Jacopo Ripanda

17/04/2020 Please consider that chapter "Opere Anonime Attorno a Guido Aspertini" (pp. 55-66) is superseded by PICTRIX 49 - ORIGINAL ABSTRACT: This part describes anonymous paintings, created before 1510. According to the practice described in PICTRIX 32, the present research defines anonymous, in the strict sense, only a painting missing any “same hand” counterpart. Consequently, one might say that we face here 144 works, painted by 144 artists with no name. This sentence is paradoxical, but to give it more common sense one should identify paintings with the same style, a task that proved impossible until now. Another task, not yet achieved because of its complexity, is a precise dating for each painting; now, only the difference between “prospettico” and “protoclassico” period appears, simplified to rounded dates, 1460 to 1490 and 1490 to 1510. The list includes works from Bologna, hopefully on an exhaustive basis. As far as works “from an unknown city” are concerned, they are included only if they bear a Bolognese attribution (here refused). Last comment refers to the quality of the proposed set: it should not be low, if alternative attributions are to Francia, Costa and Aspertini, to Pirri, Ripanda and Rimpatta, and even to Raphael.

Around the year 1500, some documents have various elements in common. They mention a painter named Jacopo; they point out his Bolognese origin; they place him in Rome or close by as Orvieto or Sulmona. In fact there exist three frescoes representing episodes of the Punic Wars, and three drawings, with the Arrival of a messenger, Cleopatra on the point of dying and a Roman battle, all referable to 1506-1508 and certainly by Jacopo Rimpacta or Ripanda. A second group includes the note-book kept at Lille but the stylistic differences make one think it refers to two people. Among the documents which refer to Jacopo in Orvieto, one was written in Rome in 1493 certifying the payment for works carried out in one of Borgia's apartments. Pinturicchio had various collaborators among whom there is only one with affinity to Ripanda, being the author of five mythological stories in the Hall of Saints. Extending this activity to the ceiling does not seem possible because it is the work of Pinturicchiesco Timido, who works in Spello in 1492. The activity of Ripanda at the time of Pope Borgia can be recognised in stories of Vestal Virgin Tuccia, of Scipione l'Africano and other ancient personages.

Reconsidering the so-called Frizzoni-Wickhoff group, the author decided to start from scratch, using a traditional criterion: the painting for which a drawing is preparatory plays a big role in attribution.
Sant’Onofrio al Gianicolo apsis is by Peruzzi according to Vasari, but is heterogeneous: so we may believe that the sienese prepared sketches, and British Museum Sibyls are one, letting execution to other artists and to himself too. Sibyls’ style, a mix of Botticelli, Leonardo and Aspertini, may be adequate for Peruzzi, specially if he visited Bologna around 1501, seeing Boltraffio’s altarpiece; Sant’Onofrio may be about 1504, coherently with Vasari’s words, suggested by Francesco, a sienese pupil of Baldassarre. Giulio Mancini does not really contradict Vasari, because he sees a collaboration between Pinturicchio and Peruzzi in Sant’Onofrio, and in fact we see a purely perusian style in the upper part of the apsis. The Portrait of a cardinal, from Schulz and Del Carpio collections, has an old attribution to Peruzzi, a consistent dating and a similar style when compared with Sant’Onofrio donor: this is a confirmation to preceding proposals.
British Museum Messenger is a rare story of Dacian cycle, corresponding to a description in palazzo Santoro. Frescoes are no more extant, but Giulio Mancini attributes them to Ripanda: a good reason to give the drawing to the bolognese. The drawing’s scheme, with elegant persons in front of leaning buildings, is similar to what we see in the three Punic Wars of 1507/8, on Campidoglio hill, while palazzo Santoro is documented at 1506/7. Mancini and Malvasia attributed all Campidoglio frescoes to Ripanda, while the oldest stories, about 1503/4, are clearly documented for the bolognese artist. At the Uffizi, the drawing of Roman battle with soldiers going left has been unanimously connected with Campidoglio.
It seems difficult to compare Sibyls and Messenger, since the first drawing is a free sketch; they may well be by different hands, and near in date. On the contrary, Sibyls may be by the same author, Peruzzi, who created Albertina Europe and the Bull, half a decade later.
For the first time, British Museum drawings are given here to different authors. This may simplify our look to related fresco cycles, seeing Peruzzi as a coordinator on Gianicolo, Ripanda on Campidoglio; while Baldassarre is absent from the Punic Wars, and Jacopo does not take part into the apsis.
Among Frizzoni-Wickhoff group, Louvre Hermaphrodite would seem by a third hand. Some impressive similarities have been spotted, creating a network that includes Magi and Flight to Egypt in Sant’Onofrio, details in Civita Castellana, landscape in the Carafa Man of Sorrows, and Saint Sebastian by Master IB with the bird. This great engraver, coming from Lombardy or Emilia according to different scholars, might be responsible, as a painter and draughtsman, of these works. His latinized name was Johannes Baptista Palumba; but he may well be Giovanni Battista Columba, mentioned as engraver of a music hymnal in 1510.

