Caterina Ginnasi: Difference between revisions
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'''Caterina Ginnasi''' (1590 – 30 November 1660) was an [[Italy|Italian]] painter of the [[Baroque]] period, active mainly in [[Rome]]. |
'''Caterina Ginnasi''' (1590 – 30 November 1660) was an [[Italy|Italian]] painter of the [[Baroque]] period, active mainly in [[Rome]]. |
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Ginnasi was orphaned under a young age, and placed in the care of her uncle, [[Cardinal Domenico Ginnasi]], who was the dean of the Holy College in Rome. He had arranged for her to marry a cousin, but she refused to consent and chose instead to remain single and dedicate herself to a spiritual and devotional life.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Trinchieri|first=Camiz|title=Picturing Women in Renaissance and Baroque Italy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1997|editor-last=Johnson|editor-first=Geraldine A.|pages=159-163|chapter="Virgo-non Sterilis..." Nuns as Artists in Seventeenth-Century Rome|editor-last2=Matthews Grieco|editor-first2=Sara F.}}</ref> Although she never became a nun she lived like one and was close friends with other Roman noblewomen nuns.<ref name=":0" /> When her talent was recognised, she started training under the painter [[Gaspare Celio]], and then under [[Giovanni Lanfranco]] until 1634.<ref>Passeri, |
Ginnasi was orphaned under a young age, and placed in the care of her uncle, [[Cardinal Domenico Ginnasi]], who was the dean of the Holy College in Rome. He had arranged for her to marry a cousin, but she refused to consent and chose instead to remain single and dedicate herself to a spiritual and devotional life.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Trinchieri|first=Camiz|title=Picturing Women in Renaissance and Baroque Italy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1997|editor-last=Johnson|editor-first=Geraldine A.|pages=159-163|chapter="Virgo-non Sterilis..." Nuns as Artists in Seventeenth-Century Rome|editor-last2=Matthews Grieco|editor-first2=Sara F.}}</ref> Although she never became a nun she lived like one and was close friends with other Roman noblewomen nuns.<ref name=":0" /> When her talent was recognised, she started training under the painter [[Gaspare Celio]], and then under [[Giovanni Lanfranco]] until 1634.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Passeri|title=Vite de'pittori, scultori ed architetti che anno lavorato in Roma|pages=306}}</ref> Lanfranco had painted a [[Pentecost]] scene in oil on the ceiling of the gallery for Cardinal Ginnasi in the Palazzo Ginnasi between 1629 and 1632.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Grandi|first=Paolo|title=Caterina Ginnasi (1590 – 1660) Pittrice, Due dipinti ritrovati|url=http://www.castelbolognese.org/biografie-personaggi/personaggi/caterina-ginnasi-1590-1660/|url-status=live|access-date=3 September 2021|website=La Storia di Castel Bolognese}}</ref> |
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== Career as an artist == |
== Career as an artist == |
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Caterina was the only woman included in [[Giovanni Battista Passeri|Giovanni Battista Passeri']]<nowiki/>s biography of contemporary artists and was one of a few women to become a member of the [[Accademia di San Luca]].<ref name=":0" /> Passeri praised Caterina for her dedication to studying drawing and painting, rather than the usual women's pastimes of sewing.<ref name=":0" /> Her uncle Cardinal Ginnasi appreciated and encouraged her work; he displayed four of her paintings amongst works by [[Titian]] and [[Guido Reni]] in his gallery: a [[Catherine of Alexandria|St Catherine]] with the wheel; an [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]] of the Virgin; St [[Michael (archangel)|Michael Archangel]] and a Virgin with Velletri's protector saints.<ref name=":0" /> He also asked her to paint [[Altarpiece|altarpieces]] for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure in Rome and for his chapel in the cathedral of [[Velletri]] (now lost).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> |
