Original scientific paper
A Contribution to Interpretation of the Saintly Visions in the Paintings of Francesco Zanella in Buje
Višnja Bralić
; Hrvatski restauratorski zavod, Zagreb
Abstract
The paper brings a new proposal for iconographic interpretation of the works of Paduan painter Francesco Zanella (records from 1666 to 1716) from the Church of St. Mary of Mercy in Buje. Zanella was one of the protagonists of Paduan art scene in the second half of the Seicento and the paintings from Buje count among his finest achievements. Despite being signed and dated to 1687, the absence of historical data on the patron and the circumstances of the order leave an open question regarding the paintings’ original purpose, along with a lack of more precise interpretation of their content. In the scenes depicting religious fervor and saints’ mystical visions, the author recognizes motifs from the biography of St. Rose of Lima, in which the saint receives the Child from the hands of the Virgin, along with those of St. Cajetan of Thiene, whom Mary is feeding on his deathbed to her milk as the »food of grace«. Both scenes depict saints receiving the Virgin’s blessing, after having carried out a harsh penance, which can be interpreted as an allegory of their love and devotion to the Mother of Christ. The prominent role of the Virgin in the hagiographies of St. Rose of Lima and St. Cajetan of Thiene associates both paintings to the cult of St. Mary of Mercy in Buje, thus confirming the possibility that the paintings had originally been commissioned as a pair for this Marian shrine. The author links the characteristic visual messages of post-Tridentine iconography, marked by a mystical union with Christ and the divine love, to the pastoral activities of bishops Giacomo Bruti (1671-1679) and Nicolò Gabrielli (1684-1717) who, in the spirit of Catholic Revival, promoted the cults of new Roman Catholic Church’s saints in the area of Novigrad Diocese.
Keywords
Venetian painting; 17th century; Padua; Francesco Zanella; Buje; Church of St. Mary of Mercy; St. Rose of Lima; St. Cajetan of Thiene
Hrčak ID:
200103
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2012.
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