Carlo Francesco Mellone (Milan 1670 - Circa 1756), Dated 1718

Palazzo Annoni, Milan;

Carlo Orsi Antichità, Milan;

From whom acquired by Aso O. Tavitian, 2 July 2013.

S. Zanuso, A Pair of Putti from Palazzo Annoni and Bronze Sculpture of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries in Lombardy, Milan 2013.

These elegant and beautifully cast putti exemplify the Milanese barocchetto style of the early 18th century. Their graceful poses, sweet faces and fluttering drapery demonstrate how Lombard sculptors softened the Roman Baroque tradition with the influence of both the Genoese school and northern sculpture that was appreciated by the region’s new political leaders following the years of the Spanish succession and the Viennese ascendancy.

In an authoritative publication on Lombard sculpture around 1700, these putti have been ascribed by Susanna Zanuso to Carlo Francesco Mellone. This attribution is based on compelling stylistic comparisons with Mellone’s autograph bronzes. For example, his Saint Rosalia (1694-5) on Milan Cathedral, or the Monument to Pope Pius V with eight allegorical figures (1701) in the Ghislieri College in Pavia, or his Madonna della Corona (1708) in San Nazaro, all share convincing, stylistic points of contact with the so-called Annoni Putti.

This pair of bronzes forms part of a larger set of eight bronze putti that come from the Palazzo Annoni (subsequently Cicogna-Mozzoni) in Milan’s Corso di Porta Romana. The six bronzes in the private collection remain fixed on their original marble bases, which supports the assumption that the group were once part of a decorative scheme, perhaps on a staircase. This is consistent with the date of the renovations of the Palazzo Annoni in the early 18th century. All but one of the putti lack attributes (one stands on a half moon, perhaps allegorical of Night, or alluding to Diana), so the iconography of the group is unclear. One of the present putti seems to be playing an instrument and the other singing, suggesting in part a musical theme.

The above-mentioned putto with the half-moon is inscribed: F.a. F.cit Anno 1718. However, this does not refer to the sculptor who invented the original models but rather to the foundry that cast them: the Fontana family. Zanuso's study of these bronzes has revealed a fascinating background for the Fontana dynasty of founders in Milan and their relationship with the leading Lombard sculptors.¹ Like their main rivals the Pozzo family, the Fontana were originally from Vasolda, near Como, but few biographical details are certain for the main founder, Giuseppe Fontana. In 1709, Giuseppe signed his last documented bronze of San Satiro: Giuseppe and the Fontana sons, so it is sure that he worked with his family, one member of whom was probably Antonio Fontana, who himself signed bronzes on the high altar of Bergamo cathedral in 1714-5. Fontana’s relationship with Mellone dates from the first decade of the 18th century in connection with his work in San Nazaro, Milan. Here Fontana cast a crucifix and a relief of the Deposition on the tabernacle doors based on Mellone’s models.

The present Mellone bronzes typify one of the prime distinctions between the production of Lombard bronzes and the more famous school of bronze production in Tuscany. Whilst in Florence the leading sculptors of the time, such as Foggini or Soldani, both produced their models and were equally expert in the casting process, it was common in Lombardy, as in Rome, for the casting to be fully in the hands of family run foundry dynasties. Such is the case with the Pozzo family and the Fontana family. The Fontana foundry worked with all the leading Milanese sculptors, the protostatuari (master-sculptors for Milan Cathedral), including Mellone, who held this title from 1716. Their collaboration on the Annoni putti gives an insight into the unexplored history of private aristocratic commissions for elegant and refined cast bronzes in early 18th century Lombardy.

¹Zanuso, pp. 14-18, 32-58