in the cathedral of Spello, in the Siena gallery, at Florence, at Perugia, and in other collections
In 1501 Pinturicchio painted several fine frescoes in S. Maria Maggiore at Spello-all very decorative and full of elaborate architectural accessories One of them, the Annunciation, is signed “Bernardinvs Pintvrichivs Pervsinvs." The most striking of all Pinturicchio’s frescoes, both for brilliance of colour and their wonderful state of preservation, are those in the cathedral library at Siena, a large room built in 1495 by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini, afterwards Pius III. In 1502 the cardinal contracted with Pinturicchio to decorate the whole room with arabesques on the vault, and on the walls ten scenes from the life of Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, Pius II., the uncle of Cardinal Francesco.
The contract specially provided that the cartoons, their transference on to the walls, and all the heads, were to be by Pinturicchio’s own hand, thus contradicting Vasari’s assertion that the cartoons were the work of Raphael. The document (provides for the price of these frescoes, namely one thousand gold ducats, to be paid in various instalments. The work was begun early in 1503, but was interrupted for a while by the death of Pius III. His will, however, provided for the completion of the work by his executors, and the whole series were finished in 1507. The subjects are (1) the journey of the young Sylvlus Plccolomini to the Council of Basel, in the suite of Cardinal Capranica; (2) his reception by James I of Scotland as envoy from the Council of Basel; (3) his being crowned with the poet’s laurel by Frederick III; (4) his reception by Pope Eugenius IV as ambassador from Frederick III; (5) outside the wall of Siena he presents to Frederick III. his bride Leonora, infanta of Portugal, (6) he receives the cardinal’s hat from Pope Calixtus III, (7) he is borne in procession after his election as Pope Pius II; (8) he presides at a council at Mantua; (9) he canonizes St Catherine of Siena; (10) he arrives in Ancona to promote the crusade against the Turks. In addition to these there is, outside the library, over the door, the coronation of Pius III. In the lower part of the scene of St Catherine’s canonization he has introduced his own portrait, and standing by him is a youth who bears some resemblance to Raphael.
In 1508 Pinturicchio painted another panel of the Madonna enthroned among saints for the church of the Minori Conventuali at Spello. It is now over the altar in the sacristy. On his return to Siena he painted a whole series of frescoes on the walls of the Palazzo Petrucci, now all destroyed except one scene of the return of Ulysses to Penelope (or possibly Collatinus and Lucretia), which is now in the National Gallery of London, transferred to canvas One of his last works, painted in 1513, the year of his death, is a very beautiful and highly finished panel with Christ bearing His Cross, now in the Palazzo Borromeo in Milan. Pinturicchio married Grania di Niccolò, and had by her to sons and four daughters, there is probably no truth in the story of his being starved by his wife during his last illness.
Pinturicchio’s worth as a painter has been for the most part undervalued, partlv owing to the very strong prejudice and dislike which tinges Vasari’s biography of him. Even Crowe and Cavalcaselle hardly did him justice. A fairer estimate of his position in the history of art is given by Vermiglioli, Memorie di Pinturicchio (Perugia, 1837), and in the valuable notes and appendix of Milanesi’s edition of Vasari, in 493–531 (Florence, 1878). See also Schmarsow, Raphael und Pinturicchio in Siena (Stuttgart, 1880), and Pinturicchio in Rom (Stuttgart, 1882), both well illustrated by photo-lithography. (J. H. M.)
PINWELL, GEORGE JOHN (1842–1875), British water-colour painter, was born at Wycombe, and educated at Heatherley’s Academy. He is one of the most interesting personalities in the little group of water-colour painters which included Frederick Walker and A. B. Houghton, a group whose style was directly derived from the practice of drawing upon wood for book illustration. He was one of the most delightful book illustrators of his day, poetic in imagination, with considerable inventive pow er and an admirable sense of colour. As he died young his works are few, but their promise was so great that had he lived he would probably have attained a very high position His early life was one of considerable privation. In 1862 he entered at Heatherley’s studio and there obtained his art education. His earliest drawings appeared in Lilliput Levée. He did a little work for Fun and executed several designs for the silversmiths, Elkingtons. In 1863 his first drawing appeared in Once a Week, and from that time his work was in constant demand. There are many of his compositions in Good Words, The Sunday Magazine, The Quiver and London Society, but his most important productions made for the Dalziel brothers were illustrations of Goldsmith, of Jean Ingelow’s poems, Robert Buchanan’s Ballads of the Affections, and the Arabian Nights.
