The Casa dei Grifi is a historic building in Milan, located in Via Valpetrosa 5.

History

The palace was the home of the Grifi family, also known as Griffi or Grifo, contractors for the collection of gabelle under the Sforza. The family, of merchant origins, had among its exponents influential intellectuals of the Sforza court. Particular mention should be made of Leonardo,

archbishop of Benevento The Italian Catholic metropolitan Archdiocese of Benevento ( la, Archidioecesis Beneventana) has a long history; it now has five suffragan dioceses: the diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, the diocese of Avellino, the diocese of Cerreto Sannita-T ...

and author of poems, and his brother Ambrogio, archiater at the court of Ludovico il Moro, to whom a chapel in

San Pietro in Gessate San Pietro in Gessate is a church in Milan, northern Italy. Built in the 15th century, it is a noteworthy example of Gothic architecture. Description The architect was either Guiniforte Solari or his son Pietro Antonio. The church has a nave and ...

is dedicated. Construction of the palazzo was begun at the end of the 15th centuryarchitectural chart of SIRBeC — Sistema Informativo dei Beni Culturali della Regione Lombardia and completed in the following century, in post-Bramantesque forms. Among the building's many vicissitudes, in the 19th century it was the site of the Albergo ''Gran Parigi'', terminus of the stagecoach (carriage) to Pavia. Despite this, it has preserved one of the best-preserved Renaissance-style courtyards in Milan.

Description

The rectangular courtyard, which on the upper floors has been transformed with the characteristic Milanese

railing Railing or railings may refer to: * Railings (horse), a racehorse * Guard rail, a structure blocking an area from access ** Cable railings, a type of guard rail * Handrail, a structure designed to provide support on or near a staircase * Grab b ...

walkways, still has the Bramante-style portico on the ground floor. The portico, on three sides, consists of arches (architecture) in terracotta, supported by granite columns with composite capitals. The ribbed vaults are covered with a monochrome decoration on a blue background, with grotesques scratched in. The coat of arms of the house with the gryphon rampant is repeated on the limestone capitals within horse head shields. The decoration is completed by stone roundels included between the arches, depicting profiles of emperors and personages of antiquity, and by the unusual full-round heads inserted in the corners. The decoration is attributed to

Benedetto Briosco 200px, Arca of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Cremona Cathedral. Benedetto Briosco (c.1460–c.1517) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect, active in Lombardy. Briosco was born in Pavia, and is thought to have apprenticed in Milan. ...

, as is the tomb of Ambrogio Grifi housed in San Pietro in Gessate.

Image Gallery

image:4238 - Milano - Casa dei Grifi in via Valpetrosa Sec. XV - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 14-July.-2007.jpg, Entrance to courtyard image:4265 - Milano - Casa dei Grifi in via Valpetrosa Sec. XV - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 14-July-2007.jpg, Chapel with the family crest image:4270 - Milano - Casa dei Grifi in via Valpetrosa Sec. XV - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto - 14-July-2007.jpg, The frescoed vaults

Notes

Bibliography

Italian sources

* ''Guida d'Italia, Milano'', Edizioni Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2005. * M.C. Passoni, J. Stoppa, ''Il tardogotico e il rinascimento'', in "Itinerari di Milano e provincia", Provincia di Milano, MIlano, 2000 * scheda architettonica del SIRBeC - Sistema Informativo dei Beni Culturali della Regione Lombardia, Milano, 2011.

External links

Casa dei Grifi, la corte rinascimentale “segreta” di Milano

Casa dei Grifi (Milano)

Casa dei Grifi
{{Milan landmarks Casa dei Grifi Renaissance architecture in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan