The Master of Celano Pelumi: retrieving an identity through new studies on commissions

Abstract

The article is focused on an anonymous Emilian artist, who is mainly known for the altarpiece with Madonna and Child with St. Sebastian and St. Gregory the Great depicted around 1515 for Celumi Chapel in the Benedectine church of St. Peter in Modena and who also painted the Madonna with St. Faustino and St. Giovita in the parish church of St. Faustino of Rubiera in Reggio Emilia. Scholars have long since acknowledged the importance of these works in the artistic context of early sixteenth century Modena, also spotting the stylistic links with other centers such as the Mantua of Leonbruno and the Ferrara of Dosso Dossi. The personality of the artist, however, has always eluded every attempt of identification. The article hails from studies carried out on archival documents and heraldic emblems on the frame of the Rubiera altarpiece, which suggest the two works were commissioned from Mantuan personalities: the St. Peter abbot “Vincentius de Mantua” for the painting in Modena and Ludovico Guidi di Bagno, prominent member of the entourage of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, for the Rubiera work. These elements, along with stylistic considerations, lead to think of a provenance from the city of Gonzaga also for the artist.