POLLA1UOLO
A IN T O N I O
POLLAIUOLO
BY
MAUD CRUTTWELL
LONDON: DUCKWORTH AND CO.
NEW YORK : CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS.
1907
All rights reserved
ANTONIO POLLAITJOLO
Bora 1432 Died 1498
PIEEO POLLAIUOLO
Born 1443 Died 149G
Acre magis solers, liquidisve coloribus alter
Non fuit heroas ponere sive deos.
Argento aut auro nunquam praestantius alter
Divina potuit fingere signa manu.
Tbusca igitur tellus magis hoc iactet alumno,
Graecia quam quondam Parrhasio aut Phidia.
NOTE
THIS is the first book devoted to Antonio Pollaiuolo
that has been published in any language, and with
the exception of the notice (chiefly descriptive) of
Cavalcaselle little has been written about him up to
recent times, so that there are few writers to whom I am
indebted. But to one critic — Mr. Bernhard Berenson
— I owe much. From his suggestive study of the
Pollaiuoli published in vol. i. of his "Florentine
Drawings of the Renaissance," I have received the
greatest assistance, and I desire at the beginning of my
work to acknowledge my debt.
MAUD CRUTTWELL.
FLORENCE,
ift 1906,
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. BIOGRAPHY ....... i
II. THE PLACE OF ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO IN FLOREN-
TINE ART ....... 25
III. CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS ART . . . .38
IV. EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK. THE SILVER CROSS
OF S. GIOVANNI. 1457-1479 ... 45
V. EARLY PAINTED WORK. THE HERCULES GROUP.
1460 ........ 61
VI. PAINTINGS WITH PIERO. 1465-1470 . . 87
VII. THE DESIGNS FOR THE EMBROIDERIES OF
S. GIOVANNI. 1466 ..... 100
VIII. PAINTINGS AND STUDIES FROM THE NUDE.
1464-1470 . . . . . .116
IX. THE VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA. 1470 . 136
X. THE Pucci ALTARPIECE. 1475 . . .150
XI. THE RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR. 1477-
1480 ........ 167
XII. PORTRAITS BY ANTONIO AND PIERO. PIERO'S
LATEST WORK. 1470-1483 . . , .176
x CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
XIII. THE TOMBS OF THE POPES. 1484-1498 . . 189
XIV. DRAWINGS NOT ALREADY MENTIONED . J. 207
APPENDIX . . . . . . .219
INDEX 283
ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
page
I. Head of Antonio Pollaiuolo. From the
Fresco by Filippino Lippi in the Brancacci
Chapel, Carmine, Florence Frontispiece
II. Tomb of Antonio and Piero Pollaiuolo.
S. Pietro in Fincoli, Rome . . . 20
III. Portrait of Pippo Spano. By Andrea dal
Castagno. Sant' Apollonia, Florence . . 32
IV. Silver Cross. By Betto Betti and Antonio
Pollaiuolo. Museo delF Opera del Duomo,
Florence . . . . . . . 48
V. David. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. Kaiser
Friedrich Museum, Berlin .... 64
VI. Hercules Slaying the Hydra. By Antonio
Pollaiuolo. Uffizi, Florence . . . 66
VII. Hercules Slaying Antaeus. By Antonio
Pollaiuolo, Uffizi, Florence , , . 70
xii ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
paye
VIII. Hercules Slaying the Hydra. From an
engraving by Robetta . . . • 73
IX. Hercules Slaying Antaeus. From an en-
graving by Robetta . . . . 74
X. Hercules and Nessus. By Antonio and
Piero Pollaiuolo. Jarves Collection, New
Haven, U.S.A 78
XI. Hercules Slaying Antaeus. Bronze Statu-
ette. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo
Nazionale, Florence . . . . . 81
XII. Bust of Young Warrior. Terra Cotta. By
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo Nazionale,
Florence ....... 82
XIII. SS. James, Vincent and Eustace. By
Antonio and Piero Pollaiuolo. Uffizi,
Florence 88
XIV. The Journey of Tobias. By Antonio and
Piero Pollaiuolo. Galleria Reale, Turin . 94
XV. The Annunciation. By Piero Pollaiuolo
(assisted in small part by Antonio). Kaiser
Friedrich Museum, Berlin . . . . 96
XVI. Embroidery. S. John Baptizing. Designed
by Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo dc.IV Ojjera
del Duomo, Florence . . . . 102
ILLUSTRATIONS xiii
To face
page
XVII. Embroidery. S. John Preaching to Herod.
Design by Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo
dell' Opera del Duomo, Florence . . 104
XVIII. Embroidery. The Banquet ot Herod.
Design by Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo
dell' Opera del Duomo, Florence . . 106
XIX. Embroidery. Birth of Baptist. Design by
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo dell' Opera del
Duomo, Florence . . . . .112
XX. Embroidery. Decollation of Baptist. Design
by Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo delf Opera
del Duomo, Florence . . . .114
XXI. Embroidery. Salome Presenting the Head
of the Baptist to Herodias. Design by
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo delV Opera
del Duomo, Florence . . . . 114
XXII. Fresco of Torre del Gallo . . . . 117
XXIII. Battle of Ten Nudes. Engraving by Antonio
Pollaiuolo 120
XXIV. Prisoner brought before Judge. Drawing
by Antonio Pollaiuolo. British Museum,
London .... .124
XXV. "The Genius of Discord." Victoria and
Albert Museum, South Kensington . . 126
xiv ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
page
XXVI. Adam. Drawing by Antonio Pollaiuolo.
Uffizi, Florence . /. . . 130
XXVII. Eve. Drawing by Antonio Pollaiuolo.
Uffizi, Florence 130
XXVIII. Shield with Milo of Crotona. By Antonio
Pollaiuolo. Collection of Signor Brauer,
Florence . . . . . .134
XXIX. Prudence. By Piero Pollaiuolo. Uffizi,
Florence ...... 140
XXX. Charity. By Piero Polliauolo. Uffizi,
Florence ...... 142
XXXI. Faith. By Piero Pollaiuolo. Uffizi,
Florence . . . . . .144
XXXII. Faith. Drawing by Andrea Verrocchio.
Uffizi, Florence 146
XXXIII. S. Sebastian. By Antonio and Piero
Pollaiuolo. National Gallery, London . 150
XXXIV. Communion of S. Mary of Egypt. By
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Pieve, Staggia, near
Poggibonsi . . . . . .160
XXXV. S. Christopher. Fresco by Piero Pollai-
uolo. Metropolitan Museum, New York . 162
XXXVI. The Birth of the Baptist. Silver Relief.
By Antonio Pollaiuolo. Museo dell" Opera
del Duomo, Florence , . . . 172
ILLUSTRATIONS xv
To face
page
XXXVII. Portrait of the Wife of Giovanni de'
Bardi. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. Poldi-
Pezzoli, Museum, Milan . . . 178
XXXVIII. Portrait of Lady. By Antonio Pol-
laiuolo (Repainted). Uffizi, Florence . 180
XXXIX. Galeazzo Sforza. By Piero Pollaiuolo.
Uffizi, Florence . . , . .182
XL. Coronation of the Virgin. By Piero
Pollaiuolo. Collegiata, S. Gimignano . 184
XLI. Tomb of Sixtus IV. Bronze. By
Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pietro, Rome . 190
XLII. Tomb of Sixtus IV. By Antonio Pol-
laiuolo. S. Pietro, Rome . . .190
XLIII. Sixtus IV. From the Tomb by Antonio
Pollaiuolo. S, Pietro, Rome . . 192
XLIV. Theology. From the Tomb of Sixtus
IV. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pietro,
Rome ....... 196
XLV. Perspective. From the Tomb of Sixtus
IV. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. & Pietro,
Rome . . . . . . .196
XLVI. Dialectics. From the Tomb of Sixtus
IV By Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pietro,
Rome ..... . 198
xvi ILLUSTRATIONS
To face
page
XLVII. Rhetoric. From the Tomb of Sixtus
IV. By Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pielro,
Rome 198
XLVIII. Tomb of Innocent VIII. Bronze. By
Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pietro, Rome . 200
XLIX. Innocent VIII. From the Tomb by
Antonio Pollaiuolo. S. Pietro, Rome . 202
L. Innocent VIII. From the Tomb by
Antonio Polliauolo. S. Pietro, Rome . 202
LI. Study for Equestrian Statue to Fran-
cesco Sforza. Drawing by Antonio
Pollaiuolo. Munich Print Room . . 212
CHAPTER I
BIOGRAPHY
LITTLE is known of the private history of Antonio
PollaiuoJo. Like most of the artists born in the earlier
part of the fifteenth century, his life was merely that of
the busy craftsman, absorbed in work, with little time
to spare for the amenities of life. Son of a poulterer,
keeping his goldsmith's bottega, and when not occupied
with business leading a patriarchal life, surrounded by
numerous relations, he cannot certainly be reckoned
among those artists who, clad in purple and fine linen,
aspired to the luxury of princes. The two portraits of
him which exist — that painted by Filippino Lippi in the
Brancacci Chapel of the Carmine, and that sculptured
on his tomb in S. Pietro in Vincoli, both done when he
was past middle age — show the rugged face and harsh
expression of a man who has spent his life laboriously
and austerely. Prosperous he was, as his declarations
to the tax officials prove, but he seems to have used his
money soberly in the acquisition of land and providing
dowries for his daughters. Such history as is known
of him is a mere record of work, and even the pages
of Vasari are free of anecdote concerning him. He
2 POLLAIUOLO
attributes to him no personal quality except industry,
and limits his eulogy to this and his consequent pros-
perity. A few documents yield some bald facts as to his
possessions and family, and from these and his testa-
ment some idea of his social status may be gathered.
For the character of the man we must turn to the works
he has left. Six depositions to the Catasto * are in
existence, two made by his father in 1430 and 1457, two
made by himself in 1480 and in 1498, and two made
by his brothers Giovanni and Piero, when all three were
living under the same roof, though independently of each
other. From these documents we learn the following
facts, f The family name was Benci, derived from the
great-great-grandfather of Antonio, that of Pollaiuolo
(poulterer) being adopted from the trade of his father
Jacopo, according to the Florentine custom. Vasari,
apparently to give point to some characteristic moral-
ising on the triumph of industry, records that Jacopo
was of low origin and poor, (" assai basso e nan molto
agiato "), but the latter statement at least the documents
disprove. In his deposition to the Catasto of 1457 he
was in possession of a shop in the Mercato Vecchio, for
which he paid a fairly high rent, of a house in the
* In 1427 a law was passed by which every Florentine citizen
was required to declare the amount of his property for the regula-
tion of the income-tax. Owing to carelessness mistakes were
frequent in these documents as to the ages of the deponent and his
children, and often false statements were made as to the amount of
property, with the object of being lightly taxed. The statements
must therefore be accepted with reserve.
f The documents will be found transcribed in the Appendix.
