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99-519: The basilica, which would in essence have been completed by 603 when heir to the Lombard throne Adaloald was baptised here by Secundus of Non , is believed to have been commissioned towards the end of the sixth century by the Lombard Queen of Italy, Theodelinda , as a royal chapel to serve the nearby palace. According to the legend she had made a vow to build a church dedicated to Saint John

198-745: A Christian king. His alliance with the Franks, crowned by a symbolic adoption of the young Pepin the Short , and with the Avars, on the eastern borders, allowed him to keep his hand relatively free in the Italian theater, but he soon clashed with the Byzantines and with the Papacy. A first attempt to take advantage of an Arab offensive against Constantinople in 717 achieved few results. Closer relations with

297-482: A cycle of wall-paintings depicting scenes from the life of Christ. George Vertue described the scheme as "a Noble free invention. great force of lights and shade, with variety & freedom, in the composition of the parts". The chapel was demolished in the 19th century, but oil modelli still exist. Ricci also designed stained glass for the Duke of Chandos ' chapel at Cannons . In c.  1710 –15 Ricci painted

396-664: A devastating plague pandemic (541–542). Although the Byzantine Empire eventually prevailed, the triumph proved to be a pyrrhic victory , as all these factors caused the population of the Italian Peninsula to crash, leaving the conquered territories severely underpopulated and impoverished. Although an invasion attempt by the Franks , then allies of the Ostrogoths , late in the war was successfully repelled,

495-574: A dynastic crisis. The succession of Cunipert's minor son, Liutpert , was immediately challenged by the Duke of Turin , Raginpert , the most prominent of the Bavarian dynasty. Raginpert defeated the supporters of Liutpert ( viz. , his tutor Ansprand , Duke of Asti, and the Duke of Bergamo, Rotarit ) in Novara , and, at the beginning of 701, took the throne. However, he died after just eight months, leaving

594-481: A hereditary dynasty failed. The kingdom was subdivided into a varying number of duchies, ruled by semi-autonomous dukes, which were in turn subdivided into gastaldates at the municipal level. The capital of the kingdom and the center of its political life was Pavia in the modern northern Italian region of Lombardy . The Lombard invasion of Italy was opposed by the Byzantine Empire , which had control of

693-640: A large migration by the Lombards , a Germanic people that had been previously allied with the Byzantine Empire, ensued. In the spring of 568 the Lombards, led by King Alboin , moved from Pannonia and quickly overwhelmed the small Byzantine army left by Narses to guard Italy. The Lombard arrival broke the political unity of the Italian Peninsula for the first time since the Roman conquest (between

792-584: A late Mannerist climate we are transported to the decorations of the internal heads of the transepts, starting with the southern one (Albero di Jesse, by Giuseppe Arcimboldi and Giuseppe Meda, 1558) to move on to the northern one (Stories of San Giovanni Battista, by G. Meda and Giovan Battista Fiammenghino, 1580). Inserted in the case in Cornu Evangeli , it is a large 12-foot instrument in the Italian Renaissance style but recently made, by

891-477: A late version of the vigorous and luminous Cortonesque style of grand manner fresco painting. He was the uncle of Marco Ricci (1676 – 1730), who trained with him, and became an innovator in landscape painting . He was born in Belluno , the son of Andreana and Livio Ricci. In 1671, he was apprenticed to Federico Cervelli of Venice . Others claim Ricci's first master was Sebastiano Mazzoni . Indiscretion at

990-497: A man in his entourage who perhaps colluded with the Byzantines. Following Cleph's assassination another king was not appointed, and for a decade dukes ruled as absolute monarchs in their duchies . At this stage, the occupation of the dukes was simply the heads of the various fara (families) of the Lombard people. Not yet firmly associated with the cities, they simply acted independently, also because they were under pressure from

1089-427: A nave and two aisles, separated by octagonal columns with Romanesque capitals and round columns with Baroque capitals. It ends in large apses, and has a series of chapels opening into the aisles. The wall decoration is overwhelmingly Baroque. Other artworks include a choir by Matteo da Campione, the high altar by Andrea Appiani , and the presbytery and transept frescoes by Giuseppe Meda and Giuseppe Arcimboldi . In

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1188-509: A new rebellion, that of the Duke of Friuli, Corvulus , and adopted a strongly pro-Catholic policy. In 712, Ansprand returned to Italy with an army raised in Bavaria, and clashed with Aripert; the battle was uncertain, but the king behaved cowardly and was abandoned by his supporters. He died while trying to escape to the realm of the Franks, and drowned in the Ticino , dragged to the bottom by

1287-519: A novel fashion. It was the young widow Theodelinda who chose the heir to the throne and her new husband: the Duke of Turin , Agilulf . The following year (591) Agilulf received the official investiture from the Assembly of the Lombards , held in Milan . The influence of the queen over Agilulf's policies was remarkable and major decisions are attributed to both. After a rebellion among some dukes in 594

