STORIA DI PADOVA -- Luca Ferrari da Reggio -- VILLA SELVATICO EMO CAPODILISTA

Speranza

It was BEDOGNI who suggested the name of LUCA DA REGGIO to BENEDETTO SELVATICO, who engaged him to decorate the transept hall on the second floor of his villa.

The selected theme was episodes from the life of ANTENOR, the mythological founder of the cvity of PADOVA.

This is inspired by Lorenzo PIGNORIA's book, "Le origine di PADOVA", published in 1625.

The scenes are displayed on the walls of the vast space in FOUR LARGE compartments.

The dado bloew the compartments, painted in faux marmorino, circles the perimeter of the room.

Beneath each painting is a cartouche framing a description -- IN LATIN (or old Italian) -- of the depicted event.

I. THE FLIGHT OF ANTENOR FROM TROY

II. LYCAON CONSECRATING THE DAGGER OF APOLLO

III. THE VICTORY OF ANTENOR OVER VALESIO, king of the ILLYRIANS.

IV. THE FOUNDING OF PADOVA.

The entire cycle has a dreamlike quality.

The events unfold through the simple compositional scheme of a succession of planes, almost like theatre backdrops.

The finely rendered figures are enveloped in a luminous atmosphere filled with Veronesesque warmth.

THe expressive idiom, which unites a chilly classicism with a Baroque enthusiasm, is particularly apparent in (I).

The city of Troy consumed in flames, is depicted in soft focus, as though through a theatre scrim, against which the profile of the famous wooden horse emerges.

This backdrop is contrasted in the foreground by a procession of figures striking detached, almost rigid poses devoid of dramatic tension.

Amid the crowd one can make out the figure of ANTENOR, depicted in conformity with the poetic physical description provided by PIGNORIA's text -- a 'vigorous man', 'with little blue eyes'.

A dog, crouching at his feet, is the symbol of fideltity.

The dog's proud, watchful gaze looking beyond the frame.

On the left side, porters are waiting to load baggage aboard the departing boats.

In (II) MINERVA, dressed in armour and settled comfortably on a cloud, dominates the background, protecting the Trojan fleet as it sets out to open sea, sails unfurled.

The consecration ceremony takes place in the foreground, where ANTENOR's son, LYCAON, kneels before a slender statue of Apollo that stands on a cylindrical pedestal embellished in delicate relief.

ANTENOR is shown from the back, his face turned toward the marble representation of the god, and his arm pointing to the ships in the distance.

In (III) things ppear more agitated, as FERRARI skillfully manages to suggest the violence of the conflict through "the crush of horses" excited by the battle, which seems equally to resemble a chivalrous tournament with many spectators watching from the parapets of the castle and bridge above.

The narration reaches its culmination with (IV).

ANTENOR makes his entrance seated upon a magnificent steed.

ANTENOR points out to those present a building site crowded with workers who are scrambling about the scaffolding constructing walls.

To the side of the large building one can glimpse a plow drawn by mournful oxen that have just outlined the sacred perimeter of the new city under construction.