Giovanni Battista Bracelli's Bizzarie di varie figure: Metaphor and capriccio
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22394/2412-9410-2020-6-4-230-244Keywords:
Giovanni Battista Bracelli, Jacques Callot, print, etching, capriccio, bizzarie, Medici, metaphorAbstract
This article is devoted to the analysis of Bizzarie di varie figure, a set of etchings by Giovanni Battista Bracelli, in terms of its inclusion in a particular genre tradition. Determining the genre is extremely important, since it makes it possible to choose a provisionally correct interpretation of a work from among an endless field of possible variants and to justify this choice. I view bizzarie as a filiation of the capriccio genre, in the sense of the term formed in the writings of Jacques Callot. This hypothesis is supported by the analysis, presented in this article, of the title page and the dedication of the set. The meaning of the word bizzarie, which is found on the title page, is similar to a great extent to the term capriccio, and has undergone the same changes over time. The dedication, on the other hand, presents the set as an intellectual product, emphasizing, however, the spontaneity of its creation. The plates of Bizzarie di varie figure should be interpreted according to the characteristic features of the capriccio genre and the whole set should be seen as a fundamentally open text, not based on a consistent narrative. For this reason, it is not possible to interpret Bracelli's set as an encrypted message, similar to Arcimboldo's allegorical portraits, whose meaning is hidden from the uninitiated.Downloads
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