Note 117 — BOOK IV.

Domenico Maroli, Onofrio Gabriello, and Agostino Scilla, were the three painters of Messina who did him the most honour, although from being engaged in the revolutions of 1674 and 1676, the first lost his life, and the other two were long exiles from their country. Maroli did not adopt the style of Barbalunga exclusively, but having made a voyage to Venice, and there studied the works of the best Venetian artists, and particularly of Paolo, he returned with many of the excellences of that great master, brilliant flesh tints, a beautiful air in his heads, and a fine style in his drawings of women, a talent which he abused as much or more than Liberi. To this moral vice he added a professional one, which was painting sometimes on the imprimiture, and generally with little colour; whence his works, which were extolled and sought after when new, became, when old, neglected, like those dark paintings of the Venetian School, which we have mentioned. Messina has many of them: the Martyrdom of S. Placido at the Suore di S. Paolo, the Nativity of the Virgin in the church della Grotta, and some others. In Venice there must also be remaining in private collections, some of his paintings of animals in the style of Bassano, as we have before mentioned. Onofrio Gabriello was for six years with Barbalunga, and for some further time with Poussin, and then with Cortona in Rome, until passing another nine years in Venice with Maroli, he brought back with him to Messina that master's vicious method of colour, but not his style. In the latter he aimed at originality, exhibiting much lightness, grace, and fancy, in the accessory parts, and in ribbons, jewels, and lace, in which he particularly excelled. He left many pictures in Messina, in the church of S. Francesco di Paola: many also in Padua, in the Guida of which city various pictures by him are enumerated, without mentioning his cabinet pictures and portraits in private collections. I have seen several in possession of the noble and learned Sig. Co. Antonio Maria Borromeo; amongst which is a family piece with a portrait of the painter.

Agostino Scilla, or Silla, as Orlandi calls him, opened a school in Messina, which was much frequented while it lasted, but the scholars were dispersed by the storm of revolutions, in which they took a part, not without great injury both to the art and themselves. He possessed an elegant genius for painting, which he cultivated, and added to it a taste for poetry, natural history, and antiquities. His genius raised such high expectations in Barbalunga, that he procured a pension for him from the senate, in order to enable him to reside in Rome under Andrea Sacchi. After four years he returned to Messina, highly accomplished, from his study of the antique and of Raffaello, and if his colouring was at first somewhat dry, he soon rendered it rich and agreeable. He excelled in figures and in heads, particularly of old men, and had a peculiar talent in landscapes, animals, and fruit. For this I may refer to the Roman School, where he is mentioned with his brother and son. There are few of his works in Rome, but many in Messina. His frescos are in S. Domenico, and in the Nunziata de' Teatini, and many paintings in other places, among which is S. Ilarione dying, in the church of S. Ursula, than which work there is no greater favourite with the public.

Of the scholars of Scilla, who remained in Messina after the departure of their master, there is not much to be said. F. Emanuel da Como we have mentioned elsewhere. Giuseppe Balestriero, an excellent copyist of the works of Agostino, and a good designer, after painting some pictures, became a priest, and took leave of the art. Antonio la Falce was a good painter in distemper and in oil. He afterwards attempted frescos, and painted tavern scenes. Placido Celi, a man of singular talents, but bad habits, followed his master to Rome. He there changed his style for that of Maratta and Morandi; after whose works he painted in Rome, in the churches dell'Anima and Traspontina, and in several churches of his own country, but he never passed the bounds of mediocrity. A higher reputation belongs to Antonio Madiona, of Syracuse, who although he separated himself from Scilla in Rome, to follow il Preti to Malta, was nevertheless an industrious artist, and painted both there and in Sicily, in a strong and vigorous style, which partakes of both his masters. And this may suffice for the members of this unfortunate school.

To complete the list of the chief scholars of Barbalunga, I may mention here Bartolommeo Tricomi, who confined himself to portrait painting, and in this hereditary gift of the school of Domenichino, he greatly excelled. He had notwithstanding in Andrea Suppa a scholar who surpassed him. The latter learned also of Casembrot, as far as regards landscape and architecture; but he formed himself principally on the antique; and by constantly studying Raffaello and the Caracci, and other select masters, or their drawings, he acquired a most enchanting style of countenance, and indeed of every part of his composition. His works are as fine as miniature, and are perhaps too highly finished. His subjects, in unison with his genius, are of a pensive and melancholy cast, and are always treated in a pathetic manner. He excelled in frescos, and painted the vaults in the Suore in S. Paolo; he excelled equally in oils, as may be seen from the picture of S. Scolastica, there also. Some of his works were lost by earthquakes. His style was happily imitated by Antonio Bova, his scholar, and we may compare their works together at the Nunziata de' Teatini. He painted much in oil, as well as fresco, and from his placid and tranquil disposition, took no part in the revolutions of Messina, but remained at home, where he closed his days in peace, and with him expired the school of Barbalunga.