![0 St Georges combattant le dragon - BBN de Belgique](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/0_St_Georges_combattant_le_dragon_-_BBN_de_Belgique.jpg)
Giorgio Giulio Clovio or Juraj Julije Klović (1498 – 5 January 1578) was an
illuminator, miniaturist, and painter born in the
Kingdom of Croatia, who was mostly active in
Renaissance Italy
The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...
. He is considered the greatest illuminator of the
Italian High Renaissance, and arguably the last very notable artist in the long tradition of the
illuminated manuscript, before some modern revivals.
Biography
Giulio Clovio was born in
Grižane, a village in
Kingdom of Croatia (today's
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
),
[The Life and Works of Giorgio Giulio Clovio, Miniaturist: with notices of his contemporaries, and of the art of decoration in the Sixteenth Century - by John William Bradley – 1891]
He came from a
Croatian family.
[ Bradley, 2004 (reprint), pp. 368–369] and he is known as ''Clovio Croata.''
It is not known where he had his early training, but he may have studied art with monks at
Rijeka of Novi Bazar when he was young.
He moved to
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
at age 18 and entered the household of Cardinal
Marino Grimani where he was trained as a painter. Between 1516 and ca 1523 Clovio may have lived with Marino in the residence of the latter’s uncle Cardinal
Domenico Grimani
Domenico Grimani (19 February 1461 – 27 August 1523) was an Italian nobleman, theologian and cardinal. Like most noble churchman of his era Grimani was an ecclesiastical pluralist, holding numerous posts and benefices. Desiderius Erasmus d ...
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 ...
.
[Elena Calvillo, Romanità and Grazia: Giulio Clovio's Pauline Frontispieces for Marino Grimani, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 82, No. 2 (Jun., 2000), pp. 280-297, ] Clovio studied under
Giulio Romano
Giulio Romano (, ; – 1 November 1546), is the acquired name of Giulio Pippi, who was an Italian painter and architect. He was a pupil of Raphael, and his stylistic deviations from High Renaissance classicism help define the sixteenth-cent ...
during this early period.
He also studied under
Girolamo dai Libri
Girolamo dai Libri (1474/1475 – July 2, 1555) was an Italian illuminator of manuscripts and painter of altarpieces, working in an early-Renaissance style.
Accademia - Madonna col Bambino e angeli musicanti - Girolamo Dai Libri.jpg, Virgin ...
.
While a protégé of Cardinal
Domenico Grimani
Domenico Grimani (19 February 1461 – 27 August 1523) was an Italian nobleman, theologian and cardinal. Like most noble churchman of his era Grimani was an ecclesiastical pluralist, holding numerous posts and benefices. Desiderius Erasmus d ...
, Clovio engraved medals and seals for him, as well as the Grimani Commentary Ms., an important early illuminated book (now
Sir John Soane's Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum is a house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of neo-classical architect, John Soane. It holds many drawings and architectural models of Soane's projects, and ...
, London).
By 1524 Clovio was at
Buda, at the Hungarian court of
King Louis II, for whom he painted the "Judgment of Paris" and "Lucretia". After Louis' death in the
Battle of Mohács
The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...
, Clovio travelled to Rome where he continued his career.
[Renaissance and Reformation, 1500-1620: A Biographical Dictionary (The Great Cultural Eras of the Western World) by Jo Eldridge Carney (editor) Greenwood Press 2001. Clovio Giulio p. 88-89]
After 1527 he visited several monasteries of the
Canons Regular of St. Augustine
Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both Secular clergy, secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, ...
. In 1534 Clovio returned to the household of Cardinal Marino Grimani.
A year later Clovio may have followed Marino when the latter was appointed as a papal legate to
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 pa ...
, where Clovio is thought to have worked on illustrations for the
Soane Manuscript written by Marino Grimani around that time. Clovio likely returned to Rome by the end of 1538 when he is known to have met with the writer
Francisco de Hollanda
Francisco de Holanda (originally ''Francisco d'Olanda;'' 6 September 1517 – 19 June 1585) was a Portuguese court painter and sculptor for King John III of Portugal, and later for Sebastian of Portugal. He wrote what is regarded as the first trea ...