BIOGRAPHY 3
country, and of an exceedingly numerous clientele. It
is true that this clientele is revealed to us only by its
debts, but the number and importance of the names
prove his poulterer's business to have been large and
prosperous.
The family consisted of Jacopo, his wife Tomasa
and their six children, four sons and two daughters, of
whom Antonio was the eldest. Of Salvestro, next to
him in age, who seems to have passed most of his life in
Pistoja, we hear nothing of importance. Giovanni, like
his father, was a poulterer, and inherited the shop in
the Mercato Vecchio. He was married to Ginevra,
daughter of Francesco Baccegli, and had five children,
Salvestro, llaffaello, Lucrezia, Francesco, and Domenico.
Piero, the youngest of the brothers, was trained as
painter and sculptor, and had, as will be seen, a bottega
independent of Antonio. He never married, but left
an illegitimate daughter — Lisa. The three brothers,
Antonio, Giovanni, and Piero, shared a house in the
Piazza degli Agli, near S. Maria Maggiore, no longer
in existence. In 1480, when each made his separate
deposition to the Catasto, they were living together,
Jacopo the father, eighty-one years old, being sup-
ported by Giovanni, and Tomasa the mother, sixty-
eight, by Piero. Why the younger sons, rather than
Antonio the eldest, should have borne the expense of
supporting the aged parents, does not transpire.
Antonio was born January 17, 1432.* According to
* The year of his birth is not absolutely certain, but this date is
the most probable. In his Portata to the Catasto of May 31, 1433
4 POLLAIUOLO
Vasari he was placed by his father at an early age to
learn the trade of goldsmith in the bottega of Barto-
luccio Ghiberti, master of Lorenzo, and soon became
one of the most skilful workers in Florence in niello and
in the setting of jewels. By his ability he attracted the
attention of Lorenzo himself, then at work on the second
of the Bronze Doors of the Baptistry,* and on the frame-
work of these (always according to Vasari) he was set to
carve, and introduced into the design a quail, so
excellently done " that flight alone was required to
make it perfect." Before many weeks had elapsed he
had surpassed all his fellows, and was recognised as the
best draughtsman and most careful worker of them all ;
and his fame and ability increasing, he left the workshop
of Lorenzo Ghiberti and started an independent
business as a goldsmith in the Mercato Nuovo.j-
(see Cavalcaselle, " Storia della Pittura in Italia," Firenze. 1886,
vol. vi. p. 73, note 2), his father gives his age as one year and a half,
which would place his birth as above stated — 1432, (old style, 1431).
The day and month are determined by his name. January 17 is
the feast of his patron saint Antonio Abbate, and on this day he
ordered in his testament that an annual dinner should be given to
twelve paupers. It is true that in his father's Portata to the Catasto
of 1457 his age is given as 24, which would place his birth in 1433,
and on his tomb in S. Pietro in Vincoli the year of his death is
given as 1498 and his age as 72, which would place it in 1426. But
in his own Portata to the Catasto of 1480 he states his age to be 49,
which corroborates the date 1432. It seems most probable that
this is correct, since, though a father may be mistaken as to the
precise age of his grown-up son, he could hardly err in the case of
a child of eighteen months.
* The so-called Gates of Paradise. Begun, 1425. Finished, 1447.
Gilded and set in place 1452.
t See Vasari, Ed. Sansoni, Firenze, 1878, iii. p. 286.
BIOGRAPHY 5
As far as the main facts go there is every reason to
believe this sketch of his early apprenticeship to be
correct, although there is no documented evidence either
of his being placed with Bartoluccio Ghiberti, or of
his having worked on the Bronze Doors under
Lorenzo. In the Account Books of the Commissioners
of the Doors, an entry made at the beginning of the
work records that Ghiberti had in his employ his son
Vittorio, Michelozzo, and three other assistants, but
neither there nor in the later entries is the name of
Antonio mentioned.* There is however no reason to
reject the statement that he served his apprenticeship
with Lorenzo. It is on the contrary extremely probable,
since his father was able to afford it, that he should
place his son at the best training school in Florence to
learn his craft. Antonio Billi, both in his notice of
Antonio Pollaiuolo and in that of Brunellesco, states
that he worked as Lorenzo's assistant on the Doors,f
and to this the Anonimo Gaddiano adds the story of
the quail.f This, however, is certainly apocryphal. The
* " 1424. 2 Gennaio. Lorenzo di Bartolo possa tenere al lavoro
della detta porta Michelozzo suddetto. Vittorio figliuolo di detto
Lorenzo e altri tre." Miintz, " Les Archives des Arts," Paris, 1890.
t " Lavoro nella Parte Guelfa " (a mistake of the copyist who
add d the word Guelfa. In the original MSS. certainly Porte)
" con Lorenzo di Bartoluccio, dove fecie cose miracolose." (" Libro
di Antonio Billi," Ed. Carl Frey, Berlin, 1892, p. 27.) " Vale assai "
(Brunellesco) "nella scultura come si vede nel modello di bronzo
che lui fecie per le porte di Sto Giovanni .... anchora che poi
furno allogate a Lorenzo Bartolucci o vero Giberti ; anchora che
sopra vi lavorassino detto Filippo, Donatello, Luca della Robbia et
An to del Pollaiuolo" (op. cit. p. 20).
| " Et anchora in sua gioventu lavoro " (Antonio) " nella porte
6 POLLAIUOLO
bird is to be seen on the left side of the Door facing the
Duomo, about half way up. It has none of the special
characteristics of Antonio's work, and nothing to dis-
tinguish it in any way from the other birds and animals
that decorate the framework.
Vasari relates that while Antonio was apprenticed to
a goldsmith, his younger brother Piero was a painter,
and was placed to learn his art in the bottega of Andrea
dal Castagno, and he proceeds to make the following
astonishing statement :
"Antonio, recognising that the craft of goldsmith repaid
but little the labours of the artist, resolved to abandon it
for one which should better preserve his memory ; where-
fore, his brother Piero being a painter, he placed himself
with him to learn the use and practice of colours . . . and
spurred on by ambition rather than the love of gain, he
learnt in a few months the art of painting, and became a
most excellent Master ; and associating himself entirely
with Piero, they painted together many pictures." *
It is perhaps hardly necessary to deny so preposterous
an assertion in these days of scientific criticism. The
statement that Antonio learnt painting from one so
infinitely his inferior as Piero, who was also many years
his junior, hardly merits notice; yet there is no doubt
that to a lingering reminiscence of Vasari's words is due
d'essa chiesa" (S. Giovanni) " con Lorenzo di Bartoluccio et in fra
le altre cose fece nello stipito della porta di mezo una quaglia molto
delicatamente lavorata " (" L'Anonimo Gaddiano," Ed. Cornel v.
Fabriczy, Firenze, 1893, p. 56).
* Vasari, iii. p. 290.
BIOGRAPHY 7
in great measure the lack of discrimination as to the
relative value of their work. While Antonio, next to
Donatello, occupies the position of Chief and Pioneer
of the Florentine realistic school, Piero, but for his
influence and assistance, would probably be as little
known as any of the nameless imitators of Botticelli,
whose feeble work we are content to class as " School,"
Such small merit as there is in his painting is due
entirely to his brother, whose style he imitated as
closely as his abilities permitted, and there is little
doubt but that, so far from Antonio having been his
pupil, he himself owed his training as painter and
sculptor to his brother. The statement that Antonio
renounced the craft of goldsmith to become entirely a
painter is equally false. He was throughout his life
first and foremost a worker in metal. " Orqfo " he signs
himself whenever his name appears either in private
documents or in his public works. He was hardly a
sculptor in the accepted sense of the word, for he never,
as far as is known, touched marble, and all his existing
sculptured works were evidently intended to be executed
in metal. Yet that he began to study painting at
an early age, and practised it simultaneously with his
goldsmith's work, is proved by dated evidence. The
goldsmith's bottega was training-ground for the painter
as well as for the metal-worker and sculptor, the school
for design and drawing which constituted the most
important part of Florentine painting. The character
of Antonio's work points to the probability that he
owed his technical education as a painter to Andrea
8 POLLAIUOLO
dal Castagno and Alesso Baldovinetti. Although his
first paintings, for which we have certain date, were
executed at the age of twenty-eight, several others are
in existence which may well be placed earlier — work
with which Piero had nothing to do. That he carried
on the art simultaneously with that of goldsmith is
proved by the following documented dates. In 1460
he painted the important canvases representing the
Labours of Hercules, at the commission of Lorenzo de1
Medici, having just completed the Silver Cross for the
Altar of S. Giovanni. About 1465 he frescoed the
Altar-wall in the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal,
S. Miniato, at the same date that he was working at
the Silver Candlesticks to accompany the Cross. In
1472 his name figures at the head of the list of painters
drawn up in that year,* and in 1475 he painted the
S. Sebastian for the Pucci Chapel, now in the National
Gallery, between which dates we have record of several
pieces of goldsmith's work — the helmet for the Count
of Urbino, the silver basin for the Signoria, and a
Crucifix for the Church of the Carmine. In the
inscription carved by him upon the Tomb of Sixtus IV.,
executed in the last years of his life, he designates
himself "Skilful in Silver, in Gold, in Painting, and
in Bronze,11 f and the title "Pictor insignis " follows his
name in the inscription on his Tomb in S. Pietro in
Vincoli.
* Berenson, " Drawings of the Florentine Painters," London,
1903, vol. i. p. 18.
•j- " OPVS ANTONI POLAIOLI FLORENTINI, ARG. AVRO. PICT. AERE.
CLARI."
