Bernardo Vittone
Encyclopedia
Bernardo Antonio Vittone (August 19, 1704 – October 19, 1770) was an Italian architect and writer. He was one of the three most important Baroque
architects active in the Piedmont
region of Northern Italy; the other two were Filippo Juvarra
and Guarino Guarini. The youngest of the three, Vittone was the only one who was born in the Piedmont. He achieved a synthesis of the spatial inventiveness of Juvarra and the engineering ingenuity of Guarini, particularly in the design of his churches, the buildings for which he is best known.
into a mercantile family. He may have been introduced to architecture by his uncle, the architect Gian Giacomo Plantery and might have worked under Juvarra before departing for Rome. In Rome, Vittone won a first prize in the Accademia di San Luca
in 1732. His architectural studies in Rome included works by Carlo Fontana
and he was elected to the Academy in 1733 just prior to his return to Turin.
From 1735, he was engaged in preparing Guarini’s Architettura Civile for publication in 1737. Following the death of Juvarra in 1736, several architectural commissions came his way. However, when the royal House of Savoy
resumed its patronage of architecture in the early 1740s, they appointed Benedetto Innocente Alfieri as their architect, not Vittone. Instead, Vittone built up a clientele of patrons for who he designed buildings in the area around Turin.
Vittone's most inventive and memorable works are the parish churches, remote from the main cities. They include the sanctuary or Cappella della Visitazione at Vallinotto (1738–1739), near Carignano
, erected for agricultural workers of the town. The exterior has a tiered dome, but the hexagonal interior has the geometric elaborations with alternating convex and concave chapels that recall the architecture of Juvarra and Borromini. In the dome, the elaborately decorated ribs, reminiscent of Guarini’s work, intersect to form a complex design illuminated by natural light playfully concealed by hidden windows. Another masterpiece is the church of Santa Chiara at Bra (1741-2); with a central double shell dome with ornamented openings in the lower shell which offer views through to the painted second shell.
He also designed the Ospizio or Albergo di Carita (1744-9) at Carignano (for the indigent homeless) with its central chapel; the parish churches of Grignasco
, Borgomasino
, and Borgo d'Ale
; the choir of S. Maria di Piazza and church of Santa Chiara in Turin; the church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Alba
, and the church of Santa Croce (1755) at Villanova di Mondovì. In 1766, he completed the church of San Bernardino at Riva di Chieri
, with the help of his apprentices Andrea Rana and Pietro Bonvicini. Some of his late churches show an architectural restraint not apparent in his earlier works.
Vittone wrote two architectural treatises. The first was the lengthy Istruzioni elementari published in 1760 that was largely concerned with the column orders and the second was the Istruzioni diverse of 1766 that included his own works. Both were dominated by traditional Renaissance
musical theory of proportion
which is perhaps rather surprising given that Vittone had edited Guarini’s treatise and absorbed the lessons on projective geometry so well in his own architectural designs. The co-existence of the innovative and the traditional in Vittone ‘s writings has been commented on by the art historian Wittkower
. He points out that Vittone attempted to mathematically prove the correct classic proportions of buildings, and that he used the recent discoveries of light by Newton
to address questions of architecture; and yet, he ends with a dedication to God and the Virgin Mary. He describes Vittone as,
When Vittone died in 1770, and although his former pupils, Rana and Bonavici, continued Vittone’s Late Baroque style of architecture, European architecture was moving steadily towards Neo-classicism
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
architects active in the Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
region of Northern Italy; the other two were Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra
Filippo Juvarra was an Italian architect and stage set designer.-Biography:Filippo Juvarra was an Italian Baroque architect working in the early part of the eighteenth century. He was born in Messina, Sicily, to a family of goldsmiths and engravers...
and Guarino Guarini. The youngest of the three, Vittone was the only one who was born in the Piedmont. He achieved a synthesis of the spatial inventiveness of Juvarra and the engineering ingenuity of Guarini, particularly in the design of his churches, the buildings for which he is best known.
Life and works
Vittone was born in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
into a mercantile family. He may have been introduced to architecture by his uncle, the architect Gian Giacomo Plantery and might have worked under Juvarra before departing for Rome. In Rome, Vittone won a first prize in the Accademia di San Luca
Accademia di San Luca
The Accademia di San Luca, was founded in 1577 as an association of artists in Rome, under the directorship of Federico Zuccari, with the purpose of elevating the work of "artists", which included painters, sculptors and architects, above that of mere craftsmen. Other founders included Girolamo...
in 1732. His architectural studies in Rome included works by Carlo Fontana
Carlo Fontana
Carlo Fontana was an Italian architect, who was in part responsible for the classicizing direction taken by Late Baroque Roman architecture.-Biography:...
and he was elected to the Academy in 1733 just prior to his return to Turin.
