Procaccini

PROCACCINI. - Family of Bolognese painters, later transferred to Milan.

ERCOLE THE ELDER, the progenitor, b. in Bologna in 1515, d. in Milan on 5 Jan. 1595. Lomazzo recalls him as a pupil of Prospero Fontana; his works (Madonna and Child in S. Maria Maggiore in Bologna, of 1570; The Fall of St. Paul, in S. Giacomo Maggiore, of 1573; The Virgin and Child to whom St. Nicholas presents the three maidens, ibid., of 1582) show him to be an eclectic Mannerist, with Roman and Parmese influences. Between 1585 and 1586 he moved to Milan, where, assisted by his sons, he opened a school of painting.

CAMILLO, the eldest of his sons, b. in Bologna between 1550 and 1560, d. in Milan on 21 Aug. 1626, educated in art by his father, reveals a more intimate and assimilated knowledge of Parmigianino (which also appears in his rare engravings) and of Barocci. He worked in Reggio (frescoes in the apse of S. Prospero, of 1585-87, and in the vault, of 1597-98), and in various churches of Piacenza, where, through contact with the art of Pordenone, he attempted to enlarge his manner and to give dramatic movement to his compositions. He left works in very numerous churches of Milan (the most extensive complexes are in S. Maria del Carmine, in S. Angelo, in S. Vittore, etc.) and in other cities of Lombardy: in Treviglio, in Brescia, in Lodi, etc.

GIULIO CESARE, b. in Bologna ca. 1570, d. in Milan on 11 Nov. 1625, seems to have devoted himself at first to sculpture and to have then entered the academy of the Carracci, which he would have abandoned after a quarrel with Annibale. He is the most remarkable and lively talent of the family. That his study was directed more to the school of Parma than to the Bolognese appears in one of his most precious and significant works, such as the Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine in Brera; but in him there is already a surpassing of Mannerist modes and a sure Baroque affirmation. With Cerano and with Morazzone (v.), together with whom he painted the altarpiece with the Martyrdom of Sts. Rufina and Seconda, he dominated Lombard painting of the early seventeenth century. A most prolific artist, he left works in Milan (S. Vittore, S. Maria presso S. Celso, S. Marco, S. Angelo, etc.), in Brescia (S. Maria in Calchera, S. Alra), in Genoa (S.ma Annunziata, S. Maria Assunta di Carignano, S. Stefano), in Modena (Pinacoteca, from the church of S. Bartolomeo).

CARLO ANTONIO, another son of Ercole, b. in Bologna, d. in Milan ca. 1605, painted landscapes and still lifes for private patrons, with great success at court, so much so that many works were sent to Spain. He is the father of ERCOLE THE YOUNGER, b. in Milan in 1596, died in 1676. A pupil of Giulio Cesare, he worked in Milan and in various churches of Lombardy (Monza, Cathedral; Bergamo, S. Maria Maggiore, etc.) and for the court of Turin.

Emma Zocca