One of the most fascinating portraits in the collections of Palazzo Mazzetti Museum, the Portrait of Ambrogio Antonio Scarampi Crivelli, Marquis of Canelli, painted at the beginning of the 17th century by Giovanni Caracca (Haarlem, documented from 1568 – Turin, 1607), has been on display since March 21 in the major exhibition Alessandria preziosa. An International Workshop at the Twilight of the 16th Century, held at Palazzo del Monferrato in Alessandria.

The rich exhibition itinerary explores the creative culture between the 16th century and the early 17th century, highlighting the world of luxury arts on the eve of the rise of international Mannerism during the years of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Our portrait is presented within one of the seven sections, more specifically the one devoted to the art of armorers.

The inscription on the painting, attributable to Giovanni Caracca, identifies the portrayed figure as Don Giovanni Battista De Lizaranzu, Knight of Justice of the Order of Saint James of the Sword and governor of the castles of Milazzo and Brucoli, and belongs to the group of portraits from the Alfassio Grimaldi di Bellino family, acquired in 1937 by the Cassa di Risparmio di Asti together with the building then partly used to house the civic collections.

During the cleaning carried out in the 2001 restoration, it was discovered that this inscription partially overlaps another one referring to Ambrogio Scarampi Crivelli, Marquis of Canelli and governor of Turin. This is one of the alterations the canvas underwent before becoming part of the picture gallery of the noble family, at which point it assumed a new identity.

The Milanese Ambrogio Antonio Scarampi belonged to the loyal nobility subject to Duke Charles Emmanuel I, for whom Crivelli held the office of governor of Turin and colonel of the militia of its district (1585). In 1602, Crivelli received from Charles Emmanuel I the title of Marquis of Canelli. The portrait reflects influences drawn from portraiture produced in Spain, where Giovanni Caracca stayed on the occasion of the marriage of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy to Catherine Michelle of Austria, the second daughter of Philip II.

Crivelli’s pose derives from Spanish models and recalls the portraits of Charles Emmanuel I painted by Caracca between 1585 and 1590, also because of the sumptuous type of armor, which points to one of the most esteemed and sought-after armorers of the period, the Milanese Pompeo della Cesa (c. 1537 – 1610), maker of the remains of an armor garniture for Charles Emmanuel I and of the breastplate identified as the one worn by Charles Emmanuel I in Caracca’s 1585 portrait, now in a private collection.

The figure of the Marquis of Canelli, with his severe expression, stands against a dark background, from which the armor enriched by the collar of the Order of Saint James stands out vividly. The cuirass is embellished with etched decorations arranged across gilded bands alternating with smooth, polished ones. Among cherubs, small grotesques, and flowers, the scrolling cartouches feature Saint George at the center of the breastplate, classical warriors, martyr saints, and allegorical figures, among which Fortitude, the warrior’s principal virtue, can be recognized.

Giovanni Caracca (Haarlem, documented from 1568 – Turin, 1607), Portrait of Ambrogio Antonio Scarampi Crivelli, Marquis of Canelli
Early 17th century
Oil on canvas, 133 x 95 cm