1386-687: A payment of 4,482 Lira. In 1686, the Duke Ranuccio II Farnese of Parma commissioned a Pietà for a new Capuchin convent. In 1687-8 Ricci decorated the apartments of the Parmense Duchess in Piacenza with canvases recounting the life of the Farnese pope, Paul III . Apparently in 1688, Ricci abandoned his wife and daughter, and fled from Bologna to Turin with Magdalen, the daughter of the painter Giovanni Peruzzini . He

1485-529: A power structure, useful only to make forays in search of plunder. In 584 the dukes agreed to crown King Cleph's son, Autari , and delivered to the new monarch half of their property (and then probably getting even with a new crackdown against the surviving Roman property land). Autari was then able to reorganise the Lombards and stabilise their settlement in Italy. He assumed, like the Ostrogoth Kings ,

1584-810: A program established by the Jesuit Bernardino Capriate, he decorated the vaults of the aisles, the triumphal arch and the western walls of the transept. In the right transept is the entrance to the Serpero Museum which houses the treasury with the Iron Crown of Lombardy , and the Late Antique ivory Poet and Muse diptych , of about 500, as well as an internationally important collection of late antique and early medieval works of various kinds, many deposited by Theodelinda herself. These include small metal 6th century ampullae from

1683-594: A rapprochement between Franks and Byzantines, but Autari managed (in 588 and again, despite some severe early setbacks, in the 590s) to repel the resulting Frankish attacks. The period of Autari marked, according to Paul the Deacon , the attainment of the first internal stability in the Lombard kingdom: Erat hoc mirabile in regno Langobardorum: nulla erat violentia, nullae struebantur insidiae; nemo aliquem iniuste angariabat, nemo spoliabat; non erant furta, non latrocinia; unusquisque quo libebat securus sine timore There

1782-442: A young age in 1678 resulted in an unintended pregnancy and, later, a bigger scandal when Ricci was charged with trying to poison the young woman in question to avoid marriage. He was imprisoned, and released only after the intervention of a nobleman, probably a Pisani family member. He eventually married the mother of his child in 1691, although this was a stormy union. Following his release he moved to Bologna , where he lived near

1881-467: Is not until the reign of Ratchis that they became an integral part of royal administration, when the king required their use on passports . The only evidence for their use at the ducal level comes from the Duchy of Benevento , where two private charters contain requests for the duke to confirm them with his seal. The existence of seal rings "testifies to the tenacity of Roman traditions of government". In

1980-496: Is the greatest pictorial achievement of the seventeenth century and sees Stefano Danedi known as Montalto, Isidoro Bianchi, Carlo Cane and Ercole Procaccini the Younger at work, with quadrature by Francesco Villa. The vault of the main nave was instead frescoed at the end of the century by Stefano Maria Legnani known as Legnanino, with squares by Castellino (1693). The ten paintings in the central nave with Stories of Theodolinda and

2079-829: The Basilica of St. John (also known as the Duomo of Monza) and the Royal Palace of Monza, while some masterpieces in gold were created such as the Agilulf Cross , the Hen with seven chicks , the Theodelinda Gospels and the famous Iron Crown (all resident in the Duomo of Monza treasury ). After the death of Agilulf in 616, the throne passed to his son Adaloald, a minor. The regency (which continued even after

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2178-573: The Exarchate to submit to the Lombards. Internally, Rothari strengthened the central power at the expense of the duchies of Langobardia Maior, while in the south the Duke of Benevento, Arechi I (who in turn was expanding Lombard domains), also recognized the authority of the King of Pavia. The memory of Rothari is linked to his famous edict, promulgated in 643 in Pavia by a gairethinx , an assembly of

2277-574: The Holy Land which are evidence of the emerging iconography of medieval art, among them the earliest depictions of the treatments of the Crucifixion and Nativity of Jesus in art that were to become standard throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. Only Bobbio has an equivalent collection of ampullae. The library holds a number of old and important illuminated manuscripts . Apart from

2376-547: The Roccoco to Venice remains incomprehensible in its evolution without Ricci... Tiepolo germinated the work started by Ricci to such a richness and splendor that it leaves Ricci in the shadows... although Sebastiano is recognized in the combative role of forerunner "(Derschau). "He is the master of a resurrected-fifteenth century style, whose painterly features are enriched with nervous express and, typically 17th century" ( Rudolf Wittkower ). Wittkower in his Anthology, contrasts

2475-643: The Three Chapter schism (where the Patriarch of Aquileia had broken communion with Rome), maintained a direct relationship with Gregory the Great (preserved in correspondence between him and Theodelinda) and promote the establishment of monasteries, like the one founded by Saint Columbanus in Bobbio . Even art enjoyed, under Agilulf and Theodelinda, a flourishing season. In architecture Theodelinda founded