BIOGRAPHY 9
The bottega of Antonio, like that of Verrocchio,
united the crafts of sculptor, painter, portraitist,
goldsmith, jeweller, architect, decorative designer, and
bronze founder, and in each of these different branches
of art we have record of work executed by him. All
kinds of ecclesiastical ornament from sculpture of the
importance of the Cross and Relief of the Silver Altar
of S. Giovanni to thuribles and pad ; from large altar-
pieces and frescoes to designs for embroideries ; all kinds
of secular goldsmith's work, such as the setting of jewels,
the making of girdles, of helmets and gala armour. He
frescoed the walls of private houses, and experimented
in the newly-practised art of engraving. He was also
an architect and practical engineer. X Finally, judging
by the number of life-studies which bear traces of his
influence, his atelier must have been the chief training-
school in Florence for the special study of anatomy and
of the nude, and he seems to have shared with Verrocchio
the reputation as the most popular teacher of the
realistic art initiated by Donatello.
From Antonio's own statement we learn that he began
his career in an independent position in 1459.* It was
probably at this time that he hired the shop in Via
Vaccherecciaf in the neighbourhood of the Ponte
* " Fu mancieppato d' Jacopo mio padre a di xi di magio 1459 "
(see Doc. III. p. 237).
f " Franciscus de Cavalcantibus . . . local ad pensionem
Antonio olim Jacobi del Pollajoli civi florentino unam apothecam
ad usum aurificis in popolo Sanctae Ciciliae in via di Vacchereccia "
(Vasari, iii p. 285, note i), and Antonio's own statement in his
Portata, " Fo una bottega d'orafo in Vachereccia ..." (Doc.
III. p. 239).
io POLLAIUOLO
Vecchio, then as now the quarter of the goldsmiths, which
shop he continued to hold up to the time of his depar-
ture for Rome in 1484. " His bottega" writes Vasari,
" became in a short time the most popular in Florence,
and he the most renowned draughtsman of his day.1"1
" He was so great a draughtsman," wrote Cellini,
"that nearly all the goldsmiths made use of his most
beautiful designs, which were of so great excellence that
to this day many sculptors and painters, the best
in those arts, used them, and thereby gained the
greatest honour."" * Vasari goes on to speak of Tomaso
Finiguerra, the celebrated worker in niello, and states
that in rivalry with him Antonio also devoted himself
to that art, and with so much success as speedily to
supersede him. Here again is an error. It is now
known that so far from being the rival of Finiguerra,
Antonio was in partnership with him and another
famous rw//o-worker, Piero di Bartolomeo Sali, and
that there existed between them the closest friend-
ship, which lasted till the death of Finiguerra.f As
Finiguerra died 1464 this partnership must date from
the earlier part of Antonio's career as an independent
Master, and that they were together in 1462 is proved
by a document of payment for some jewels ordered by
* Cellini," I Trattati dell' Oreficeria e della Scultura," Ed. Carlo
Milanesi. Firenze, 1857.
t " Fu Maso " (Finiguerra) " compagno di Piero di Bartolommeo
Sali, orefice a suoi giorni di molto credito, nella cui bottega stette
ancora Antonio del Pollaiuolo," Vasari, v. p. 395, note 2, and
Milanesi's " Commentary on the Life of Marcantonio," Vasari, v.
P- 443-
BIOGRAPHY 1 1
Cino Rinuccini, in which both names are mentioned.*
Benvenuto Cellini writes that Finiguerra, being but a
poor draughtsman himself, was always assisted by
Antonio, and that nothing issued from his bottega
that was not designed by him. Unfortunately, of
Finiguerra's niello work but one example remains,
by which we may judge of the truth of this statement,
and this — the Pace representing the Crucifixion, in the
Museo Nazionale, Florence, cited by Cellini as an
example of their mutual work— shows no trace of
Antonio's style.
We are justified in assuming that up to 1464, the
date of Finiguerra's death, Antonio was in partnership
with him. Later, as he himself states in his Portata
to the Catasto of 1480, he was sharing his goldsmith's
shop in Via Vacchereccia with Paolo di Giovanni
Sogliani. cousin of the more famous painter of that
name, the pupil and assistant of Lorenzo di Credi.j" It
is uncertain what was the exact nature of the business
connection between Antonio and his brother Piero, but
that they were not partners in the strictly commercial
sense of the word is proved by the fact that Piero
received commissions independently of Antonio in both
painting and sculpture. He had, besides, his inde-
dendent bottega in a small house adjoining the family
* See Doc. XL p. 260.
f " Fo una botegha d'orafo in vachereccia in una botegha ....
nela quale o per chompagno pagholo di giovanni sogliani " (see Doc.
III. p. 239.) Paolo Sogliani was born 1455 (see Vasari, v. p. 133.
Albero de' Sogliani).
12 POLLAIUOLO
dwelling in Piazza degli Agli.* That he enjoyed
considerable, if undeserved, reputation as a painter, is
proved by the fact that at the age of twenty-six he
received the important commission to paint the panels
representing the Seven Virtues for the Council Hall of
the Mercatanzia, a commission which he won against
competitors of the importance of Verrocchio and
Botticelli. By the Signoria also he was employed both
as painter and sculptor, and, as will be seen, received
other important commissions as an independent
Master.
Yet in spite of this independent position it is
impossible to ignore that some kind of business connec-
tion existed between the brothers. The earliest painted
work of Antonio is executed entirely by his own hand,
but from the time when Piero was old enough to assist
him he seems to have left to him the greater part of the
execution, confining himself to designing the composi-
tion, and to painting such parts as had for him a special
interest, such parts being often subordinate details of
landscape and ornament. Antonio himself states that
he was aided by Piero in the " Labours of Hercules,"
painted at the commission of Lorenzo de1 Medici in
1460. Since at that date Piero was only seventeen,
such assistance as he gave could have been merely that
of a garzone di bottega. In the earliest example of his
work which exists — the Altarpiece of the Three Saints
now in the Uffizi, painted when he was about twenty-
* " Una chasetta la quale e apichata cholle detta di sopra ... la
quale adopero quando ho che fare a dipingniere " (Doc. V. p. 246).
BIOGRAPHY 13
three — we see that the greater part of the execution
was left to him. All the subsequent paintings of
Antonio show his hand in greater or less degree, and we
know that Piero aided him also in his sculptured work,
for example in the Tombs of the Popes in S. Pietro.
Taking into account the difference of years between the
brothers, and the vast difference of ability, it seems
probable that, while working as an independent Master
with his own bottega and assistants, Piero was also in
the pay of his brother, and that Antonio, preoccupied
with his goldsmith's work, deputed to him the greater
part of the execution of the paintings for which he was
commissioned, and employed him as his assistant in the
more mechanical parts of his sculpture.
The position held by Antonio among the Florentine
artists was perhaps higher even than that of Verrocchio,
for he certainly took the lead in the so-called realistic
school which had eclipsed so completely the decorative
art of the preceding generation. He was fortunate, as
Vasari remarks, in living at a time of financial prosperity,
which allowed costly public and private works to be
undertaken. He received numerous commissions
throughout his life from the Council of the Mercatanzia,
which, as guardian of S. Maria del Fiore and the
principal churches of Florence, held the most honour-
able post among ecclesiastics and burgesses. The time
at which Antonio started his bottega in the Vaccher-
eccia was a busy one for the goldsmiths, for the church
treasures were being overhauled and replaced by costlier
works. The Reliquaries were found too simple for so
i4 POLLAIUOLO
wealthy a city, and more sumptuous ones were ordered.
Crosses and candelabra wrought with elaborate reliefs,
and glowing with gem-like enamels, replaced the old
ornaments. Later, the Silver Altar, the most precious
treasure of the Republic, hitherto left unfinished for lack
of funds, was completed, and superb vestments, stiff with
gold, decorated with Antonio's designs, worked by
embroiderers from all countries, and costing fabulous
sums of money, were ordered. In all the chief ecclesi-
astic and civic commissions Antonio had a share, and so
many were they that the greater part of his time while
he remained in Florence must have been spent in their
execution.
That his circumstances were proportionately pros-
perous his depositions to the Catasto prove, and he
seems to have invested most of his money in land. In
addition to his share of the house in the Piazza degli
Agli and his goldsmith's shop in Via Vacchereccia, he
owned a large podere in the parish of S. Michele a
Bugliano, between Poggio a Caiano and Pistoja. The
main part of this he bought in 1469, and he had gone
on adding to it fields, vineyards, olive groves, and
wooded land, until it had attained the dimensions of a
considerable estate, from which he drew a large amount
of profit in oil, grain, and wine. Beside this he
possessed a vineyard at Castello, bought before 1470,
and rented another piece of land near the Porta al
Prato. When he made his deposition of 1480, he was
married to his first wife Marietta, but she must have
died very soon after, for in his testament made in 1496
BIOGRAPHY 15
he leaves as heirs his second wife Lucrezia, and his two
daughters by her, Marietta and Magdalena. From his
deposition made in the last year of his life we learn that
this second wife was the daughter of a certain Fantone
Fantoni, and that he had been promised as her dowry
property in the Mercato Vecchio which had never been
paid.
It was probably to the good will of Lorenzo de1
Medici that he owed the most important commission of
his life — that from Innocent VIII. to execute a monu-
ment to his predecessor Sixtus IV. in S. Peter's. In a
letter to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine envoy at the
Papal Court, Lorenzo expressed his appreciation of
Antonio in the following words :
"'The said Antonio is the chief Master in this city, and
perhaps that has ever been, and this is the common
opinion of all who understand such matters." *
Antonio left Florence to take up his abode in Rome
somewhere about 1484, accompanied by Piero, who seems
to have served as his assistant. Of his life there we
hear nothing, but the immense development shown in
his work testifies to the invigorating stimulus he
received from the wider intellectual atmosphere. For
originality of conception, as well as for technical
execution, the two superb Tombs of the Popes rank as
* " Detto Antonio e il principale Maestro di questa citta, e forse
per avventura non ce ne fu mai ; e questa e commune opinione di
tutti gl' intendenti " (Letter dated November 12, 1489 ; see Gaye,
" Carteggio Inedito," Firenz«, 1839, i. p. 341.)
1 6 POLLAIUOLO
high above his former work as does the Colleoni statue
of Verrocchio above his Florentine sculpture.
