05 works, Today, November 23rd, is Felicitas of Rome's day, her story, illustrated #326

Neri di Bicci, (1419–1491) 

Enthroned Saint Felicita and her seven children, c. 1464

Santa Felicita Church, Florence

Neri di Bicci (1419–1491) was an Italian painter active mainly in Florence. A prolific painter of mainly religious themes. He studied under his father, Bicci di Lorenzo, who in turn had studied under his father, Lorenzo di Bicci. All three were part of a lineage of great painters beginning with Neri's grandfather Lorenzo who was a pupil of Spinello Aretino.

Neri di Bicci's main works include a St. John Gualbert Enthroned, with Ten Saints for the church of Santa Trinita, an Annunciation (1464) in the Florentine Academy, two altarpieces in the Diocesan Museum of San Miniato, a Madonna with Child Enthroned in the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Siena, and a Coronation of the Virgin (1472) in the abbey church at San Pietro a Ruoti (Bucine).

The Ricordanze are a series of journals Neri kept from the years 1453–1475. They include the rates of remuneration for his work, his pupils, and lists of their works. They are the most extensive 15th century document we have relating to a 15th-century painter and are still preserved in the library of the Uffizi Gallery. More on Neri di Bicci

Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), also anglicized as Felicity, is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. 

 Jeanne and Richard de Montbaston

The Seven Brothers (seven sons of Felicitas of Rome), c. 14th century

Vies de saints, France, Paris, XIVe siècle

Richard Montbaston was a copyist in Paris in the late 14th  century. From his workshop came out in particular the Roman of the rose , illuminated by his wife, Jeanne.

Having sworn in the booksellers' oath in 1338, Richard de Montbaston is mentioned as a "bookseller" in the colophon in the Life of the Saints . On the other hand, his wife, Jeanne, took the oath of the booksellers in 1353 as illuminatrix and libraria , which gave rise to speculations according to which if Richard had the title of copyist and was indeed the owner of the workshop, he it would be impossible to attribute to him the illuminations of his manuscripts and that they should be due to his wife, Jeanne, although her work is not documented in any surviving manuscript. More on Richard Montbaston

Saint Felicitas is said to have been a rich and pious Christian widow who had seven sons. She devoted herself to charitable work and converted many to the Christian faith by her example. This aroused the wrath of pagan priests who lodged a complaint against her with Emperor Marcus Aurelius. These priests asserted the ire of the gods and demanded sacrifice from Felicitas and her children. The Emperor acquiesced to their demand and Felicitas was brought before Publius, the Prefect of Rome. Taking Felicitas aside, he used various pleas and threats in an unsuccessful attempt to get her to worship the pagan gods. He was equally unsuccessful with her seven sons who followed their mother's example.

Francesco Trevisani

The Martyrdom of the Seven Sons of Saint Felicity, c. 1709

Oil on canvas

h 75cm × w 62.6cm

Rijksstudio, Amsterdam

The most prominent cardinal in Rome ordered this painting as a gift for a French minister and his wife, whose name, Catherine Félicité, inspired the choice of subject. The Christian martyr Saint Felicity – here in a yellow gown – was forced to witness the martyrdom of her seven sons before herself being beheaded. Trevisani included two self-portraits: as the standing man at left, and as the man looking out at us from behind the statue at right. More on this painting

Francesco Trevisani (April 9, 1656 – July 30, 1746) was an Italian painter, active in the early Rococo or late Baroque period.

Born in Capodistria, he was the son of an architect, by whom he was instructed in the first rudiments of design. He then studied in Venice. He moved to Rome, where he remained until his death, in 1746. His brother, Angelo Trevisani remained a prominent painter in Venice.

In Rome, he was supported by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. He was also favored with the patronage of Cardinal Chigi. Chigi employed him in several considerable works, and recommended him to the protection of Pope Clement XI, who not only commissioned him to paint one of the prophets in San Giovanni Laterano, but engaged him to decorate the cupola of the cathedral in Urbino. He was employed by the Duke of Modena, in copying the works of Correggio and Parmigianino, and also painted in Brunswick, Madrid, Munich, Stockholm, and Vienna.

He became a member of the Academy of Arcadia in 1712. Trevisani died in Rome in 1746. More on Francesco Trevisani

Before the Prefect Publius they adhered firmly to their religion, and were delivered over to four judges, who condemned them to various modes of death. The division of the martyrs among four judges corresponds to the four places of their burial. She implored God only that she not to be killed before her sons, so that she might be able to encourage them during their torture and death in order that they would not deny Christ. 

Antonio Ciseri, (1821–1891)

The murder of a courageous woman and her seven sons

The Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabees, c. 1863

Oil on canvas

Height: 450 cm (14.7 ft); Width: 260 cm (102.3 in)

Florence

Antonio Ciseri (25 October 1821 – 8 March 1891) was a Swiss-Italian painter of religious subjects.

He was born in Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland. He went to Florence in 1833 to study drawing with Ernesto Bonaiuti. Within a year, by 1834 he was a pupil of Niccola and Pietro Benvenuti at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence; he was later taught by Giuseppe Bezzuoli, who greatly influenced the early part of his career. In 1849, he began offering instruction to young painters, and eventually ran a private art school. Among his earliest students was Silvestro Lega.

Ciseri's religious paintings are Raphaelesque in their compositional outlines and their polished surfaces, but are nearly photographic in effect. He fulfilled many important commissions from churches in Italy and Switzerland. Ciseri also painted a significant number of portraits. He died in Florence on 8 March 1891. Among his other pupils were the painters Oreste Costa, Giuseppe Guzzardi, Alcide Segoni, Andrea Landini, Raffaello Sorbi, Niccolò Cannicci, Emanuele Trionfi, Girolamo Nerli, and Egisto Sarri. More on Antonio Ciseri

With joy, she accompanied her sons one by one until she had witnessed the death of all seven. It is said that Januarius, the eldest, was scourged to death; Felix and Philip were beaten with clubs until they expired; Silvanus was thrown headlong down a precipice; and the three youngest, Alexander, Vitalis and Martialis were beheaded. After each execution she was given the chance to denounce her faith. She refused to act against her conscience.

Paris Nogari, (c.1536-1601)

Martyrdom of St Felicity and her Seven Sons

Fresco

Church of Santa Susanna, Rome

Paris Nogari, (c.1536-1601), was a painter of the "Po-Venetian culture" of the Renaissance period; he was mainly active in Rome. A pupil of Cesare Nebbia, Paris Nogari painted the Crucifixion in Santo Spirito in Sassia in the Vatican Library in the manner of Raffaellino da Reggio, and was among the painters who frescoed the church of Chiesa di Santa Susanna at the Baths of Diocletian in Rome. More on Paris Nogari

After four months, on November 23, 165, Felicity was beheaded. She was buried in Maximus Cemetery, Via Salaria. Her relics are in the Capuchin Church at Montefiascone, Tuscany and Santa Susana in Rome. More on Felicitas

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