2574-643: The Visconti era. The vault is decorated with 14th-century figures of saints and evangelists enthroned. On othe outer arch are depicted Theodelinda with her court venerating Saint John the Baptist. An ancient and unusual privilege of the Duomo is its right to employ ceremonial armed guards, along the lines of the Papal Swiss Guard at the Vatican. Known as Alabardieri from the halberds they carry,

2673-554: The quadraturista Giuseppe Tonelli , was commissioned by the Grand Duke Ferdinando de' Medici to decorate rooms in the Pitti Palace , where his Venus takes Leave from Adonis contains heavenly depictions that are airier and brighter than prior Florentine fresco series. These works gained him fame and requests from foreign lands and showed the rising influence of Venetian painting into other regions of Italy. He

2772-577: The 3rd and 2nd century BC). The peninsula was now torn between territories ruled by the Lombards and the Byzantines, with boundaries that changed over time. The newly arrived Lombards were divided into two main areas in Italy: the Langobardia Maior , which comprised northern Italy gravitating around the capital of the Lombard kingdom, Ticinum (the modern-day city of Pavia in the Italian region of Lombardy ); and Langobardia Minor , which included

2871-623: The 6th century Byzantine Emperor Justinian attempted to reassert imperial authority in the territories of the Western Roman Empire . In the resulting Gothic War (535–554) waged against the Ostrogothic Kingdom , Byzantine hopes of an early and easy triumph evolved into a long war of attrition that resulted in mass dislocation of population and destruction of property. Problems were further exacerbated by volcanic winter (536) , causing widespread famine (538–542) and

2970-464: The Avars. Grimoald was invested by the Lombard nobles, but still had to deal with the legitimate faction, which tried international alliances to return the throne to Perctarit. Grimoald, however, persuaded the Avars to return the deposed ruler. Perctarit, as soon as he returned to Italy, had to make an act of submission to the usurper before he could escape to the Franks of Neustria , who attacked Grimoald in 663. The new king, hated by Neustria because he

3069-521: The Baptist , and when riding along the banks of the Lambro River, she was halted by a dove who told her Modo (Latin for "now"), to which she replied Etiam ("yes"). Monza itself was initially known as Modoetia . In 595, she had a oraculum (chapel) built on the Greek Cross plan; of this chapel only the walls exist today. The queen was buried here, in what is now the central left aisle of

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3168-713: The Cross (1718–19); Giovan Angelo Borroni paints in the chapel of the Rosary (1719–21), in that of the Baptistery and in that of Santa Lucia (1752–53); Mattia Bortoloni decorates the Corpus Domini chapel (1742). The final episode consists of the intervention in the cathedral by Carlo Innocenzo Carloni, the great master of international rococo, already active in Austria, Germany and Bohemia. Between 1738 and 1740, according to

3267-629: The Duchy of Brescia). Alahis rebelled again later, joining with the political opponents of the pro-Catholic Bavarian policy at Perctarit's death in 688. His son and successor Cunipert was initially defeated and forced to take refuge on the Isola Comacina - only in 689 did he manage to quash the rebellion, defeating and killing Alahis in the Battle of Coronate at the Adda . The crisis resulted from

3366-823: The Duke Ranuccio in December, 1694, who was also his protector, forced Ricci to abandon Rome for Milan , where by November 1695 he completed frescoes in the Ossuary Chapel of the Church of San Bernardino dei Morti. On 22 June 1697, the Count Giacomo Durini hired him to paint in the Cathedral of Monza . In 1698, he returned to the Venetian republic for a decade. By 24 August 1700, he had frescoed

3465-485: The Florentine church of San Francisco de Macci. In the summer of 1706, he traveled to Florence , where he completed a work that is by many considered his masterpieces. During his Florentine stay he first completed a large fresco series on allegorical and mythological themes for the now-called Marucelli-Fenzi or Palazzo Fenzi (now housing departments of University of Florence ). After this work, Ricci, along with

3564-457: The Franks into modern Piedmont and led the Byzantines to ask, for the first time since the Lombards had entered Italy, for a truce. At the end, he occupied the last Byzantine stronghold in northern Italy: Isola Comacina in Lake Como . To ensure a stable peace with the Franks, Autari attempted to marry a Frankish princess, but the project failed. Then the king, in a move that would influence

3663-478: The Iron Crown , made between the 17th and 18th centuries, belong to various painters, including Sebastiano Ricci , Filippo Abbiati and Andrea Porta. However, it is above all the eighteenth century that marks the interior of the building, which constitutes a privileged observatory for the study of Lombard figurative culture between Baroque, Baroque and Rococo. Pietro Gilardi frescoes the lantern with Stories of

