Malpaga Castle
Encyclopedia
The Malpaga Castle is a castle in the communal territory of Cavernago
, a village in the province of Bergamo
, northern Italy
.
Its main feature are the Renaissance frescoes by Il Romanino, in the interiors.
In 1456 the condottiero and nobleman Bartolomeo Colleoni
acquired from the commune
of Bergamo the ruined castle in order to turn it into the center of his increasing lordship in the area.
He enlarged and enriched it not only as a military base for his troops, but also as a seignior residence which should show off his success, in the typical Italian Renaissance
fashion.
s of medieval origins.
The castle's internal walls are almost entirely frescoed, although some of them have deteriorated or have been vandalized.
They celebrate the visit of King Christian I of Denmark
in 1474 and the sumptuous hospitality given him by Bartolomeo Colleoni, including banquets, hunting expeditions and tournaments. They were commissioned by Bartolomeo's heirs around 1520-1530 to celebrate the family's most famous member, and are attributed to Il Romanino. In the first floor are 17th century frescoes of lesser quality.
Aside from Christian I's visit, the frescoes depicts also allegories, such as that of the Silence (an allusion to the secret which should be kept by the castle's personnel), and the idealized portraits of Colleoni and the king. In the courtyard, also attributed to Romanino, is the depiction of the Battle of Molinella (or Riccardina), fought by Colleoni in 1467 near Bologna
. Another 15th century fresco of the Madonna with Child, from an unknown artist, is found in Colleoni's private studio.
Cavernago
Cavernago is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 50 km northeast of Milan and about 11 km southeast of Bergamo....
, a village in the province of Bergamo
Province of Bergamo
The Province of Bergamo is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of 1,098,740 , an area of 2,722.86 square km, and contains 244 comuni...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Its main feature are the Renaissance frescoes by Il Romanino, in the interiors.
History
The castle, of medieval origins, had been in ruins after a raid in the 1440s.In 1456 the condottiero and nobleman Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni was a Venetian condottiero, who became Captain-General of the republic of Venice, where there is a famous statue showing him on horseback.-Biography:...
acquired from the commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
of Bergamo the ruined castle in order to turn it into the center of his increasing lordship in the area.
He enlarged and enriched it not only as a military base for his troops, but also as a seignior residence which should show off his success, in the typical Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
fashion.
Description
The castle is on a square plan, surrounded by two lines of walls and a ditch. The first line, now disappeared, included the stables and the barracks. The walls are characterized by merlonMerlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
s of medieval origins.
The castle's internal walls are almost entirely frescoed, although some of them have deteriorated or have been vandalized.
They celebrate the visit of King Christian I of Denmark
Christian I of Denmark
Christian I was a Danish monarch, king of Denmark , Norway and Sweden , under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa...
in 1474 and the sumptuous hospitality given him by Bartolomeo Colleoni, including banquets, hunting expeditions and tournaments. They were commissioned by Bartolomeo's heirs around 1520-1530 to celebrate the family's most famous member, and are attributed to Il Romanino. In the first floor are 17th century frescoes of lesser quality.
Aside from Christian I's visit, the frescoes depicts also allegories, such as that of the Silence (an allusion to the secret which should be kept by the castle's personnel), and the idealized portraits of Colleoni and the king. In the courtyard, also attributed to Romanino, is the depiction of the Battle of Molinella (or Riccardina), fought by Colleoni in 1467 near Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. Another 15th century fresco of the Madonna with Child, from an unknown artist, is found in Colleoni's private studio.