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Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/206

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SQUARCIONE— STEFANI. 175 dered to have been one of the commis- sions of Squarcione, executed by his numerous scholars. In the Manfrini Gallery, at Venice, there is a Madonna and Child, with a monk as donor — a hard quattrocento work, marked with name, and the date 1442. Squarcione signed his name Mri. Squareioni Fran- cisci opus. In the Palazzo del Gonsiglio, at Verona, there is a picture of similar character by Squarcione, of the Em- peror Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl. In the Gasa Malvezzi, in Bo- logna, was a picture of San Domenico, seated at table with some monks of his order, signed — Francesco Squarcione, 1430. Squarcione left two sons, Gio- vanni and Bernardino; the latter be- came an eminent painter in his time. {Vasari, Moschini.) STANZIONI, Cav, Massimo, b, at Naples, 1585, d, 1656. Neapolitan School. Scholar of Gio. Battista Ca- racciolo : he commenced his career as a portrait-painter. He studied the works of Annibal Carracci, at Home, where he formed an intimacy with Guido, whose colouring he attempted to combine with the more vigorous drawing of Annibal ; hence he acquired the appellation of II Guido di Napoli, He also resembles Domenichino and Santafede, in some of his better works. On his return to Naples he adopted the more forcible style pre- vailing at the time, through the influ- ence of the celebrated cabal of Carac- ciolo, Corenzio, and Bibera, who had adopted much of the style of Garavag- gio. But Lanfranco also stimulated the rivab7 of Massimo; and in some of his works, as in the paintings of the chapel of San Bruno, in the Gar- thusian church of San Martino, on the hill of Sant Elmo at Naples, Stanzioni surpasses these masters in elevation of style. Here, in the sacristy, is the Descent from the Gross, which was partly destroyed by Spagnoletto, who persuaded the monks toi clean it, and mixed an acid with the water. Stan- zioni declined to restore the picture; he preferred to leave it as a monument of the invidious malice of the little Spaniard. Though adhering to the truth and force of the naturalistic style, . these works display a higher character of beauty and repose, and a noble sim- plicity and distinctness of form, com- bined with an excellence of colour rarely to be met with in this period of decline,. The Miracle of St. Januarius in San Gennaro, the cathedral in the Gappella del Tesoro, is by some ac- counted his master-piece ; San Bruno promulgating the Bules of his Order in the already-mentioned chapel of that saint, is also one of his principal works. Many of his easel pictures are in the Studj Gallery and other collections at Naples. He painted in fresco the vaults of the churches of San Paolo and the Gesu Nuovo. In the Louvre is a representation of St Sebastian by him. Stanzioni wrote a compendious account of the painters of Naples, which came afterwards into the hands of Dominici,* who has incorporated it in his own work on the Neapolitan artists. {Dominici.y STARNINA, Gheraedo, ft. at Flo- rence, 1354, living 1408. Tuscan School. A scholar of Antonio Veneziano. He spent some time in Spain, and exe- cuted some works for the Spanish Gourt; an Adoration of the Magi is still in the Escurial. He returned rich to Florence. There are still some re- mains of frescoes by Stamina on the vault of the Gastellian Chapel in the church of Santa Crooe ; they are from the Life of Sant' Antonio. ( VasarL) STEFANI, ToMMASO de', b, at Na- ples, 1230, d. 1310. Neapolitan SchooL He is the first Neapolitan painter men- tioned, of the period of the restoration of the art in Italy, and a contemporary of Gimabue. He is supposed by some