Giovannino de 'Grassi

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Giovannino de 'Grassi (* 1340s in Milan ; † July 6, 1398 ) was an Italian painter , illuminator , sculptor and builder of the late Gothic , one of the founders and main exponents of the so-called " soft style " (synonymous also: "international style") , "Beautiful style"), which had its center and heyday in Lombardy under the reign of the Visconti (hence also called the "Milanese School of the Late Gothic").

Life

"Eternity and the Hermits". Miniature from the book of hours by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Original in the Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze

The exact year of Grassi's birth is not known. He was a student of Giotto di Bondone (* around 1266; † 1337) and Taddeo Gaddi (* around 1300; † 1366). Grassi initially worked in Florence and later in Milan. He was gifted in many fine arts, which is probably why the Visconti, who lived in Milan, became aware of him. His activity as an artist at the Visconti court is documented from 1389.

His position at court enabled him to be closely acquainted with the works of contemporary artists at courts throughout Europe and the master builders of the most important cathedral buildings (in addition to Padua and Bologna also Paris, Dijon, Strasbourg, Ulm and Prague). Stylistic references of his work to other centers of court art in Europe, in particular a direct influence of French and Rhenish on the design of the manuscript miniatures created at the court of the Visconti, are recognizable. In this context, however, Grassi developed his very own style.

Miniature painter

Grassi is best known as a painter and designer. He mastered the naturalistically accurate reproduction of observed details, which is characteristic of the Italian late Gothic and was unusual in the rest of Europe at the time. Using transparent and intense colors, illuminated by a slightly subdued, rather diffuse light, he created magical landscapes with highly naturalistic scenes. Beyond the formal goals of the High Gothic artistic language, the supraregional art movement that emerged at the northern Italian royal courts in the late 14th century and flourished especially in the early 15th century (hence also called "International Gothic") sought a pictorial implementation of the observed things through intensive studies of nature . In addition to Giovannino de 'Grassi, the founders and main representatives are Stefano da Verona , Gentile da Fabriano and, most recently, Antonio Pisanello . Among the most outstanding Lombard painters of this period are Giovannino de'Grassi, Michelino da Besozzo and, in particular, Giovanni da Milano .

Sculptor and builder

Grassi was involved as a draftsman and sculptor as well as a planner and (advisory) master builder in the construction of the Milan Cathedral, which was initiated in 1386 by Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Grassi is first mentioned as a painter at the cathedral in 1389. In 1391 he was referred to as a campomaestro (master in the Dom Bauhütte Association ), roughly at the same time as the French sculptors and architects who worked there. Little is known about its activities, however. Draft drawings for window frames and capitals have been preserved. A marble " Man of Sorrows " bas-relief (Jesus on the cross) from 1396 in the southern sacristy is ascribed to him (alternatively Giovanni di Fernach , who can be traced there from 1387–93). Grassi was also a consultant for the construction of the Pavia Cathedral . The main altar of the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio in Milan and the old marble altar of the Church of San Michele Maggiore in Pavia are also attributed to him.

Miniatures

"The Marriage of the Virgin". Miniature from the book of hours by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. Original in the Biblioteca Nazionale di Firenze

Visconti book of hours

In anticipation of his marriage to Maria von Aragon , Gian Galeazzo Visconti commissioned Giovannino de'Grassi to produce almost fifty miniatures for an illustrated book of hours (prayer book) for the Visconti family (Italian: Uffiziolo Visconti ). Grassi began working with the help of his son Salamone in 1370, but died after designing the first pages, so that the design was initially continued by employees of his studio. However, a few years later (1402) the client and financier died before the work was completed. Therefore, work on the book was stopped for the time being. It was only after Giangaleazzo's son Filippo Maria had been made Duke that it was completed by Luchino Belbello from Pavia in 1412 .

The magnificent work, which today comprises two volumes (the miniatures are all decorated with gold), was initially intended as one volume. The division into the two volumes that exist today (Volume 1: 302 pages in the format 247 × 175 mm, Volume 2: 334 pages in the format 250 × 179 mm) is probably due to the fact that Grassi's employees did not complete the book decoration. Based on investigations into the tack holes, it is believed that the two parts were never tied together. So while the miniatures in the first volume come from the hand of Grassi or his colleagues, Belbello created those in the second volume in his own style. In particular, the so-called "Mary's Office", created using strong green, blue and purple tones, is one of the most remarkable motifs.

The book of hours is considered to be the most important of its kind in Italy. It is now kept in the National Library of Florence (shelf marks: Banco Rari 397 and Landau Finaly 22).

Sample book

Grassi also left behind a sample sketchbook (also called Codex , Italian: Taccuino di disegni , created in 1398) with around 77 drawings and paintings on 62 pages made of goat parchment .