After considering Bolognese painters, being active from 1460 and 1580, and known with a historical name, it may be the moment to study anonymous paintings and anonymous painters. This is a complex and wavy sea, but it gives some chance if one begins with a specific area, considering artists labelled with the format “Master with a namepiece”. This is clear from examples, as Maestro di Ambrogio Saraceno, Maître de Moulins, and Meester van de Godelieve-Legende. The beginning of the present research dedicates a few lines also to “Nicknames without a namepiece”, such as Maître des Femmes à mi-corps, Amico Friulano del Dosso, and Meister von Frankfurt. Examining the literature, one observes that researchers often identify two paintings, being by “the same hand”; however, they mostly hesitate to create a “Master with a namepiece”; a comment to this fact appears in the present research. After these considerations, the body begins, listing about 30 “Masters with a namepiece”, active in Bologna until 1515, including smallest groups, composed of just two items. Next issues shall provide more modern artists, until 1580 as usual, and a more precise census.

Until now, the present research has introduced several paintings without an organic index. Such data as first whereabouts and alternative authorship, indicated for “Masters with a name”, were missing for “Masters with a namepiece”. The present chapter presents a full index for anonymous artists and for an addendum to “major painters”, including a few reproductions. The index format is new, hoping that it enables better interpretation by search engines.

in "La Roma di Raffaele Riario tra XV e XVI secolo: cultura antiquaria e cantieri decorativi", Aa cura di Luca Pezzuto, Roma, UniversItalia, 2017 (collana di "Horti Hesperidum"), ISBN 978-88-6507-795-5,  pp. 127-134.

A differenza di quanto fino a oggi sostenuto dagli studi, lo «Jacobus pictor» citato nel cantiere degli Appartamenti Borgia non è Jacopo Ripanda, bensì un meno noto pittore pisano. Una scoperta che potrebbe aprire nuovi scenari sia per lo studio del pittore bolognese, sia per l’approfondimento del coevo contesto artistico romano.

