rihajournal_0095_nelson-novoa.pdf

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RIHA Journal 0095 | 15 July 2014

Legitimacy through Art in the Rome of Gregory XIII:

The Commission to Baldassarre Croce in the Fonseca Chapel of SanGiacomo degli Spagnoli

ames !" #elson #o$oa

%diting and peer re$ie& mangaged 'y:Susanne Kubersky-Piredda, iblio!"e#a Her!$iana, %a&-Plan#k-Ins!i!u! '(r Kuns!)es#"i#"!e, Ro*e

Re$ie&ers:+aid ar#.a /ue!o, %a!!eo San'ilio

A'stract:The article deals with the commission made out by the Portuguese merchant bankerAntnio da Fonseca to Baldassarre Croce to decorate his family chapel in the church ofSan Giacomo degli Spagnoli in ome! the national church of Castille" Fonseca was anoutsider on account of his being Portuguese and of #ewish origin yet chose to ha$e his

family interred there in a chapel dedicated to the esurrection" The choice of the churchitself! the commission to Croce! and the esurrection motif fits into a strategy on his partto seek legitimacy and social capital for himself and his family in order to integrate intooman society"

ContentsSan ia#o*o de)li Sa)noli and !"e onse#a /"aelAn!nio da onse#a and aldassarre /ro#e3 !o 'orei)ners a! !"e #our! o' re)ory III6"e #on!ra#! i!" aldassarre /ro#e+o#u*en!ary aendi&

San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and the Fonseca Chapel

%&' (n #uly &)! &*+* a contract was drawn up before a notary of the tribunal of the auditor

of the Apostolic Chamber" ,n it a Portuguese merchant banker! Antonio da Fonseca!

commissioned the Bolognese painter Baldassarre Croce -&**+.&/0+1 to paint some

frescoes in a chapel that Fonseca had recently ac2uired for his family in the Castilian

national church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli in ome"&The Portuguese banker was not

3ust any patron! he was one of the most prominent members of the Portuguese

community and by the time of the contract he had made important inroads into the

Spanish community as well" 4is particular tra3ectory as a Portuguese converso! adescendant of the #ews of Portugal who were forcibly con$erted en masse to Christianity

in &)56! made the gesture all the more singular" As such! Fonseca7s decision to ha$e a

&, must e8press my profound indebtedness to 9arta ossetti who assisted me throughout theresearch for this article! for her constant feedback throughout my work on it and her generoussharing of information with me" The article would not ha$e taken the current form if it had notbeen for her" ,n addition , must thank Angelo 9arinelli for ha$ing taken the photographs of figures* and 6" The remaining photographs are my own" The painting by 9arcello :enusti in figure / ispublished with the kind permission of the ,nstituto Portugu;s de Santo Antnio em oma and9onsenhor Agostinho da Costa" Borges! ector of the ,nstituto" , must thank poca 9oderna of the ?ni$ersity of @leida" Furthermore , mustthank (rsetta Baroncelli for assistance with the transcription of the archi$al documents and


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family chapel built in the national church along with his commission to Croce are to be

seen as part of an o$erall strategy for social legitimation which played out o$er se$eral

places and institutions" The contract itself is of intrinsic interest as an important

document which has been hitherto unpublished and sheds light on Croce7s work in ome"

,n addition! the contract and the commission by Fonseca are to be seen in the conte8t ofFonseca7s concern with social self.assertion in ome in the second half of the si8teenth

century"0

%0' The chapel! now known as the Saint #oseph! esurrection! or Fonseca chapel! is one of

the few to ha$e sur$i$ed the $icissitudes which assailed the church o$er the centuries

and is still remarkably intact" This means that the publication of the document must be

accompanied by a brief description of the current state of the church! in order to point

out the elements in the contract which are still present in the building" -Fig" &1 This

article will identify the patron of the chapel! taking into account the likely moti$ations

behind the iconographical options present in the chapel for which Croce was responsible!

it will identify the elements that still e8ist in the chapel and those which ha$e subse2uently

disappeared but which are known to ha$e e8isted based on si8teenth. and se$enteenth.

century accounts of the church! and finally it will incorporate the original document"

1 /aella della Resurre$ione, os!ra Si)nora delSa#ro /uore, Ro*e; < Au!"or

0The document is published as


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%' The Spanish presence in ome during the si8teenth and se$enteenth centuries has itself!

of late! attracted the attention of scholars working from a $ariety of perspecti$es" These

two centuries ha$e rightly been identified as being of the upmost importance for

fashioning the image of Spain on the world stage! with the papal court being! at the time!

