User:Lindsayymckayy/Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa
Description
[edit]| Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Sofonisba Anguissola |
| Year | c.1558 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 134.94 cm × 71.12 cm (53.13 in × 28.00 in) |
| Location | Walters Art Museum, Baltimore |
The Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa is a c.1558 oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sofonisba Anguissola. [1] While the official name is the Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa, it is more popularly known as the Medici Boy.[2] The portrait captures the full body image of a young Italian nobleman elaborately adorned in the traditional black clothing of the Italian courts during the 16th century. The boy has a stern expression on his face, with his left hand resting on his sword while his right-hand holds a medallion, and behind him lays a small, sleeping dog.[3] Recognized as one of Anguissola's most important commissions, it depicts Massimiliano II Stampa, then aged approximately nine years old, as he succeeds his father as marchese of Soncino, Italy.[4] The Stampa family commissioned the portrait to commemorate Massimiliano's inheritance of the title after the death of his father in 1557. His dress is heavily influenced by the Spanish dominance of Lombardy at the time of commission, and the painting's style is similarly influenced by Spanish portraitists of the time in its aristocratically stern posing and allegorical symbols of wealth and social success.[5][6]
Inscription & Identity of Figure
[edit]"MAX.STA.MAR.SON.III
AET. AN. VIIII
1557"
After a recent treatment by Sian Jones of The Walters Art Museum's Department of Conservation and Technical Research, new discoveries were made about the identity of the young noble in the portrait by removing the lining of the picture. The removal revealed an inscription on the reverse side of the original canvas. This inscription provides an important clue in discovering the true identity of the young man.[2] The lettering, assumed by scholars to be written by Sofonisba herself, is typical of the mid-sixteenth century and represents the year of creating the portrait, as well as clues to the identity of the boy.[2] The first line of the inscription reads "MAX.STA.MAR.SON.III."[2] Traditionally, in Renaissance art, the first line of the inscription would reveal the subject and identity of the figure, and Sofonsiba's inscription is similarly conceived. However, what sets this inscription apart is the fact that she uses contractions and obscurities to identify the boy rather than simply writing his name and title. "MAX" represents the boy's given name, "STA" identifies his family name, "MAR" suggests the boy was a marchese (also known as marquis), and "SON" identifies the beginning three letters of the territory he was marchese of. The Roman numbers "III" identify him as the third marchese of Soncino.[2] From the first line of this inscription, it has been revealed that the figure in the painting is Massimiliano II Stampa, who was the third marchese of the north Italian city of Soncino.[2]
The second line of the inscription reads final line of the inscription reads "AET. AN. VIIII" which is an abbreviated version of "Aetatis Anni VIIII," which translates to reveal that the subject in the portrait (Massimiliano II Stampa) is nine years old when Sofonisba painted the portrait.[2] The third and final line of the inscription, "1557," is most easily identifiable and understood. The number 1557 represents the year the painting was executed.[2]
Symbolism
[edit]While the portrait's main focus is Massimiliano II Stampa, it is important to recognize and mention the dog that lies asleep behind his foot. Animals in Renaissance art symbolized a range of values, from loyalty and courage to purity and rebirth, while also reflecting the era's renewed fascination with the natural world, often serving as powerful allegorical elements that connected human and divine realms.[7] The dog featured in this portrait can be interpreted to reflect the boy's own companionship, loyalty, and fidelity.[7]
History
[edit]History of the Stampa Family
[edit]The Stampa family is recorded as a noble Milanese family who immigrated to Italy with Charlemagne.[2] Massimiliano I is the most notable member of the family due to his work as governor of the fortress of Milan and voluntary capitulation to Charles V, which awarded him the title of "Marchese of Soncino" in 1536, which the Stampa family remained in control of until the seventeenth century.[2] Massimiliano I bore no sons, so he passed his rights as marchese to his brother, Ermete, who married Isabella Rangoni of Modena, and together they birthed Massimiliano II Stampa, named after his uncle. In 1557, Ermete died, making Massimiliano II Stampa his successor and the third marchese of Soncino.[2]
There are at least four other versions of the painting of the young man, which lead scholars to believe that Massimiliano II Stampa and his family were very well-known and of noble birth.[2] The original origins of the Stampa family remain unknown, with some scholars believing Massimiliano II Stampa and the Stampa family are descendants of the Medici family and others suggesting that the boy is a member of the Gaddi family of Florence, the Prince of the Este family, or the Prince of Asturias.[2]
Provenance