The work also contains a Gothic alphabet on five sheets, the 24 characters of which are composed of human and animal figures (including musicians, angels, lions, bulls). Picture letters or human alphabets are a popular means of mnemonics because illiteracy was widespread at the time . It is remarkable that the figures were placed in front of parts of the initials (shafts, arches), so the pose had to be adapted to the shape of the characters.

The individual layers have a wide variety of formats, the pages are cut differently even within a layer and put together without a recognizable system. Research therefore assumes that at least in the first century after the drawings were made, the templates were given to painters and draftsmen individually as required and were only put together as a book in its current form towards the end of the 16th century.

The drawings and paintings show Grassi's great imagination in designing the decorative borders and friezes, his preference for natural motifs, lively depictions of wild animals and domestic animals (including sheep, lions, ostriches, porcupines, monkeys), sketches with human figures in various everyday situations ( e.g. women playing the lyre or reading), detailed landscapes, as well as flowers and heraldic emblems.

The pattern book by Grassi is considered to be one of the main works of miniature painting of the Italian late Gothic period and is an influential forerunner of the very realistic miniatures of the Lombard " Tacuinum sanitatis " (the Lombard Tacuinum sanitatis is now in the French National Library in Paris). One of these depictions, dogs chasing a wild boar, can be found directly with the Limburg brothers in the miniature of December from their famous late Gothic book of hours " Très Riches Heures " for the Duke of Berry .

However, only the first seven sheets can be ascribed to Grassi's own hand with some certainty. The others date from the first two decades of the 15th century. Some of them are copies of role models and on the one hand they can be attributed to various employees in his workshop, which probably also included his brother and son Porrino Salomone, and on the other to his direct successors. One of the most important students from Grassi's workshop was Michelino da Besozzo . According to Maria Grazia Recanati, the alphabet also dates to around 1410 and shows at least the influence or even the hand of an artist who is referred to by the emergency name Master of the Book of Hours of Modena (often identified as Tomasino da Vimercate , 1390–1415, the one for the court who worked for Visconti and at the end of the 14th century worked in Giovannino de 'Grassi's workshop).

The whereabouts of the model sketches in the late 15th and early 16th centuries is not clear. Based on a note in the book, it is believed that it came into the possession of the L'Olmo (or Lolmo) family, who worked as calligraphers in Bergamo in the late 16th century. It later came into the possession of the Licinio family and then of Alessandro Tassi (1691–1771). After his death, Count Leonino Secco Suardo owned it. This scholar worked for the manuscript cataloging of the Bergamo library (today Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai) and donated it to them in 1845. The model book of Giovannino de 'Grassi is the best-known and most valuable manuscript in the library. In 1997 it was restored and shortly thereafter a facsimile edition was issued (call number: Cassaf. 1.21).

Further attributions

The workshop of Giovannino de 'Grassi and its circle are attributed to the collaboration in other works of book illumination of the Italian late Gothic and early Renaissance due to the naturalistic representation and the technical peculiarities, color and ornamentation. This includes:

Facsimiles and reprints

  • Taccuino di disegni di Giovannino De Grassi. Bibliotheca Civica “Angelo Mai” di Bergamo Cassaf. 1.21 . Il Bulino ed. D'arte, Modena 1998
  1. Facsimile of the 1398 edition.
  2. Maria G. Vaccari: Commentario al codice .
    • German translation: The model book of Giovannino de Grassi. Biblioteca Civica "Angelo Mai", Bergamo, Cassaf.1.21 . Facsimile-Verlag, Lucerne 1998, ISBN 3-85672-070-7
  1. Facsimile of the 1398 edition .
  2. Giulio O. Bravi: Commentary on the Codex .
  • Giovannino de Grassi: Taccuino di desegni (Monumenta Bergomensia, Volume 5), Monumenta Bergomensia, Bergamo 1961.