3762-516: The Iron Crown, the most famous attraction of the church is the Chapel of Theodelinda . It has 15th-century frescoes from the Zavattari workshop depicting stories of the queen's life, such as the dove episode, her marriage proposal, her meeting with her first husband, Authari , the latter's death in battle, and her new marriage with Agilulf. All the figures are portrayed with rich garments typical of

3861-423: The Italian toponymy ). The economic system of late antiquity , which focused on large estates worked by peasants in semi-servile condition, was not revolutionized, but modified only to benefit the new rulers. After ten years of interregnum, the need for a strong centralised monarchy was clear even to the most independent of the dukes; Franks and Byzantines pressed and the Lombards could no longer afford so fluid

3960-463: The Italian firm Gustavo Zanin. Equipped with 17 stops and a single 54-note keyboard and an 18-note lectern pedal board. Placed in the old case in Cornu Epistolæ is the opus 617 from the prestigious Swiss organ manufacturer Metzler Orgelbau with fully mechanical transmission, with 29 stops distributed in the two manuals and pedal. It was built in 2002. The decoration of the presbytery and choir

4059-506: The Lombard duchies of Spoleto and Benevento in southern Italy. The territories which remained under Byzantine control were called "Romania" (today's Italian region of Romagna ) in northeastern Italy and had its stronghold in the Exarchate of Ravenna . Arriving in Italy, King Alboin gave control of the Eastern Alps to one of his most trusted lieutenants, Gisulf , who became the first Duke of Friuli in 568. The duchy, established in

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4158-517: The Lombards , also known as the Lombard Kingdom and later as the Kingdom of all Italy ( Latin : Regnum totius Italiae ), was an early medieval state established by the Lombards , a Germanic people , on the Italian Peninsula in the latter part of the 6th century. The king was traditionally elected by the very highest-ranking aristocrats, the dukes , as several attempts to establish

4257-537: The Lombards at the time of its demise was the last minor Germanic kingdom in Europe. Some regions were never under Lombard domination, including Latium , Sardinia , Sicily , Calabria , Naples , Venice and southern Apulia . A reduced Regnum Italiae , a heritage of the Lombards, continued to exist for centuries as one of the constituent kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire , roughly corresponding to

4356-401: The Lombards then imposed themselves at first as the dominant caste in place of the former lineages, who were subsequently extinguished or exiled. The products of the land were allocated to his Roman subjects that worked it, giving to the Lombards a third ( tertia ) of crops. The proceeds were not given to individuals but to the family, which administered them in the halls (a term still used in

4455-650: The Milanese Bartolomeo Bozzi, who also created the bells of the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio . The bell tower has the characteristic of using a bell sound system known as "swing" (in Italian "slancio"), an exception in the Diocese of Milan, which instead uses the system "Ambrosian". [REDACTED] Media related to Duomo (Monza) at Wikimedia Commons Kingdom of the Lombards Timeline The Kingdom of

4554-436: The Old Procuratory of St. Mark . That same year, the Riccis decorated the villa of Giovanni Francesco Bembo in Belvedere, near Belluno . In 1722 he was one of twelve artists commissioned to contribute a painting on canvas of one of the apostles as part of a decorative scheme at the church of St Stae in Venice. The other artists involved included Tiepolo, Piazetti, and Pellegrini. From 1724 to 1729, Ricci worked intensely for

4653-511: The Parish of San Michele del Mercato. His painting style there was apparently influenced by Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole . On 28 September 1682 he was contracted by the "Fraternity of Saint John of Florence" to paint a Decapitation of John the Baptist for their oratory. On 9 December 1685, the Count of San Secondo near Parma commissioned the decoration of the Oratorio della Beata Vergine del Serraglio , which Ricci completed in collaboration of Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena by October 1687, receiving

4752-407: The Roman town of Forum Iulii (modern-day Cividale del Friuli ), constantly fought with the Slavic population across the Gorizia border. Justified by its exceptional military needs, the Duchy of Friuli thus had greater autonomy compared to other duchies of Langobardia Maior until the reign of Liutprand (712–744). Over time, other Lombard duchies were created in major cities of the kingdom. This

4851-406: The Romans and Franks, but was a unique case among the Lombards. Perhaps because of this, a conflict broke out between Perctarit, who was based in Milan, and Godepert, who remained in Pavia. The Duke of Benevento, Grimoald , intervened with a substantial military force to support Godepert, but, as soon as he arrived in Pavia, he killed Godepert and took his place. Perctarit, clearly in danger, fled to

4950-600: The Royal House of Savoy in Turin. In 1724 he painted the Rejection of Agar and the Silenus adores the Idols , in 1725, the Madonna in Gloria , in Turin in 1726, he completed Susanna presented to Daniel and Moses causes water to gush from the rock . In October 1727 he was admitted to the Clementine Academy of Venice. Ricci's style developed a following among other Venetian artists, influencing Francesco Polazzo , Gaspare Diziani , Francesco Migliori , Gaetano Zompini , and Francesco Fontebasso (1709–1769). He died in Venice on 15 May 1734. Ricci made many copies from