one of the main stages in which the consolidation of a national identity took place" ($erthat period the Spanish monarchs employed a $ariety of means! among them art

patronage in the city! the presence of prominent Spanish prelates! the most important of

which was cardinal odrigo Bor3a who went on to occupy the throne of Saint Peter as

Ale8ander :, -&)50.&*1 and ambassadors! all part of an o$erall strategy to impress

upon the papal court the importance of Spain as a nation! a dutiful child of the Church! a

defender of the faith! acti$ely in$ol$ed in spreading the Catholic faith both in >urope and

beyond"The support of the 4oly See was fundamental to Spain7s imperial designs and

foreign policy! its strategies for con2uest and diplomacy hence the attention thatSpanish monarchs la$ished on ome"

%)' As with many other nations and ,talian states at the time! an important instrument for

accruing social capital in ome was the e8istence of a national church" These national

churches! the ma3ority of which were created in the second half of the fifteenth century!

ser$ed as the physical embodiments of the respecti$e nations they represented in the

>ternal City" They were the public face of nations! through which they manifested

themsel$es in artwork! liturgical celebrations! confraternities! and the ac2uisition of

property and economic interests in ome" The respecti$e national churches were theinstruments used to assert power and influence! depending as they did on the direct

patronage of their rulers"

%*' At the beginning of the si8teenth century! Spain could boast two national churches! the

church of San Giacomo e ,ldefonso degli Spagnoli! the national church of the Castilians!

Galicians and @eonese! now known as the Chiesa di Dostra Signora del Sacro Cuore! and

Santa 9aria di 9onserrato! the church of the Aragonese and Catalans" As with many

similar national churches! the two could trace their origins to pri$ate patrons residing in

ome who pro$ided funds for a national hospice for pilgrims which ga$e rise to a church"

,n the si8teenth century the importance accorded to the church of San Giacomo is borne

out by the funds la$ished on it by the crown and its choice as the place for religious and

ci$ic ritual which represented Spain! thoroughly understandable gi$en its central and

9anuel :a2uero PiEeiro! Forme della presena mercantile spagnola a oma all7iniio dell7etHmodernaI spunti per un confronto europeo! inI Storia Urbana,0! &0 -051! +.& Thomas#ames


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prominent location in Piaa Da$ona" @ater on! it was Santa 9aria di 9onserrato to

become Spain7s national church! for after decades of neglect! San Giacomo was sold at

the beginning of the nineteenth century")

=!o>

Ant(nio da Fonseca and Baldassarre Croce: t&o foreigners at the court of Gregory XIII

%/' Baldassarre Croce was present in ome from at least &*6/! arri$ing there during the

pontificate of his fellow Bolognese! Gregory N,,, -&*60.&*+*1"*4e was already a painter

with a solid reputation! ha$ing contributed to the Gallery of the 9aps in the :atican and

in the (ratory of the Santissimo Crocifisso in the church of San 9arcello" Aside from this

work! by &*+) he was firmly ensconced in the artistic world of ome as a member to the

Academy of Saint @uke and the Academy of the :irtuosi del Pantheon" 4is talents and

skills would naturally ha$e been pointed out to someone as intent on lea$ing a lasting

testimony to his presence in the city as the Portuguese banker who engaged his ser$ices"

The court of Gregory N,,, saw a flurry of support for learning and the arts on the part of

the culti$ated Bolognese pontiff" Science! human letters! and architecture were all gi$en

a decided boost and many artists like Croce flocked to the city with the promise of work

both in the :atican and in other of the city7s churches or palaces"/

)(n both churches seeI #usto FernKnde Alonso! @as iglesias nacionales de >spaEa en oma" SusorOgenes! inIAntholo)ia Ann(a! ) -&5*/1! 5.5/ #usto FernKnde Alonso! Santiago de los>spaEoles! de oma! en el siglo N:,! inIAntholo)ia Ann(a-&5*+1! 5.&00 9a8imiliano BarrioGoalo! Tra de$oione e politica" @e chiese e gli ospedali di Santiago e 9ontserrat di oma! secoli

