A. Bartolucci – Abstract

This article aims to discuss and clarify some aspects related to the commission of the works by Carlo Bononi for the territory of Marche. The first part is centered on the paintings in San Paterniano church in Fano: recent studies and the monographic exhibition on Bononi contributed to a better understanding of the circumstances which led the painter to work for this town. Nonetheless there’s still no evidence of the specific channel followed by Bononi. The present article analyzes the latest researches and points out some political relationships between Fano and Ferrara thus bringing further elements to consider. The second part of this piece is focused on the altarpiece representing a Sacra famiglia con San Carlo, San Francesco, Santa Chiara e Santa Lucia now in Brera but once in the church of Saint Joseph, next to the Poor Clare monastery in Fabriano. Through some archive research and a thorough analysis of the context, some important light is shed on the commission of this work which is very likely related to Claudio di Marcantonio di Guido Montani. Even though very little is known about this figure, a local historian recalls that he fulfilled a juridical office in Ferrara in 1614. This represents another confirmation of the early contacts with that city and possibly with Carlo Bononi, in the framework of frequent diplomatic and cultural exchanges between the two areas.