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Marcello Sparzo

April 14, 2024

Marcello Sparzo (c. 16th century—1616) was an Italian sculptor of the 17th century, renowned particularly as a master plasterer.

Marcello Sparzo
Born16th century
Urbino, Italy
Died1616[1][2]
Urbino, Italy
Occupation(s)Sculptor, plasterer

Considered by his contemporaries as one of the foremost plastic artists and sculptors of the period,[3][4][5][6][7] he was among the early users of marble plaster in monumental colossal works,[5][8][9] displaying an original stylistic language and refined execution skills.[10] He worked notably in Genoa, Urbino, Turin, Siena, and Pavia,[3] and was also an innovator in chromatic experiments, for instance, in the presbytery of the Church of San Pietro in Banchi, the nave of the Church of San Rocco, and the Villa of the Prince in Genoa.[11]

Biography edit

Early life edit

Marcello Sparzo was born in Urbino, Italy to Francesco di Giulio Sparzo[2] and Donna Giulia.[12] Luigi Pungileoni [it] described him as "the natural son of Gio. Antonio Spazza."[13] In the contract of 1573 for works in Siena, he is referred to as "Master Marcello di Giulio Sparti from Urbino."[14] He spent his early years specializing in plastic arts at the school of Federico Brandani,[15][16][17][18] developing an original style in the tradition of Mannerism of Raphael and Perino.[3][4]

Professional career edit

Siena edit

After possibly working in Rome with Brandani in 1573, he was summoned to Siena, where he was entrusted with various commissions.[19] He collaborated, alongside the Flemish painter Bernard van Rantwyck, on the elaborate stucco decorations of the Palazzo Chigi alla Postierla, which have survived in eleven rooms to this day.[3][20] His works instigated a specific stylistic trend in the Tuscan city concerning ornamentation, which endured for over a century.[20]

Pavia edit

In 1578, he was called to work at the Certosa di Pavia, initially to replace the deceased Ambrogio Volpi, completing the commissions by 1583.[21] In 1588, he created the elaborate sculpture ensemble depicting the saints of the Dominican order.[21] In 1596, Sparzo signed a new contract to decorate the two vaults in front of the Rosary chapel.[21] In his Historia of 1602, Spelta described him as "one of the first stucco workers of these times" (using the word "first" with the antique meaning of "most important") and credited him with a grandiose statue of Victory from 1599. The statue, "gracefully formed" and "perfectly executed," stood on a base in a Corinthian niche, near the third city gate, in the then Piazza San Gabriele. The figure was winged, armed in ancient style, crowned with laurel, holding a palm branch in the right hand, and a staff in the left. The monument was among the ornaments used to welcome Queen Margaret during her visit to the city, and later on preserved by the noble Silvio Salvatico.[6] Sparzo's last recorded work in Pavia was "a painting with figures, and armed in stucco," payment for which is recorded on 1 May 1600.[21]

Genoa edit

Meanwhile, he had moved to Genoa, where his presence is documented at least from 1579.[5][10] Here, he was a significant pioneer in the use of plaster, a material previously unfamiliar to the Genoese tradition.[22] After the departure of Bergamasco, plastic art reached its highest levels with Sparzo in Genoa, so much so that it "competed with marbles", according to Alizeri.[5][23] In the Genoese capital, he worked extensively in civil buildings and churches, including those of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni, San Rocco di Granarolo, San Pietro in Banchi, and San Francesco di Castelletto.[4] Among his early Genoese works were those at Villa delle Peschiere, with Domenico Ponzello, Bernardo Castello, and Giovanni Carlone, where he sculpted statues, stuccoes, and the splendid bath in a style already praised by Giorgio Vasari during his visit.[24] Particularly significant were the works executed for the noble family of Doria. It was Gianandrea Doria who commissioned from him the monumental Statue of Jupiter, known as il gigante (the giant), dedicated to the prince-admiral Andrea Doria.[25] The colossal statue, dating back to 1586, stood eight meters tall and was carved in a Mannerist style; it was located in the northern gardens of the Villa del Principe.[26] It loomed over the valley and the harbor for 350 years, until 1935/1936, when it was even demolished because, according to the authorities, it was "bulky, and because the municipality, despite being requested, neglected to deal with it".[27] According to Federico Alizeri, the statue was of such quality as to deserve "a praise that is very difficult for anyone who sculpts or models: that is, giving the right appearance to the colossi according to the place that receives them and according to the point from which they are intended to be viewed".[5] In the monumental villa of the Prince Doria, Sparzo also adorned the premises with polychrome stuccos, vaults, the famous golden gallery, and the chapel.[10][28]

Between early 1589 and 1591, he worked in the Urbino Cathedral with Fabio Viviani, where he was also called as an expert, and later completed the work alone after Viviani's death in 1590, sculpting the four statues of Solomon, Elijah, David, and Melchizedek.[12][29] Again at the initiative of the Doria family, in 1590, he executed the six statues for the church of Sant'Agostino in Loano.[3][30] In 1592, he worked on the chapel in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Pegli.[2][8][21]