N:,.N:,,,! inI Storia Urbana! 0! &0 -051! &&.&0/ 9anuel :a2uero PiEero! ?na realtHcompositaI comunitH e chiese 7spagnole7 a oma! inI Roma #apitale-&))6.&*061! ed" SergioGensini! oma &55)! )6.)5& 9anuel :a2uero PiEero! @7ospedale della naione castigliana inoma tra medioe$o ed etH moderna! inI Roma moderna e contemporanea! & -&551! *6.+&9anuel :a2uero PiEero! /a renta " las casas El patrimonio inmobiliario de Santia)o de losespaoles de Roma entre los si)los " !!!! oma &555 Piers Baker.Bates! A 9eans for thepro3ection of 7soft power7I Spanish churches at ome &)/5.&*06! inI !ntersections!nterdisciplinar" St(dies in Earl" Modern #(lt(re! 00 -0&&1! &**.&+&" For a current daydescription of the chiesa di Dostra Signora del Sacro Cuore and its historical de$elopments seeFrancesco usso! 2ostra Si)nora del Sacro #(ore! oma &5/5"*See the information by @aura Possanini on his entry in the 3i4ionario io)ra*ico de)li !taliani, $ol"&! oma &5+* 4olger Steinemann! aldassarre #roce ein Maler der 6atholischen Re*orm,Stuttgart &55* Alessandro uccari! 7hetorica christiana7 e pitturaI il cardinal usticci e gliinter$enti di Cesare Debbia! Tommaso @aureti e Baldassarre Croce nel presbiterio di S" Susanna!inI Storia dellarte! 6 -0)1! 6.+ Stefano Pierguidi! @7atti$itH tarda di Baldassarre Croce! inIRivista dell!stit(to 2a4ionale dArcheolo)ia e Storia dellArte! 0* -01! &&.00 >lisabeth Priedl!@a pittura architettonicaI da portatore di immagine a portatore di significato! Baldassarre Crocenella chiesa di Santa Susanna! inI iterbo, 8ala44o dei 8riori la storia, il resta(ro% Atti della)iornata di st(dio Un rec(pero cin9(ecentesco% /a Sala Re)ia del 8ala44o dei 8riori di iterbo! ed"9assimo G" Bonelli and @aura P" Bonelli! :iterbo 0&&! )5./6"/(n the period see the studies in Claudia Ciera :ia! ,ngrid


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%6' Antnio da Fonseca could also claim to ha$e made ome the place of his consecration" A

nati$e of @amego! an important town and commercial centre in the north of Portugal! he

had been in the city at least since &**/" 4e was born in &*&* into a family of #ews who

had con$erted to Christianity! and who were linked to commerce! the Portuguese court!

and to $arious forms of ta8 administration both in @amego itself and the


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se$eral occasions as go$ernor of the entire comple8 between &*/ and his death in

&*++"5

%&' ,n a posthumous in$entory of the contents of one of his two homes! located in close

pro8imity to the Portuguese national church! we catch a glimpse of a man who

ostentatiously displayed his @usitanian identity through his Portuguese e8otica and

portraits of national monarchs and popes mi8ed in with his oriental treasures"&Fonseca7s

o$erall strategy was to remain in ome and make sure that his descendants would be

able to fully integrate themsel$es into oman society"&&4is choice of a place for his

family chapel was part of this comprehensi$e plan" The choice was not fortuitous"

4owe$er prominent a member of the Portuguese community as a merchant banker he

was! there were far more ad$antages to be culled from aligning himself and his family

interests and identity with Spain" 4is decision for the church of San Giacomo as the place

for the chapel can be considered an acknowledgement of the uni2ue geopolitical

2uagmire in which Portugal found itself after falling under Spanish rule" Philip ,, had

managed matters well when Portugal7s heirless Qing Sebastian -&**6.&*6+1 died! insofar

as his 4absburg connections! military inter$entions! and simultaneous courting of

Portuguese merchants made him the strongest contender for the Portuguese throne"

Capitulation to the Spaniards was clear as early as &*+! and by the following year! the

4ispanic king became Philip , of Portugal! his reign lasting until &*5+"&0

%&&' Fonseca most likely assumed that these new political conditions would last indefinitely"

Thus! it is understandable that upon the death of his wife! Antnia @uis! in February

&*+0! he chose to ha$e her interred in the church of San Giacomo"&After her death he

obtained permission from the administrators of the Church to allow her to be buried in

the chapel dedicated to Saints Cosimo and -15>G! 9adrid 0+ #osL de Castro! K prior do #rato! @isboa &5)0" For Portuguesemerchant.bankers during the ,berian union see #ames C" Boya3ian! 8ort()(ese rade in Asia (nderthe .absb(r)s, 15>0-1HI0! Baltimore &55


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April &*+/ Croce declared that he was paid in full displays Fonseca7s satisfaction with his

work"&+

%&)' First and foremost in the contract Fonseca calls for an o$ate space in which God the

Father is to be represented with a choir of angels! together with four prophets who hold

tablets or scrolls -ta$oloa1 which prophesy the resurrection of Christ" The contract does

not specify which prophets are to be painted! nor what the te8ts are to be" Mhile the o$al

with God the Father has not come down to us! the four prophets remain" -Fig" 01 They

are! respecti$ely! cce testem

populis dedi eum! ducem ac praeceptorem gentibus -Fig" )1" Both $erses are! of course!