Innocent VIII. died 1492, two years before the com-
pletion of the Tomb commissioned by him, and Antonio
received from his heir, Cardinal Lorenzo Cybo, the
order to execute the second Monument. Between the
completion of the one and the beginning of the other
he paid a visit to his estates near Pistoj a. Of this visit we
have notice in a letter written by himself to his patron
Gentil Virginio Orsini, Lord of Monterotondo. In
the dearth of direct record a letter by his own hand is
of interest, and this, alluding as it does to the canvases
painted by him for Lorenzo de1 Medici, has a special
importance.* It bears the date July 13, 1494, and was
written in answer to a verbal message sent him by
Orsini, proposing that he should make a bust of him in
bronze. This Antonio declares himself very ready to
do, but he would have preferred, he writes, to execute
instead a life-sized equestrian statue, which should
immortalise his memory. He proposes to go to
Bracciano, where Orsini then was, in order to make the
drawing for the bust, which he would then take back to
Rome and execute in bronze. He proceeds to ask the
following service. He is going the next day to visit
his estates near Pistoj a, fifteen miles distant from
Florence ; and as on account of the plague then ravaging
* The document was discovered in the archives of Casa Orsini in
Rome, and was first published on the occasion of the marriage of
one of the family, June 24, 1891, by Luigi Borsari. Republished in
L'Arte, 1892, p. 208. It will be found transcribed in the Appendix,
Doc. VII. p. 256.
BIOGRAPHY 17
Italy, it was forbidden for any one coming from Rome
to approach within twenty miles of Florence, he begs
Orsini to obtain for him permission from Piero di
Lorenzo de1 Medici. " I think he will willingly grant
me this favour," he writes, " because he knows that I
have been ever faithful to his house, and think that it
is now thirty-four years since I painted those Labours
of Hercules which are in the hall of his palace, executed
by me and one of my brothers."
He states that he is taking with him to Florence
two figures of bronze, but whether these were works exe-
cuted by himself or were antiques is not recorded. The
letter proves that while in Rome he was not occupied
exclusively with the Papal Tombs, and indeed we have
further record o£ work done by him for certain
Cardinals, who were apparently in no haste to pay for
it (Doc. VIII. p. 258). His proposal to make an
equestrian statue of Orsini reminds us that, as is proved
by the existence of the sketch by his hand, he competed
for the commission to execute the Monument to
Francesco Sforza, which was eventually given to
Leonardo. This competition must have taken place
soon after Lodovico^s accession to power in 1480, thus
shortly before Antonio's journey to Rome, and in
demanding permission to make an equestrian statue of
Orsini, Antonio probably had in mind to use his studies
and models.
His stay in Tuscany must have been a mere visit, for
he was soon after again in Rome, executing the Tomb
of Innocent VIII., which was completed only in the year
1 8 POLLAIUOLO
of his death. In some of its details merely a replica of
that of Sixtus, the monument is yet, on account of its
superb portrait statues of the Pope, a fitting culmina-
tion to his life's work. The supreme point of his
achievement artistically and technically was attained in
the Tomb of Sixtus, as a realistic and psychological
portraitist in the two statues of Innocent, living and
dead. Thus by an irony of chance both Pollaiuolo and
Verrocchio, appreciated and honoured to the utmost by
their fellow townsmen, left, not to those among whom
their lives had been passed, but to strangers, their
noblest work.
The Tomb of Innocent was completed but a very
short time before Antonio's death. On Jan. 30, 1498,
the remains of the Pope were transferred from their
temporary resting place to the sarcophagus, and less
than a week after, on Feb. 4, Antonio died.*
Fifteen months before ( Nov. 4, 1496 ) he had made
his testament, a lengthy document, from which however
few facts of interest are forthcoming. He desires that
if he dies in Rome, his body shall be buried in S. Pietro
in Vincoli, from which it may be assumed that he was
living in the parish of that church. If, on the other
hand, he dies in Florence, he wishes to be buried in the
tomb of his ancestors, but where that was he does not
specify. He leaves to each of his daughters by his wife
Lucrezia, a dowry of 1000 gold ducats and his property,
* •' In uno strumento del 27 maggio 1511 rogato di Ser Angelo da
Cascese si legge che la morte d'Antonio accadde in Roma il 4 feb-
brajo dell1 anno 1498." See Milanesi's note, Vasari, iii. p. 299.
BIOGRAPHY 19
and in case of their death he nominates as his heirs the
sons of his brother Giovanni. We learn that Piero,
vrhen sick and near to death, had left to Antonio's care
the guardianship of his illegitimate daughter Lisa.
From the thousands of lawyer's words employed in the
document we gather nothing more.
Both Antonio and Piero were buried in S. Pietro in
Vincoli, where the tablet to their memory is to be seen
to the left of the entrance (Plate II.). The monument,
with the busts of the brothers, is probably the work
of the Fiesole sculptor Michele di Luca Marini.* The
inscription is as follows :
ANTONIVS PVLLARIVS PATRIA FLORENTII
NVS . PICTOR INSIGN . QVI DVOR . PONT
XISTI ET INNOCENTI AEREA MONIMENT . MIRO
OPIFIC . EXPRESSIT . REFAMIL . COMPOSITA
EX TEST . HIC SE CVM PETRO FRATRE CONDI
VOLVIT . VIX ANN LXXII . OBIT ANNO SAL . MUD .
Both heads have the appearance of being faithful
portraits. That of Antonio corresponds with the head
painted somewhere about 1484 by Filippino Lippi in
the Brancacci Chapel in the Carmine, Florence ( see
* Born at Fiesole 1459. His best known works are the statue of
S. Sebastian in S. Maria sopra Minerva and the Ponzetti Tombs in
S. Maria della Pace, Rome. The resemblance of the Pollaiuolo
Tablet to these tombs — one erected in 1505 to the sisters Beatrice
and Lavinia Ponzetti, one in 1509 to Ferrando Ponzetti, enables us
to determine its authorship. The design is similar — the portrait
heads of the deceased in almost free relief deeply sunk into oval
niches, with the inscription below in Latin characters enclosed in a
square decorated framework.
20 POLLAIUOLO
Frontispiece ).* Allowing for the personality of the
two artists, Marini coarsening, Filippino refining, the
features, we probably obtain a true idea of Antonio's
appearance — an appearance which corresponds with the
strength and energy of his work and the simple austerity
of his life. In both we have the same rugged face with
strongly marked features, large nose, tightly compressed
lips, broad forehead, with beetling brows and prominent
chin. It is not an attractive face. Its expression is so
concentrated and morose as to verge on ferocity, but,
like the portraits of Mantegna and Signorelli, it
expresses to a supreme degree the qualities of intel-
lectual and physical force and energy. It is just the
face that might be expected from the Hercules pictures
and the fighting nudes — combative and capable of
brutality. Equally characteristic of his feeble work
is the timid and fretful face of Piero, with its weak
mouth and vacillating expression. This must have
been copied from some earlier portrait, for it represents
him as a much younger man than he was at the date of
his death.
Nine days after the death of Antonio the Signoria
wrote the following letter to Domenico Bonsi, Florentine
Orator in Rome, a letter which proves the high esteem
in \vhich he was held by his fellow citizens. It is dated
Feb. 13. 1497 ( N. S. 1498 ).
* The portrait of Antonio is to be found in the fresco of S. Peter
and Paul before the Proconsul, one of the three men who stand be-
hind S. Paul, nearest the Proconsul. His hair is grey, almost white,
and be wears a red biretta. (See Frontispiece.)
- WMENTv
REEAMILi
PETRQ FR,
Anderson
TOMB OF ANTONIO AND PIERO POLLAIUOLO. S. PIETRO IN
VINCOLI, ROME
BIOGRAPHY 21
" To our most learned and magnificent Orator. Antonio
del Pollaiuolo, a very celebrated sculptor of our city, having
died in Rome within the past days, we are begged by his
wife to recommend her to you. Her said husband remaining
creditor for certain sums of money to the Most Reverend
Cardinal di Benevento and to Monsignor Ascanio, for
certain works of art executed for them, we desire that you
should go to the said Most Reverend Cardinal, and in our
name exhort them to pay their debt to the said Antonio
and his wife and heirs, so that if it be possible they may
receive their money ; for the said Antonio having been a
citizen of our town and unique in his art, it is meet that
for his sake we should aid his wife and heirs, as those who
ever hold all excellence in the highest esteem. " ( See
Doc. VIII. p. 257.)
Vasari says that it was currently reported that
while in Rome Antonio designed the Villa of the
Belvedere in the Vatican Gardens, for Innocent VIII.
This seems improbable, since there is no mention of
his name in the documents of payment for the building.
On the contrary, the name of the architect is given —
Giacomo da Pietrasanta, who was employed both by
Innocent and Sixtus IV. The plans of the now almost
demolished Villa show, however, the influence of Flor-
entine architecture, square and fortress-like, with the
castellations, machicolated walls, and open loggia of the
Florentine buildings.* That he was a practical archi-
* Several plans are in existence. The Pianta di Roma by Sebas-
tiano Miinster, published 1549 ; an unpublished drawing by Heem-
skerk in the Royal Library, Berlin, and a third, published in the
22 POLLAIUOLO
tect and engineer is known, for in 1491 he is mentioned
as having furnished a design or model for ihe facade of
S. Maria del Fiore.* In 1467 and again in 1468 he was
among those consulted as to the metal ball which was to
crown the lantern of Brunellesco's cupola ( Doc. XIII.
p. 263). The document recording this deliberation is
of interest as a picture of such assemblies, and the care
bestowed on the minutest detail of the public works.
The list of " the venerable citizens and most prudent,
excellent, and intelligent Masters'" met together to
decide whether the ball should be of cast or of hammered
metal, includes such names as those of Lorenzo de1
Medici, Matteo Palmieri, and Buonaccorso Pitti, among
the citizens, and of Luca della Robbia, Antonio
Pollaiuolo, and Verrocchio, among the Masters.
The few facts known of the life of Piero may be
briefly summed up, in order that an idea of his position
among his contemporaries may be obtained. The date
of his birth is uncertain, and as in the case of Antonio we
have to choose the most probable from those given in
" Giardino di Roma " by Falda, Tavola iv. Taja and Chattard
writing 1750-1762, ascribe the architecture to Antonio, but this is
probably copied from Vasari. The Villa was almost completely
destroyed by PioVI. in constructing the Museo Chiaramonti.
