Date
1884
Object Type
Painting
Subject
Portrait of Francesco Zambeletti
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
About The Work
The portrait was donated to the Brera Academy in 1966 by the son of the sitter, Giulio Zambeletti, as part of his bequest. The work portrays one of the prominent figure of Milan’s entrepreneurial bourgeoisies during late-nineteenth-century, a collector and protagonist of the city's artistic life. Brother of Lodovico Zambeletti, founder of a pharmaceutical company, Francesco participated in the activities of the Società per le Belle Arti ed Esposizione Permanente in Milan, serving on its governing council and distinguishing himself for his support to artists. His special relationship with Tallone is also evidenced by the portrait of his son Ludovico, depicted at the age of three and later destined to become the painter's pupil.
Dated 1884, the Portrait of Francesco Zambeletti was executed shortly after Tallone's debut at the Esposizione Nazionale di Belle Arti in Rome (1883). In that occasion the artist triumphed with the large historical painting Una vittoria del cristianesimo ai tempi di Alarico (A Victory of Christianity in the Time of Alaric), which was purchased by Prince Marcantonio Borghese. In the same exhibition the portrait of his friend, the engraver and niellator Luigi Bernasconi, enjoyed ever broader success. It was the latter, admired by critics and immediately purchased for the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, that marked the beginning of Tallone's success as a portraitist. Another version of the Luigi Bernasconi portrait was created during the same period (Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera), as well as the Ritratto di Emilio Bernasconi, Luigi's father (Novara, Galleria Giannoni). These are similar works in terms of format and composition, in which the figures emerge with plastic force from the shadows through a rich and full-bodied pictorial mixture. Critics immediately recognised the modernity of a language of frank naturalism, capable of combining study from real life with reflection on 16th- and 17th-century models.
In the case of the portrait of Francesco Zambeletti, the unconventional pose and the gesture of the hand brought to the chin, which seem to emphasise the pensive psychology of the character, confer an unusual strength of the painting.
With this pictorial formula, Tallone quickly made a name for himself as a portraitist, very sought after by the entrepreneurial bourgeoisie of Lombardy, while his academic career took off. In 1885, he was appointed Professore di Pittura (Professor of painting) at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo. In 1899, he assumed a prestigious position at Brera, succeeding his renowned teacher, Giuseppe Bertini. Additionally, there is a mention of a preparatory sketch that was presented, though not exhibited, at a commemorative exhibition of the artist that was organised by the Academy in 1921.
Dated 1884, the Portrait of Francesco Zambeletti was executed shortly after Tallone's debut at the Esposizione Nazionale di Belle Arti in Rome (1883). In that occasion the artist triumphed with the large historical painting Una vittoria del cristianesimo ai tempi di Alarico (A Victory of Christianity in the Time of Alaric), which was purchased by Prince Marcantonio Borghese. In the same exhibition the portrait of his friend, the engraver and niellator Luigi Bernasconi, enjoyed ever broader success. It was the latter, admired by critics and immediately purchased for the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, that marked the beginning of Tallone's success as a portraitist. Another version of the Luigi Bernasconi portrait was created during the same period (Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera), as well as the Ritratto di Emilio Bernasconi, Luigi's father (Novara, Galleria Giannoni). These are similar works in terms of format and composition, in which the figures emerge with plastic force from the shadows through a rich and full-bodied pictorial mixture. Critics immediately recognised the modernity of a language of frank naturalism, capable of combining study from real life with reflection on 16th- and 17th-century models.
In the case of the portrait of Francesco Zambeletti, the unconventional pose and the gesture of the hand brought to the chin, which seem to emphasise the pensive psychology of the character, confer an unusual strength of the painting.
