Pompeo della Cesa

Pompeo della Cesa (1537-1610г.), Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy.

The stigma - signature POMPEO, POMPE, POMP, on some works by Maestro dal Castello Sforzesco (in the form of a three-towered castle).

One of the centers of high-quality armor production in the 15th-16th centuries was Northern Italy. The Milanese armorer Pompeo della Chiesa gained wide fame for his exquisite and highly artistic works.

The master was the court armourer to Philip III, the King of Spain, Duke of Milan. Although he is considered one of the most distinguished armourers of the late 16th century, details of his life have only recently become known; even Moriggia (Nobiltà di Milano, 1595) is silent about him. Now, however, some interesting documents about him have been discovered, which Angelucci quotes verbatim; credit for their discovery also goes to him. The master's significance lies primarily in his works, some of which, bearing his monogram, have been preserved in collections.
The documents that Angelucci brings from the state archives in Milan and Parma contain the following: 1585, March 6, Milan. The merchant Antonio Perego petitions the governor for permission to export to Seville, Spain, 12 shields and an equal number of helmets, which he ordered from Pompeo della Chiesa.
1586, October 28, Parma. The treasurer lists 351 scudi, 21 soldi, and 1 denarius as the remainder of 842 scudi, 17 soldi, paid to Pompeo della Chiesa for the manufacture and lining of armor for Duke Alessandro II. The date and place of issue are not specified. The court armorer Pompeo della Chiesa requests permission from the governor to export the two-plate armor and three helmets he made for Antonio Cavalino to Genoa.
1593. Treasurer Antonio Grasso pays the court armorer Pompeo Chiesa 720 scudi as the remainder of 500 ducats for the polished and gilded armor he made for Duke Alessandro (who died around December 3, 1593).
In a letter from an unnamed person in Marmirolo. On July 28, 1592, the president of the Mantua magistrates was instructed to pay Pompeo della Chiesa, the royal armourer, the remaining 140 ducats for all the weapons he had delivered by that date.
The following works by this master have survived to this day; they all date from the last decades of the 16th century and display a similar character and technique in their decorative features.
In the Imperial Armoury in Vienna (c. 858 and 859): a suit of armour consisting of a cavalry vest with greaves and a helmet (the thigh armour is missing); also an infantryman's armour with long tails (the helmet is missing).
In the Royal Armoury in Turin (c. 21): parts of a knight's armour consisting of a breastplate, the front part of the gorget, shoulder guards, and arm guards; Also (c. 70) a breastplate from a cavalry vestment.
In the Raoul Richard Collection in Rome: fragments of knightly armor.
The decoration of Pompeo's armor already demonstrates the decline of art and technique. Wide bands with very narrow, empty spaces between them. The first set includes medallions with scenes from mythology, interspersed with trophies and banded ornaments executed in gilded engraving on a black background. Overall, however, the impression created is of nobility, characteristic of earlier similar works from Milan. On the upper edge of the breastplates, Pompeo identifies himself with his abbreviated name, POMPE, within a frame resembling a band. Of note is the large letter M in the center, which likely stands for Milan, or perhaps the name POM-PEO.
Cicognara mentions Pompeo Turcone among his famous Milanese armourers. Perhaps this also applies to our teacher.

Source: Meister der Waffenschmiedekunst vom XIV. bis ins XVIII. Jahrhundert, Wendelin Boeheim, 1897, Berlin, 171