a, in 1474 and in 1485, but
the work of the stalls in the Cathedral seems rather more archaic than
their period, and the lectern is dated 1459. It is probably the work of
Antonio da Melaria, who three years later made one exactly like it, with
other things, for the Church of S. Domenico. This was done for Antonia
di Fiordibelli, and the contract shows what were the conditions under
which such work was done. He was given 50 lire at once to buy material
with, 50 when he began working, 50 when he had finished a third of the
work, 50 when it was half done, 50 more when three-quarters was
finished, and the rest of the whole price of 336 lire when it was
completed. He was to use wood of Piella, and give 48 planks to the
lady--a very curious clause in the contract.
At Citta di Castello there are tarsie designed by Raffaello da Colle in
the Cathedral.
The choir stalls at the Certosa, Pavia, were made by Bartolommeo Poli,
surnamed dalla Polla, from designs by Borgognone, as is said, and the
style certainly seems to bear out the assertion, though no document has
yet been found directly connecting him with them. They were restored in
1847 by Count Nava with wax and stucco coloured to imitate the missing
pieces of wood. The upper row contains a series of figures of saints
and prophets, and below are exceedingly graceful and flowing arabesques.
A document in the Brera Library notes that in 1490 "Mro. Bartolommeo de
Polli da Mantoa, who made the inlaid choir and the doors of the chapels,
has a right to 8 ducats per door, and also for the wooden pulpits 30
ducats a pulpit." He was the son of Andrea da Mantova, who was born at
Modena, but lived and worked at Mantua, and also with his brother Paolo
in S. Mark's, Venice. The stalls were made between 1486 and 1501, and
are the only work which he is recorded to have executed. A Cremonese,
Pantaleone de' Marchi also worked on these stalls--a relation of the
large family of the Marchi of Crema, perhaps, who worked in S. Petronio,
Bologna, in 1495. The father was named Agostino, and he had six sons,
Giacomo, Nicolo, Taddeo, Biagio, Agostino, and a second Giacomo. The
stalls in the Chapel of S. Sebastian are signed Jacopo de Marchis. Some
stalls by Pantaleone de' Marchi are in the Museum at Berlin, acquired in
1883. They probably came from Bramante's Church, the Madonna of Tirano,
in the Valtelline, which was built in 1505, and where there are still
some remains of seats similar in style. T
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