With this pictorial formula, Tallone quickly made a name for himself as a portraitist, very sought after by the entrepreneurial bourgeoisie of Lombardy, while his academic career took off. In 1885, he was appointed Professore di Pittura (Professor of painting) at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo. In 1899, he assumed a prestigious position at Brera, succeeding his renowned teacher, Giuseppe Bertini. Additionally, there is a mention of a preparatory sketch that was presented, though not exhibited, at a commemorative exhibition of the artist that was organised by the Academy in 1921.
Title
Ritratto di Francesco Zambeletti
Creator
Cesare Tallone
Subject
Portrait of Francesco Zambeletti
Object Type
Painting
Original Function
Collection
Date
1884
Inscriptions
Signed and dated lower right: "C. Tallone / Milano 84"
Crest
On the reverse, paper labels: "n. 28/ PROPRIETARIO Zambelletti Francesco / abitante... / TITOLO DELL'OPERA Ritratto del proprietario / Milano 1884"; Mostra celebrativa di Cesare Tallone/ PER IL CENTENARIO DELLA NASCITA / Dicembre 1953-Gennaio 1954/ BERGAMO - Ex Palazzo Comunale/ Titolo dell'opera: Ritratto di Francesco Zambelletti/ Proprietario PIN ZAMBELLETTI / Indirizzo del proprietario Via Satti 24/ Milano"; "N. 475 - ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI DI BRERA / AUTORE Tallone Cesare / SOGGETTO Ritratto di Francesco Zambelletti/ DIPINTO SU olio su tela MISURE cm 58x91"
On the reverse, centre, stamp: "[...] DI TELE E MATERIALI PER PITTORI/ MILANO/ PASSAGGIO CARLO ALBERTO".
On the reverse, centre, stamp: "[...] DI TELE E MATERIALI PER PITTORI/ MILANO/ PASSAGGIO CARLO ALBERTO".
Technique / Support
Oil on canvas
Visual analysis of the technique
The pictorial surface presents a differentiated paint application, with alternating more compact areas and areas treated with overlapping glazes. The modelling of the volumes is achieved through soft and gradual tonal transitions, with particular attention to the rendering of light. The colour scheme is balanced, with a predominance of medium and dark tones in the background, which serve to enhance the main subject. The surface appears to be protected by a final layer of varnish which, having become altered and yellowed prior to the conservation work, compromised the correct chromatic reading of the work. The portrait was executed through a painting technique developed by the artist himself. Following an initial sketch of the work, executed in broad, dark brushstrokes, Tallone proceeded to lighten the painting with numerous touches of varying thickness. As his pupil Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo aptly summarised, 'lightening makes it easier to obtain a clear colour, while darkening makes it dirty'.
Dimensions
cm 91.8 x 58.7
Acquisition
Bequest of Giulio Zambeletti, 1966
Holding institution
Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
Inventory number
1980, 475
Bibliography
Tallone. Catalogo della mostra celebrativa per il centenario della nascita (Bergamo, Palazzo Comunale, 19 December 1953–20 January 1954), edited by Carlo Carrà and Ciro Caversazzi. Bergamo: Stamperia Conti, 1953. Entry no. 29, 38, pl. 20.
Previtera, Maria Angela. Entry no. 715. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 2, Musei e Gallerie di Milano, edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1994. 645–646, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Sergio Rebora. Entry no. 109. In Accoppiamenti giudiziosi. Industria, arte e moda in Lombardia 1830–1945, exhibition catalogue (Varese, Civico Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Varese, Castello di Masnago, 26 November 2004–3 April 2005), edited by Sergio Rebora and Anna Bernardini. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale, 2004. 276, 219 ill.
Tallone, Gigliola. Cesare Tallone. Milano: Skira, 2005. 16, 18 ill.
Previtera, Maria Angela. Entry no. 715. In Pinacoteca di Brera. Dipinti dell’Ottocento e del Novecento. Collezioni dell’Accademia e della Pinacoteca, vol. 2, Musei e Gallerie di Milano, edited by Fernando Mazzocca. Milano: Mondadori Electa, 1994. 645–646, ill. (with previous bibliography).
