Agostino Tassi (born Agostino Buonamici; 1578 – 1644) was an Italian landscape and seascape painter, who was convicted of raping
Artemisia Gentileschi in 1612.
Because he aspired to nobility he modified the details of his early life. Though he was born in
Perugia
Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia.
The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...
he claimed to have been born in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. His family name was Buonamici, but Agostino adopted the surname Tassi to give substance to his story that he was adopted by the Marchese Tassi. He was actually the son of a
furrier
Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing, and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific i ...
named Domenico.
Career
Tassi may have worked for a time in
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, as well as in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. Among his followers or pupils in Livorno is thought to be
Pietro Ciafferi. During his sojourn in Florence it is believed that he was made a
galley
A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...
slave in the Grand Duke's convict galleys for some unspecified crime. However, he was allowed to move about freely on the ship instead of pulling on an
oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end.
The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...
. More importantly, he was able to paint and draw on the galley, and was thus provided with ample material from which to execute his seascapes and images of ports, ships, and fishing scenes.
Regarding his artistic formation, Tassi is said to have been a pupil of
Paul Bril
Paul Bril (1554 – 7 October 1626) was a Flemish painter and printmaker principally known for his landscapes.Nicola Courtright. "Paul Bril." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 26 September 2016 He spent most of ...
, from whom he derived some of his images of the sea. He later worked in Rome with
Orazio Gentileschi
Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (1563–1639) was an Italian painter. Born in Tuscany, he began his career in Rome, painting in a Mannerist style, much of his work consisting of painting the figures within the decorative schemes of other artists. After ...
, who painted figures, after being commissioned by
Pope Paul V
Pope Paul V ( la, Paulus V; it, Paolo V) (17 September 1550 – 28 January 1621), born Camillo Borghese, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 16 May 1605 to his death in January 1621. In 1611, he honored ...
. During his stay, he raped Orazio's daughter, the painter
Artemisia Gentileschi.
Considered a master of perspective and a good painter of illusionistic architectural decoration, Tassi painted in several Roman palaces including the Quirinale (1611–12), the Rospigliosi and the Doria Pamphili (1637).
In Rome, Tassi also served as the master (from April 1625) of French painter
Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in It ...
as well as
Viviano Codazzi
Viviano Codazzi (c. 1604 – 5 November 1670) was an Italian architectural painter who was active during the Baroque period. He is known for his architectural paintings, capricci, compositions with ruins, and some ''vedute''. He worked in Na ...
and
Costanzo de Peris. Tassi hired Lorrain to grind his colors and to do all of the household work.
Though better known as a painter of frescoes, Tassi also painted some canvases, which include ''Arrival of the Queen of Sheba before Solomon'' (c. 1610) and ''Entry of
Taddeo Barberini
Taddeo Barberini (1603–1647) was an Italian nobleman of the House of Barberini who became Prince of Palestrina and Gonfalonier of the Church; commander of the Papal Army. He was a nephew of Pope Urban VIII and brother of Cardinals France ...
from the Porta del Popolo'' (1632). His depictions of night scenes had a certain influence on the Dutch
.
Rape conviction
In 1612, Tassi was convicted of raping
Artemisia Gentileschi, an Italian Baroque painter with an international clientele. Tassi originally denied the accusation, stating, "Never have I had carnal relations nor tried to have it with the said Artemisia... I've never been alone in Artemisia's house with her." He afterwards claimed that he had visited her house in order to safeguard her honor. Tassi had already run afoul of the law, having earlier been accused of raping both his sister-in-law and one of his wives. His wife had been missing for a time, and it was believed that Tassi had hired bandits to kill her.
In the ensuing seven-month rape trial, it was discovered that Tassi had planned to murder his wife and to steal some of Orazio's paintings. At the end of the trial, Tassi was imprisoned for two years. His verdict was later annulled and he was at liberty in 1613. His crime and its impact on her has subsequently influenced the feminist view of Artemisia Gentileschi during the late 17th century.
Tassi died in Rome in 1644.
Popular culture
In the 1997 film ''
Artemisia
Artemisia may refer to:
People
* Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece
* Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...
'', directed by
Agnès Merlet
Agnès Merlet (born 4 January 1959) is a French film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vi ...
and starring
Valentina Cervi
Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress.
Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austrian- ...
, the role of Tassi is played by Serbian actor
Miki Manojlovic
Miki may refer to:
Places
* Miki, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan
* Miki, Kagawa, a town in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
* Miki, Azerbaijan, a village in Astara Rayon, Azerbaijan
People
* Miki (given name)
* Miki (surname)
* Miki Núñez ...
. The movie, contrary to accepted historical knowledge and Tassi's conviction for rape, depicted the relationship between Tassi and Artemisia Gentileschi as one of mutual passion.
[Bal, Mieke. ''The Artemisia Files: Artemisia Gentileschi for Feminists and Other Thinking People'' (p195), University of Chicago Press, 2005 .]
Sample works
File:Agostino Tassi - The Embarkation of a Queen - WGA22035.jpg, ''The Embarkation of a Queen,''
File:Agostino Tassi - The Coral Fishers - WGA22036.jpg, ''The Coral Fishers'',
File:Agostino Tassi - Landscape with a Scene of Witchcraft - Walters 371145.jpg, ''Landscape with a Scene of Witchcraft'', between 1620 and 1644
References
External links
''Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi'' a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on Agostino Tassi (see index)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tassi, Agostino
Artemisia Gentileschi
1578 births
1644 deaths
16th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
17th-century Italian painters
Umbrian painters
Italian landscape painters
People from Perugia
Italian rapists
Italian Mannerist painters