[edit]The Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa currently resides in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, USA, but its provenance has been extensive and contains some unknowns in terms of procurements.[3] The earliest history of acquisition begins at the Chantel Collection, Lyon, but the date and method of procurement remain unknown.[3] The portrait was then acquired by Galerie Trotti & Cie in Paris, but again, the date and means of acquisition are unknown. James Stillman of New York was the next to acquire or inherit the portrait, and C. C. Stillman inherited it prior to 1921.[3] In 1927, the painting was listed for sale at the American Art Association Galleries in New York and was cataloged as Portrait of a Young Prince of the Este Family by G. B. Moroni. The painting was purchased that year by Henry Walters of Baltimore. In 1931, Henry Walters bequeathed the painting to the Walters Art Museum, where it remains today.[3]
Attribution
[edit]Historical Context
[edit]The Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa is believed to be one of Sofonisba Anguissola's first major commissions.[3] Sofonisba, born in 1532, was an Italian Renaissance painter who came from a family of minor nobility, with parents who supported her pursuit of education and passion for the arts.[8] Sofonisba is best known for her portraits, both of notable and prominent figures of the time, and self-portraits of herself.[9] Sofonisba was among the first female artists to receive recognition and an international reputation during the 16th century and the Renaissance. Artist Giorgio Vasari is quoted as describing her and her work as showing "greater application and better grace than any other woman of our age in her endeavors at drawing... by herself has created rare and beautiful paintings."[9] Her style combined elements of Mannerism and the High Renaissance, with her portraits characterized by soft and detailed depictions, an emphasis on facial expressions, and portraits that were often thought-provoking and complimenting all at once.[9] By the time she began her work on The Portrait of Massimiliano II Stampa in 1557-58, she had already achieved high status and recognition as a female artist, having studied under Bernardino Campi, Bernardino Gatti, and Michelangelo.[8] At one point, her portrait was misattributed to Giovan Battista Moroni, possibly due to stylistic similarities with Moroni's The Knight in Black.[10]
Scholarly Debate
[edit]Foot Notes
[edit]- ^ Harris, Ann Sutherland; Nochlin, Linda (1976). Women Artists: 1550–1950. New York: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Knopf. ISBN 0-394-41169-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Simon, Robert B. (1986). "The Identity of Sofonisba Anguissola's "Young Man"". The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery. 44: 117–122. ISSN 0083-7156.
- ^ a b c d e f "Portrait of Marquess Massimiliano Stampa". Walters Art Museum.
- ^ Ferino-Pagden, Sylvia; Kusche, Maria (1995). Sofonisba Anguissola: A Renaissance Woman. National Museum of Women in the Arts. ISBN 0-940979-31-4
- ^ Chadwick, Whitney (1990). Women, Art, and Society. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-20354-7.
- ^ Pizzagalli, Daniela (2003). La signora della pittura: vita di Sofonisba Anguissola, gentildonna e artista nel Rinascimento, Milano, Rizzoli. ISBN 88-17-99509-6.
- ^ a b "Dogs in Art Symbolism, Survival, and Companionship. - Document - Gale General OneFile". go.gale.com. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Fredrika H. (1994-04). "Woman's Capacity to Create: The Unusual Case of Sofonisba Anguissola*". Renaissance Quarterly. 47 (1): 74–101. doi:10.2307/2863112. ISSN 0034-4338.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c "Anguissola Paintings, Bio, Ideas". The Art Story. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
- ^ Perlingieri, Ilya Sandra (1992). Sofonisba Anguissola. Rizzoli International. ISBN 0-8478-1544-7.
References
[edit]Description/Subject:
https://app.fta.art/artwork/771f36108058af0400b2752d0c67de7e64ce4f0c
- general brief summary (description/subject)
https://art.thewalters.org/detail/1377/portrait-of-marquess-massimiliano-stampa/
- description, inscription, & provenance
Idenitity of figures:
Simon, R. B. (1986). The Identity of Sofonisba Anguissola’s “Young Man.” The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, 44, 117–122. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20169025
Symbolism:
Dogs in Art Symbolism, Survival, and Companionship. (2022, January). Artists Magazine, 70. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A734725105/ITOF?u=csus_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=18a51
Attribution:
de Tolnay, C. (1941). Sofonisba Anguissola and Her Relations with Michelangelo. The Journal of the Walters Art Gallery, 4, 114–119. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20168754
Jacobs, F. H. (1994). Woman’s Capacity to Create: The Unusual Case of Sofonisba Anguissola*. Renaissance Quarterly, 47(1), 74–101. https://doi.org/10.2307/2863112
heres looking at me - "commonly held ideas of the period. One was that the existence of a woman artist in Renaissance Italy was a social marvel"
Books: tbd if will use need to pick up material from library
Sofonisba's lesson : a Renaissance artist and her work / By: Cole, Michael Wayne
Women, art, and society / By: Chadwick, Whitney
Women artists, 1550-1950 / By: Harris, Ann Sutherland,