After his aforementioned return to the Certosa di Pavia between the 16th and 17th centuries,[5] in 1602 he worked at the Villa Imperiale Scassi, richly decorating the atrium and sculpting the statues in the niches, including those depicting Doge Tartaro in the staircase, considered particularly valuable.[31] In 1603, he oversaw the works in San Pietro in Banchi in Genoa, adorning the dome with stuccoes depicting the Passion of Christ, one of his masterpieces.[32][33] In 1606, he worked at Palazzo Lomellino on Strada Nuova,[3][10] creating masterful stuccoes for the facade and oval atrium, based on designs by Giovan Battista Castello.[10] In the same year, he completed the rich works at the church of San Rocco di Granarolo, dated and personally signed by Sparzo, with decorations, statues, and various compositions.[1] In 1608, he worked at Palazzo Madama in Turin, overseeing various decorations and stucco coverings.[1] Finally, between 1613 and 1614, he was involved in "adorning the vault and other parts" of the church of San Francesco di Paola in his native Urbino.[1][3]

Later years and death edit

 
The palace Sparzo bought in Urbino and sold to Antonio Viviani shortly before his death

On January 23, 1614, he bought from the community, in the district of Valbona in Urbino, what had been the house of Federico Brandani, committing to pay it in two installments with the proceeds from the works at the church of San Francesco,[2] later reselling it two years later for six hundred scudi to the painter Antonio Viviani,[34][35] and is now the headquarters of the Accademia Raffaello.[36] On November 1, 1616, near his death, he wrote his will expressing his wish to be buried in the church of San Francesco in Urbino.[1] He lived a very long life and died, according to Soprani, almost a centenarian.[4]

Family edit

During his long stay in Liguria, Sparzo may have become the brother-in-law of the sculptor Filippo Pippo Santacroce,[5][37] although details about his life, as noted by Lazzari-Colucci in the 18th century,[2][38] are conflicting due to inaccuracies by early biographers such as Oddi and Soprani (who, according to Lazzari-Colucci, confused two individuals with similar names[2]). Biographically, Soprani attributes to Sparzo a son who allegedly died in infancy[39] (although the reconstruction appeared fictionalized and was indeed omitted by Ratti in 1768[4]). On the other hand, Negroni indicates him as married to Francesca di Pierino de Strozzis de Varso,[12] and Lazzari-Colucci indicate him as married to Federica da Genova and father of Pier' Antonio (born on June 19, 1591, in Urbino, married to Virginia, niece of Filippo Bellini, and died childless[2]). In Lazzari-Colucci's text, there is, however, an inconsistency: in the biographical entry on Marcello Sparzo, Virginia Bellini is stated as the wife of his son Pier' Antonio, while in the entry on Carlo Bellini (Filippo's brother), Virginia is stated as the wife of Marcello himself.[2]

Legacy edit

Sparzo's contemporaries have passed down the image of a very well-known, prolific, influential, and appreciated artist who became wealthy thanks to his own work.[4] In the centuries following his death, however, as already suggested by Lazzari-Colucci at the end of the 1700s[2] and by Alizeri in the 1800s,[5] his name and his works suffered unfortunate fates: the inaccuracies of biographers (who called him by different names, among them: Spazi, Sparza,[2] Spurzio,[17] Spargio,[40] Sparsi, Spassi,[41] Sparti, Sparzi, Sparzio,[42] Sparci[43] or, in Latin, Marcellus Sparsus, Marcelus de Spartiis, and Marcelo de Sparcio[5]), attributions of his works to others,[5][38] the insults of time on materials,[5] his pioneering role in the stucco technique long considered minor compared to sculpture, neglect by posterity (to the point of demolishing some of his works including the centuries-old colossus[25] or the works in San Bartolomeo degli Armeni and in the church of Santa Sabina[44]),[45][46] and finally, the damage suffered by some works during the bombing of Genoa in World War II, contributed for a long time to the incomplete recognition of Sparzo's work and in part to his oblivion.[5][47] His colossus of Jupiter, for example, was attributed to Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli for two centuries[5][38][48] and the reattribution of the work occurred only in 1874 (Alizeri, initially also mistaken, corrected himself, giving it prominence in his publications).[5][45][48]

It was only in the 19th century, thanks also to the publications of Colucci, Lazzari, and Alizeri, and later to modern analysis, that Sparzo's extensive artistic work began to be gradually recognized as it was by the people of his era.[3][38][47]