5049-422: The apse in the chapel at the Royal Hospital Chelsea of the resurrection . By the end of 1716, with his nephew, he left England for Paris, where he met Watteau , and submitted his Triumph of the Wisdom over Ignorance in order to gain admission to the Royal French Academy of Painting and Sculpture , which was granted on 18 May 1718. He returned to Venice in 1718 a wealthy man, and bought comfortable lodgings in

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5148-425: The army, and written in Latin . The Edict consolidated and codified Germanic rules and customs , but also introduced significant innovations, a sign of the progress of Latin influence on the Lombards. The edict tried to discourage the feud (private revenge) by increasing the weregild (financial compensation) for injuries/murders and also contained drastic restrictions on the use of the death penalty . After

5247-460: The autonomy of his duchy. Perctarit developed a policy in line with the tradition of his dynasty and supported the Catholic Church against Arianism and the chapters anathematized in the Three-Chapter Controversy . He sought and achieved peace with the Byzantines, who acknowledged Lombard sovereignty over most of Italy, and repressed the rebellion of the Duke of Trent , Alahis , although at the cost of hard territorial concessions to Alahis (including

5346-432: The capital back to Pavia, was troubled by these conflicts, as well as external threats; the King was able to withstand an attack of the Avars in Friuli , but could not limit the growing influence of the Franks in the kingdom. At his death, the legend says that, using the same procedure as that followed by his mother Theodelinda, Queen Gundeperga had the privilege to choose her new husband and king. The choice fell on Rothari,

5445-486: The capital, but the ancient Roman city of Milan with Monza as a summer residence. He identified himself, in a votive crown , Gratia Dei rex totius Italiae , "By the grace of God king of all Italy", and not just Langobardorum rex , "King of the Lombards". Moves in this direction also included strong pressure, particularly from Theodelinda, to convert the Lombards, who until then were still largely pagan or Arians, to Catholicism. The rulers also endeavored to heal

5544-402: The centre, a large rose window framed by a motif inspired by Roman antique ceilings, decorated with rosettes, masks and star motifs. The façade is considered Romanesque in its structure and Gothic in its decoration. Typical of the latter is the porch, with 14th century gargoyles on the sides and the 13th century lunette with the 16th century busts of Theodelinda and King Agilulf . Over

5643-438: The chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento in the church of Santa Giustina of Padua . In 1701, the Venetian geographer Vincenzo Coronelli commissioned a canvas of the Ascension that was inserted into the ceiling of sacristy of the Basilica of the Santi Apostoli in Rome. In 1702, he frescoed the ceiling of the Blue Hall in the Schönbrunn Palace , with the Allegory of the Princely Virtues and Love of Virtue , which illustrated

5742-427: The character of a pure military occupation and approached a more proper state model. The inclusion of the losers (the Romans) was an inevitable step, and Agilulf made some symbolic choices aimed at the same time at strengthening its power and gaining credit with people of Latin descent. The ceremony of ascension to the throne of his son Adaloald in 604, followed a Byzantine rite. He chose not to continue to use Pavia as

5841-420: The choir and the ceiling were restored. Subsequently, the walls and the vaults were decorated with frescoes and stucco-work. The bell tower was erected in 1606. In the 18th century a cemetery was annexed on the left side. The massive west front is divided into five parts by six lesene (applied strips), each of which is surmounted by a tabernacle housing a statue. The façade has several mullioned windows with, in

5940-402: The church. On the remains of the oraculum , a new church was erected in the 13th century. It was again rebuilt as a basilica, starting from 1300, on a Latin Cross plan with an octagonal tiburium . In the late 14th century, the side chapels were added and, as designed by Matteo da Campione , the Pisan-Gothic style west front in white and green marble was begun. Starting from the 16th century,

6039-456: The conduct of the many wars of his long reign. These values are typical of Liutprand: Germanic descent, king of a nation now overwhelmingly Catholic, joined by those of a piissimus rex ("loving king") (despite having tried several times to take control of Rome). On two occasions, in Sardinia and in the region of Arles (where he had been called by his ally Charles Martel ) he successfully fought Saracen pirates , enhancing his reputation as

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6138-478: The date of their institution is described in a 1763 edict of Maria Theresa of Austria as ‘immemorial’. Their 18th-century style uniform, of blue wool with gold braiding and a belt buckle with an image of the Iron Crown, is unchanged from that approved in the edict, except that since the Napoleonic period the bicorne hat has replaced the earlier tricorne . The bell tower is home to a concert of 8 bells in diatonic scale major of La. The bells were fused in 1741 by

