MASP

By Luciano Migliaccio
The relief illustrates the Biblical tale of the plague of Azoth (Samuel I, 6-5). Having defeated the Israelis in Ebenezer, the Philistines seized the Ark of the Covenant and took it back as a trophy to the city of Azoth, to the temple of the god Dagon. Holy wrath kindled a plague that devastated the city of Azoth, until its terrified inhabitants decided to return the Ark. The dimensions of the relief, still bearing traces of the presence of a lateral frame, lead us to believe that it was designed to adorn a sacristy or the tabernacle of a chapel. The tale of the punishment that befell the Philistines in retaliation for the theft of the Ark can be interpreted as a pre-figuration of the sacredness of priesthood as well as of the fundamental role of liturgy in Catholic theology. The use of episodes from the Old Testament to this end has always been widespread but from the 17th century onwards it became increasingly popular in liturgical decorations and coexisted with the “examples” from the Scriptures preached at Eucharist celebrations. In the Masp’s inventory records, the work is credited to carver and stucco worker Frederico Brandani (1520-1571). This is not, however, upheld by the stylistic characteristics of the relief and other historical considerations. The theme was given a masterly treatment by Nicolas Poussin in a painting reliably dated 1630. The carver of the Masp relief drew freely on this composition although changing the themes of the figures and background. Even if some of the ideas came from the Plague of Phrygia, an incision by Marcantonio Raimondi on a drawing by Raphael, the author’s cultural background shows he was well-acquainted with Poussin’s work, probably through prints. The group to the left, consisting of a man and his children mourning the dead woman undoubtedly comes from the work of the French painter, as well as the two figures carrying a corpse in the background. The Temple of Dagon occupies the same position, but is depicted with Ionic columns adorned with small garlands typical of the style of the architectural works painted by Pietro da Cortona. The background is more like a stage set than a city. The architectural models from Antiquity, representing canonical typologies such as the round temple covered by a dome and a spiraled column, are also simplified versions of the “tragic scene” of Poussin’s painting. The small tympanum that crowns the holy building, preceded by a wide portico with attic also decorated with Ionic columns, has a particularly Tuscan touch that brings to mind the works of Brunelleschi. Additionally, the author was influenced by Algardi’s reliefs. Two compact groups of figures occupy the left and right of the composition and the solitary central figure of a soldier facing away from us and making a horrified gesture has the purpose of bridging the two symmetrical groups, diagonally expanding the sense of depth. Similar figures are found in Algardi’s relief on the sarcophagus of the tomb of Leo XI, in San Pietro, Rome. The branches of the tree on the left side of the composition also bear resemblance to Pietro da Cortona’s works, inspired in reliefs by Algardi. The frightened boy clutching his mother, on the right side, recalls an analogous detail of the Martyrdom of Saint Emerenziana relief by Ercole Ferrata in Sant ‘Agnese in Agone. The style of the sculptor, marked by a wealth of episodes and of movement but, nevertheless lacking real expressive method, is closer to the graceful and the picturesque, and brings to mind Domenico Guidi’s reliefs, although tending towards the 17th-century style. The facial expressions of the figures and the proportions remind one of Pier Dandini’s paintings. The group of figures closing the composition to the far left in front of the Cortona-inspired trees illustrates the author’s knowledge of the great masters: it is a citation from Michelangelo’s Pietà, in Florence Cathedral; and in the group to the right, there is a miniature tribute to Bernini’s David Borghese. These characteristics might point to the work of a sculptor who had studied in the Tuscan academy founded by Archduke Cosimo III in Rome, at the end of the 17th century. The author of the relief shows, in fact, the strong influence of Cortona and Algardi that characterizes the generation of artists contemporary with Foggini, derived from the influence of Ciro Ferri and Ercole Ferrata, masters of that school. Perhaps an echo of the Genovese paintings of Gregorio De Ferrari and of Piola is seen in the figure of the old man with his hands raised in horror, at the far left of the relief. The author can be placed among the skillful carvers who worked in Florence, western Tuscany, and Genoa in the last quarter of the 17th century.

— Luciano Migliaccio, 1998

---