Francesco de Mura

Two door panels with

Faith, Hope and putti 

attributed to Francesco de Mura,

Museo Civico di Castel Nuovo

Photo by New York Scugnizzo

By Giovanni di Napoli

In recent years I've made it a personal goal to pay homage to some of my favorite Southern Italian artists on their birthdays by viewing their works in person. Somehow, this tradition makes me feel connected to the artists; their greatness is a source of inspiration and pride. It's a simple gesture on my part and I find it to be a very rewarding. 

Luckily for me I have easy access to a few of their works, thanks to the proximity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unfortunately, due to the museum's vast collection and limited space (which is mind boggling considering the massive size of the place), I was unable to view Francesco De Mura's preparatory sketch for The Assumption of the Virgin because it was out of circulation. A very helpful gentleman at the information desk told me that the museum rotates their collection, but sometimes it takes as long as three years before some works are put back on public display. He did, however, give me a phone number to request a special viewing of the drawings and prints in storage, but they need at least two weeks advanced notice.

Needless to say, it's impossible to stay disappointed for very long at the MET. The institution is home to one of the world's greatest art collections and I was not about to waste an opportunity to take some of it in. I made my way to the European Painting galleries on the second floor and leisurely wondered through its hallowed halls. Gazing in awe, I found myself surrounded by the esteemed works of some of Europe's most celebrated artists: Diego Velázquez, Rembrandt van Rijn, El Greco, Caravaggio, Anthony van Dyck, Nicolas Poussin, Jusepe de Ribera, et al.

Of course, some of the Titans of the South were represented as well. I made my usual pilgrimage to the R.H. Macy Gallery (room 10) and the Stephen C. Clark Gallery (room 30) to view the masterpieces of Luca Giordano, Mattia Preti, Francesco Solimena, Salvator Rosa, Corrado Giaquinto, Gaspare Traversi and Massimo Stanzione. It was almost like having a religious experience; I dreamed of being back in the land of my fathers again.

Although I didn't get to see De Mura's work, my visit to the MET was as pleasurable as ever. It was an ideal way to celebrate our culture and heritage. When I get the chance I'll make a special appointment to view De Mura's work, along with a few others that I would like to see (e.g. Salvator Rosa's Fall of the Giants), but for now I will be content to simply honor his memory.

Detail, Allegory of Faith

Francesco De Mura was born in Naples on April 21, 1696. His parents, Giuseppe di Muro and Anna Linguito, were wool merchants in the parish of Santa Maria della Scala. The boy showed an early propensity for drawing. According to the biographer Bernardo De Dominici (1683-1759), de Mura was beaten by his schoolmaster for sketching images of the saints. At the age of ten, on the advice of an artist friend, de Mura's father sent his son to study in the workshop of Domenico Viola, thus beginning the boy's formal training.

The young virtuoso was treated with great kindness by Viola, who had been a pupil of the great Mattia Preti. Sadly, in just over a year into de Mura's apprenticeship, Viola died. By 1708 he entered the studio of Francesco Solimena, Naples' most admired artist at the time. De Mura soon made an impression. As claimed by De Dominici, "It was a marvel to see" a boy of twelve skillfully copying the works of Solimena and his pupils (e.g. Giustino Lombardo). Master and protégé would form a life-long friendship.

In 1713 De Mura painted his first public work, a Crucified Christ with the Virgin and St. John, for the Chiesa di San Girolamo delle Monache. Soon followed were notable bozzetti depicting the Madonna delle Grazie and St. Anthony of Padua for the Pio Monte della Misericordia and the Immaculate Conception for the Sisters of Crocelle di Mannesi. These, and other, early works clearly show a late baroque style and the influence of Preti and Solimena.

As his reputation grew De Mura was no longer dependent on Solimena's atelier. By the 1720's he began receiving major commissions throughout Naples, including two paintings for the chapel at San Nicola alla Carità. In 1727 he painted a cycle for the sacristy of the Chiesa dell'Annunziata in Airola and five paintings for the Duomo in Capua. That same year he married Anna d'Ebreu. De Mura would then go on and produce ten paintings of the Virtues for the Chiesa di Santa Maria Donnarómita.

In 1731 De Mura was commissioned to decorate the chapel at Montecassino. He so impressed the Benedictine fathers with his work they employed him for almost ten years at the hilltop abbey. During this prolific period he produced over thirty paintings and frescoes. Sadly, these and other irreplaceable items were destroyed during the allied advance through Italy in 1943. Existing photographs show the influence of Luca Giordano.

Detail, Allegory of Hope

The next few years would be some of the artist's most noteworthy. King Carlo di Borbone employed De Mura to decorate the Palazzo Reale at Naples. The Glory of the Princes, homage to the marriage of the King to Maria Amalia of Saxony in 1738 is considered the most important of these works.

In 1739 De Mura completed The Young Christ among the Doctors in the Temple for the Certosa di San Martino. According to De Dominici the work was "one of the most beautiful painted by our Francesco, for the perfect composition as well as for the beauty, and nobility of color which, with its sweet harmony, makes one miraculous accord of all."

The Neapolitan's services were in great demand and in 1741 he left Naples for Turin where he participated (along with Corrado Giaquinto and other notable southern Italian artists) in Charles Emmanuel III of Savoy's grand project to aggrandize his capital. During his short stay in Piedmont De Mura painted several royal portraits (including the King's) and six ceilings portraying classical themes in the Royal Palace. He also received several commissions, including nine paintings depicting the heroics of the ancients, which would be sent back north from Naples. These, and later works, showed the influence acquired through contact with his fellow countryman Giaquinto during this period.

De Mura returned to his homeland in 1743 and continued to receive commissions from wealthy patrons and institutions, among these were the Chiesa di Santa Chiara, the Chiesa di Annunziata in Capua and the SS Severino e Sossio. In 1751 he repainted the Adoration of the Magi in the apse in the Nunziatella a Pizzofalcone that he originally created almost two decades earlier. He became a member of the newly founded Accademia di Belle Arti in 1752 and was appointed president in 1766. He would retire his post from the prestigious Academy four years later but continue teaching at his own studio. Among his disciples were Pietro Bardellino, Jacopo Cestaro, Giacinto Diano, Michele Foschini, Domenico Mondo and Alfonso di Spigna.

The venerable De Mura continued producing many works for the churches and patrons across Southern Italy until his death in 1782.

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The following source proved invaluable to this post: 
A Taste for Angels: Neapolitan Painting in North America 1650-1750, Yale University Art Gallery, 1987.

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Francesco de Mura in the news:

On June 26, 2010 their will be an unveiling in Airola, Benevento, of the restored painting, l'Addolorata ed il Cristo Deposto, by Francesco de Mura. The restoration was generously funded by the Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York.