From 1735, he was engaged in preparing Guarini’s Architettura Civile for publication in 1737. Following the death of Juvarra in 1736, several architectural commissions came his way. However, when the royal House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
resumed its patronage of architecture in the early 1740s, they appointed Benedetto Innocente Alfieri as their architect, not Vittone. Instead, Vittone built up a clientele of patrons for who he designed buildings in the area around Turin.
Vittone's most inventive and memorable works are the parish churches, remote from the main cities. They include the sanctuary or Cappella della Visitazione at Vallinotto (1738–1739), near Carignano
Carignano
Carignano is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km south of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 8,777 and an area of 50.2 km².-Geography:...
, erected for agricultural workers of the town. The exterior has a tiered dome, but the hexagonal interior has the geometric elaborations with alternating convex and concave chapels that recall the architecture of Juvarra and Borromini. In the dome, the elaborately decorated ribs, reminiscent of Guarini’s work, intersect to form a complex design illuminated by natural light playfully concealed by hidden windows. Another masterpiece is the church of Santa Chiara at Bra (1741-2); with a central double shell dome with ornamented openings in the lower shell which offer views through to the painted second shell.
He also designed the Ospizio or Albergo di Carita (1744-9) at Carignano (for the indigent homeless) with its central chapel; the parish churches of Grignasco
Grignasco
Grignasco is a comune in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 35 km northwest of Novara...
, Borgomasino
Borgomasino
Borgomasino is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km northeast of Turin.-External links:* Borgomasino.net...
, and Borgo d'Ale
Borgo d'Ale
Borgo d'Ale is a comune in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 40 km northeast of Turin and about 30 km west of Vercelli...
; the choir of S. Maria di Piazza and church of Santa Chiara in Turin; the church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Alba
Alba
Alba is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is cognate to Alba in Irish and Nalbin in Manx, the two other Goidelic Insular Celtic languages, as well as similar words in the Brythonic Insular Celtic languages of Cornish and Welsh also meaning Scotland.- Etymology :The term first appears in...
, and the church of Santa Croce (1755) at Villanova di Mondovì. In 1766, he completed the church of San Bernardino at Riva di Chieri
Chieri
Chieri is a town and comune in the province of Turin, Piedmont , located about 11 km southeast of Turin...
, with the help of his apprentices Andrea Rana and Pietro Bonvicini. Some of his late churches show an architectural restraint not apparent in his earlier works.
Vittone wrote two architectural treatises. The first was the lengthy Istruzioni elementari published in 1760 that was largely concerned with the column orders and the second was the Istruzioni diverse of 1766 that included his own works. Both were dominated by traditional Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
musical theory of proportion
Ratio
In mathematics, a ratio is a relationship between two numbers of the same kind , usually expressed as "a to b" or a:b, sometimes expressed arithmetically as a dimensionless quotient of the two which explicitly indicates how many times the first number contains the second In mathematics, a ratio is...
which is perhaps rather surprising given that Vittone had edited Guarini’s treatise and absorbed the lessons on projective geometry so well in his own architectural designs. The co-existence of the innovative and the traditional in Vittone ‘s writings has been commented on by the art historian Wittkower
Rudolf Wittkower
Rudolf Wittkower was a German art historian.-Biography:He was born in Berlin and moved to London in 1934. He taught at the Warburg Institute, University of London from 1934 to 1956 and then at Columbia University from 1956 to 1969 where he was chairman of the Department of Art History and...
. He points out that Vittone attempted to mathematically prove the correct classic proportions of buildings, and that he used the recent discoveries of light by Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
to address questions of architecture; and yet, he ends with a dedication to God and the Virgin Mary. He describes Vittone as,
an architect of rare ability, full of original ideas and of a creative capacity equalled only by few of the masters...What little we know of him suggests that his was an obsessed genius. This is also the impression one carries away from reading his two treatises, the Istruzioni elementari of 1760 and the Istruzioni diverse of 1766. The earlier treatise is one of the longest ever written, and the later consists to a large extent of appendices to the first....the extraordinary thing about his treatises is that basically he has not moved far from AlbertiLeone Battista AlbertiLeon Battista Alberti was an Italian author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, cryptographer and general Renaissance humanist polymath...
's position ... (while) Alberti wanted to elevate and inform the mind, Vittone wants to delight. He also incorporates recent research -but for what purpose? ...Proportion is the one and all of these treatises, and Vittone's terms of reference are precisely those of RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
theory.
When Vittone died in 1770, and although his former pupils, Rana and Bonavici, continued Vittone’s Late Baroque style of architecture, European architecture was moving steadily towards Neo-classicism