A prominent writer, a master painter, and a treasure of art that for centuries had been largely neglected are brought brilliantly to life in this first important study of one of the great legacies of Renaissance art. The immense castle at Cataio, about thirty-five miles from Venice, was built between 1570 and 1573. An extraordinary series of frescoes, painted in 1573, covers the walls of six of its palatial halls. Programmed by Giuseppe Betussi, the forty frescoes depict momentous events in the history of the Obizzi family from 1004 to 1422. Executed by Giambattista Zelotti and assistants, the frescoes, plus ceiling decorations, are painted in a Mannerist, highly illusionist style with such skill that the walls seem to be windows through which one views battle scenes, weddings, political negotiations, and other episodes in the dramatic history of the Obizzi family.Now one of the most distinguished scholars of Italian art takes readers room by room, fresco by fresco, on the first guided tour of this Betussi-Zelotti masterpiece. Writing with characteristic clarity, Irma Jaffe combines art history, iconography, formal analysis, Italian history, and the story of the Obizzi family in a richly detailed esthetic, social and historical introduction to the entire series.Describing and explaining with spirit and authority the composition and meaning of each fresco-each illustrated with full color plates-Jaffe also illuminates the fascinating decorations on the ceilings and overdoors of the great rooms. In figures that personify virtues and vices, to comment on the events painted on the walls beneath them, the values of sixteenth century Italy are reflected with uncommon clarity in both the fresco saga and the decorations above.A full understanding of Mannerism and sixteenth century painting must now include the contribution of Battista Zelotti. In the scenes at Cataio he reveals the possibilities available to Mannerist style in his countless poses of the human figure and of horses, in his variety of settings---indoor and outdoor, land and sea---and in the range of preeminent sixteenth century values such as family rank and pride, personal courage, and religion that are expressed in his Saga of the Obizzi family. Zelotti's masterpiece carries the artificiality inherent in Mannerism to a new level of theatrical drama. Viewing the scenes of fierce battles, magnificent weddings, assassinations, and triumph after triumph, suggests to modern viewers something of the splendor of grand opera.For Renaissance scholars and students, for art historians, for travelers and art lovers interested in the heritage of the Renaissance in Italy and in the glorious estates of the Veneto, Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio: The Obizzi Saga will be an indispensable introduction and guide to a treasure hidden in plain sight for many years.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Fresco by fresco, Ms. Jaffe explains the genesis of the heroic gestures, gory battles and sumptuous ceremonies depicted in the cycle, which was commissioned to celebrate the long history of the noble Obizzi family, dating to 1104." -- The New York Times, March 13, 2008
"Irma Jaffe has given us a rich, enlightening chapter in the history of Mannerism. Her fascinating Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio is an unforgettable reading of the cycle, of forty frescoes on the walls of six great galleries in the walls of the castle of Cataio, so near to Padua. This is a memorable volume. Its photographs of all the forty frescoes, by Battista Zelotti, now provide us with a precious chapter in the history of art. It is in the "spirit" of re-discovering that she enriches our vision of indelible paintings and ceiling and over-door decorations that document the world of the Obizzi family. Her care, her patience, her thorough dedication to the task enlightening documentation enriches us--unforgettably." -- Allen Mandelbaum, Wake Forest University
"Irma Jaffe's amazing book makes us realize that history can be both a visual and a narrative art. With amazing skill, she blends the two realities together so we are drawn into Italy's vivid dramatic past. Every reader will feel transported as well as enthralled." -- Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution
"With Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio one of the great monumental cycles of the late Renaissance is finally being fully published. Giambattista Zelotti's frescoes in the Castello del Catajo near Padua document the long history of the noble family of the Obizzi. As Irma Jaffe demonstrates, the iconographic program conceived by Giuseppe Betussi combines historical narrative and political allegory in a way that offers an iconographic summa of Renaissnce culture in the Veneto. The publication of these paintings confirms Zelotti's stature as a fresco painter, a worthy companion to his compatriot, Paolo Veronese." -- David Rosand, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History, Columbia University
"Irma Jaffe has given us a rich, enlightening chapter in the history of Mannerism. Her fascinating Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio is an unforgettable reading of the cycle, of forty frescoes on the walls of six great galleries in the walls of the castle of Cataio, so near to Padua. This is a memorable volume. Its photographs of all the forty frescoes, by Battista Zelotti, now provide us with a precious chapter in the history of art. It is in the "spirit" of re-discovering that she enriches our vision of indelible paintings and ceiling and over-door decorations that document the world of the Obizzi family. Her care, her patience, her thorough dedication to the task enlightening documentation enriches us--unforgettably." -- Allen Mandelbaum, Wake Forest University
"Irma Jaffe's amazing book makes us realize that history can be both a visual and a narrative art. With amazing skill, she blends the two realities together so we are drawn into Italy's vivid dramatic past. Every reader will feel transported as well as enthralled." -- Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty! The American Revolution
"With Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio one of the great monumental cycles of the late Renaissance is finally being fully published. Giambattista Zelotti's frescoes in the Castello del Catajo near Padua document the long history of the noble family of the Obizzi. As Irma Jaffe demonstrates, the iconographic program conceived by Giuseppe Betussi combines historical narrative and political allegory in a way that offers an iconographic summa of Renaissnce culture in the Veneto. The publication of these paintings confirms Zelotti's stature as a fresco painter, a worthy companion to his compatriot, Paolo Veronese." -- David Rosand, Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History, Columbia University
About the Author
IRMA B. JAFFE's books include Joseph Stella; Baroque Art and the Jesuit Contribution; The Italian Presence in American Art; Shining Eyes, Cruel Fortune: The Lives and Loves of Italian Renaissance Women Poets; and Giuseppe Betussi and Eleanora Falletti, Polygraph and Poet at the Dawn of Popular Literature. The recipient of many awards and grants, she founded the department of Art and Music at Fordham University, where she is Professor Emerita of Art History.
GERNANDO COLOMBARDO taught art history at Fordham University for many years.
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