Caterina was the only woman included in [[Giovanni Battista Passeri|Giovanni Battista Passeri']]<nowiki/>s biography of contemporary artists and was one of a few women to become a member of the [[Accademia di San Luca]].<ref name=":0" /> Passeri praised Caterina for her dedication to studying drawing and painting, rather than the usual women's pastimes of sewing.<ref name=":0" /> Her uncle Cardinal Ginnasi appreciated and encouraged her work; he displayed four of her paintings amongst works by [[Titian]] and [[Guido Reni]] in his gallery: a [[Catherine of Alexandria|St Catherine]] with the wheel; an [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]] of the Virgin; St [[Michael (archangel)|Michael Archangel]] and a Virgin with Velletri's protector saints.<ref name=":0" /> He also asked her to paint [[Altarpiece|altarpieces]] for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure in Rome and for his chapel in the cathedral of [[Velletri]] (now lost).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> |
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Caterina's success in Rome was due to these religious [[altarpiece]]s. The majority of her works were completed for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure that had been rebuilt in 1630 under her uncle’s [[patronage]]; the church was destroyed in 1936, her altarpiece of the [[martyrdom]] of [[Saint Lucy]] and a lunette of the [[Last Supper]] (cut down from an altarpiece) are visible in a surviving photograph of the church; the altarpiece is now in the chapel of the present Palazzo Ginnasi.<ref |
Caterina's success in Rome was due to these religious [[altarpiece]]s. The majority of her works were completed for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure that had been rebuilt in 1630 under her uncle’s [[patronage]]; the church was destroyed in 1936, her altarpiece of the [[martyrdom]] of [[Saint Lucy]] and a lunette of the [[Last Supper]] (cut down from an altarpiece) are visible in a surviving photograph of the church; the altarpiece is now in the chapel of the present Palazzo Ginnasi.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0" /> The Saint Lucy altarpiece was designed by Lanfranco.<ref name=":0" /> For the chapel in Velletri, Caterina painted a large altarpiece of the Virgin and Velletri's Four Protector Saints; two side paintings of saints; four corner Evangelists and the chapel's dome; these have been destroyed or repainted.<ref name=":0" /> She also painted the main altarpiece for the church of SS. dell'Angeli Custodi (demolished in 1928-1929 for the Via del Tritone) depicting a guardian angel leading a boy to Paradise away from Hell (now lost).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Passeri|title=Vite de'pittori, scultori ed architetti che anno lavorato in Roma|pages=308}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> A portrait of Cardinal Ginnasi in the Podestà-Lucciardi Collection, Sarzana, has been attributed to Caterina; along with an oval version previously in the Castel Bolognese.<ref name=":1" /> |
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== Patronage == |
== Patronage == |
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== Legacy == |
== Legacy == |
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Like her family, she was interred in the church;<ref>Passeri, Page 309</ref> however, in 1938 this church and convent were torn down during enlargement of the Via delle Botteghe Oscure. A portal from the church now stands in building owned by the [[Maestre Pie Filippini]], a [[Catholicism|Catholic]] religious organization.<ref |
Like her family, she was interred in the church;<ref>Passeri, Page 309</ref> however, in 1938 this church and convent were torn down during enlargement of the Via delle Botteghe Oscure. A portal from the church now stands in building owned by the [[Maestre Pie Filippini]], a [[Catholicism|Catholic]] religious organization.<ref name=":1" /> The Baroque funerary monuments of the family which were in S. Lucia were transferred to a modern chapel inside the modern rebuilt ‘’Palazzo Ginassi’’,<ref>Palazzo Ginnasi, Largo dei Ginnasi (Centro Storico), Largo di Santa Lucia Filippini, 5</ref> which sports the coat of arms that once stood on the [[façade]] of the old palace. |
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The modern chapel inside this building contain the only identified works of Caterina Ginnasi, including the altarpiece of the ''Martyrdom of St Lucy'', and the lunette with a ''Last Supper'' in the [[sacristy]]. Among its funereal monument inscriptions, the one for Caterina harkens to a morbid post-reformation focus on the afterlife; the inscription can be translated as: |