Recently some documents have brought new light to the personalities of artists hitherto labelled as Ripanda and Rimpatta, influencing their denominations, biographies and catalogues. Novelties arose during a colloquium held in Rome on 02/02/2016, whose acts are unpublished, but a synthesis is present in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, ad voces written by Vincenzo Farinella, mentioning Mazzalupi’s retrievals. Beyond documents, we record an attributive statement, by the same scholar, related to “Maestro della Conversazione Setmani”. Finally, a Dorotheum sale of 17/10/2017, a few days ago, reveals a new provenance for a triptych, owned by Antonio Pignatelli in 1689, when he was Archbishop of Naples, but not yet Pope Innocenzo XII.
The present essay interprets this harvest of information as indicated in the following points.
A) Ripanda and Rimpatta are documented in Rome as Jacopo and Antonio, sons of painter Cristoforo da Bologna; the present writer has found Jacopo’s birth date on 24/07/1462 in baptismal records.
B) Since a Jacopo da Bologna is documented in Orvieto, being the son of a Lorenzo, he cannot be the same Jacopo.
C) Since two documents in Rome mention payments to Jacopo “de Pisis” for works in Borgia Apartments, this must be a third artist.
D) A signature in a codex now in Lille museum refers to a Jacopo da Bologna, but no external clue leads to one of aforementioned homonymous artists.
E) From a stylistic point of view, Jacopo di Cristoforo is a good candidate for authorship of some frescoes in Borgia Apartments (octagons in sala dei Santi, as proposed by Angelini), even if he does not coincide with “de Pisis”. The present writer excludes other frescoes in the same “sala” (by "Pinturicchiesco Timido”).
F) Switching to Rimpatta, before 1971 critics had formed three groups, joining or separating them under the responsibility of one or two artists, while Tempestini unifies the catalogues of Rimpatta, Frate Antonio and “Maestro della Conversazione Setmani”. This position has been questioned by Mosso, who sees two artists in Conversazione Setmani (Rimpatta and “Maestro della Conversazione di Chicago”), while Farinella recognizes to “Maestro della Conversazione Setmani” a few paintings and one drawing.
G) The present writer confirms Tempestini unification, stressing comparisons to Sacra Famiglia conserved in Massachusetts, an evident trait d’union; the high quality of Conversazione di Chicago cannot surprise because Antonio’s mentality is resilient to unexpected external impulses, such as an unrecorded meeting with Johannes Hispanus.
H) An indicative chronology in the first decade of Cinquecento includes: 1) Polittico Mormile, 1500; 2) Conversazione di Chicago, 1504; Trittico Pignatelli, 1507; Pala di San Pietro ad Aram, 1509.

Al cardinal Riario fu dedicato un importante convegno i cui atti sono pubblicati in "La Roma di Raffaele Riario tra XV e XVI secolo. Cultura antiquaria e cantieri decorativi". Atti del convegno, Roma, 2 febbraio 2016, a cura di LUCA PEZZUTO, Roma, Universitalia, 2017. Nel presente articolo, riprendendo i temi presentati al convegno, si fa il punto della figura del cardinale come committente d'arte, a partire dai suoi due grandiosi palazzi, quello oggi chiamato della Cancelleria, e quello oggi Corsini.

This essay is the German version of my English-language essay from RIHA-Journal 0094 / 9th July 2014. It is, however, extended by a description of the rediscovered third drawing, which is described and classified but not illustrated. As postscript the contribution contains a more precise attribution of the three drawings, while all the comparative examples mentioned in the text are illustrated.

Negli studi più recenti attraverso il recupero dei fatti storico-artistici occorsi durante i pontificati di Giulio II e Leone X si è proposto un graduale riordinamento della geografia artistica romana nel primo quarto del Cinquecento. Si va confermando la definizione di un contesto culturale non caratterizzato univocamente dagli splendidi esempi di interpretazione e superamento del classicismo archeologico di cui si fece primo promotore Giulio II con le prestigiose commissioni a Bramante, Michelangelo e Raffaello. Se da un lato Roma significava il cantiere di S. Pietro, la volta Sistina e le Stanze, dall'altro, negli stessi anni esistevano le "Vigne" in Trastevere, o il Gianicolo, si andavano completando le decorazioni dell'Episcopio e del Castello di Ostia. All'aprirsi del secolo erano terminati i lavori nel Palazzo dei Conservatori e in alcune delle più importanti residenze cardinalizie dell'Urbe. Rileggere il primo Cinquecento romano tenendo presente questa Roma potrebbe riportare l'eco di committenti di un'altra generazione, come Raffaele Riario e Fabrizio Santoro, ci permetterebbe di fare chiarezza (anche solo parzialmente) sui cantieri diretti da artisti come Jacopo Ripanda, Baldassarre Peruzzi, sui lavori di Cesare da Sesto, Amico Aspertini e di molti altri, di cui, purtroppo, oggi si è persa memoria. L'esempio più evidente è rappresentato dal ritrovamento di alcuni documenti che attestano l'esecuzione nel 1517 da parte di Jacopo Ripanda di un ciclo di pitture (di cui oggi restano solo alcuni frammenti) nelle sale dell'allora Palazzo Riario alla Lungara, ossia l'attuale Galleria Nazionale d'arte antica in palazzo Corsini. Il cardinale Riario – una delle personalità più in vista della Curia romana, camerlengo di Sancta Romana Ecclesia – promosse fino all'ultimo periodo della sua esistenza la cultura umanistica di un'altra generazione attraverso una serie di commissioni ancora da comprendere all'interno delle dinamiche del tempo.
E che negli anni successivi la storia - che è pur sempre espressione a posteriori della cultura predominante e dei cosiddetti "vincitori" - abbia nascosto e alle volte cancellato le tracce di quanto accadeva parallelamente nelle piazze e nei palazzi di Roma, è cosa nota. Meno conosciute sono proprio quelle assenze, che a volte finiscono per essere trascurate, fraintese o più semplicemente omesse. Nel presente convegno si intende ragionare su alcune questioni chiave che vedono nel Cardinale Riario, o negli artisti da lui prescelti, gli indiscussi protagonisti: dai cicli di pitture dell'Episcopio e del Castello di Ostia all'abside della chiesa di S. Onofrio al Gianicolo, dal Palazzo dei conservatori alla Cancelleria. Verranno affrontati alcuni problemi metodologici, quali le modalità di lavoro all'interno di tali cantieri e gli accordi tra società e compagnie di artisti operanti contemporaneamente su diversi fronti. Infine, si tenterà di inquadrare il gusto e le scelte di Raffaello Riario attraverso la rilettura critica di alcune delle vicende topiche riguardanti la sua passione per le arti. La sede proposta è significativa perché fu uno dei luoghi principali di questa trascurata temperie culturale, il cui carattere di museo pubblico, peraltro, restituisce un valore civico e non solo accademico all'evento.