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Procaccini, Matteo (2019). "Federico Brandani «eccellentissimo plastificatore»". In Serena Quagliaroli; Giulia Spoltore (eds.). Horti Hesperidum, Studies on the history of collecting and artistic historiography (PDF). UniversItalia. pp. 212–214. ISBN 9788832932423.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Colucci, Giuseppe (1797). Lazzari, Andrea (ed.). Delle Antichità Picene. Vol. XXXI. Fermo. pp. 48–49.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Pesenti, Franco Renzo. Dino Puncuh (ed.). "Sculpture and painting from the 13th to the mid-17th century" (PDF). Atti della società ligure di storia patria. Vol. XLV, no. 119.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Raffaele Soprani; Carlo Giuseppe Ratti (1768). "Marcello Sparzo". Vite de' pittori, scultori, ed architetti genovesi. Stamperia Casamara. p. 433.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Alizeri, Federigo (1880). Notizie dei professori del disegno in Liguria dalle origini al secolo XVI. Tipografia Luigi Sambolino.
  6. ^ a b Antonio Maria Spelta (1602). Historia. Pavia: Pietro Bartoli. pp. 46–47, Aggiunta all'Historia.
  7. ^ "Marcello Sparzo's Marmorino Stuccos". CoArtRestauro.
  8. ^ a b Daniele Sanguineti (2015). "Sculpture and carving in the Doria chapel: the cycle of Marcello Sparzo and other testimonies". In Gianluca Zenelli (ed.). Restorations in the Church of Our Lady of Grace. Sagep. pp. 16–27. Federigo Alizeri sottolineava efficacemente il superamento sperimentale, introdotto da Sparzo, dei confini finora imposti allo stucco: la "plastica, usata in addietro a fregiar pareti o a recinger pitture, tentava per lui d'emulare la statua e competere co' marmi, dimentica quasi, o sdegnosa della propria fragilità"
  9. ^ International Institute of Ligurian Studies, ed. (1986). Studies on Genoa. Vol. 4–8. p. 62.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Marcello Sparzo". Palazzo Lomellino.
  11. ^ Alberto Felici; Giacinta Jean (2020). "Marcello Sparzo's chromatic experiments (1568–1608)". Stucchi e stuccatori. Nardini Editore. p. 121. ISBN 9788840401324. Tra la fine del secolo e i primi anni del Seicento l'urbinate elabora diverse soluzioni cromatiche che rappresentano una nuova interpretazione del rapporto volume-colore, rispetto allo schematismo cromatico precedente
  12. ^ a b c Franco Negroni (1993). Il Duomo di Urbino. Accademia Raffaello. p. 99.
  13. ^ Luigi Pungileoni (1826). "Historical News of Federico Brandani from Urbino, celebrated sculptor of the 16th century". Giornale arcadico di scienze, lettere ed arti. No. 9. p. 377.
  14. ^ Chigi Archive, Register F.N. No. 13. p: 136. Cited in: Gaetano Milanesi (1856). Documents for the History of Art in Siena. Siena: Onorato Porri. pp. 240–242.
  15. ^ Carlo Grossi; Pompeo Gherardi (1856). Of the Illustrious Men of Urbino. p. 226. Tenne qui Federico scuola di plastica, e fra' suoi discepoli due si segnalarono così che anco fuori di Urbino furon chiamati a condurre opere di quell'arte, e acquistaron per esse un gran nome.
  16. ^ Gaetano Moroni (1857). Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica. Tipografia Emiliana. Nella patria tenne il Brandani scuola di plastica, e fra'suoi discepoli si segnalarono Marcello Sparzio, che assai lavorò in Genova.
  17. ^ a b Guglielmo Stefani (1856). Corographic Dictionary of the Pontifical State. Civelli. pp. 1397–1398.
  18. ^ Maria Clelia Galassi (1999). "Marcello Sparzo, sculptor for Giovanni Andrea Doria". In Franco Boggero; Luisa Stagno (eds.). Giovanni Andrea Doria and Loano. The church of S. Agostino. Loano Municipality.
  19. ^ Michelangelo Gualandi (1840). Original Italian Memories Regarding Fine Arts. Marsigli. pp. 93–96.
  20. ^ a b Ilaria Bichi Ruspoli (2019). "Stucco in Siena in the 16th century". In Serena Quagliaroli; Giulia Spoltore (eds.). Horti Hesperidum, Studies on the history of collecting and artistic historiography (PDF). UniversItalia. p. 223. ISBN 9788832932423. Sparti introduce a Siena la moda delle mensole reggitrave animate da artigli ferini e mascheroni urlanti, che si protrarrà fino al Seicento inoltrato.
  21. ^ a b c d e Casati, Alessandra (2012). "«La detta capella par un homo stropiato». Le complesse vicende della cappella del Rosario nella chiesa di San Tommaso a Pavia". L'immagine del rigore. Committenza artistica di e per Pio V a Roma e in Lombardia. Pavia: Collegio Ghislieri. pp. 167–221. ISBN 9788871644189.