* Cavalcaselle,"Storia della Pittura," Firenze,i8g4, vi. p. 95. The
name of Antonio is mentioned among the competitors who were
absent at the exhibition of the drawings and models. Burckhardt
asserts that the cupola of the Sacristy of S. Spirito was erected
from Antonio's design ("Cicerone," p. 128), but there seems to be
no foundation for the statement.
BIOGRAPHY 23
the different Portate.* This would seem to be 1443,
which if correct would make him eleven years younger
than Antonio.
It is of course possible, as Vasari states, that he
learnt painting in the atelier of Andrea dal Castagno,
but as Andrea died when he was but fourteen years old,
in any case it would not have been his only training.
From the character of his work it seems most likely
that he owed his education entirely to Antonio.
The first documented notice we have of him is of
I46o,when, as a boy of seventeen, he assisted Antonio in
painting the lost canvases of the Labours of Hercules
for Lorenzo de1 Medici. The earliest existing work in
which his hand is visible is in the Altarpiece of the
Three Saints, painted with his brother a few years later
for the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal, S. Miniato.
In 1470 he held already an independent position as a
Master, receiving the commission from the Mercatanzia
for the panels of the Virtues to decorate their Council
Hall. In 1477 he was competing with Verrocchio for
the Forteguerri Tomb, to be erected in the Cathedral
of Pistoja. Verrochio had, it transpires from the
document recording this competition (Doc. XX. p. 277),
demanded more money from the commissioners than they
were willing to give j upon which they invited Piero,
* In his Portata to the Catasto of 1457 his father gives his age as
14, which would place the date of his birth in 1443. He himself, in
his Portata of 1480 gives it as 33, which would place it in 1447. As
in the case of Antonio, I have accepted the former, since it is un-
likely that a father would mistake the age of so young a child.
24 POLLAIUOLO
then in the city, to send in a model for the Monument.
This model they found "more beautiful and more
artistically worthy " than that of Verrocchio. Both
were sent to Lorenzo de' Medici to decide as to their
respective merits, and his judgment was in favour of
Verrocchio. Piero received several commissions in-
dependently of Antonio from the Signoria, but never,
as far as is known, worked for the Duomo. In 1478 he
was ordered to paint the Altar-piece for the Chapel of
S. Bernardo in the Palazzo dei Priori, but, for some
reason that does not transpire, the commission was eight
days later taken from him and given to Leonardo, who
however left the work unfinished.* In 1482 he had to
paint the facade of a wall-fountain in the hall of the
same Palace (Doc. XVII. p. 273). In 1483 he painted
at the commission of Domenico Strambi the Altarpiece
for the Church of S. Agostino, S. Gimignano. He
accompanied his brother to Rome to aid him in the
Tombs of the Popes, and the last record we have of him
is in the testament of Antonio above quoted. The
exact date of his death is not known, but it was
probably in 1496.
* See Milanesi, " Document! inediti risguardanti Leonardo da
Vinci," Firenze, 1872.
CHAPTER II
THE PLACE OF ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
IN FLORENTINE ART
THANKS in part to the misleading notice of Vasari, in
part to the scanty study that has been made of his work,
the name of Antonio Pollaiuolo — the greatest scientific
artist of the Florentine School — has been inextricably
confused with that of Piero — one of the weakest. The
fact that Piero worked upon (and half spoiled) some
few paintings designed, and in part executed, by him,
is not sufficient reason for this confusion, for no men
ever differed so fundamentally as these brothers, both
in temperament and in ability. The same contrast is
offered by their work as by their busts in S. Pietro in
Vincoli, where in one we find a concentration of energy
and force, which recalls the faces of Mantegna, of
Signorelli, and of Michelangelo, in the other the timidity
and vacillation which arise from physical and mental
weakness. The high place held by Antonio is due far
more to his work in metal, and to the few small panels
painted entirely by his own hand, than to the larger
pictures, to which Piero's co-operation has given a
secondary value. His immense influence on contem-
porary and subsequent art is the result of his initiation
26 POLLAIUOLO
of a scientific study of the nude, never before attempted.
A just appreciation of the specific qualities of his work
makes it far from difficult, as far as the figures at least
are concerned, to distinguish in their joint paintings
the share of each brother. These qualities are pre-
cisely those which Piero lacks. Antonio's consummate
knowledge of the human structure, his mastery of the
movements of limb and muscle, the concentration of
energy he imparts to his figures, and the perfection of
his draughtsmanship, are in direct contrast to the
feebleness, flaccidity, and technical weakness of Piero.
By his profound science, his realistic and forcible
representation of the nude, Antonio changed the entire
character of Florentine Art, setting it on a basis of
truth and realism, which ultimately resulted in the
supreme achievements of Michelangelo. The feebleness
of Piero did not permit him to do more than weakly
imitate his brother's forms, which in his hands became
mere caricatures of strength. Of energy of any sort
he was incapable. Of the vibrating life, the vigorous
action, the rapid movement, of Antonio's work there is
no trace in that of Piero.
How then has the work of men thus different become
so confused, that from Vasari down to our own day the
attributions are almost invariably incorrect ? Chiefly,
that the most characteristic work of Antonio — the
reliefs of the Silver Cross, of the Tomb of Sixtus, his
pen studies from the nude, and the few panels and
frescoes by his own unaided hand, are less known than
the larger pictures painted in conj unction with Piero.
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 27
In these latter, moreover, the energy of his work so
dominates the picture, that the mind, concentrated on
the parts executed by him, ignores the rest. For
example, in the best known and most popular of their
joint paintings — the S. Sebastian of the National
Gallery — two figures only, out of the foreground group
of seven, are painted by Antonio — the archers stooping
to load their bows. Yet these two so dominate the
scene that they are the picture. From Vasari onward
no critic has troubled to analyse the rest, which are
mere puppets without life or action. The energy by
which the altar-piece takes rank among the greatest
masterpieces, is concentrated in these superb figures, in
which strength and effort are focussed to a higher degree
than in actual life, and the feeble brushwork of Piero
escapes notice.
To criticise on an equality the works of men so
different is impossible. The ties of blood alone connect
Piero with Antonio. That he had a share in some
paintings, designed and partly executed by his brother,
makes a slight sketch of his development unavoidable,
but the following study is devoted chiefly to Antonio,
the great scientific Master of Italian Art, the main
influence by which it was brought to perfection in the
work of Michelangelo.
From the days of Giotto, Florentine Art had been
steadily progressing towards realism, and breaking with
the traditions of symbolism set by early Christian painters
and mosaic- workers. Through the impulse given by
28 POLLAIUOLO
Donatello it grew self-reliant, and asserted its right to
independence. Donatello's interests were however more
with the interpretation of character than mere physical
life. As subtle psychological studies his statues are
marvellous, but in the presentation of the human form
there was still much to be learnt. Giotto was the first
to give solidity and weight to the body, Donatello to
realise its superficial forms and endow it with mind ; it
remained for Antonio Pollaiuolo to present with
complete science its structure of muscle and bone, its
movements of limb and joint, and the complicated play
of the muscular system. It was he, rather than
Donatello, who introduced the culte of the body, which
had been repudiated during the dark ages. In spite of
essential differences of ideal, his aim and that of the
Greek sculptor were alike — the representation of the
body in its most perfect development ; but while the
Greek ideal was harmonious beauty, to which strength
was but an adjunct, with Antonio strength and energy
took the foremost place.
Early Christian Art had looked askance on the human
body in its reactionary bitterness towards Roman sen-
suality. It had concealed it in draperies suggesting
nothing of the form beneath, and conventionalised even
the faces, hands, and feet. Even in the early Quattro-
cento the nude was almost completely excluded. Where
it was necessary to represent it, as in the Crucified
Christ, it was treated in a manner so conventional as to
be little more than a symbol. The Pisani, it is true, had
long before sculptured the nude with a certain apprecia-
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 29
tion, Niccola treating it in imitation of the antique,
Giovanni with more realism, and Andrea has left, on
his bronze doors and his carvings on the Campanile
more than one nude figure, showing much knowledge
of its structure. Masaccio and Andrea dal Castagno,
preoccupied as they were with the human body,
preferred to present it under draperies, and even
Donatello carved few nudes except his children. Under
the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici and the leadership
of Antonio Pollaiuolo, a new era of pseudo-paganism
was revived in art, and the body and its possibilities of
perfection alone were studied. The old themes of the
Church were either neglected or treated in a manner
more in accordance with the fresh interests. Mytho-
logical subjects became the fashion. Draperies were
abandoned, or when necessitated by the subject were
treated for the independent interests they offered for
complicated arrangements, curves and lines. A scientific
study of the nude became the necessary training of the
student, and the life school replaced the goldsmith's
bottega. In all these innovations Antonio took the
lead. He and Verrocchio held the chief training-schools
at Florence, but in the study of the nude Verrocchio was
his disciple. It is not only as the sculptor of the
Tombs of the Popes, as the creator of the Hercules and
splendid athletes, that Antonio must be recognised,
but as the chief artistic influence of his epoch
— the head of an atelier, where half the painters
and sculptors of Italy studied his scientific methods,
drew from the nude model, and learnt the secrets
3o POLLAIUOLO
of the construction of the body and its move-
ments.
"He understood the nude in a more modern way
than any of the Masters before him," wrote Vasari,
"and removed the skin from many corpses to see the
anatomy beneath ; he was the first to study the play of
the muscles and their form and order in the body.11*
It is for the high standard set by him in the repre-
sentation of the nude that the influence of Antonio is
chiefly valuable.
And it was not only in Florence that this influence
was felt. Through the channel of Signorelli and of
Fiorenzo de1 Lorenzo, both his disciples, it spread to the
Umbrian School ; through the channel of Mantegna to
the Paduan ; and by means of Diirer, his influence is
even perceptible in a better understanding of the nude
in the art of Germany.
But Antonio had other interests in the nude body
besides its forms. He was chiefly preoccupied with its
movements, the movements not only of limb and joint,
but the play of the muscles under the skin. Tracing
his development, as far as is possible in his existing
work, a steady progress in the presentation of movement
is visible, and this movement grows more vehement as
his ability increased. He played with the body as a
juggler with his balls, putting it into a hundred difficult
postures, with such science of its structure that they
hardly seem strange, concentrating effort in the swell and
* Vasari, iii. p. 295.
