28
Views
10
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Federico Borromeo as a Patron of Landscapes and Still Lifes: Christian Optimism in Italy ca. 1600

Pages 261-272 | Published online: 14 Aug 2014
 

Abstract

Federico Borromeo's Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan is one of the great small museums in Italy. Together with Italian Renaissance paintings and drawings, it contains a group of Flemish landscapes and still lifes noteworthy for both their number and quality. Borromeo founded his museum in order to teach students in his art academy how to reform religious art. The function of the Italian istorie in this context is obvious, but that of the landscapes and still lifes has eluded scholars. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Borromeo found religious meaning in his landscapes and still lifes, thus making them suitable models for reformers of sacred art. His interpretation of paintings of nature was linked to his theology, a form of Christian optimism characteristic of Italian thought around 1600, and shared by his colleagues Roberto Bellarmino and Filippo Neri.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pamela M. Jones

This study is based on Pamela Jones's doctoral dissertation for Brown University (1985) and is one of her first publications; other are in press on Borromeo, Paul Bril, and Bernardino Luini. [Department of Art, Carnegie Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469]

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.