  22. ^ Anna Boato; Anna Decri (2001). "Genoese stuccoes". Lo Stucco: Culture, Technology, Knowledge - Proceedings of the XVII Conference "Science and Cultural Heritage". Arcadia Ricerche. pp. 71–80. ISBN 9788895409054. E' interessante notare come tale materiale sia presente, in particolare, negli stucchi eseguiti ad opera di Marcello Sparzo urbinate. Il gesso è un materiale sostanzialmente estraneo alla tradizione costruttiva genovese antecedente l'Ottocento.
  23. ^ Studi Genuensi, Istituto internazionale di studi liguri, 1986, P. 62
  24. ^ Bianca Maria Giannattasio; Luigina Quartino (1982). "Ancient and Antique Statues in the Gardens of Villa Scassi in Genoa-Sampierdarena". Xenia. No. 4. De Luca Editore. pp. 37–48.
  25. ^ a b . Palazzo del Principe. Archived from the original on 23 March 2008.
  26. ^ Petrucci, Vito Elio (22 July 1997). "La statua del Gigante". Il Secolo XIX.
  27. ^ Raffaele Soprani; Carlo Giuseppe Ratti (1965). Maria Grazia Rutteri (ed.). Le vite de pittori, scoltori, et architetti genovesi. Vol. 2 (Revised ed.). Tolozzi. p. 67. i proprietari la demolirono perchè eccessivamente ingombrante e perchè il Comune, pur richiesto, trascurò di occuparsene
  28. ^ Villa del Principe, Galleria Aurea
  29. ^ Franco Negroni; Giuseppe Cucco (1984). Urbino, Albani Museum. Calderini. p. 20. ISBN 9788870192261.
  30. ^ Book of Accounts. Doria Pamphilj Archive. August 27, 1590. by a famous and famous sculptor, superbly and carefully delineated.
  31. ^ Ezio Baglini (2023). Le antiche strade di San Pier d'Arena. S.E.S. ISBN 978-8889948521.
  32. ^ Javier Casares Ripol (2012). "La iglesia de San Pietro in Banchi" (PDF). Distribución y Consumo (in Spanish). Mercasa: 107.
  33. ^ Paola Martini, ed. (2014). Chiese e oratori di Genova (PDF). De Ferrari.
  34. ^ Franco Negroni (2005). Appunti su alcuni palazzi e case di Urbino. Accademia Raffaello. p. 187. ISBN 9788887573220. La casa già Brandani fu acquistata sui primi del 1614 da Marcello Sparzio, buon plastificatore e scolaro di Federico, che a sua volta nell'aprile 1616 la rivendeva per 600 scudi al pittore Antonio Viviani
  35. ^ Federico Bernabei, deed no. 1871, State Archives of Urbino, 1616
  36. ^ "Accademia Raffaello". Accademia Raffaello.
  37. ^ "Santacroce". Dizionario biografico degli italiani. Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
  38. ^ a b c d Carla Manara (1959). Montorsoli e la sua opera genovese. Scuola tipografica Opera Pompei. p. 81. Non dobbiamo dimenticare come proprio coi Soprani-Ratti si sia iniziata una larghezza ingiustificata di attribuzioni (anche la statua di stucco del Giove dello Sparzo è data al Montorsoli) raccolta acriticamente ed esagerata in seguito dalle guide
  39. ^ Raffaele Soprani (1674). "Marcello Sparzo". Le vite de pittori, scoltori, et architetti genovesi. G. Bottaro e G.B. Tiboldi. p. 298.
  40. ^ L. F. Bolaffio (1881). Guida dei Viaggiatori - Alta Italia. Fratelli Treves. p. 89.
  41. ^ Alessandro Baudi di Vesme (1968). Schede Vesme. Società piemontese di arcehologia e belle arti. p. 1005.
  42. ^ "Marcello Sparzo". German National Library.
  43. ^ Antonio Merli (1874). Il palazzo del principe d'Oria a Fassolo in Genova. Società ligure di storia patria. p. 63.
  44. ^ Antonio Figari. "Le chiese di Genova".
  45. ^ a b Federigo Alizeri (1875). Guida illustrativa del cittadino e del forestiero per la città di Genova e sue adiacenze. Tipografia Luigi Sambolino.
  46. ^ Federigo Alizeri (1847). Guida artistica per la città di Genova. Grendona. p. 1177.
  47. ^ a b Hanke, Stephanie (2012). "Die Macht der Giganten: Zu einem verlorenen Jupiter des Marcello Sparzo und der Genueser Kolossalplastik des 16. Jahrhunderts". Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana (in German). Hirmer Verlag. pp. 165–186.
  48. ^ a b Antonio Merli (1874). "Il Palazzo del Principe D'Oria a Fassolo in Genova". Giornale ligustico di archeologia, storia e belle arti (in Italian). Tip. del Regio Ist. sordo-muti. p. 39. Nè del Montorsoli è il Giove o Gigante, come opinò taluno, confondendo per avventura questo colosso di stucco con una statua di Nettuno cui il citato Vasari narra effettivamente modellata da Giovannangelo a Fassolo, e che non trovandosi da altri rammentata vuolsi reputar perita poco tempo appresso. Comunque siasi di ciò, è manifesto per gli atti che il Gigante fu eseguito nel 1586 da Marcello Sparzio da Urbino, plasticatore di bella fama ed autore di più stucchi in alcune camere del Palazzo.

