Zelotti's Epic Frescoes at Cataio

the long version

"The immense castle at Cataio, about thirty-five miles from Venice, was built between 1570-1573. Its six palatial rooms contain an extraordinary series of frescoes painted in 1572 by Battista Zelotti (ca. 1526-1578), a master whose work was often taken to be that of his near-contemporary, Veronese. For centuries, this artistic treasure, its creator, and the castle it graces, had all but fallen through the cracks of history; the castle itself was opened to visitors only a few years ago." "Now, art historian Irma B. Jaffe has peered through those cracks to help us discover the cycle of forty frescoes that record the heroic deeds of the Obizzi family from the middle ages to the beginning of the Renaissance." "In this first, full-color guide to the frescoes, Jaffe provides a fascinating study of their Mannerist compositions and iconography. Fresco by fresco, room by room, she also illuminates the meanings of the ceiling decorations that serve as brilliant visual metaphors of the events depicted in the frescoes on the walls below. This lavishly illustrated, beautifully designed book is an essential addition to the literature of Mannerist painting, and an invaluable resource for students, teachers and scholars."--Jacket.