6237-410: The disintegration and loss of the Germanic identity of the Lombard people. The victory allowed Cuniperto, already long associated with the throne by his father, to continue the work of pacifying the kingdom, always with a pro-Catholic accent. A synod convened in Pavia in 698 sanctioned the reintegration of the three anathematized chapters into Catholicism. Cunipert's death in 700 marked the opening of

6336-501: The divergence between the two regions of Langobardia Maior: Neustria , to the west, was loyal to the Bavarian rulers, pro-Catholic and supporters of the policy of reconciliation with Rome and Byzantium; on the other hand, Austria , to the east, identified with the traditional Lombard adherence to paganism and Arianism, and favored a more warlike policy. The dukes of Austria challenged the increasing "latinization" of customs, court practices, law and religion, which they believed accelerated

6435-439: The duke of Brescia and an Arian. Rothari reigned from 636 to 652 and led numerous military campaigns, which brought almost all of northern Italy under the rule of the Lombard kingdom. He conquered Liguria (643), including the capital Genoa , Luni , and Oderzo ; however, not even a total victory over the Byzantine Exarch of Ravenna, defeated and killed along with his eight thousand men at the River Panaro , succeeded in forcing

6534-400: The education and dedication of future emperor Joseph I . In Vienna, Frederick August II , the elector Saxony , requested an Ascension canvas, in part to convince others of the sincerity of his conversion to Catholicism, which allowed him to become the King of Poland . In Venice in 1704 he executed a canvas of San Procolo (Saint Proculus) for the Dome of Bergamo and a Crucifixion for

6633-423: The end of the 7th century, their conversion to Catholicism was all but complete. Nevertheless, their conflict with the Pope continued and was responsible for their gradual loss of power to the Franks , who conquered the kingdom in 774. Charlemagne , the king of the Franks, adopted the title "King of the Lombards", although he never managed to gain control of Benevento, the southernmost Lombard duchy. The Kingdom of

6732-405: The facile luminous style of Ricci with the darker, more emotional intense painting of Piazzetta . Like Tiepolo, Ricci was an international artist; Piazzetta was local. "We perceive in him that synthesis of the baroque decorativeness and individualized and substantial painting, that we will see later again in Tiepolo. On one side the influence of Cortona , directed and indirect, and on the other

6831-408: The fate of the kingdom for more than a century, turned to the traditional enemies of the Franks, the Bavarii , to marry a princess, Theodelinda , from the Lethings dynasty. This allowed the monarchy to trace a line of descent from Wacho , king of the Lombards between 510 and 540, a figure surrounded by an aura of legend, and a member of a respected royal line. The alliance with the Bavarii led to

6930-419: The frontispiece of the first English edition (1715) of Palladio's Four Books of Architecture . According to Rudolf Wittkower , it does not depict Palladio, but rather is entirely the invention of Ricci. "Ricci, leaning at first on the example of splendid art of the Veronese , made a new ideal prevail, one of clear and rich coloristic beauty: in this he paved the way for Tiepolo . The painting of figures of

7029-535: The integration of the different components of the kingdom, presenting an image modeled on that of his predecessor Rotari—wise legislator in adding new laws to the Edict, patron (building a church in Pavia dedicated to Saint Ambrose ), and valiant warrior. With Grimoald's death in 671, his minor son Garibald assumed the throne, but Perctarit returned from exile and swiftly deposed him. He immediately came to an agreement with Grimoald's other son, Romualdo I of Benevento, who pledged loyalty in exchange for recognition of

7128-535: The intelligent interpretation of the Veronese chromatics and of the brushstrokes of a Magnasco -like touch, from the 16th century impediments, he takes unfashionable positions against "tenebrous styles", is against the new Piazzetta – Federico Bencovich . He supplied a valid painterly idiom for ... Tiepolo to use after his defection from the Piazzettism "(Pallucchini). "Venice, still more than Naples, collects

7227-540: The king passed into majority) was exercised by the Queen Mother, Theodelinda , who gave command of the military to Duke Sundarit. Theodelinda continued Agilulf's pro-Catholic policy and maintained the peace with the Byzantines, which generated ever-stronger opposition from the warriors and Arians among the Lombards. A civil war broke out in 624, led by Arioald , Duke of Turin and Adaloald's brother-in-law (through his marriage to Adaloald's sister Gundeperga ). Adaloald

7326-408: The observant painting of the hermit Magnasco ; more intense, substantial and freed academic impulses, the airy, shining influences become, to the open air, magical coves, as well as gloomy corners. A new synthesis that opened wide new painting horizons, even if the scene is not that of a ballet, it is felt like bing in the wonders of the color, in more vibrating, acute, agile accents "(Moschini). "At

