individual expression of harmony, both in content and form. This is evoked by his simple arrangements of figures, usually parallel with the picture surface in the immediate foreground and the tender, almost sentimental expression of his Madonnas and saints. The painting technique with the smooth treatment of the surface conforms with this style.

The influence of Perugino can be observed in this painting. The Virgin sits on an elevated throne with the Child making the blessing gesture. Two patron saints flank the throne: St Petronius with the city model of Bologna and St Luke with the bull. The relief ornaments on the base of the throne remind us that Francia was originally a goldsmith.

Francis of Assisi is gently holding a small processional cross, an item often linked to private worship. His hands are on show, with marks of the stigmata miraculously received during a mystic vision. The scene takes place in a small, private setting, open onto a quiet country scene. The saint has a young, well-characterised face that would seem to be the portrait of a man dressed as St Francis.

A clear light clearly outlines details such as in Flemish painting, traditions that also include the invention of the prayer book, resting on a parapet in the foreground.

In this painting of the Bolognese painter, an idealized, pensive Mary with an idyllic landscape behind her, turns her child towards us. He looks at us raising his right hand in benediction. Joseph, who may well bear the lineaments of the patron was given a purely passive role.

The picture shows a view of the long south wall with scenes 6-10 of the St Cecilia cycle. Above the entrance on the west wall is the balcony which abuts the Bentivoglio family chapel in the adjacent church of San Giacomo Maggiore.

St Cecilia is one of the most famous Roman saints, although she is purely legendary. She is meant to have lived in the second or more probably the third century, but only appears in the tradition in the fifth and sixth centuries. A young girl of noble background, she was betrothed, in spite of her vow of chastity, to a noble Roman, Valerius. After the apparition of an angel in the marriage chamber, she converted the young man to Christianity and persuaded both him and his brother, Tibertius, to receive baptism. She then refused to make an offering to the pagan gods and was condemned to be suffocated in a boiler, but was saved by the descent of a refreshing cloud from the sky. She was then taken to be beheaded, but the executioner, even after three violent blows, could not detach her head. She lingered on, mutilated, for three days before expiring.

The fresco cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia consists of ten scenes from the legend of Saints Cecilia and Valerian, located on the north (scenes 1-5) and south (scenes 6-10) walls of the Oratory, which is connected by a passageway to the church of San Domenico Maggiore. The cycle, resembling a continuous frieze, is very different from the sort of painting normally found in parish churches. It bears a greater resemblance to the suites of canvases produced for Venetian oratories and assembly rooms.

The ten horizontal panels, each filled with life-size figures in the foreground, create the impression of a continuous pictorial narrative, one that is structured but not actually interrupted by the framing pilasters. The continuous background landscapes incorporate scenes from the legend of St Cecilia, a large part of which involves the conversions and martyrdoms of her husband Valerian and his brother Tiburtius. Also depicted are the Roman official Maximus, another convert, and Pope Urban I as the saints’ protectors, who are soon afterward martyred themselves.

The predominant character of the cycle completely reflects the styles of the two masters who set the tone for the Bolognese school in around 1500, namely Lorenzo Costa the Elder and Francesco Francia. They must be regarded as the ones who devised the St Cecilia cycle, which was ultimately realized by collaborators whose names can no longer be determined with the exception of two panels with the signature of Amico Aspertini. The fact that the first pictures on each wall are by Francia would indicate that he was the supervisor of the project.

Three pairs of scenes were executed by Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Costa the Elder, and Amico Aspertini. The author of the two other pairs are not known, here we present the reproductions of these scenes among the works by Francesco Francia.

The scenes of the cycle are the following:

Scene 1: Marriage of Cecilia and Valerian (Francesco Francia)

Scene 2: Valerian with Pope Urban (Lorenzo Costa the Elder)

Scene 3: Valerian is Baptized (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 4: Coronation of Cecilia and Valerian (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 5: Martyrdom of Valerian and Tiburtius (Amico Aspertini)

Scene 6: Burial of Valerian and Tiburtius (Amico Aspertini)

Scene 7: Cecilia Disputing with Almachius (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 8: Martyrdom of St Cecilia (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 9: Cecilia Gives away Her Possessions (Lorenzo Costa the Elder)

Scene 10: Burial of St Cecilia (Francesco Francia)

The picture shows a view looking toward the altar wall and the north wall with scenes 1-5 of the St Cecilia cycle. The cycle begins to the left of the altar.

St Cecilia is one of the most famous Roman saints, although she is purely legendary. She is meant to have lived in the second or more probably the third century, but only appears in the tradition in the fifth and sixth centuries. A young girl of noble background, she was betrothed, in spite of her vow of chastity, to a noble Roman, Valerius. After the apparition of an angel in the marriage chamber, she converted the young man to Christianity and persuaded both him and his brother, Tibertius, to receive baptism. She then refused to make an offering to the pagan gods and was condemned to be suffocated in a boiler, but was saved by the descent of a refreshing cloud from the sky. She was then taken to be beheaded, but the executioner, even after three violent blows, could not detach her head. She lingered on, mutilated, for three days before expiring.

The fresco cycle in the Oratory of St Cecilia consists of ten scenes from the legend of Saints Cecilia and Valerian, located on the north (scenes 1-5) and south (scenes 6-10) walls of the Oratory, which is connected by a passageway to the church of San Domenico Maggiore. The cycle, resembling a continuous frieze, is very different from the sort of painting normally found in parish churches. It bears a greater resemblance to the suites of canvases produced for Venetian oratories and assembly rooms.

The ten horizontal panels, each filled with life-size figures in the foreground, create the impression of a continuous pictorial narrative, one that is structured but not actually interrupted by the framing pilasters. The continuous background landscapes incorporate scenes from the legend of St Cecilia, a large part of which involves the conversions and martyrdoms of her husband Valerian and his brother Tiburtius. Also depicted are the Roman official Maximus, another convert, and Pope Urban I as the saints’ protectors, who are soon afterward martyred themselves.

The predominant character of the cycle completely reflects the styles of the two masters who set the tone for the Bolognese school in around 1500, namely Lorenzo Costa the Elder and Francesco Francia. They must be regarded as the ones who devised the St Cecilia cycle, which was ultimately realized by collaborators whose names can no longer be determined with the exception of two panels with the signature of Amico Aspertini. The fact that the first pictures on each wall are by Francia would indicate that he was the supervisor of the project.

Three pairs of scenes were executed by Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Costa the Elder, and Amico Aspertini. The author of the two other pairs are not known, here we present the reproductions of these scenes among the works by Francesco Francia.

The scenes of the cycle are the following:

Scene 1: Marriage of Cecilia and Valerian (Francesco Francia)

Scene 2: Valerian with Pope Urban (Lorenzo Costa the Elder)

Scene 3: Valerian is Baptized (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 4: Coronation of Cecilia and Valerian (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 5: Martyrdom of Valerian and Tiburtius (Amico Aspertini)

Scene 6: Burial of Valerian and Tiburtius (Amico Aspertini)

Scene 7: Cecilia Disputing with Almachius (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 8: Martyrdom of St Cecilia (unknown, displayed in Francesco Francia’s section)

Scene 9: Cecilia Gives away Her Possessions (Lorenzo Costa the Elder)

Scene 10: Burial of St Cecilia (Francesco Francia)