interpreted here as analogical precursors of the Christian message" That the painting in

the o$al once e8isted is confirmed by Croce7s payment in &*+/! which was incumbent

upon the work7s completion in &*+*" Further! an early se$enteenth.century anonymous

description of the chapel makes mention of the picture adding that God the Father was

surrounded by angels and the four e$angelistsI %X' nella $olta in meo in un o$ato


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: aldassarre /ro#e, Prophets Daniel and David, 15?5-15?@, /aella

della Resurre$ione, os!ra Si)nora del Sa#ro /uore, Ro*e; < Au!"or

4 aldassarre /ro#e, Prophets Isaiah and Elijah,15?5-15?@, /aelladella Resurre$ione, os!ra Si)nora del Sa#ro /uore, Ro*e; < Au!"or

5 aldassarre /ro#e a!!ribu!edB, Sibyl, #a; 15?5-15?@, /aella dellaResurre$ione, os!ra Si)nora del Sa#ro /uore, Ro*e; < An)elo %arinelli

7i#ense3 6"e !e&! o' !"is ar!i#le is roided under !"e !er*s o' !"e /rea!ie /o**ons 7i#ense //-8-/-+ :;0;
http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2014/galleries-2014/images-nelson-novoa-riha-journal-0095/fig-5http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2014/galleries-2014/images-nelson-novoa-riha-journal-0095/fig-4http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2014/galleries-2014/images-nelson-novoa-riha-journal-0095/fig-3


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%&*' Fonseca re2uested from Croce un 2uadro riscontro la fenestrella di sopra della historia

che ordinerH signor Antonio" The contract further mentions doi altre historiette o $ani

sopra li archi" ,t is unclear whether one of these may ha$e been the sibyl under the o$al

between the prophets mmaus" -Fig" *1

%&/' The contract makes pro$ision for scenes chosen by Fonseca under the arch! in all

likelihood the four scenes which still e8ist and all present apparitions of Christ after the

esurrection" They are! respecti$ely! from left to rightI the appearance of the angel to

the women at the tomb! the resurrected Christ and Saint Thomas! the apparition of

Christ to the disciples! and the meeting of Christ with two of his disciples on the way to

>mmaus" ,n the middle of these scenes is a depiction of the 4oly Spirit as a do$e"

@ %ar#ello Cenus!i, Saint Anthony of Padua with Christ child, #a;15:9-1549, oil on #anas, 1?D & 129 #*; Is!i!u!o Por!o)"ese di

San!EAn!onio in Ro*e; < Au!"or, ublis"ed i!" !"e er*ission o' !"eIs!i!u!o Por!o)"ese di San!EAn!onio in Ro*e

%&6' From the contract we learn that he re2uested a painting to be e8ecuted of Saint Anthony

of Padua in the lunette similar to the one which e8isted in the national church of

Sant7Antonio! painted by 9arcello :enusti -&*&0.&*651! which depicts the Portuguese

saint recei$ing Christ as a child in his armsI %X' nel triangolo S" Antonio di Pado$a che

fa oratione! a cui appare Christo bambino! sono di Bal%dassarre'


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@isbon.born saint known as Saint Anthony of Padua -&&5*.&0&1! the city of his death"

:enusti7s painting still e8ists! though it is no longer in the church but held in the ,stituto

Portoghese di Sant7Antonio in ome" -Fig" /1 The e8istence of the painting in the Fonseca

chapel was corroborated by se$enteenth.century sources such as the short biographical

entry on Croce by Gio$anni Baglione -&*//.&/)1 in his ite de pittori, sc(ltori etarchitetti-&/)01 and Filippo Titi7s St(dio di pitt(ra, scolt(ra et architett(ra nelle chiese di

Roma-&/6)1"0&

%&+' ,n addition! we learn from the contract that he commissioned from Croce a painting of

Christ che ca$a li santi padri del linbo abo$e the altar! a painting which is mentioned by

Baglione and Titi"00The said painting would ha$e occupied a place abo$e the Fonseca

family coat of arms outside the altar itself and its balusters" According to the

se$enteenth.century description! these arms e8isted along with statues of Saint #ohn the

Baptist and Saint #ames the greater and a painting of Adam and >$e being e8pelled from

paradise"0The items are! howe$er! no longer present in the church" ,n the contract he

gi$es further instructions to Croce to paint two grids or gates -ferrate1 which would ha$e

been at the entrance to the altar"