Bibliography edit

  • Soprani, Raffaele (1674). Bottaro, G.; Tiboldi, G.B. (eds.). Le vite de pittori, scoltori, et architetti genovesi. p. 298.
  • Alizeri, Federigo (1880). Notizie dei professori del disegno in Liguria dalle origini al secolo XVI. Tipografia Luigi Sambolino.
  • Colucci, Giuseppe (1797). Lazzari, Andrea (ed.). Delle Antichità Picene. Vol. XXXI. Fermo. pp. 48–49.
  • Raffaele Soprani (1768). Carlo Giuseppe Ratti (ed.). Vite de' pittori, scultori, ed architetti genovesi. Stamperia Casamara. p. 433.
  • Franco Boggero (1999). "Marcello Sparzo plasticatore per Giovanni Andrea Doria". In Luisa Stagno; Maria Clelia Galassi (eds.). Giovanni Andrea Doria e Loano. La chiesa di S. Agostino. Comune di Loano.
  • Puncuh, Dino (1963). "Storia della cultura ligure". Atti della Società ligure di Storia Patria, Vol XLV Fasc. II (PDF).
  • Sanguineti, Daniele (2015). "Plastica e intaglio nella cappella Doria: il ciclo di Marcello Sparzo e altre testimonianze". In Zenelli, Gianluca (ed.). Restauri nella chiesa di Nostra Signora delle Grazie. Sagep. pp. 16–27.
  • Pesenti, Franco Renzo (2000). "Marcello Sparzo nel Seicento tra Genova e Urbino". Trasparenze (10/2000). Genova: Edizioni San Marco dei Giustiniani.
  • Hanke, Stephanie (2012). "Die Macht der Giganten: Zu einem verlorenen Jupiter des Marcello Sparzo und der Genueser Kolossalplastik des 16. Jahrhunderts". Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana (in German). Hirmer Verlag. pp. 165–186.
  • Casati, Alessandra (2012). "«La detta capella par un homo stropiato». Le complesse vicende della cappella del Rosario nella chiesa di San Tommaso a Pavia". L'immagine del rigore. Committenza artistica di e per Pio V a Roma e in Lombardia. Pavia: Collegio Ghislieri. pp. 167–221. ISBN 9788871644189.

