Monstra della giostra fatta nel Teatro di Palazzo ridotto in questa forma da S.ra di N. S. Pio 4°...

Monstra della giostra fatta nel teatro di Palazzo ridotto in questa forma dalla S.à di N.S. Pio 4.o come si vede nella stampa della pianta, con le sue mesure.

Tournament held in the Cortile del Belvedere on 5 March 1565.

Etching, 1565, lettered with title in cartouche at the top, and on the balustrade in the foreground 'Ant. Lafreri formis' and at right 'HCB fecit'.

Example of the first state of four according with Alberti and Rubach, before the Paolo Graziani imprint.

“This print shows the Belvedere courtyard of the Vatican on Monday 5 March 1565, with the tournament that was organized as part of the celebrations for the marriage of Annibale Altemps and Ortensia Borromeo. Cirni described the jousting in a letter to Cosimo de' Medici dated 14 March 1565 (Cirni, 1898). We are told that various horses were killed but none of the knights. The Pope himself did not appear publicly at the event. Less than two years after the closure of the Council of Trent, it was no doubt felt inappropriate that he should take part in a profane performance of this kind. However, the purpose of the joust, according to Cirni, was high-minded. Through such a worthy competition it was hoped to awaken the desire for military glory and in particular to inspire people to go out to fight the Turks (Cirni,1898, p.12). It is interesting in that regard to notice that one of the judges was Marcantonio Colonna, victor over the Turks at Lepanto in 1571. Reference is made in the inscription to a plan; this is a ground plan of the lower court of the Belvedere, with the tracks for the joust laid out, published by Lafreri in 1565 (Huelsen, 1921, p.162, no.101). The researchs of Smyth and Millon into the progress of building of the new St Peter's make it likely that the drawing on which the present print depended can have been made no earlier than the end of 1565 (Millon and Smyth, 1988, pp.226-27). If this is correct, then the print was made as a memorial some months after the event that it records. Some records of the event must have been available earlier, however, for Vincenzo Borghini bought a copy of a print showing the joust as well as 'un libretto di stanze di una giostra di roma' on 16 March 1565. Bertoli identified the latter as the 'Descrittione de la giostra fatta da l'ill.mo...Annibale Altaemps...', Rome, A. Blado, 1565 (Bertoli, 1993, pp.320-21). In 1565, Dupérac too had produced a view of the tournament for Lafreri. He showed the scene from the other side, that is from the papal palace looking north (Huelsen, 1921, p.162, no.100).

The identification of the author of this print - who signed himself with the monogram HCB - has been controversial. Nagler refuted the older attribution to Jacob Binck on the grounds that he was in Königsberg in 1559. Huelsen suggested that the engraver was Hendrik van Cleve (Henricus Clivensis Belga); but the problem with that suggestion is that he did not normally sign his prints in this fashion” (Text from Michael Bury, 'The Print in Italy 1550-1620', BM 2001 cat.111).

“La splendida e rarissima acquaforte riproduce il torneo di Belvedere. Il cortile venne adibito a circo e decorato con un apparato effimero per fare da corona all’evento. Si ricavarono due tribune semicircolari una per gli uomini e l’altra per le donne. La maggior parte dei fastosi costumi della parata furono disegnati da Giulio Clovio (1498-1578) al servizio del cardinale Alessandro Farnese, il Clovio godeva di un’immensa fama tra i contemporanei. Secondo Vasari, Clovio «ha fatto tante egrege opere miniate, le quali si possono mettere fra i miracoli che si veggono oggi nel mondo in quella professione, come ne fa fede uno offiziuolo fatto di storie, che sono divine di colorito e di disegno perfettamente dalle sue dotte mani condotte e lavorate». Al torneo accorsero circa 5.000 persone e la fama dell’evento ebbe un’eco rilevante. L’autore dell’incisione è molto controverso come anche il monogramma che viene sciolto con HCB, ma potrebbe, leggersi HIB, come ipotizzato dalla Borroni Salvadori, tipico della sigla di Jacob Binck, si veda in particolare De Angelis (1809), p. 269 e il Benezit (1999), II, p. 323. Le fonti non concordano riguardo al luogo e alla data del decesso: De Angelis indica la morte di Binck a Roma intorno al 1560, mentre il Benezit e Mario Rotili datano il decesso a Könjsberg nel 1569. Inoltre, essendo molto variegata l’opera incisoria di Binck, l’attribuzione dell’acquaforte non può sciogliersi in modo sicuro” (cf. Marigliani, Lo Splendore di Roma nell’Arte incisoria del Cinquecento, VIII.17).

A fine impression, rich in tones, printed on two sheets of contemporary laid paper, joined and without watermark, trimmed to copperplate, traces of glue and small restorations visible on verso, otherwise in good condition.

Bibliografia

Hollstein, German engravings, etchings and woodcuts c.1400-1700 (261.I) (as Binck)(261.I); Huelsen, Das Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae des Antonio Lafreri (100.a); Michael Bury, 'The Print in Italy 1550-1620', BM 2001 cat.111; Passavant 1860-64, Le Peintre-Graveur (IV.96.3); Marigliani, Lo Splendore di Roma nell’Arte incisoria del Cinquecento, VIII.17; Alberti, Indice Lafrery, n. 98 I/IV; Rubach, Lafreri Formis Romae: Der Verleger Antonio Lafreri und seine Druckgraphikproduktionn, 373 I/IV.