7425-628: The papacy therefore had to wait for the outbreak of tensions caused by the worsening of the Byzantine tax, and the expedition in 724 conducted by the Exarch of Ravenna against Pope Gregory II . Sebastiano Ricci Sebastiano Ricci (1 August 1659 – 15 May 1734) was an Italian Baroque painter of the late Baroque period in Venetian painting . About the same age as Piazzetta , and an elder contemporary of Tiepolo , he represents

7524-493: The peninsula at the time of the invasion. For most of the kingdom's history, the Byzantine-ruled Exarchate of Ravenna and Duchy of Rome separated the northern Lombard duchies, collectively known as Langobardia Maior , from the two large southern duchies of Spoleto and Benevento , which constituted Langobardia Minor . Because of this division, the southern duchies were considerably more autonomous than

7623-544: The porch is the statue of Saint John the Baptist (15th century). Over the portal is depicted the Baptism of Jesus , assisted by Saint Peter , the Blessed Virgin Mary , Saint Zachary and Saint Paul . In the upper section is portrayed Theodelinda offering to John the Baptist the Iron Crown of Lombardy , together with her kneeling husband Agilulf and their children Adaloald and Gundeberga . The church has

7722-556: The royal capital, King Alboin was assassinated in a conspiracy in Verona plotted by his wife Rosamund and her lover, the noble Helmichis , in league with some Gepid and Lombard warriors. Helmichis and Rosamund's attempt to usurp power in place of the assassinated Alboin, however, gained little support from Lombard duchies, and they were forced to flee together to the Byzantine territory before getting married in Ravenna . Later in 572,

7821-470: The short reign of the son of Rothari and his son Rodoald (652-653), the dukes elected Aripert I , Duke of Asti and grandson of Theodolinda, as the new king. The Bavarian dynasty returned to the throne, and the Catholic Aripert duly suppressed Arianism. At Aripert's death in 661, his will divided the kingdom between his two sons, Perctarit and Godepert . This method of succession was known from

7920-571: The smaller northern duchies. Over time, the Lombards gradually adopted Roman titles, names, and traditions. By the time Paul the Deacon was writing in the late 8th century, the Lombardic language , dress and hairstyles had all disappeared. Initially the Lombards were Arian Christians or pagans, which put them at odds with the Roman population as well as the Byzantine Empire and the Pope . However, by

8019-558: The south the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento, extending the Lombards' domains. Istria was attacked and invaded by the Lombards on several occasions, although the degree of their occupation of the peninsula and its subordination to the Lombard kings is unclear. Even when Istria was part of the Exarchate of Ravenna, a Lombard, Gulfaris , rose to power in the region, styling himself as dux Istriae . The strengthening of royal powers, started by Autari and continued by Agilulf, also marked

8118-476: The start of the Baroque..Venetians remained isolated from the outside…from the great ideas of the baroque painting… The Ricci are the first traveling Venetian painters... and succeed to inaugurate the so-called roccoco rooms of Pitti and Marucelli palaces."( Roberto Longhi ). Ricci "brought back in the Venetian tradition a wealth of chromatic expression resolved in a new vibrating brilliance brightness…by means of

8217-548: The territory of the former Langobardia Maior. The so-called Iron Crown of Lombardy , one of the oldest surviving royal insignias of Christendom, may have originated in Lombard Italy as early as the 7th century and continued to be used to crown kings of Italy until Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century. The earliest Lombard law code, the Edictum Rothari , may allude to the use of seal rings , but it

8316-638: The thirty-five dukes assembled in Pavia to hail king Cleph . The new monarch extended the boundaries of the kingdom, completing the conquest of Tuscia and laying siege to Ravenna. Cleph tried to pursue the policy of Alboin consistently, which aimed to break the legal-administrative institutions firmly established during Ostrogoth and Byzantine rule. He achieved this by eliminating much of the Latin aristocracy, through occupying their lands and acquiring their assets. However, he too, fell victim to regicide in 574, slain by

8415-548: The throne to his son Aripert II . Ansprand and Rotarit reacted immediately and imprisoned Aripert, returning the throne to Liutpert. Aripert, in turn, managed to escape and confront his rival's supporters. In 702, he defeated them in Pavia, imprisoned Liutpert and occupied the throne. Shortly after, he finally defeated the opposition: he killed Rotarit, suppressed his duchy, and drowned Liutpert. Only Ansprand managed to escape, taking refuge in Bavaria . Subsequently, Aripert crushed

8514-423: The time (Cividale del Friuli : Treviso , Trento , Turin , Verona, Bergamo , Brescia , Ivrea , Lucca ). In the management of public power dukes were joined by minor officials, these the sculdahis and the gastald . The new organisation of power, less linked to race and clan relations and more to land management, marked a milestone in the consolidation of the Lombard kingdom in Italy, which gradually lost