%&5' The se$enteenth.century descriptions! Gaspare Celio7s -&*6&.&/)1 Memoria delli nomi

dellarte*ici, delle pitt(re che sono in alc(ne chiese e pala44i di Roma-&/01!0)Titi7s

St(dio di pitt(ra, scolt(ra et architett(raand Baglione7s biography of Cesare Debbia

-&*/.&/&)1! all point to the e8istence of a painting attributed to the (r$ieto.born

painter of the esurrection which would ha$e occupied the place which the current

portrait of Saint #oseph does in the Fonseca chapel" Debbia was present in ome from at

least &*60 to &/ and it is unclear when or if Antnio da Fonseca commissioned the

painting from him as to date no contract has been found"0*,t is claimed that the painting

was taken to the church of Santa 9aria di 9onserrato when San Giacomo was sold"0/The

0&ASC! 9s" 0*)))5 Gio$anni Baglione! /e vite de pittori, sc(ltori et architetti dal ponti*icato di;re)orio !!! del 157= in *ino a tempi di 8apa Urbano Kttavo nel 1HI= scritte da ;iovanni a)lioneRomano!:atican City &55*! 05+ Filippo Titi! St(dio di pitt(ra, scolt(ra, et architett(ra nelle chiese

di Roma mmaocca! 9ilano &5/6! )"0*ASC! 9s" 0*)))5 Titi! St(dio di pitt(ra, scolt(ra, et architett(ra, +0Baglione! /e vite de

pittori, sc(ltori et architetti!&&/" ,n addition! the attribution is repeated in Cesare


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loss of this painting from the church of the 4ispanic congregation is but one e8ample of

the many dispursed o$er the centuries! howe$er relati$ely unscathed the Fonseca chapel

has remained" The se$enteenth.century description of San Giacomo also attributes a 2oli

me tan)ereto Debbia! a painting which still e8ists"06-Fig" 61

D /esare ebbia a!!ribu!edB, Noli me tanere! /aella dellaResurre$ione, os!ra Si)nora del Sa#ro /uore, Ro*e;

< An)elo %arinelli

%0' Through his choice to found the family chapel in the church of San Giacomo degli

Spagnoli! Antnio da Fonseca was clearly hoping to lea$e a $isible and tangible sign not

only of his Portuguese origins but of the oman instauration of his family" 4is patronageof the chapel put him on the map in ome as a respected figure! linked indelibly to the

Spanish national church! one of the most prestigious national churches at the time and!

in particular! to its recently minted confraternity" 4is employment of Croce made him a

man of taste! a patron of the arts! one who sought after and obtained the best talents

possible in the ome of the moment" ,n this way Fonseca could confirm his credentials as

a bona fide Catholic! taking an acti$e and careful part in the planning of the

iconographical pro3ect he supported" Fonseca thus obtained the social capital he needed

to make a permanent name for himself and his family in the ome of the second half of

the si8teenth century" At the same time! he was able to cancel out any lingering

suspicions regarding his orthodo8y! gi$en his con$erso origins! among members of the

,berian community in ome" 4is e8ample is one of many of how social legitimacy was

pursued and purchased through art patronage! skillfully undertaken to self.fashion the

image of the patron"

=!o>

062el *ianco sinistro dellaltare, (n 9(adro a *resco di #hristo in *orma di hortolaro che appare allaMaddalena nel m(ro in *accia (na *enestra a levante! ASC! 9s" 0*)))5"

7i#ense3 6"e !e&! o' !"is ar!i#le is roided under !"e !er*s o' !"e /rea!ie /o**ons 7i#ense //-8-/-+ :;0;
http://www.riha-journal.org/articles/2014/galleries-2014/images-nelson-novoa-riha-journal-0095/fig-7


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)ocumentary appendi*

Document 1

AS! Dotari del Auditor Camera! $ol" 6+5! fols" 55r$"

Promissio"


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,tem si con$engono che alla fine del la$oro! caso ci fusse 2ualche differena! od il la$oro

non piacesse a detto signor Antonio! tanto finito il la$oro come inani! che si debbia fare

re$edere da homini periti nel arte e fare 2uel tanto che loro giudicarano"

>t il detto signor Antonio promette darlli per detto la$oro scuti centosessanta di moneta

di giuli diece per scudo da pagarsi! come promette! in 2uesto modoI cioY scudi cin2uanta

subbito che ha$erH dipinto nel detto o$ato il detto

Document 2

AS! Dotari del Auditor Camera! $ol" 6+5! fol" )/r

\uietantia"

Documents

rihajournal_0095_nelson-novoa.pdf