literature

Essays
  • Vera Segre Rutz: Lo studio del vero del mondo animale nella bottega trecentesca di Giovannino de 'Grassi . In: Micrologus: natura, scienze e societa medievali , Vol. 8 (2000), pp. 477-487, ISSN  1123-2560 .
  • Marco Rossi: Fantasy architettoniche di Giovannino de Grassi . In: Arte lombarda , Vol. 1-3 (2006), pp. 45-54, ISSN  0004-3443 .
  • Milvia Bollati: Giovannino e Salomone de Grassi . In: Arte Christiana / NS , Vol. 75 (1987), pp. 211-224, ISSN  0004-3400 .
  • Maria Luisa Gatti Perer: Appunti per l'attribuzione di un disegno della Raccolta Ferrari. Giovannino de'Grassi e il Duomo di Milano . In: Arte Lombarda , Vol. 10 (1965), Issue 1, pp. 49-64, ISSN  0004-3443
  • Letizia Stefani: Per una storia della miniatura lombarda da Giovannino de 'Grassi alla scuola cremonese della 2. meta del Quattrocento: appunti bibliografici . In: Emanuela Sestri (ed.): La miniatura italiana tra Gotico e Rinascimento , vol. 2 (Storia della miniatura; vol. 6). Olschki, Florenz 1985, pp. 823-881, ISBN 88-222-3334-4 .
  • Giulio Orazio Bravi and Maria Grazia Recanati: Il taccuino di disegni di Giovannino de 'Grassi . Universita degli studi, Bergamo 2005.
  • Mauro Matteini, Letizia Montalbano, Chiara Rossi and Maria G. Vaccari: Giovannino de'Grassi's model-book from the Civic Library of Bergamo. Scientific analyzes, studies of the techniques and restoration . In: Association pour la Recherche Scientifique sur les Arts Graphiques: The Conservation. Une science en évolution. Bilan et perspectives, Actes des troisèmens journèes internationales d'études de l'ARSAG . Paris 1997, pp. 116-128.
  • Alfredo Aldrovandi, Marco Bacci, Laura Bussotti, Emilio Castellucci, Franco Lucarelli, Pier A. Mandò, Mauro Matteini, Gian P. Mei, Letizia Montalbano, Marcello Piccolo, Bruno Radicati, Chiaro Rossi, Mirella Silli and Maria G. Vaccari: Il Taccuino di Giovannino de'Grassi della Biblioteca Civica di Bergamo. Tecnica di esecuzione e restauro . In: OPD (Opificio delle Pietre Dure) restauro / NF , Vol. 9 (1997), pp. 15-37, ISSN  1120-2513
  • Letizia Montalbano, Marcello Piccolo and Maria G. Vaccari: Painting on Parchment besides Miniatures. Scientific Analyzes and a Study of the Artistic Techniques of Giovannino de 'Grassi's Model Book . In: Ashok Roy and Perry Smith (Eds.): Painting Techniques History, Materials and Studio Practice. Atti del Convegno dell'IIC . International Institute for Conservation of historic and artistic works, Dublin 1998, pp. 55-58, ISBN 0-9500525-8-2 .
  • Grazia Recanati: The Taccuino of Giovanni de 'Grassi. A fabulous bestiary . In: Franco Maria Ricci (Ed.): FMR. International Edition / NS , Issue 8, September 2005, p. 107 ff. ISSN  0394-0462 (translated by Judith Landry).
  • Carmen Rob-Santer: The Trecento equipment of the Visconti Book of Hours - A workshop report. In: Paths to the illuminated book. Production conditions for book illumination in the Middle Ages and early modern times. Edited by Christine Beier and Evelyn Theresia Kubina, Vienna 2014, pp. 125–147, ISBN 978-3-205-79491-2 , Online (open access): FWF-E-Book-Library
Monographs
  • Antonio Cadei: Studi di miniatura lombarda. Giovannino de Grassi, Belbello da Pavia (Studi di arte medievale, volume 1). Viella, Roma 1984, ISBN 88-85669-05-0 .
  • Albert Jan Elen: Italian Late-Medieval and Renaissance drawing-books. From Giovannino de 'Grassi to Palma Giovane . A codicological approach . Elinkwijk, Utrecht 1995, ISBN 90-9008004-X (also dissertation, Leiden University 1995).
  • Edith W. Kirsch: The Visconti Hours. The patronage of Giangaleazzo Visconti and the contribution of Giovannino dei Grassi . Brazzaville Books, New York 19732, ISBN 0-8076-0651-0 (including dissertation, Princeton University, NJ 1981).
  • Marco Rossi: Giovannino de Grassi. La corte e la cathedral . Silvana, Cinisello Balsamo 1995, ISBN 88-366-0500-1 .
  • Marco Rossi: Animalia. Il taccuino di disegni di Giovannino de Grassi e bottega della Biblioteca civica "Angelo Mai" di Bergamo . Libri Scheiwiller, Milan 1991.
  • Sergio Samek Ludovic: Alfabeto di Giovannino De Grassi . Rod. pole. Artioli, Modena 1958.
  • Attilio Rossi: Omaggio all'Alfabeto . Edizione Maestri, Milan 1990.
  • Ulrike Jenni : The sketchbook of international Gothic in the Uffizi. The transition from the sample book to the sketchbook (Viennese historical research; Vol. 4). Dissertation, University of Vienna 1976 (2 vol.)
  1. Text tape.
  2. Facsimile.

Web links

Commons : Giovannino de 'Grassi  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Grassi, Giovannino de '
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De'Grassi, Giovannino; Dei Grassi, Giovannino; Grassis, Johanninus de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian painter, sculptor and builder of the late Gothic period
DATE OF BIRTH between 1340 and 1350
PLACE OF BIRTH Milan
DATE OF DEATH July 6, 1398