8613-508: The title of Flavio , with which he intended to proclaim himself also protector of all Romans in Lombard territory: it was a clear call, with anti-Byzantine overtones, to the heritage of the Western Roman Empire. From the military point of view, Autari defeated both the Byzantines and Franks and broke the coalition, thereby fulfilling the mandate with which the dukes had entrusted him at the time of his election. In 585 he drove

8712-399: The transition to a new concept based on stable territorial division of the kingdom into duchies . Each duchy was led by a duke, not just the head of a fara but also a royal official, the depository of public powers. The locations of the duchies were established in strategically important centers, thus furthering the development of many urban centers placed along the main communication routes of

8811-465: The warriors nominally under their authority to allow them to loot. This unstable situation, which persisted over time, led to the final collapse of the Roman-Italic political-administrative structure, which was almost maintained up to the invasion, so that the same Roman-Italic aristocracy had retained responsibility for civil administration (as exemplified by the likes of Cassiodorus ). In Italy,

8910-583: The weight of the gold that he brought with him. With him ended the Bavarian dynasty's role in the Lombard kingdom. Ansprand died after only three months of his reign, leaving the throne to his son Liutprand . His reign, the longest of all Lombard monarchs, was characterized by the almost religious admiration that was accorded to the king by his people, who recognized in him boldness, courage and political vision. Thanks to these qualities Liutprand survived two attempts on his life (one organized by one of his relatives, Rotari), and he displayed no inferior qualities in

9009-542: The works of Paolo Veronese , both of individual heads and of whole compositions. Some of these copies of heads were bought by George III. The king also bought a painting of the Finding of Moses which his agent, Joseph Smith, claimed was a Veronese, although this too had been painted by Ricci, either as a pastiche of Veronese's style, or a copy of a work now lost. Ricci painted a supposed portrait of Andrea Palladio , attributed to Veronese and engraved by Bernard Picart for

9108-469: Was a miracle in the kingdom of the Lombards: there was no violence, no insidious plot; no others unjustly oppressed, no depredations; there were no thefts, there were no robberies, where everyone went where they wanted, safely and without fear Autari died in 590, probably due to poisoning in a palace plot and, according to the legend recorded by Paul the Deacon, the succession to the throne was decided in

9207-622: Was again imprisoned, and nearly executed, but was eventually freed by the intercession of the Duke of Parma. The duke employed him and assigned him a monthly salary of 25 crowns and lodging in the Farnese palace in Rome . In 1692, he was commissioned to copy the Coronation of Charlemagne by Raphael in Vatican City , on behalf of Louis XIV , a task he finished only by 1694. The death of

9306-526: Was allied with the Franks of Austrasia , repulsed them at Refrancore , near Asti . Grimoald, who in 663 had also defeated an attempt to reconquer Italy by the Byzantine Emperor Constans II , exercised his sovereign powers with a fullness never attained by his predecessors. He entrusted the Duchy of Benevento to his son Romuald , and assured the loyalty of the duchies of Spoleto and Friuli, by appointing their dukes. He favoured

9405-688: Was deposed in 625 and Arioald became king. This coup d'état against the Bavarian dynasty of Adaloald and Theodelinda intensified the rivalry between the Arian and Catholic factions. The conflict had political overtones, as the Arians also opposed peace with Byzantium and the Papacy and integration with the Romans, opting instead for a more aggressive and expansionist policy. Arioald (r. 626–636), who brought

9504-408: Was dictated primarily by immediate military needs as dukes were primarily military commanders, tasked to secure control of territory and guard it against possible counter-attacks. However, the resulting collection of duchies also contributed to political fragmentation and sowed the seeds of the structural weakness of the Lombard royal power. In 572, after the capitulation of Pavia and its elevation to

9603-523: Was preempted, Agilulf and Theodelinda developed a policy of strengthening their hold on Italian territory, while securing their borders through peace treaties with France and the Avars . The truce with the Byzantines was systematically violated and the decade up to 603 was marked by a notable recovery of the Lombard advance. In northern Italy Agilulf occupied, among other cities, Parma , Piacenza , Padova , Monselice , Este , Cremona and Mantua , but also to

9702-417: Was provided a £770 commission by Lord Burlington for eight canvases, to be completed by him and his nephew Marco, depicting mythological frolics: Cupid and Jove , Bacchus meets Ariadne , Diana and Nymphs , Bacchus and Ariadne , Venus and Cupid , Diane and Endymion , and a Cupid and Flora . He decorated the chapel at Bulstrode House near Gerrards Cross for Henry Bentinck, 1st Duke of Portland with

9801-696: Was to influence the Florentine Rococo fresco painter Giovanni Domenico Ferretti . In 1708 he returned to Venice, completing a Madonna with the Child for San Giorgio Maggiore . In 1711, now painting alongside his nephew, Marco Ricci , he painted two canvases: Esther to Assuero and Moses saved from the Nile , for the Taverna Palace . He ultimately accepted foreign patronage in London, when he

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