.
![11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/11.499_PS2.jpg)
Clovio later became a member of the household of
Alessandro Farnese with whom he would be associated until his death. It was during his time with Farnese that Clovio created one of his masterpieces, the
Farnese Hours
The Farnese Hours is an illuminated manuscript created by Giulio Clovio for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in 1546. Considered the masterpiece of Clovio, this book of hours is now in the possession of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.
...
. Other well-known works from this period include the illustrations for the Towneley Lectionary.
From 1551 to 1553 Clovio is known to have worked in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
. During this time he painted a miniature of
Eleanor of Toledo
Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: ''Eleonora di Toledo'', 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen businessw ...
(England, Walbeck Abbey, Private Collection).
Contact with other artists
Clovio was a friend of the much younger
El Greco, the celebrated
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
artist from
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
Heraklion
Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...
, who later worked in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, during El Greco's early years in Rome. Greco painted two portraits of Clovio; one shows the four painters whom he considered as his masters; in this Clovio is side by side with
Michelangelo,
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...
, and
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual a ...
. Clovio was also known as ''Michelangelo of the
miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to:
* Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting
* Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture
* Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or probl ...
''. Books with his miniatures became famous primarily due to his skilled illustrations. He was persuasive in transferring the style of Italian high
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
painting into the miniature format.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder was a personal friend of Giulio Clovio,
and stayed with Clovio in Rome during his Italian trip of 1553. Breugel executed a small medallion depicting ships in a storm on a Clovio miniature of the
Last Judgment (
New York Public Library), but the six Bruegels mentioned in Clovio's will have all disappeared.
Major works
''Soane Manuscript''
Clovio illuminated the Commentary of
Marino Grimani on
St Paul’s
Epistle to the Romans. This work is now in the
Sir John Soane Museum
Sir John Soane's Museum is a Historic house museum, house museum, located next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, London, which was formerly the home of Neoclassical architecture, neo-classical architect, John Soane. It holds many drawings an ...
in London. The commentary consists of 130 vellums. Two large miniatures are included, as well as richly decorated borders. The miniatures depict the conversion of St Paul.
''Farnese Hours''
His most famous work is the ''
Farnese Hours
The Farnese Hours is an illuminated manuscript created by Giulio Clovio for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in 1546. Considered the masterpiece of Clovio, this book of hours is now in the possession of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.
...
,'' completed in 1546 for
Cardinal Alessandro Farnese
Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520 – 2 March 1589), an Italian cardinal and diplomat and a great collector and patron of the arts, was the grandson of Pope Paul III (who also bore the name ''Alessandro Farnese''), and the son of Pier Luigi F ...
, which was nine years in the making (now
Morgan Library
The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th S ...
, New York). He is pointing to this work in the El Greco portrait (above). This contains twenty-eight miniatures, mostly of Old and New Testament scenes, but with a famous double-page picture representing the
Corpus Christi procession in Rome. It has splendid silver-gilt covers, although they are not by
Benvenuto Cellini, as Vasari claimed.
''Towneley Lectionary''
The ''Towneley
Lectionary'' is now in the
New York Public Library and probably belonged to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. Used during services, the book contained six majestic, full-page miniatures opposite miniature depictions of the Evangelists. The illustrations, introduced the relevant readings from the Scripture. They include the Nativity, the
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...
and the
Last Judgment.
''Colonna Missal''
This work is now in the
John Rylands Library
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is a Victorian era, late-Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, neo-Gothic building on Deansgate in Manchester, England. It is part of the University of Manchester. The library, which opened to t ...
in Manchester. The Colonna Missal was made for Cardinal Pompeo Colonna. There had been some debate about the identity of the artist. Some had attributed the missal to Raphael (about 1517). It has also been suggested that the work may belong to Vinzenzio Raimondi. It is now generally attributed to Clovio.
Other
The
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
has his twelve full page miniatures of the victories of the
Emperor Charles V,
and the
Stuart de Rothesay Book of Hours, which was originally commissioned by Cardinal
Marino Grimani and includes 4 miniatures by Giulio Clovio.