  Media related to Marcello Sparzo at Wikimedia Commons

April 14, 2024
marcello, sparzo, 16th, century, 1616, italian, sculptor, 17th, century, renowned, particularly, master, plasterer, born16th, centuryurbino, italydied1616, urbino, italyoccupation, sculptor, plastererconsidered, contemporaries, foremost, plastic, artists, scul. Marcello Sparzo c 16th century 1616 was an Italian sculptor of the 17th century renowned particularly as a master plasterer Marcello SparzoBorn16th centuryUrbino ItalyDied1616 1 2 Urbino ItalyOccupation s Sculptor plastererConsidered by his contemporaries as one of the foremost plastic artists and sculptors of the period 3 4 5 6 7 he was among the early users of marble plaster in monumental colossal works 5 8 9 displaying an original stylistic language and refined execution skills 10 He worked notably in Genoa Urbino Turin Siena and Pavia 3 and was also an innovator in chromatic experiments for instance in the presbytery of the Church of San Pietro in Banchi the nave of the Church of San Rocco and the Villa of the Prince in Genoa 11 Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early life 1 2 Professional career 1 2 1 Siena 1 2 2 Pavia 1 2 3 Genoa 1 3 Later years and death 2 Family 3 Legacy 4 Gallery 5 References 6 BibliographyBiography editEarly life edit Marcello Sparzo was born in Urbino Italy to Francesco di Giulio Sparzo 2 and Donna Giulia 12 Luigi Pungileoni it described him as the natural son of Gio Antonio Spazza 13 In the contract of 1573 for works in Siena he is referred to as Master Marcello di Giulio Sparti from Urbino 14 He spent his early years specializing in plastic arts at the school of Federico Brandani 15 16 17 18 developing an original style in the tradition of Mannerism of Raphael and Perino 3 4 Professional career edit Siena edit After possibly working in Rome with Brandani in 1573 he was summoned to Siena where he was entrusted with various commissions 19 He collaborated alongside the Flemish painter Bernard van Rantwyck on the elaborate stucco decorations of the Palazzo Chigi alla Postierla which have survived in eleven rooms to this day 3 20 His works instigated a specific stylistic trend in the Tuscan city concerning ornamentation which endured for over a century 20 Pavia edit In 1578 he was called to work at the Certosa di Pavia initially to replace the deceased Ambrogio Volpi completing the commissions by 1583 21 In 1588 he created the elaborate sculpture ensemble depicting the saints of the Dominican order 21 In 1596 Sparzo signed a new contract to decorate the two vaults in front of the Rosary chapel 21 In his Historia of 1602 Spelta described him as one of the first stucco workers of these times using the word first with the antique meaning of most important and credited him with a grandiose statue of Victory from 1599 The statue gracefully formed and perfectly executed stood on a base in a Corinthian niche near the third city gate in the then Piazza San Gabriele The figure was winged armed in ancient style crowned with laurel holding a palm branch in the right hand and a staff in the left The monument was among the ornaments used to welcome Queen Margaret during her visit to the city and later on preserved by the noble Silvio Salvatico 6 Sparzo s last recorded work in Pavia was a painting with figures and armed in stucco payment for which is recorded on 1 May 1600 21 Genoa edit Meanwhile he had moved to Genoa where his presence is documented at least from 1579 5 10 Here he was a significant pioneer in the use of plaster a material previously unfamiliar to the Genoese tradition 22 After the departure of Bergamasco plastic art reached its highest levels with Sparzo in Genoa so much so that it competed with marbles according to Alizeri 5 23 In the Genoese capital he worked extensively in civil buildings and churches including those of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni San Rocco di Granarolo San Pietro in Banchi and San Francesco di Castelletto 4 Among his early Genoese works were those at Villa delle Peschiere with Domenico Ponzello Bernardo Castello and Giovanni Carlone where he sculpted statues stuccoes and the splendid bath in a style already praised by Giorgio Vasari during his visit 24 Particularly significant were the works executed for the noble family of Doria It was Gianandrea Doria who commissioned from him the monumental Statue of Jupiter known as il gigante the giant dedicated to the prince admiral Andrea Doria 25 The colossal statue dating back to 1586 stood eight meters tall and was carved in a Mannerist style it was located in the northern gardens of the Villa del Principe 26 It loomed over the valley and the harbor for 350 years until 1935 1936 when it was even demolished because according to the authorities it was bulky and because the municipality despite being requested neglected to deal with it 27 According to Federico Alizeri the statue was of such quality as to deserve a praise that is very difficult for anyone who sculpts or models that is giving the right appearance to the colossi according to the place that receives them and according to the point from which they are intended to be viewed 5 In the monumental villa of the Prince Doria Sparzo also adorned the premises with polychrome stuccos vaults the famous golden gallery and the chapel 10 28 Between early 1589 and 1591 he worked in the Urbino Cathedral with Fabio Viviani where he was also called as an expert and later completed the work alone after Viviani s death in 1590 sculpting the four statues of Solomon Elijah David and Melchizedek 12 29 Again at the initiative of the Doria family in 1590 he executed the six statues for the church of Sant Agostino in Loano 3 30 In 1592 he worked on the chapel in the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Pegli 2 8 21 After his aforementioned return to the Certosa di Pavia between the 16th and 17th centuries 5 in 1602 he worked at the Villa Imperiale Scassi richly decorating the atrium and sculpting the statues in the niches including those depicting Doge Tartaro in the staircase considered particularly valuable 31 In 1603 he oversaw the works in San Pietro in Banchi in Genoa adorning the dome with stuccoes depicting the Passion of Christ one of his masterpieces 32 33 In 1606 he worked at Palazzo Lomellino on Strada Nuova 3 10 creating masterful stuccoes for the facade and oval atrium based on designs by Giovan Battista Castello 10 In the same year he completed the rich works at the church of San Rocco di Granarolo dated and personally signed by Sparzo with decorations statues and various compositions 1 In 1608 he worked at Palazzo Madama in Turin overseeing various decorations and stucco coverings 1 Finally between 1613 and 1614 he was involved in adorning the vault and other parts of the church of