The modern chapel inside this building contain the only identified works of Caterina Ginnasi, including the altarpiece of the ''Martyrdom of St Lucy'', and the lunette with a ''Last Supper'' in the [[sacristy]]. Among its funereal monument inscriptions, the one for Caterina harkens to a morbid post-reformation focus on the afterlife; the inscription can be translated as: |
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* {{cite book | first= Giovanni Battista|last= Passeri|author-link= Giovanni Battista Passeri| year=1742| title= Vite de pittori, scultori ed architetti: che anno lavorato in Roma, morti dal 1641 fino al 1673 | publisher=Natale Bariellini, Mercante di Libri a pasquino | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZexZAAAAYAAJ&q=Giovanni+Battista+Passeri }} |
* {{cite book | first= Giovanni Battista|last= Passeri|author-link= Giovanni Battista Passeri| year=1742| title= Vite de pittori, scultori ed architetti: che anno lavorato in Roma, morti dal 1641 fino al 1673 | publisher=Natale Bariellini, Mercante di Libri a pasquino | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZexZAAAAYAAJ&q=Giovanni+Battista+Passeri }} |
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* {{cite book | first= Maria|last= Farquhar| year=1855| title= Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters| editor = Ralph Nicholson Wornum | pages= 74| publisher= Woodfall & Kinder, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London; Digitized by Googlebooks from Oxford University copy on Jun 27, 2006| url= https://books.google.com/books?q=intitle:Wornum+intitle:principal+intitle:painters }} |
* {{cite book | first= Maria|last= Farquhar| year=1855| title= Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters| editor = Ralph Nicholson Wornum | pages= 74| publisher= Woodfall & Kinder, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London; Digitized by Googlebooks from Oxford University copy on Jun 27, 2006| url= https://books.google.com/books?q=intitle:Wornum+intitle:principal+intitle:painters }} |
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* [http://www.castelbolognese.org/caterinaginnasi.htm Castelbolognese Site] |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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Revision as of 18:08, 3 September 2021
Caterina Ginnasi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1590 |
| Died | 30 November 1660 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Baroque |
Caterina Ginnasi (1590 – 30 November 1660) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome.
Ginnasi was orphaned under a young age, and placed in the care of her uncle, Cardinal Domenico Ginnasi, who was the dean of the Holy College in Rome. He had arranged for her to marry a cousin, but she refused to consent and chose instead to remain single and dedicate herself to a spiritual and devotional life.[1] Although she never became a nun she lived like one and was close friends with other Roman noblewomen nuns.[1] When her talent was recognised, she started training under the painter Gaspare Celio, and then under Giovanni Lanfranco until 1634.[2] Lanfranco had painted a Pentecost scene in oil on the ceiling of the gallery for Cardinal Ginnasi in the Palazzo Ginnasi between 1629 and 1632.[1][3]
Career as an artist
Caterina was the only woman included in Giovanni Battista Passeri's biography of contemporary artists and was one of a few women to become a member of the Accademia di San Luca.[1] Passeri praised Caterina for her dedication to studying drawing and painting, rather than the usual women's pastimes of sewing.[1] Her uncle Cardinal Ginnasi appreciated and encouraged her work; he displayed four of her paintings amongst works by Titian and Guido Reni in his gallery: a St Catherine with the wheel; an Assumption of the Virgin; St Michael Archangel and a Virgin with Velletri's protector saints.[1] He also asked her to paint altarpieces for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure in Rome and for his chapel in the cathedral of Velletri (now lost).[1][3]