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 31
tension of a muscle, and fury in the downward curve of
a lip. Violent, brutal, savage — all these words may be
applied to his scenes of combat, but physical force and
energy have never been so superbly presented before or
since. Not even Signorelli nor Michelangelo have
equalled him, and who can say to what extent is due to
him those magnificent achievements of the nude in
action — the Inferno of Orvieto and the Last Judgment
of the Sistine Chapel ?
As regards the artistic influences of Antonio little
need be said. He was above all original, and his art is
most personal. He directed rather than followed, and
the chief influence on his work was that of Nature,
which he sought to imitate to the utmost of his power.
Yet there is of course much in superficial form that is
derived from his predecessors, certain characteristics
which may indicate to what Masters he owed his training.
As far as his goldsmith's education is concerned
Vasari may be right in stating that he was apprenticed
to Bartoluccio and Lorenzo Ghiberti. But whatever
he may have learnt from the latter technically he had
no appreciable influence on his style, which in its crude
realism is exactly opposed to the pseudo-classicism
of Ghiberti. The influence of Donatello counts for
much in his development, yet it is doubtful if he was
directly his pupil, his system of work pointing to a
training in the goldsmith's rather than the sculptor's
atelier. In any case, since Donatello left Florence for
Padua when he was a child of twelve, any personal
influence must have been slight. It is more likely that
32 POLLA1UOLO
it was transmitted through Andrea dal Castagno, to
whom of all the Florentine Masters Antonio owes most.*
It is even possible that to Andrea were due his ideals of
physical force. Antonio brought to perfection the type
originated by him, and his Hercules is but a grander
development of Pippo Spano (Plate III.). Such realistic
figures also as the Evangelist and Virgin in Andrea's
large fresco of S. Maria Nuova now in the Uffizi, and
in the tiny panel of the National Gallery, have
obviously had their influence upon Antonio. Andrea
was the first uncompromising Realist of the Quattro-
cento, whose aims were entirely devoted to the inter-
pretation of physical force and emotion. He lacked the
sense for beauty inherent in Antonio, and presented his
ideals by truculent gesture and facial grimace as much
as by thews and sinews. To him, with greater reason
than to Antonio, can be applied the epithets " ugly "
and " brutal," but his few remaining works show how
scientific had been his training in the construction of
the human form, although we possess no single nude
from his brush that is not treated conventionally. The
draperies however do not conceal the admirable structure
of the form beneath, nor does the armour of Pippo
Spano hide the freedom of the limbs.f
* Recent investigation seems to prove that Andrea dal Castagno
was born, not as Milanesi states in 1399. but somewhere about
1410. See Herbert Home, " Andrea dal Castagno," Burlington
Magazine, vii. 1905, p. 66.
•f It is one of the disgraces of modern Florence that the superb
fresco by Andrea dal Castagno, representing the Trinity with S.
Jerome and other saints standing below, discovered several years
Ill
Alinari
PORTRAIT OF PIPPO SPANO. BY ANDREA DAL
CASTAGNO. SANT' APOLLONIA, FLORENCE
Face p. 32
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 33
An influence far more superficial is that of Alesso
Baldovinetti, and as it is certain that no personal
sympathy would have attracted Antonio towards an
artist so widely different, it seems likely that he was
placed by his father to learn painting in his atelier.
His manner of treating landscape strongly recalls that
of Baldovinetti, who was the first to paint it realistic-
ally. The backgrounds of his ruined fresco in the
cloister of the SS. Annunziata and the Madonna of
the Louvre, resemble strikingly the favourite Arno
Valley of Antonio, and there are other likenesses which
will be noticed later, between certain of Antonio^s
forms and those of Baldovinetti. The collaboration
of the two Masters in the decoration of the Chapel of
the Cardinal of Portugal, S. Miniato, points to some
connection between them, and the fact that Antonio
employed the same unfortunate method of fresco,
adds further weight to the hypothesis that he was his
pupil.
Except in certain superficial forms Antonio borrowed
little from the antique. Of all contemporary Masters
he was perhaps the least influenced by Greek or Roman
ago beneath a later painting, in the left aisle of the SS. Annunziata,
should have been again covered up by the authorities, for no other
reason than that it attracted tourists to the church who disturbed the
services. Why the Art-Conservators, with apparently inexhaustible
funds at their command with which to restore buildings that need
no restoration, (such as the Campanile of the Badia, the Loggia dei
Lanzi, and the Convent of S. Miniato,) should not have removed
the fresco to the Gallery, is a mystery I will not attempt to
solve.
34 POLLAIUOLO
Sculpture, and never did he work in a manner so
personal and modern as when in the atmosphere of
Rome. He was as indifferent to the conventions of
classic as of early Christian Art. It is significant that
while some of the figures round the Tomb of Sixtus
bear a superficial likeness. to certain antique statues, by
their postures, their gesticulation, and the arrangement
of their draperies, they are as far removed from classic
art as any work of the Renaissance.
Antonio's place in the development of engraving
cannot be disregarded, although we have but one plate
from his hand, and it is possible this was his only
experiment in the art, outside his niello work.* But
this single plate — The Battle of Ten Nudes — gives
him an important place as an engraver. In the strong
outline and to some extent also in the regular shading
* Of the three engravings given by Bartsch to Antonio this only
is authentic. Mr. Berenson has suggested as possibly work by his
hand the Profile Portrait of a Lady in the Berlin Print-Room,
officially attributed to an unknown Florentine engraver of the
fifteenth century (" Florentine Drawings, "~i. 25). It has been
ascribed also to an Umbrian master, and Delaborde suggested that
it is a portrait of Battista Sforza, Duchess of Urbino. (See " La
Gravure en Italic," Paris, p. 146.) The technique is of the
simplest. The profile is engraved in one continuous, deeply-cut,
line, and the modelling is obtained by colour — a wash of pale red,
obviously applied by the artist himself. The lady wears a very
elaborate headdress of jewels and goldsmith's work, fastened on her
forehead by a star-shaped jewel, and the too great elaboration of
this headdress, which eclipses the face, seems to me at variance
with Antonio's usual emphasis of the significant, and his interest
in the human face. The engraving is well reproduced in colour by
the International Chalcographical Society.
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 35
of the background, he betrays the habits of the niello-
worker, but his scheme of shading in the figures shows
a different aim — the imitation of pen-drawing. Nearly
all the engraving which preceded him, for example the
" Planet " series, attributed to Finiguerra, had been
executed in what is called the " fine manner," that is to
say, shaded with fine lines laid closely together and
often cross-hatched. This system produced — most likely
intentionally — the effect of a washed drawing. Some-
what later — probably between 1470 and 1480 — the so-
called "broad manner" came into use, simple parallel
lines of open shading, certainly based on the imitation
of pen-drawing ; for example copies of the " fine
manner" Sibyls and Prophets, and the plates in the
style of Fra Filippo, illustrating the Life of the Virgin
and Christ. As the Battle of the Nudes must have
preceded these, it may be inferred that the change of
technique was due to Antonio. In his plate, however,
there is another element of shading lacking in the
" broad manner," the interlaying of oblique strokes at
a very small angle to the principal lines, as though the
artist were making a return-stroke with the pen. These
lines are very lightly engraved, and do not appear in
the more worn impressions, but in the best existing
print — that in the collection of Prince Lichtenstein at
Feldsberg — they are plainly visible.*
These peculiarities of Antonio's technique appear
* For these notes on the engraving of Antonio I am indebted to
Mr. A. M. Hind of the Department of Prints and Drawings,
British Museum.
36 POLLAIUOLO
also in the engravings of Mantegna, and it is probable
that the latter adopted them from him. Dr. Kristeller
suggests that it was the Battle of the Nudes which
gave Mantegna the impulse to master the technique
and become his own engraver.* It is however dangerous
to lay stress on such a possibility, since open-lined
engraving was practised by the Paduan followers of
Mantegna as early as from 1460-70.
In the rapid movement towards perfection which
took place in Florentine art in the last fifty years of
the fifteenth century, Antonio holds the chief place.
He is the connecting link between the tentative efforts
of Paolo Uccello and Andrea dal Castagno, and the
triumphant facility of Leonardo and Michelangelo.
His own development was steady and rapid. Of his
earliest goldsmith's work no example remains, but his
progress in technical matters and his intellectual develop-
ment can be appreciated by a comparison of his earliest
existing work — the reliefs of the Silver Cross — and his
latest — the Tombs of the Popes. The advance is
extraordinary, even in that age of swift development.
Between the severe, slightly academic figures of the
reliefs, and the free, almost baroque sculptures of the
Tombs lies a world of truer visualisation and progress.
These Monuments must be considered as the culminat-
ing-point, not only of Antonio's personal development,
but of the whole artistic movement he represents.
A step beyond and we come to the baroque art
* Kristeller, "Andrea Mantegna," London, 1901, p. 392.
HIS PLACE IN FLORENTINE ART 37
of the following century, in which the interpretation
of idea was subordinated to the parade of technical
facility. The great charm of Antonio's work is that
with the depth of feeling and earnest effort of the
fifteenth century he combined the technical perfection
of the sixteenth.
CHAPTER III
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS ART
THE faultless draughtsmanship of Antonio was recog-
nised by all the early critics as his preeminent quality.
Vasari, Cellini and Baldinucci, far as they were from
comprehending his true position in the development of
Florentine art, gave him the first place as a draughtsman,
and their praise is below his merits. His figures are
invariably well proportioned, showing an acquaintance
with anatomy that only the dissecting-table could give ;
his modelling is perfect, with a feeling for the bone
and muscle which enables us at will to see the figure as
it is presented, as an ecorche, or as a skeleton ; his
perspective is invariably correct, and his space values
are admirably managed. It is true that, in accordance
with his special interests, he constructs his figures with
no regard to beauty in the general acceptation of the
word. His types are selected solely with a view to
interpret strength and energy, and have not the sym-
metry of a Greek statue nor any manifestation of
intellectual development. His types of male nude are
two, one lean and sinewy, with immense shoulders and
chest, small hips and bent legs — the type of the
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS ART 39
Hercules — the other more of the Doryphorous build,
broader in the flanks and stouter, as in the Discord
and the Battle of the Nudes. How much the first
and most characteristic of these types influenced his
contemporaries, may be seen in the numerous life
studies of the epoch and in the paintings of Verrocchio,
of Mantegna and of Botticelli.