San Francesco di Paola in his native Urbino 1 3 Later years and death edit nbsp The palace Sparzo bought in Urbino and sold to Antonio Viviani shortly before his deathOn January 23 1614 he bought from the community in the district of Valbona in Urbino what had been the house of Federico Brandani committing to pay it in two installments with the proceeds from the works at the church of San Francesco 2 later reselling it two years later for six hundred scudi to the painter Antonio Viviani 34 35 and is now the headquarters of the Accademia Raffaello 36 On November 1 1616 near his death he wrote his will expressing his wish to be buried in the church of San Francesco in Urbino 1 He lived a very long life and died according to Soprani almost a centenarian 4 Family editDuring his long stay in Liguria Sparzo may have become the brother in law of the sculptor Filippo Pippo Santacroce 5 37 although details about his life as noted by Lazzari Colucci in the 18th century 2 38 are conflicting due to inaccuracies by early biographers such as Oddi and Soprani who according to Lazzari Colucci confused two individuals with similar names 2 Biographically Soprani attributes to Sparzo a son who allegedly died in infancy 39 although the reconstruction appeared fictionalized and was indeed omitted by Ratti in 1768 4 On the other hand Negroni indicates him as married to Francesca di Pierino de Strozzis de Varso 12 and Lazzari Colucci indicate him as married to Federica da Genova and father of Pier Antonio born on June 19 1591 in Urbino married to Virginia niece of Filippo Bellini and died childless 2 In Lazzari Colucci s text there is however an inconsistency in the biographical entry on Marcello Sparzo Virginia Bellini is stated as the wife of his son Pier Antonio while in the entry on Carlo Bellini Filippo s brother Virginia is stated as the wife of Marcello himself 2 Legacy editSparzo s contemporaries have passed down the image of a very well known prolific influential and appreciated artist who became wealthy thanks to his own work 4 In the centuries following his death however as already suggested by Lazzari Colucci at the end of the 1700s 2 and by Alizeri in the 1800s 5 his name and his works suffered unfortunate fates the inaccuracies of biographers who called him by different names among them Spazi Sparza 2 Spurzio 17 Spargio 40 Sparsi Spassi 41 Sparti Sparzi Sparzio 42 Sparci 43 or in Latin Marcellus Sparsus Marcelus de Spartiis and Marcelo de Sparcio 5 attributions of his works to others 5 38 the insults of time on materials 5 his pioneering role in the stucco technique long considered minor compared to sculpture neglect by posterity to the point of demolishing some of his works including the centuries old colossus 25 or the works in San Bartolomeo degli Armeni and in the church of Santa Sabina 44 45 46 and finally the damage suffered by some works during the bombing of Genoa in World War II contributed for a long time to the incomplete recognition of Sparzo s work and in part to his oblivion 5 47 His colossus of Jupiter for example was attributed to Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli for two centuries 5 38 48 and the reattribution of the work occurred only in 1874 Alizeri initially also mistaken corrected himself giving it prominence in his publications 5 45 48 It was only in the 19th century thanks also to the publications of Colucci Lazzari and Alizeri and later to modern analysis that Sparzo s extensive artistic work began to be gradually recognized as it was by the people of his era 3 38 47 Gallery edit nbsp The Colossus by Sparzo it of Jupiter with an eagle at its feet the heraldic symbol of the Doria nbsp Statue of Mark the Evangelist with a lion decorated with drapes volutes and cherubs nbsp Statue of John the Evangelist nbsp Statue of the Virgin Mary nbsp The interiors of the Church of San Rocco di Granarolo nbsp Facade of Palazzo Lomellino nbsp Stucco decorations in the entrance hall of Palazzo LomellinoReferences edit a b c d e Procaccini Matteo 2019 Federico Brandani eccellentissimo plastificatore In Serena Quagliaroli Giulia Spoltore eds Horti Hesperidum Studies on the history of collecting and artistic historiography PDF UniversItalia pp 212 214 ISBN 9788832932423 a b c d e f g h i j Colucci Giuseppe 1797 Lazzari Andrea ed Delle Antichita Picene Vol XXXI Fermo pp 48 49 a b c d e f g h Pesenti Franco Renzo Dino Puncuh ed Sculpture and painting from the 13th to the mid 17th century PDF Atti della societa ligure di storia patria Vol XLV no 119 a b c d e f Raffaele Soprani Carlo Giuseppe Ratti 1768 Marcello Sparzo Vite de pittori scultori ed architetti genovesi Stamperia Casamara p 433 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Alizeri Federigo 1880 Notizie dei professori del disegno in Liguria dalle origini al secolo XVI Tipografia Luigi Sambolino a b Antonio Maria Spelta 1602 Historia Pavia Pietro Bartoli pp 46 47 Aggiunta all Historia Marcello Sparzo s Marmorino Stuccos CoArtRestauro a b Daniele Sanguineti 2015 Sculpture and carving in the Doria chapel the cycle of Marcello Sparzo and other testimonies In Gianluca Zenelli ed Restorations in the Church of Our Lady of Grace Sagep pp 16 27 Federigo Alizeri sottolineava efficacemente il superamento sperimentale introdotto da Sparzo dei confini finora imposti allo stucco la plastica usata in addietro a fregiar pareti o a recinger pitture tentava per lui d emulare la statua e competere co marmi dimentica quasi o sdegnosa della propria fragilita International Institute of Ligurian Studies ed 1986 Studies on Genoa Vol 4 8 p 62 a b c d e Marcello Sparzo Palazzo Lomellino Alberto Felici Giacinta Jean 2020 Marcello Sparzo s chromatic experiments 1568 1608 Stucchi e stuccatori Nardini Editore p 121 ISBN 9788840401324 Tra la fine del secolo e i primi anni del Seicento l urbinate elabora diverse soluzioni cromatiche che rappresentano una nuova interpretazione del rapporto volume colore rispetto allo schematismo cromatico precedente a b c Franco Negroni 1993 Il Duomo di Urbino Accademia Raffaello p 99 Luigi Pungileoni 1826 Historical News of Federico Brandani from Urbino celebrated sculptor of the 16th century Giornale arcadico di scienze lettere ed arti No 9 p 377 Chigi Archive Register F N No 13 p 136 Cited in Gaetano Milanesi 1856 Documents for the History of Art in Siena Siena Onorato Porri pp 240 242 Carlo Grossi Pompeo Gherardi 1856 Of the Illustrious Men of Urbino p 226 Tenne qui Federico scuola di plastica e fra suoi discepoli due si segnalarono cosi che anco fuori di Urbino furon chiamati a condurre opere di quell arte e acquistaron per esse un gran nome Gaetano Moroni 1857 Dizionario di erudizione storico ecclesiastica Tipografia Emiliana Nella patria tenne il Brandani scuola di plastica e fra suoi discepoli si segnalarono Marcello