Lot 88: Amedeo VIII, Duke of Savoia, (1383-1451) with King Charles VI, King of France (1368-1422)

ISIDORO BIANCHI (CAMPIONE D'ITALIA 1581-1662 MILAN) Amedeo VIII, Duke of Savoia, (1383-1451) with King Charles VI, King of France (1368-1422) oil on panel 17 x 12 in. (43.2 x 30.5 cm.) with inscription 'La leggenda che sta sopra pare debba inter- pretarsi così: il Re Carlo sesto travagliato neè suoi stati dalle fattioni di Orleans e Borgogna chiama il Conte di Savoia Amedeo 8 o detto il Pacifico. esso fu me- diatore della pace di Bicestre et fà la pace. i Duchi di Borgogna e di Beri si pre sentano al Re doppo la pace fatta et hanno altri Principi atorno di essi [...]' (on a label on the reverse)

This lot is offered without reserve.
VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 17.5% on the buyer's premium.
This panel probably relates to the decoration of the Sala di Amedeo VIII, also called Sala dell'Incoronazione, in the Castello di Rivoli, near Turin. The frescoes were executed mainly by Isidoro Bianchi, with the assistance of his sons Francesco and Pompeo. Payments for the decoration are documented from circa 1623 to 1633.

The Castello di Rivoli was first recorded in 1159 and Amedeo IV (1197-1254) was the first member of the Savoia family to reside in the castle. A major project to restore the building was started during the second half of the 16th Century and was continued the following century by the architects Carlo and Amedeo di Castellamonte, who were also involved with the refurbishment of the Castello del Valentino, Turin, at the same time. Isidoro Bianchi was commissioned to decorate both residences, with frescoes celebrating the history of the Savoia family.

The programme of the decoration of the Sala dell'Incoronazione in the Castello di Rivoli was organised around the exploits of Amedeo VIII. Known also as il Pacifico (the Peaceful), a reference to his diplomatic skills, he is depicted in this panel negotiating an accord between King Charles VI of France and the families of Bourgogne and Orléans. He was elevated to Ducal status by the Emperor Sigismondo in 1416 and his territories flourished under his government. The University was founded in Turin in 1408, and in 1430 he promulgated the Statuta Sabaudiae, a corpus of laws governing the territories under his jurisdiction. In 1434, he abdicated in favour of his son and heir, Lodovico, and retired into a solitary existence in Ripaglia. In the same year he founded the Order of Saint Maurice. In 1439, the Council of Basel elected him as alternative pope to Pope Eugene IV. He took the name of Felix V and continued in opposition as the Anti-pope until Eugene IV's death in 1449, after which he renounced his claims to the papacy and served as a Cardinal.
The beginning of Isidoro Bianchi's career is strongly connected with the decoration of the Savoia residences and the churches related to the family. Very little is known of Isidoro's artistic training; the only reference to him as an artist is in a document related to a lost decoration in the Monastry of Santa Maria dell'Acquafredda, in the early 17th century. He is recorded in Prague in 1605, but in 1606 was back in Italy, working in the church of Santo Stefano in Viggiù. Some years later he met Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli, il Morazzone, whose style made a great impression on him and with whom he started working in the Castello di Rivoli in 1623. Isidoro Bianchi won much appreciation as a painter: he was nominated Pittore di Sua Altezza in 1631 and Knight of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus in 1634. He remained active in Piedmont and Lombardy until his death in 1662.

Other small panels en grisaille by Isidoro are known and should also be connected to the prestigious commissions of Rivoli and Valentino. A small number were exhibited in Campione d'Italia in 2003 (see Isidoro Bianchi di Campione. 1581-1662, 13 April-15 June 2003, pp. 92-7, nos. 3-5).