Villa Forni Cerato

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The Villa Forni Cerato (Villa Forni-Cerato) is a sixteenth-century villa in Montecchio Precalcino, Italy. Its design is attributed to Andrea Palladio and his client is assumed to have been Girolami Forni, a wealthy wood merchant who supplied building material for a number of the Palladio's projects. The attribution to Palladio is partly on stylistic grounds, although this is a complicated issue - the building departs from the Palladian norms.

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[edit] History

The villa was probably built in the 1540s modifying an existing building on the site. The double name Forni-Cerato, which it is always given, dates back to 1610. In that year the building, which belonged to Girolamo Forni who can be regarded as having commissioned it, passed in accordance with a provision in his will into the ownership of Giuseppe, Girolamo and Baldissera Cerato.[1]

Both its attribution to Palladio and the assumption that Girolamo Forni had it built must remain a matter of speculation. It is mentioned for the first time by Francesco Muttoni and Ottavio Bertotti Scamozzi in the eightenth century that Palladio was the architect who carried out the work. Modern research agrees almost unanimously with these two architects. In addition the villa itself reveals clearly who the creator was, Andrea Palladio.[2]


[edit] State of Conservation

The villa is in a poor state of conservation. The body of the building has not undergone any changes with the exception of the back, which had a serliana still visible today, and was to be interpreted as a response to that on the front facade, but was later replaced by a balcony.[3]

Facade reliefs, which were removed in 1924, are recorded by a copperplate engraving by Marco Moro, but are not believed to be original features of Palladio's putative plan. The current reliefs, which show river gods, are 20th century copies based on Moro's engraving. The same is true of the coat of arms wthin the gable area. Today, the only authentic sculptural decoration appears to be a mask over the round arch of the entrance serliana which is attributed to Allesandrio Vittoria.

[edit] Design

Villa Forni Cerato is relatively small in size and its height is structured by the triple rhythm of the cellar story, piano nobile and mezzanine storey. This triple pattern also determines the width of the villa. The loggia stands out as the dominant part of the villa on the frontal facade. In what is a remarkable relationship to the Villa Godi, a flight of steps reaches over the basement and leads up to the loggia, which opens in a serliana. This serliana takes up the entire width of the loggia and gives it a special visual importance. The central axis is exceedingly clear and is not broken by windows forced through the outer walls as in the Villa Godi. Just the opposite: the windows manifestly fits in with the proportional structure on the villa. But it is not only in this respect that the Villa Forni Cerato marks a considerable step forard in Palladio's development; for the first time the boarders between the various storeys of the facade are clearly visible. Although the front serliana appears in a simplified form, a ledge projects from the foundations of the wall at the side of the round arch which leads around the loggia and meets its counterpart, where motifs are concerned, in the upper ends of the windows. A double ledge runs below the windows and connects the loggia organically with the rest of the building. Apart from its structural function, it forms both the upper and lower conclusions of two balusters, which are positioned among the outer pilasters of the serliana. If one also takes into consideration the fact that the balusters visually balance out the outer pilasters of the serliana, then the Villa Forni Cerato appears as a building in which the subordination of individual facade details with regard to the entire facade, which was characteristic of Palladio later development, is expressed for the first time. [4]


[edit] Reference

  1. ^ Wundram, Manfred, "Andrea Palladio 1508-1580, Architect between the Renaissance and Baroque", Benedikt Taschen 1993 p.26 ISBN 3-8228-0271-9
  2. ^ Ibid. p.26
  3. ^ Ibid. pp 26-27
  4. ^ Ibid. pp 27, 30

[edit] See also

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Palladian Villas of the Veneto

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Villas by Andrea Palladio