This talk presented two recently discovered drawings of the reliefs on the Trajan’s column. To put them in their proper artistic context, the drawings are compared to known examples of such reproductions of the 16th century. Current research questions the attribution of codex ms 254 in the Biblioteca dell’Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell’Arte in Rome to Jacopo Ripanda. The two series with representations of the column’s entire frieze preserved in the Biblioteca (mss 254 and 320) are therefore considered as two different strings of transmission of a yet to be identified original, from which derive all other drawings of the reliefs on the Trajan’s column. Research directed at the contextualisation of the newly published drawings has confirmed this view. The drawings belong without doubt to one of the two strings of transmission. In addition, an archaeological examination of representational details of this depiction has resulted in the suggestion of a new date for the rotuli from a private collection in Paris.

At the end of “Major Bolognese Painters”, the present text provides final additions and a cancellation. The updated database contains 2114 paintings, by Amico Aspertini, Cesare Baglione, Denis Calvart, Giovanni Battista Cavalletto, Lorenzo Costa, Lavinia Fontana, Prospero Fontana, Francesco Francia, Giacomo Francia, Giulio Francia, Innocenzo Francucci da Imola, Girolamo da Treviso, Maestro della Maddalena Assunta (probably Michele Costa), Maestro delle Ore Barbazza (probably Bartolomeo Ramenghi), Maestro Parrish, Girolamo Marchesi, Marco Zoppo, Michele di Matteo, Giovanni Francesco Bezzi alias Nosadella, Giovanni Antonio Paganino, Bartolomeo Passerotti, Antonio Pirri, Ercole Procaccini senior, Bartolomeo Ramenghi alias Bagnacavallo senior, Giovanni Battista Ramenghi alias Bagnacavallo junior, Antonio Rimpatta alias Antonio di Cristoforo, Jacopo Ripanda alias Jacopo di Cristoforo, Lorenzo Sabatini, Orazio Samacchini, Pellegrino Tibaldi. Every painter has appeared in some PICTRIX issue, with an index and some reproductions. Next issues will refer to “minor painters” known with a real name, and others classified as “masters”, with the help of a namepiece.

Il ritrovamento di alcune carte d’archivio che testimoniano Jacopo Ripanda ancora in piena attività nel 1517 permette una nuova lettura degli ultimi anni della sua vita. Si tratta di pagamenti per un perduto ciclo di pitture commissionate da Raffaele Sansoni Riario, cardinale di San Giorgio al Velabro, ecclesiastico da annoverarsi tra i più influenti personaggi dell’epoca, per il quale Jacopo lavorò in più occasioni.