During the early part of his life he seems to have given
little attention to the female nude, probably considering
that it offered small scope for his special interests. As
far as we know he never carved or painted a Madonna,
except in the Annunciation of the Silver Cross and in
the Birth of the Baptist of the Silver Altar. Up to
the time of his departure for Rome, with the exception
of these exquisite figures, his females are comparatively
commonplace, but in the superb nudes that recline round
the Tomb of Sixtus, he seems for the first time to have
recognised the possibilities of a union of grace and
strength in the female form. In the supple beauty of
their limbs, strong as an athlete's, dainty as a stag's,
he has reached the highest point as a sculptor of the
female nude.
Antonio must have made a special study of hands
and feet, and none of his contemporaries, not even
Luca della Robbia or Verrocchio, have equalled the
beauty and expressiveness of his hands. The type is
chosen for its nervous energy as much as for its grace. It
is long and narrow, extremely delicate in form, with
pointed fingers capable of grip and force. The beauty
of his hand is best illustrated in the Arts and Sciences
40 POLLAIUOLO
round the Tomb of Sixtus, but even in his tiny reliefs
of the Silver Cross it is remarkable.
But great draughtsman as he was, it is to his science
in presenting action the most violent, of seizing move-
ment at its most significant point, of concentrating
energy and effort, that he owes his unique position in
the development of art. To this he devoted his science
and skill, and never have rapid motion, vehement
gesture and the violence of brute force been better
rendered. By the side of his Hercules combating the
Hydra and strangling Antaeus, of his struggling nudes
of the engraving, and of the Discord, other representa-
tions of similar themes seem tame and spiritless, and
even Signorelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo — those
great Masters of vehement movement — have never
surpassed him. And he can be equally successful in
rhythmic as in rapid movement, in quiet as in violent
action, as the frescoes of Arcetri prove.
The feeling for beauty and harmony was inherent in
his nature, so deeply rooted that it asserts itself * even
in his most brutal scenes of struggle. In the Combats
of Hercules for example, the decorative beauty of the
lines, and the tranquil landscape, give an almost
idyllic charm to the scenes. The Battle of the Nudes,
considered only as pattern, is like some exquisite
tapestry, with its background of leaves and grasses and
the interwoven movement of the figures. In spite of
his obsession for strength, no artist has created figures
of more poetic charm than his David, now in Berlin,
the stag-like Virgin of the Silver Altar, or the
CHARACTERISTICS OF HIS ART 41
Annunciation of the Silver Cross. Thanks in part to his
goldsmith's training, the Florentine painter is extremely
sensitive to the beauty of line. He depends for his
effects on line as the Venetian on colour. As a linealist
Antonio has surpassed all his contemporaries, not even
excepting Botticelli. His line is sensitive and at the
same time decisive. Swift and rhythmic, it curls like
smoke or flashes like flame. The line of Botticelli has
the same sensitive quality but not the same energy. As
a linealist Leonardo only can be compared to him, and
the touch of the two Masters has much resemblance.
Antonio was a superb composer. Again thanks to
the goldsmith's training the standard of composition in
the Florentine school is extremely high. Men of such
slight ability as the Bicci and the nameless imitators of
Botticelli and Fra Filippo, rarely err in the balance and
grouping of their scenes. This of course is more easy
in the tranquil compositions of the hieratic Altarpieces,
such as the Madonna and Saints, the Assumption, and
kindred themes. In crowded scenes of vehement action
the composition presents greater difficulties, yet in the
most complicated and energetic of his works, Antonio
groups his figures with faultless balance. His tendency,
like all great painters and sculptors, is to build up his
composition in pyramidal form, which gives a monu-
mental stability to the group. One of the most perfect
examples of this is the Combat of Hercules with Antaeus.
The figures seem designed to be cast in bronze, and not-
withstanding the energy and effort, the action has the
finality of monumental sculpture. He had a method of
42 POLLAIUOLO
giving importance to his figures by setting them on a
prominence well in the foreground, thus eliminating the
middle distance, by which means they stand out colossal
against the distant plane. This composition is almost
invariable in his paintings, and was imitated by Botti-
celli in those early works which most show the influence
of Antonio, for example, in his S. Sebastian of Berlin
and the Judith of the Uffizi.
He must have devoted himself with almost equal zeal
to the study of perspective as to anatomy, and here also
he was far in advance of his contemporaries. His success
in rendering the depth of space in landscape exceeds
that of Paolo Uccello, and in interiors he is unrivalled.
In his designs for the embroideries, in his relief of the
Silver Altar, with backgrounds as detailed as a Flemish
interior, he has given the perspective of the long rooms
and the relative values of distance with consummate skill.
His landscapes have the spaciousness of Perugino's, a
spaciousness gained, not by any atmospheric effect,
which he never attempted, but by his fine management
of perspective. The planes recede so naturally and the
values of distance are so well rendered, that we have the
feeling, as in the minute landscapes of Mantegna, of
actually being able to enter lit and to measure the
number of miles to the most distant point.
He was as realistic in his treatment of landscape as of
the human form. He chose to represent invariably the
same scene — the Arno Valley seen from below Florence
— and reproduces with photographic fidelity every
detail and building dotted among the hills. Each
43
tower and church in the city can be recognized, and no
more faithful pictures of old Florence exist than we find
in his paintings. He was the first great landscape
painter of his epoch, valuing scenery not as a mere
accessory to the figures, but for the sake of its beauty
and special interest. His scenes of the Arno Valley, if
abstracted from the subject to which they form the
background, are complete pictures in themselves, as full
of interest and meaning as a landscape by Turner. That
he took a special interest in them is proved by the fact
that, while leaving to Piero the principal figures in his
pictures, he himself painted with the care of a minia- ;
turist the background scenery.
In colour Antonio tends to be somewhat heavy, warm
brown, green, peacock blue, deep amethyst and ruby
being his favourite tints. It is probably to his handling
of gold and jewels that he owes the depth and gem-like
glow of his colours. In combining them he is always
harmonious, and the effect of his paintings is of great
depth and richness. There is as little weakness or
triviality in his tones as in his draughtsmanship, and his
contrasts of light and shade are strong and sharp, as of
one accustomed to work in metal. His flesh tints are
brown, with a tendency to brick-red, and these strong
colours add to the energy of his forms. In his paintings
there is always a suggestion of bronze, in his choice of
colour as much as in his sharp decisive modelling.
In rendering surface and texture he is particularly
successful. In his painted and sculptured work he
makes us feel the hardness of bone, the elasticity of
44 POLLAIUOLO
muscle, as no other artist has done. In his painting of
stuffs he is as realistic as in all else, imitating with
delusive effect the soft pile of velvet and furs, the crisp-
ness of gold brocade, and the diaphanous texture of
draperies.
And with all his attention to detail Antonio never
lost sight of the composition as a whole, nor lost his
largeness of style. He combined to perfection the
delicacy of the goldsmith with the breadth of the
worker in clay.
CHAPTER IV
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK. THE SILVER
CROSS OF S. GIOVANNI, 1457-1479
ACCORDING to Vasari the earliest works executed by
Antonio after starting an independent career, were
some Pad * worked in niello, and he mentions others
wrought in enamel, so exquisitively coloured "that
with the brush they could hardly be better done."
" In other Churches of Florence, of Rome and elsewhere
* Small engraved plaques of precious metal, generally representing
the Crucifixion, enclosed in jewelled frames, which were offered by
the Priest to be kissed by the faithful during Mass, a ceremony
that replaced in the fifth century the kiss given to each other by the
early Christians before communicating. The name is derived from
Pax Tecum, the words addressed to the worshipper on presentation
of the Pace. The earliest existing example is in the Collegiata of
Cividale Friuli, and is of the eighth century. It is of gilded silver,
decorated with jewels. In the fifteenth century the Pad were gene-
rally wrought in niello, aword derived from Nigellum, from the black
enamel with which the engraved lines were filled. Vasari gives a
full description of niello work as practised in his time (Vasari, I. p.
208). There is a tradition that the art of engraving was due to a
chance discovery made by Finiguerra, who having by hazard
placed a plaque, in which the enamel was still wet, on a packet of
damp linen, found on removing it the engraved design reproduced
to perfection.
46 POLLAIUOLO
in Italy," he writes, " his marvellous enamels are to be
seen. He taught the art to Mazzingo the Florentine,
and to Giuliano del Facchino, fairly excellent Masters,
and to Giovanni Turini the Sienese." * None of the
Pad of Antonio are in existence, having been melted
down in time of war or otherwise destroyed, but
several interesting examples in niello and coloured
enamels are to be seen in the Museo Nazionale, Florence,
among them the celebrated Crucifixion by Finiguerra,
which Cellini asserts to have been designed by Antonio
himself, f This is not the case. The composition is over-
crowded and without harmony or balance, the figures are
* Vasari, III. p. 288. This is an error. Both Mazzingo and
Giuliano del Facchino, goldsmiths employed in the mint of
Florence, were many years older than Antonio.
t " Si vede di sua mano " (Finiguerra's) " una Pace con un
Crocifisso drentovi insieme con i due ladroni e con molti ornamenti
di cavagli e di altre cose, fatta sotto il disegno di Antonio del
Pollajuolo . . . ed e intagliata e niellata di mano del detto Maso."
(Cellini, " Trattati dell' Oreficeria, " p. 13.) This is the only surviving
example of Finiguerra's work. It was executed in 1452 for the
Church of S. Giovanni. The Coronation of the Virgin, done in
1455, until recently attributed to Finiguerra, also in the Museo
Nazionale, is by Matteo di Giovanni Dei. (See Milanesi's article
published in " L'Arte," 1884, I. p. 70.) Itshows chiefly the influence
of Fra Filippo.
Dr. Kristeller attribute's to Antonio the following prints from
niello-plates. The " Fountain of Love " in the Museo Malaspina,
Pavia, also given to him by Burckhardt, the "Fortitude " in that of
Baron Edmond de Rothschild, (executed for Antonio's patron, Gen-
til Virginio Orsini, as the presence of his stemma shows) and the
" Beheading of a Prisoner " in the Cabinet of Engravings, Parma.
See " Die Italienische Niellodrucke und der Kupferstich des XV.
Jahrhundert " Jahrbuch fur Kiinstliche Kunstwissenschaft, " 1894,
P« 94.