Sparzio che assai lavoro in Genova a b Guglielmo Stefani 1856 Corographic Dictionary of the Pontifical State Civelli pp 1397 1398 Maria Clelia Galassi 1999 Marcello Sparzo sculptor for Giovanni Andrea Doria In Franco Boggero Luisa Stagno eds Giovanni Andrea Doria and Loano The church of S Agostino Loano Municipality Michelangelo Gualandi 1840 Original Italian Memories Regarding Fine Arts Marsigli pp 93 96 a b Ilaria Bichi Ruspoli 2019 Stucco in Siena in the 16th century In Serena Quagliaroli Giulia Spoltore eds Horti Hesperidum Studies on the history of collecting and artistic historiography PDF UniversItalia p 223 ISBN 9788832932423 Sparti introduce a Siena la moda delle mensole reggitrave animate da artigli ferini e mascheroni urlanti che si protrarra fino al Seicento inoltrato a b c d e Casati Alessandra 2012 La detta capella par un homo stropiato Le complesse vicende della cappella del Rosario nella chiesa di San Tommaso a Pavia L immagine del rigore Committenza artistica di e per Pio V a Roma e in Lombardia Pavia Collegio Ghislieri pp 167 221 ISBN 9788871644189 Anna Boato Anna Decri 2001 Genoese stuccoes Lo Stucco Culture Technology Knowledge Proceedings of the XVII Conference Science and Cultural Heritage Arcadia Ricerche pp 71 80 ISBN 9788895409054 E interessante notare come tale materiale sia presente in particolare negli stucchi eseguiti ad opera di Marcello Sparzo urbinate Il gesso e un materiale sostanzialmente estraneo alla tradizione costruttiva genovese antecedente l Ottocento Studi Genuensi Istituto internazionale di studi liguri 1986 P 62 Bianca Maria Giannattasio Luigina Quartino 1982 Ancient and Antique Statues in the Gardens of Villa Scassi in Genoa Sampierdarena Xenia No 4 De Luca Editore pp 37 48 a b Il Gigante Palazzo del Principe Archived from the original on 23 March 2008 Petrucci Vito Elio 22 July 1997 La statua del Gigante Il Secolo XIX Raffaele Soprani Carlo Giuseppe Ratti 1965 Maria Grazia Rutteri ed Le vite de pittori scoltori et architetti genovesi Vol 2 Revised ed Tolozzi p 67 i proprietari la demolirono perche eccessivamente ingombrante e perche il Comune pur richiesto trascuro di occuparsene Villa del Principe Galleria Aurea Franco Negroni Giuseppe Cucco 1984 Urbino Albani Museum Calderini p 20 ISBN 9788870192261 Book of Accounts Doria Pamphilj Archive August 27 1590 by a famous and famous sculptor superbly and carefully delineated Ezio Baglini 2023 Le antiche strade di San Pier d Arena S E S ISBN 978 8889948521 Javier Casares Ripol 2012 La iglesia de San Pietro in Banchi PDF Distribucion y Consumo in Spanish Mercasa 107 Paola Martini ed 2014 Chiese e oratori di Genova PDF De Ferrari Franco Negroni 2005 Appunti su alcuni palazzi e case di Urbino Accademia Raffaello p 187 ISBN 9788887573220 La casa gia Brandani fu acquistata sui primi del 1614 da Marcello Sparzio buon plastificatore e scolaro di Federico che a sua volta nell aprile 1616 la rivendeva per 600 scudi al pittore Antonio Viviani Federico Bernabei deed no 1871 State Archives of Urbino 1616 Accademia Raffaello Accademia Raffaello Santacroce Dizionario biografico degli italiani Istituto dell Enciclopedia Italiana a b c d Carla Manara 1959 Montorsoli e la sua opera genovese Scuola tipografica Opera Pompei p 81 Non dobbiamo dimenticare come proprio coi Soprani Ratti si sia iniziata una larghezza ingiustificata di attribuzioni anche la statua di stucco del Giove dello Sparzo e data al Montorsoli raccolta acriticamente ed esagerata in seguito dalle guide Raffaele Soprani 1674 Marcello Sparzo Le vite de pittori scoltori et architetti genovesi G Bottaro e G B Tiboldi p 298 L F Bolaffio 1881 Guida dei Viaggiatori Alta Italia Fratelli Treves p 89 Alessandro Baudi di Vesme 1968 Schede Vesme Societa piemontese di arcehologia e belle arti p 1005 Marcello Sparzo German National Library Antonio Merli 1874 Il palazzo del principe d Oria a Fassolo in Genova Societa ligure di storia patria p 63 Antonio Figari Le chiese di Genova a b Federigo Alizeri 1875 Guida illustrativa del cittadino e del forestiero per la citta di Genova e sue adiacenze Tipografia Luigi Sambolino Federigo Alizeri 1847 Guida artistica per la citta di Genova Grendona p 1177 a b Hanke Stephanie 2012 Die Macht der Giganten Zu einem verlorenen Jupiter des Marcello Sparzo und der Genueser Kolossalplastik des 16 Jahrhunderts Romisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana in German Hirmer Verlag pp 165 186 a b Antonio Merli 1874 Il Palazzo del Principe D Oria a Fassolo in Genova Giornale ligustico di archeologia storia e belle arti in Italian Tip del Regio Ist sordo muti p 39 Ne del Montorsoli e il Giove o Gigante come opino taluno confondendo per avventura questo colosso di stucco con una statua di Nettuno cui il citato Vasari narra effettivamente modellata da Giovannangelo a Fassolo e che non trovandosi da altri rammentata vuolsi reputar perita poco tempo appresso Comunque siasi di cio e manifesto per gli atti che il Gigante fu eseguito nel 1586 da Marcello Sparzio da Urbino plasticatore di bella fama ed autore di piu stucchi in alcune camere del Palazzo Bibliography editSoprani Raffaele 1674 Bottaro G Tiboldi G B eds Le vite de pittori scoltori et architetti genovesi p 298 Alizeri Federigo 1880 Notizie dei professori del disegno in Liguria dalle origini al secolo XVI Tipografia Luigi Sambolino Colucci Giuseppe 1797 Lazzari Andrea ed Delle Antichita Picene Vol XXXI Fermo pp 48 49 Raffaele Soprani 1768 Carlo Giuseppe Ratti ed Vite de pittori scultori ed architetti genovesi Stamperia Casamara p 433 Franco Boggero 1999 Marcello Sparzo plasticatore per Giovanni Andrea Doria In Luisa Stagno Maria Clelia Galassi eds Giovanni Andrea Doria e Loano La chiesa di S Agostino Comune di Loano Puncuh Dino 1963 Storia della cultura ligure Atti della Societa ligure di Storia Patria Vol XLV Fasc II PDF Sanguineti Daniele 2015 Plastica e intaglio nella cappella Doria il ciclo di Marcello Sparzo e altre testimonianze In Zenelli Gianluca ed Restauri nella chiesa di Nostra Signora delle Grazie Sagep pp 16 27 Pesenti Franco Renzo 2000 Marcello Sparzo nel Seicento tra Genova e Urbino Trasparenze 10 2000 Genova Edizioni San Marco dei Giustiniani Hanke Stephanie 2012 Die Macht der Giganten Zu einem verlorenen Jupiter des Marcello Sparzo und der Genueser Kolossalplastik des 16 Jahrhunderts Romisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana in German Hirmer Verlag pp 165 186 Casati Alessandra 2012 La detta capella par un homo stropiato Le complesse vicende della cappella del Rosario nella chiesa di San Tommaso a Pavia L immagine del rigore Committenza artistica di e per Pio V a Roma e in Lombardia Pavia Collegio Ghislieri pp 167 221 ISBN 9788871644189 Portals nbsp visual arts nbsp Italy nbsp biography nbsp The arts nbsp 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