A visual testament by Luca Riva, a deaf and mute pupil of the Procaccini

The paper investigates the visual testament by Luca Riva, a mute and deaf artist who studied in Milan under Camillo Procaccini. Dated 9 September 1624, the document consists of twelve folios bound together in a small volume. On the sheets, ten brown-ink drawings illustrate the beneficiaries of Riva's testament, identifying the inheritance intended for them. Conserved in the Archivio di Stato in Milan, the document is the only testament known to have been made exclusively of visual elements and represents an invaluable source for the study of seventeenth-century Milan. Luca Riva's testament casts a light on the interconnections between art practice and disability in the early modern period, and emphasizes the predominant role held in Milan by the Procaccini, a family of Bolognese painters who were instrumental in the evolution of Lombard art in the age of Archbishops Carlo and Federico Borromeo.

Automated summary

The paper discusses the visual testament created by the mute and deaf artist Luca Riva, shedding light on the connections between art practice and disability in the early modern period. This unique document, conserved in Milan, provides invaluable insight into seventeenth-century Milan and the predominant role of the Procaccini family in the evolution of Lombard art.