Caterina's success in Rome was due to these religious altarpieces. The majority of her works were completed for the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure that had been rebuilt in 1630 under her uncle’s patronage; the church was destroyed in 1936, her altarpiece of the martyrdom of Saint Lucy and a lunette of the Last Supper (cut down from an altarpiece) are visible in a surviving photograph of the church; the altarpiece is now in the chapel of the present Palazzo Ginnasi.[2][1] The Saint Lucy altarpiece was designed by Lanfranco.[1] For the chapel in Velletri, Caterina painted a large altarpiece of the Virgin and Velletri's Four Protector Saints; two side paintings of saints; four corner Evangelists and the chapel's dome; these have been destroyed or repainted.[1] She also painted the main altarpiece for the church of SS. dell'Angeli Custodi (demolished in 1928-1929 for the Via del Tritone) depicting a guardian angel leading a boy to Paradise away from Hell (now lost).[4][3] A portrait of Cardinal Ginnasi in the Podestà-Lucciardi Collection, Sarzana, has been attributed to Caterina; along with an oval version previously in the Castel Bolognese.[3]
Patronage
In 1637, Caterina persuaded her uncle Cardinal Ginnasi to found a convent of Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Corpus Domini which was built inside the family palace, Palazzo Ginnasi, and attached to the church of Santa Lucia alle Botteghe Oscure.[1] The convent was run by Caterina and her mother, Faustina Gottardi.[1] Caterina owned many religious images, particularly of Saint Catherine, relics, statuettes and wax images as well as objects believed to be magical.[1] At his death in 1639, her uncle left her a large dowry which she invested and doubled in worth.[1] She commissioned a tomb for her uncle from Giuliano Finelli.[1]
Legacy
Like her family, she was interred in the church;[5] however, in 1938 this church and convent were torn down during enlargement of the Via delle Botteghe Oscure. A portal from the church now stands in building owned by the Maestre Pie Filippini, a Catholic religious organization.[3] The Baroque funerary monuments of the family which were in S. Lucia were transferred to a modern chapel inside the modern rebuilt ‘’Palazzo Ginassi’’,[6] which sports the coat of arms that once stood on the façade of the old palace.
The modern chapel inside this building contain the only identified works of Caterina Ginnasi, including the altarpiece of the Martyrdom of St Lucy, and the lunette with a Last Supper in the sacristy. Among its funereal monument inscriptions, the one for Caterina harkens to a morbid post-reformation focus on the afterlife; the inscription can be translated as:
Caterina Ginnasi, nephew of Cardinal Ginnasi, because of her fruitful virtue, mother of the poor and married yet barren. She did not use the money on earth to purchase the profits from Heaven, but proferred it in charity towards all. In furnishings, in victuals, in lodging: in all, she only sought suffering for herself; and to live after death, she lived as if her residence were but a tomb. In the early morning in winter while attending the sacred functions, spurred by the heat of her divine love, she contracted a cold, and for this, she died, but her charity will never die.[7]
References
- Passeri, Giovanni Battista (1742). Vite de pittori, scultori ed architetti: che anno lavorato in Roma, morti dal 1641 fino al 1673. Natale Bariellini, Mercante di Libri a pasquino.
- Farquhar, Maria (1855). Ralph Nicholson Wornum (ed.). Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters. Woodfall & Kinder, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London; Digitized by Googlebooks from Oxford University copy on Jun 27, 2006. p. 74.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trinchieri, Camiz (1997). ""Virgo-non Sterilis..." Nuns as Artists in Seventeenth-Century Rome". In Johnson, Geraldine A.; Matthews Grieco, Sara F. (eds.). Picturing Women in Renaissance and Baroque Italy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 159–163.
- ^ a b Passeri. Vite de'pittori, scultori ed architetti che anno lavorato in Roma. p. 306.
- ^ a b c d e Grandi, Paolo. "Caterina Ginnasi (1590 – 1660) Pittrice, Due dipinti ritrovati". La Storia di Castel Bolognese. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Passeri. Vite de'pittori, scultori ed architetti che anno lavorato in Roma. p. 308.
- ^ Passeri, Page 309
- ^ Palazzo Ginnasi, Largo dei Ginnasi (Centro Storico), Largo di Santa Lucia Filippini, 5
- ^ Pauperum mater et virgo/Non sterilis, quia fecunda virtutum./Pecuniae usum non habuit in terris,/Ut usufructum haberet in coelo/Charitate in omnes profuse/In lecto, in mensa, in domo, in omnibus/Sibi quaesivit angustias,/Ut mortua viveret, vixit ut mortua/Usa est magis aedibus pro sepulchro/Summo mane in hyeme/Sacris intererat/Hinc propter aestum divini amoris/Contraxit e frigore morbum,/Et mortem sed charitas nunquam excidit
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