Sergio Rebora. Entry no. 109. In Accoppiamenti giudiziosi. Industria, arte e moda in Lombardia 1830–1945, exhibition catalogue (Varese, Civico Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Varese, Castello di Masnago, 26 November 2004–3 April 2005), edited by Sergio Rebora and Anna Bernardini. Cinisello Balsamo (Milano): Silvana Editoriale, 2004. 276, 219 ill.
Tallone, Gigliola. Cesare Tallone. Milano: Skira, 2005. 16, 18 ill.
Conservation status
Good
Restoration history
Conservation work carried out in the 2024/2025 academic year as part of Laura Ongaro's Master's Degree Thesis in Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.
Type of intervention:
Preliminary documentation; diagnostic analysis; surface cleaning; paint film consolidation; removal of altered varnish; support work; filling of lacunae; paint restoration; final varnishing; re-framing. Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Luigi Orata, Valentina Parodi
Operator: Laura Ongaro
Scope: Work carried out as part of the Master's Degree Thesis
Funding body: Brera Academy of Fine Arts
Type of intervention:
Preliminary documentation; diagnostic analysis; surface cleaning; paint film consolidation; removal of altered varnish; support work; filling of lacunae; paint restoration; final varnishing; re-framing. Supervisory Authority: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Milan
Internal scientific director: Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Chiara Nenci
Technical director / Qualified restorer: Luigi Orata, Valentina Parodi
Operator: Laura Ongaro
Scope: Work carried out as part of the Master's Degree Thesis
Funding body: Brera Academy of Fine Arts
Diagnostic analysis
2024 visible light photography
2024 raking light photography
2024 UV fluorescence photography
2024 infrared (IR) reflectography
2024 stratigraphic analysis
2024 optical microscopy
2024 FTIR analysis
2024 XRF analysis
2024 raking light photography
2024 UV fluorescence photography
2024 infrared (IR) reflectography
2024 stratigraphic analysis
2024 optical microscopy
2024 FTIR analysis
2024 XRF analysis
Restoration bibliography
Academic Master Degree Thesis in Conservation of Cultural Heritage by Laura Ongaro.
Advisor: Luigi Orata
Co-Advisors: Valentina Parodi
Thesis Title: Il restauro del dipinto "Ritratto di Francesco Zambelletti" di Cesare Tallone (1853-1919) appartenente alle Collezioni dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Academic Year 2024/2025
Advisor: Luigi Orata
Co-Advisors: Valentina Parodi
Thesis Title: Il restauro del dipinto "Ritratto di Francesco Zambelletti" di Cesare Tallone (1853-1919) appartenente alle Collezioni dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Academic Year 2024/2025
Frame, base, secondary support
Historical frame. The frame is fully gilded and carved. The central section features a composition of fruit intertwined with lanceolate leaves, following a neo-Renaissance style popular during the 19th century, adopted both in mass production and by specialist artisans and carvers. Similar frames are frequently found in Tallone's work even at the beginning of the 20th century, as in the case of the Ritratto dell'editore Ettore Baldini [Portrait of Ettore Baldini] (1912, Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera). For more complex frames, the artist turned to his friend and colleague Giuseppe Mentessi (see Cecilia Ghibaudi. “La cornice del ritratto”. In Cesare Tallone, Ritratto dell'editore Ettore Baldini, edited by Fernando Mazzocca and Cecilia Ghibaudi, Skira: Milano 2013. 21-23) The conservation treatment of the frame was carried out during the 2024/2025 academic year at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, as part of Laura Ongaro's Master Degree. Type of intervention:
surface cleaning; removal of altered varnish; consolidation of the wooden support; filling of lacunae; reintegration of gilding; final protection.
surface cleaning; removal of altered varnish; consolidation of the wooden support; filling of lacunae; reintegration of gilding; final protection.
Unique identifier
0302200967