Rosso’s reception as a canon of Sainte Chapelle in Paris.

The document recording this reception has not been found (the Registres Capitulaires of Sainte Chapelle – LL 625 and 626 – give nothing on this subject).  Roy, 1920, 84 (1929, 150), referred to Rosso as a “chanoine de la Sainte-Chapelle, en exercice depuis le 14 août 1532, date de sa réception,” but he gave no documentary evidence for this fact.  That Rosso was a canon of Sainte Chapelle is indicated in a document of November 20, 1540 (DOC.43) that states that six days after his death the collegiale assembly of Sainte Chapelle of Paris agreed to celebrate a trible obit for him, “chanoine de céans.”  In documents of May 26, 1541 (DOC.48) and June 11, 1541 (DOC.50) the deceased Rosso is referred to as “chanoine [chanoyne] de la Saincte Chapelle et de N. D. de Paris.”  Then on March 1, 1544 (DOC.55), Scibec de Carpi declared that Rosso was a “chanoine de la Sainte Chappelle du Pallais et de Notre Dame de Paris.”  The second canonicate mentioned here was obtained by Rosso in 1537 (see DOCS.31-34).  Vasari, 1550 (II, ed. Ricci, 250), stated “gli [Rosso] donò [Francis I] un canonicato della Santa cappella della Madonna di Parigi,” repeating it – “onde non passo molto, gli diede…” — in 1568 (II, 210; Vasari-Milanesi, V, 169), apparently conflating Rosso’s two canonicates (although the placement of this passage, especially in the second edition, after the king had seen much of Rosso’s work, including the Gallery of Francis I, suggests the canonicate primarily indicated here may be the one at Notre Dame).¹  The canonicate at Sainte Chapelle would have been given to Rosso by the king because of the chapel’s royal status.  Rosso’s Paris house was in the enclosure of the palace (assise dedans l’enclos dud. Pallais [DOC.55]).

Although Roy did not give a source for his information, the date he gave is so specific that it has generally been assumed that he had documentary proof for it that has not again been located.  Hence it has been accepted by Venturi, IX, 5, 1932, 197; by Giesey, 1960, 39; and by Grodecki, 1975, 100, among others.  It is mentioned in Carroll, 1987, 30, 35, n. 90.  Well before Roy’s publication, Pfnor (1889, 150) noted that “il eut un canonicat de la Sainte-Chapelle,” without, however mentioning any date, nor giving any source for this fact.