Il Borgognone (1621-1676)

Jacques Courtois or Giacomo Cortesi, known as Il Borgognone (Saint-Hyppolite, February 1621 – Rome, November 14, 1676) Pair of oil on canvas paintings depicting battle scenes: 52.5 x 26cm Expertise: Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri Nicknamed the Borgognone of battles, he came from the French region of Franche-Comtè, which at the time belonged to Spain. He had his first painting lessons from his father, Jean Courtois. In 1636 in Milan, he enlisted in the Spanish army and remained there until 1639; then, having a great predisposition for painting, he began to paint, changing masters as the city in which he was located changed. He studied in Bologna with Jérome Colomès, worked with Guido Reni and Francesco Albani, and in Florence with Jan Asselyn, a Dutch painter specializing in battle scenes. In Verona, Florence, and Venice he painted various kinds of works. Arriving in Rome in 1640, he had the opportunity to see the "Battle of Constantine" in the Vatican, painted by Giulio Romano. This work, which he liked very much, and the years spent in the service of the Spanish army led him to specialize in the genre of battles, becoming famous for his way of expressing himself and coloring "surprisingly true". He later moved to Siena, where in 1647 he married the daughter of a Florentine painter, of whom he was extremely jealous. Upon her sudden death in 1654, he was accused of having poisoned her. Therefore, he retired to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus and later became a Jesuit. Returning to Rome, he lived in the novitiate of S. Andrea a Monte Cavallo and at the Jesuit House. One of the first achievements of this period was the series of six battles "won through the intercession of the Virgin Mary" which are located in the primary Chapel of the Roman College. He also contributed to the mural decoration of the corridors of the apartments of Saint Ignatius (the professed house of Jesus). He also held school: the French painter Joseph Parrocel was his pupil. In 1672, at the request of the Superior General, he prepared the sketches for the decoration of the apse of the Church of Jesus, but could not complete the work due to his declining health. He died in Rome on November 14, 1676. His brother Guglielmo (Guillaume Courtois) was also a painter of good name. Today the works of Jacques Courtois are found in the major museums of the world, the Louvre in Paris, the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Prado in Madrid, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, etc... Gian Lorenzo Bernini commented: "Among the painters of that time in Europe, no one has equaled Courtois in the graphic expression of the horror of battle" (Salvagnini, F.A., I pittori borgognoni, Cortese, Rome, 1937, p. 185).