Starting from the two portraits engraved by Francesco Villamena, the author was able to resolve the question of the identity of the Swiss guards Giovanni Alto and Giovanni Grosso - two of the most famous ciceroni of baroque Rome of which memory remains - long debated by scholars. Here for the first time and with the help of heraldry it was possible to distinguish Alto from Grosso, often mistaken as the same person. In addition, the analysis of Alto's Stammbuch preserved in the Vatican Library and the discovery of his unpublished will has made it possible to better understand the history of the volume of Giacomo Lauro's Antiquae Urbis splendor, in which both the Ciceroni are depicted, and to specify Alto's role in the 1637 and 1641 editions, until now considered to be the work of the Roman printer, but in reality the result of the direct intervention of the Swiss guard, not only as curator of the volumes but also as owner of the engraved branches, later bequeathed to his sons.
Partendo dai due ritratti incisi da Francesco Villamena, l’autore ha potuto dirimere la questione dell’identità delle guardie svizzere Giovanni Alto e Giovanni Grosso – due dei più noti ciceroni della Roma barocca di cui resta memoria – a lungo dibattuta dalla critica. Qui per la prima volta e con l’aiuto dell’araldica è stato possibile distinguere Alto da Grosso, spesso scambiati per la stessa persona. Inoltre l’analisi dello Stammbuch di Alto conservato in Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana e il ritrovamento del suo inedito testamento ha permesso di comprendere meglio la storia del volume dell’Antiqua Urbis splendor di Giacomo Lauro, in cui entrambi i ciceroni sono raffigurati, e precisare il ruolo di Alto nelle edizioni del 1637 e del 1641, finora ritenute sola opera dello stampatore romano, ma in realtà frutto del diretto intervento della guardia svizzera, non solo curatore dei volumi ma anche proprietario dei rami incisi, lasciati poi in eredità ai figli.
Giovanni Alto non è Giovanni Grosso. Nuove considerazioni sui ciceroni svizzeri di Lucerna e l’Antiquae Urbis Splendor di Giacomo Lauro
Adriano Amendola
2020-01-01
Abstract
Starting from the two portraits engraved by Francesco Villamena, the author was able to resolve the question of the identity of the Swiss guards Giovanni Alto and Giovanni Grosso - two of the most famous ciceroni of baroque Rome of which memory remains - long debated by scholars. Here for the first time and with the help of heraldry it was possible to distinguish Alto from Grosso, often mistaken as the same person. In addition, the analysis of Alto's Stammbuch preserved in the Vatican Library and the discovery of his unpublished will has made it possible to better understand the history of the volume of Giacomo Lauro's Antiquae Urbis splendor, in which both the Ciceroni are depicted, and to specify Alto's role in the 1637 and 1641 editions, until now considered to be the work of the Roman printer, but in reality the result of the direct intervention of the Swiss guard, not only as curator of the volumes but also as owner of the engraved branches, later bequeathed to his sons.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.