The
Vatican library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
has a manuscript life of Frederigo III di Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, superbly illustrated by Clovio.
[ Other illustrations by him are kept in libraries in ]Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, and Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, and in many private collections. A large exhibition of his works was held in 2012 in '' Klovićevi Dvori'' ("Palace of Klović"), the art gallery dedicated to him in Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
.
According to a description written for publication by Antonfrancesco Cirni, he also designed many of the costumes for the famously elaborate wedding festivities of Ortensia Borromeo Borromeo is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* House of Borromeo, an aristocratic family in Milan
Members of the House of Borromeo
* Andrea Borromeo (c. 1615 – 1683), Theatine priest
* Charles Borromeo (1538 – 1584), cardina ...
in March 1565, which were held in the Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum
The Holy See
* The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
and included a tournament in the Belvedere courtyard. Such duties were often expected of a Renaissance court painter. The costumes are carefully recorded in a series of anonymous etching
Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...
s, some probably based on Clovio's design drawings.
Death and burial
Giulio Clovio died in Rome on January 5, 1578. His tomb is in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, the church containing Michelangelo's celebrated '' Moses''.
500th anniversary
Croatia celebrated the 1998 500th anniversary of his birth. The Croatian National Bank
The Croatian National Bank ( hr, Hrvatska narodna banka or HNB; ) is the central bank of the Republic of Croatia.
HNB was established by the Constitution of Croatia which was passed by the Parliament of Croatia on 21 December 1990. Its main res ...
issued a special 200 kuna silver coin in commemoration. A monument to Clovio was also raised in Drivenik. The Croatian government
The Government of Croatia ( hr, Vlada Hrvatske), formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Vlada Republike Hrvatske), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government ( hr, hrvatska Vlada), is the main executive branch of government ...
recently made news by purchasing Clovio's ''The Last Judgement'', a painting Clovio gave as a gift to Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...
. Bernardin Modrić released his film ''The Gospel According to Klović'' in 2006. The Vatican celebrated this anniversary with postal stamps.
Legacy
Today, Giulio Clovio is celebrated in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
. He was born in the Kingdom of Croatia, and stated his Croatian identity. But, for most of his life he worked in Italy, and is therefore often referred to as an Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
painter."Clovio, Giorgio Giulio."
''Treccani, il portale del sapere.'' Web. 27 Apr. 2011.
Sculptures
File:Julije Klovic Z Car 2007.jpg, Statue in Drivenik
File:Juraj Julije Klović (1498-1578).JPG, Bust in Zrinjevac park Zrinjevac may mean:
* Zrinjevac (Mostar), a central park in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Zrinjevac (Osijek), a park in Osijek, Croatia
* Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square ( hr, Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog, popularl ...
, Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
File:Julije Klovic Grizane 0907.jpg, Monument in Grižane
File:Juraj Julije Klović, kip u Zagrebu.jpg, Statue in front of Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb
See also
*
Croats of Italy
Croats form a part of the permanent population of Italy ( hr, Hrvati u Italiji). Traditionally, there is an autochthonous community in the Molise region known as the Molise Croats, but there are many other Croats living in or associated with It ...
References
Sources
*
External links
International
*
Italian Renaissance Artist ListRijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie - Clovio, Giorgio Il Macedo
(named Julius Clovius Croatus in the stamp)
Italian
Le Vite - Edizioni Giuntina e Torrentiniana*
ttp://www.copia-di-arte.com/a/clovio-giorgio-giulio/last-judgement-after-mich.html Ultimo giudizio del Clovio
Croatian
Juraj Julije Klović Commemorative Coins-in EnglishCroatian post stamp: Christmas 1998 – 500th anniversary of the birth of Juraj Julije Klović
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clovio, Giorgio Giulio
Dalmatian Italians
Croatian painters
15th-century Italian painters
Italian male painters
16th-century Italian painters
Manuscript illuminators
Italian people of Croatian descent
15th-century Croatian people
16th-century Croatian people
1498 births
1578 deaths
Catholic painters
Catholic engravers
Catholic decorative artists