Stufa or Stufetta was the name given to the bathroom area and “hot tub” in the early 16th century for very important people who could afford such luxuries such as cardinals, banking families and popes. Hot and cold running water was provided to the stufette by advanced systems of lead pipes and were highly stylized in fresco and grottesca painting.
The “Stufetta” of Pope Clemente VII in the Castel Sant’Angelo in
Rome is an important example from this period.
The decoration of this stufetta incorporates the grottesca design and classical elements thought to be conceptualized and painted by students of Raphael ( author of the famous “Loggia” in the Vatican which began the grottesca
tradition in Italy)
Academics have suggested the names of Guilio Romano (author of the famous Palazzo Te’ in Mantova) as the designer for the “Stufetta” and Giovanni da Udine (the most important name in the school of Raphael as the “Master of Grottesche”) as the main painter for the fresco walls.
The panel presented for this workshop is a collage of differing elements chosen from the Castel Sant’ Angelo which will be discussed.
On a background of faux fresco and border of classical stencils designed for this panel, students will learn to recreate their own version of the “Stufetta.
The central panel and main motif of the wall decoration depicts a story directly from the “Stufetta”.
Hippocampus, a Phoenician and Greek mythological figure who was typically depicted with a head of a horse and a fish like body and tail, being pulling over the seas surface by Poseidon, the Greek god of water.
Royal elements of Gods and garlands fill in the panel symmetrically.
This 4 x 4 mural on canvas will incorporate stencils, free hand work and traditional transferring systems, perfect for beginners and professionals alike. Working on a plaster based background, typical Italian ornamentation will frame a cartouche with a mythological scene.
