Pomarancio

Pomarancio is the surname of CRISTOFORO RONCALIT, a painter of the Florentine school. He was born in 1552 at Pomarancio, and was a pupil of Niecolo Circignani, who took him to Rome quite young to assist him in his works. At the same time, under the direction of Ignazio Danti, he helped, with Tempesti, Rafatllino da Reggio, the younger Palma, and some others, in finishing the logge of Raffaelle. This work being achieved, he painted, on slate, for Santa Maria degli Angeli at Rome, a Death of Ananias and Sapphira, a masterpiece that was deemed worthy to be copied on mosaic for the basilica of St. Peter. After painting at San Giovanni di Latrano The Baptism of Constantine, at San Giacomo The Resurrection of Christ, at San Gregorio a St. Andrew, one of his best works, he was selected to paint the cupola of the church of Loretto, getting the preference of Guido and Caravaggio. The latter avenged himself by having his rival's face disfigured by a spadassin. The cupola of Loretto, in the ornamentation of which Roncalli was assisted by Jaconetti, Pietro Lombardo, and Lorenzo Garbieri, offers a great variety and abundance of subjects. Although these paintings have suffered much, some heads of uncommon beauty are still discernible. Some subjects from the life of the Virgin, executed by Pomarancio, were the occasion of his being made a knight of the Order of Christ by Paul V. He worked in divers other places of the Picentino: there is a Noli me tangere at the Ermitani of San Severino; a St. Francis in Prayers, at San Agostino of Ancona; a St. Palatia at Osimo; and at the Palazzo Galli of the same place is a Judgment of Solomon, which Lanzi asserts to be his best fresco. During a rather protracted stay at Genoa, he embellished its churches and palaces with works fit to compete with the best of the century. We mention further among his paintings The Martyrdom of St. Simon, at the Pinacothek of Munich, and a Virgin shedding Tears over the Body of her Son, at the Museum of Madrid. His manner is very variable, and reminds now of the Roman, now of the Florentine school; sometimes it comes near to the Venetian school. His colors are brighter and more brilliant in his frescos than in his oil-paintings. He likes to adorn his subjects with beautiful landscapes of great effect. Unfortunately, following the example of his masters. he was too often assisted by his pupils; hence some weak parts in his works. He is charged also with some errors of perspective. He died at Rome in 1626. See Lanzi, Hist. of Painters (see Index); Spooner, Biog. Hist. of the Fine Arts, s.v. Roncalli.