Of Pinwell’s pictures in colour, which are distinguished by a remarkable, jewel-like quality and marked by his strong love of pure, bright colour and opalescent effect, the chief are the two scenes from the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Gilbert à Becket’s Troth, Out of Tune or The Old Cross, A Seat in St James’s Park, and The Elixir of Life.
In 1874 Pinwell fell seriously ill and went to Africa for the winter. He painted several remarkable pictures at Tangier, but his strength gradually broke down and he returned to die in his wife’s arms on the 8th of September 1875. Pinwell was an exhibitor at the Dudley gallery, and in 1869 was elected associate of the Royal Water-Colour Society and full member in 1870; to this gallery he contributed fifty-nine works. A posthumous exhibition of his works was held in 1876 in Bond Street.
See Life of George J. Pinwell, by George C. Williamson, quarto, 1900. (G. C. W.)
PINZON, a family of wealthy Spanish navigators, of Palos in Andalusia, three members of which—Martin Alonzo, Francisco and Vicente Yanez, brothers—were associated with Columbus in the discovery of America.
Martin Alonzo Pinzon, born about the middle of the 15th century, gave material assistance to Columbus in carrying out his project. “If Colon was the head, Pinzon was the right arm” (Asensio). In the expedition of 1492 he commanded the “Pinta," on which his brother Francisco was pilot; another brother, Vicente Yanez, commanded the “Nina.” On the 6th of October Martin Alonzo suggested to Columbus (when already in the longitude of the Bermudas) to change the course of the expedition from due west to south-west; on the 7th of October this suggestion—strengthened by the observation of a flight of birds to the south-west-was adopted, bringing the fleet, four days later, to the landfall at Guanahani (San Salvador, Watling Island) in the Bahamas (Oct. 12, 1492). On the 21st of November 1492, near the east end of the north coast of Cuba, Martin Alonzo left Columbus, making eastward in search of the gold-land of which they had heard the natives speak. On the 6th of January 1493 he rejoined the admiral, who accepted his excuses. But on the return journey he again left his leader, and when Columbus arrived at Palos on the 15th of March 1493 he learned that Alonzo had already landed at Bayona in Galicia. If his object was to forestall Columbus and pose as discoverer of the New World, he was foiled, audience was refused him by Ferdinand and Isabella; and soon after he died, perhaps of chagrin.
Vicente Yañez Pinzon, who commanded the “Nina” in 1492–1493, also gave Columbus material help, and remained loyal to his leader throughout In after years he made important discoveries on his own account. Late in December 1499 he sailed with four caravels across the Atlantic to the south-west, and on the 7th of February 1500 he struck the South American continent at Cape S. Agostinho, near its most easterly projection (called by him Cape Santa Maria de la Consolacion) almost three months before the Portuguese navigator Cabral reached Brazil, the discovery of which is generally attributed to him. Proceeding southwards a short distance, he then turned north, followed the coast to the north-west, discovered the Amazon estuary, and went at least as far as what is now Costa Rica. After touching at Haiti, and losing two of his vessels among the Bahamas, Vicente returned to Palos in the end of September 1500. Although concessions were made to him, and he was created governor of the newly discovered lands by Ferdinand and Isabella, he does not seem to have ever taken possession. In 1507 we find Vicente sailing with Juan Diaz de Solis along the east coast of Central America. In 1509, again with De Solis, he coasted the Atlantic side of South America as far as the La Plata estuary, hoping to find an opening westwards leading to the Spice Islands. According to Herrera, he even reached 40° S.,