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 47
weak in action and faulty in drawing, and show complete
ignorance of anatomy. In the foreground to the right
are two soldiers which faintly recall the type of
Antonio, but it is probable that this likeness was derived
from Andrea dal Castagno, by whom Finiguerra was
also influenced.
But if no specimen of Antonio's niello engraving has
survived the melting-pot we have, in the reliefs of the
Silver Cross of S. Giovanni (Plate IV.) superb examples
of his early goldsmith's work, although the enamels
which filled them have long since dropped away. This
Reliquary — his earliest existing work of which we have
certain date — was commissioned in 1457 to contain the
most precious relic of the Republic, the fragment of the
True Cross, which tradition asserts to have been pre-
sented to the city by Charlemagne. The relic consists
of a large piece of unjoined wood in the form of a cross,
on which is carved the figure of Christ, the head
crowned with a mitre instead of thorns, the feet pierced
by two nails instead of one, a mode of representation
which proves it to have been carved before the thir-
teenth century. It was originally contained in a portable
Cross of much smaller dimensions, and was earned in
procession on the rare occasions when the most precious
relics were exhibited to the public.* The Cross of
Antonio is now placed on the Silver Altar in the Museo
* In the Spogli di Carlo Strozzi, under the date August 13, 1455,
is the following record. " Una processione si fa per 4 di per la vit-
toria ottenuta per i cristiani contro i turchi nella quale 1'arcivescovo
porta per ultimo in mano una reliquia, una croce grande d'argento
48 POLLAIUOLO
dell1 Opera del Duomo, but the relic is no longer within,
having been transferred to its present Reliquary in the
eighteenth century, at which date the Cross suffered
many changes and additions.
The history of the commission is as follows. In 1456
— 7 the University della Mercatanzia, which had charge
of the principal Churches, considering the older Reli-
quary unworthy of the importance of the relic, decided
to replace it by a larger and more magnificent one of
silvered ecorated with enamels. On February 14, 1457
(N.S.) the discussion as to the goldsmiths to be employed
took place, and on April 30 the work was distributed
as follows. The upper part — the Cross — was given to
Betto di Francesco Betti, and the lower — the Reliquary
itself — to Antonio Pollaiuolo and Miliano di Domenico
Dei. (Doc. IX. p 274.)
Two years later, 1459, the work was completed, and
the total cost was 3036 florins, 6 lire, 18 soldi, 4 danari.
Of this sum Betto Betti received 1030 florins, 3 lire, 5
soldi, while the larger part — 2006 florins, 3 lire, 13 soldi,
7 danari, was paid to Antonio. Of Miliano Dei no
further mention is made in the documents, and it is
probable that he either died or renounced his share of
the commission.
In its present state the Reliquary is much changed by
additions made in the eighteenth century, when the relic
nella quale era una crocetta che si dice essere del legno della croce
di Cristo la quale fu comperata da uno Greco che disse haverla
levata di Gostantinopli quando fu presa dai Turchi. " (Delib. de'
Consoli 1455-1459. Spogli Strogzi, "Arch, di Stato," I. c. 214'.)
IV
Alinari
SILVER CROSS. BY BETTO BETTI AND ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. MUSEO DELL' OPERA DEL
DUOMO, FLORENCE
Face p. 48
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 49
was removed and the Cross was turned into a Crucifix.
These alterations were made in all probability by the
celebrated goldsmith Bernardo Holzmann, who was em-
ployed at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning
of the eighteenth centuries in restoring the Reliquaries
of S. Maria del Fiore and S. Giovanni. The present
tabernacle to which the relic was transferred bears the
date 1702, which may be accepted as that of the changes
and additions to the old Cross.
There is no documentary notice to determine what
these alterations were, and opinion differs on several
points, but all are agreed that the figure of Christ on
the Cross, the statuettes of the Virgin and Evangelist on
the branches, and the sphynxes below, with the brackets
they support, belong to the eighteenth century. Dr.
Mackowsky is of opinion that the seated figures of the
Baptist and the Angels^\which fill the niches of the
Tabernacle, as well as several of the minor ornaments
belong to the same date. These disputed points will be
discussed later.
The upper part — the Cross of Betto Betti — is much
better preserved than the lower. The reliefs still retain
the enamels, which flash and glow as brilliantly as when
they were executed nearly five centuries ago. The back
is decorated as elaborately as the front, and it is to be
regretted that in its present position on the Altar
an examination is nearly impossible. On both sides
are six medallions containing figures enamelled in
brilliant colours. In front at the top is God the Father,
a strange gnome-like figure, seated with one leg tucked
50 POLLAIUOLO
under him. Below, hidden by the head of Christ,
is the Pelican with spread wings, feeding its young
from its breast, symbolic of Christ. On the two arms
are the Virgin and the Magdalen, and below a weep-
ing old man, (probably representing S. Peter) and the
Evangelist. Between each medallion is an angel,
standing or flying horizontally, according to the space
to be filled. The colours are exceedingly rich, chiefly
moss-greens, peacock blues and deep crimsons, which
glow like gems and flash back their deep tones to the
light.
On the back the medallions contain the following
figures. In the centre the Lamb with the Flag, repre-
senting the sacrifice of Christ, and around the four
Evangelists, while below is the Boy-Baptist in the
desert. The intervening spaces are filled, like those in
front, with angels, with the exception of the arms, on
which lie two figures, whose names — ISAIA and
IEREMIAS — are inscribed on scrolls. In all these
reliefs there is a suggestion of early German art, bizarre
and half grotesque.
The Cross is surrounded by small Florentine lilies
alternating with decorated bosses,and these lilies are con-
sidered by Dr. Mackowsky to belong to the eighteenth
century additions. To me however they appear to be
part of the original design. It springs from the petals
of a lily, which rests upon a tiny Calvary, minutely
worked, on which are carved in high relief the symbolic
skull and snake. It is surrounded by a little fortified
town with towers and battlemented walls, and below
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 51
branch out two brackets for the support of statuettes.
These certainly belong to the original design, but the
figures they support are modern. On the volutes are
medallions both back and front. Those behind contain
a very beautiful Annunciation the work of Antonio
Pollaiuolo, those in front, two Saints seated on the
ground in a landscape. These from the contrast of
style to that of Antonio, have been attributed to
Miliano Dei, but a comparison of the work with the
medallions on the Cross proves them to be by Betto
Betti. On one is an old man in the dress of a monk, on
the other a youthful saint. They perhaps represent S.
Augustine and S. John the Evangelist, but as they are
without symbols it is difficult to determine. They are
curiously constructed, and have the same gnome-like
German appearance as all the foregoing figures. They
sit on the ground with outstretched necks in strange
ungainly postures. The coarse features have a very
earnest expression, but are yet almost grotesque. The
foreshortening of the leg of the old saint is badly
indicated, and the draperies are treated with an
uncouthness that show the artist to have no sense for
the beauty of line. The old saint, squatted rather than
seated, with one leg tucked under him, resembles almost
exactly God the Father in the top medallion. These
are the only works of Betto Betti known to me,
but his style is so personal, so strange and uncouth,
with its strong suggestion of German influence,
that did others exist, they would be recognized without
difficulty.
52 POLLAIUOLO
The lower pari of the Cross has suffered much
damage, the enamels being almost entirely broken away.
Here and there only a touch of colour remains. This
is hardly to be regretted from the student's point of
view, since the exposure of the metal has rendered it
possible to take casts, without which, owing to the
inaccessible position of the Cross, it would be impossible
to study these early examples of Antonio's art.* There
are fifteen reliefs, and most of them of the greatest im-
portance for the influence they evidently had upon
contemporary and later work. A few of them however
are so inferior in quality as to suggest that they were
left to the hand of assistants.
The largest and most elaborate of the reliefs is that
which decorates the base of the Cross, representing the
Baptism of Christ. The composition differs in no way
from that of Verrocchio in his painting now in the
Accademia, and both bear a strong resemblance to the
small panel by Alesso Baldovinetti in the same gallery.f
In the centre stands the Herculean figure of Christ, his
arms folded across his chest, looking like a pugilist
resting after a fight. The legs are crossed one behind
the other, in an attitude repeated many times by
Antonio, an attitude somewhat conventional but indi-
* Casts of all the details of Antonio's work can be obtained at the
atelier of Giuseppe Lelli, 95 Corso dei Tintori, Florence. Photo-
graphsof the reliefs are reproduced in Dr.Mackowsky's article "Das
Silberkreuz fur den Johannisaltar im Museo di S. Maria del Fiore
zu Florenz." Jahrbuch der K. Preuss. Kunstsaramlungen, 1902, p.
235-
t No. 233. In the Gallery attributed to Fra Angelico.
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 53
cative of great muscular strength. He is nude except
for the loin-cloth, and the torso and limbs have the
development of the athletes of Michelangelo. The
realistic treatment of this Christ gives at once the key-
note to the spirit in which Antonio worked. The
opportunity offered by the nude to portray his favourite
brawny type, he seized without considering the charac-
ter and scene he was representing, and never has Christ
been presented in so material a guise. Verrocchio in
his Accademia painting evidently had this relief in his
mind, for his Christ is of the same build and type, and
might well have been drawn from the same model, but
he has sought in some measure by the expression of the
face to adapt it to the character, whereas Antonio has
uncompromisingly presented a nude pugilist. The
realistic treatment of the Christ is in sharp contrast to
the stiff and conventional figure of the Baptist, who
strides forward with the same ungainly gesture as in
Verrocchio's painting, both seeming to be imitated from
the panel of Baldovinetti. This likeness between the
relief of Antonio and the painting of Verrocchio, and
their common resemblance to Alesso's panel, is important,
as pointing to their probable connection as fellow
students in his bottega. The interest of both artists
has been centred on the nude Christ, and both have
been content to imitate, even to its faults of structure
and movement, the conventional figure of the Baptist
which must have been familiar to them in the painting
of their Master. It is probable that Baldovinetti's
small panel is a replica of some larger and more
54 POLLAIUOLO
important work, now lost, for the composition was evi-
dently popular, and superseded the earlier treatment of
the scene, of which we have an example in the trecento
reliefs of the Silver Altar.
To the left of the scene kneel two Angels, character-
istic figures, with large scythe-like wings and voluminous
draperies, which we shall find many times repeated in
the earlier work of Antonio.
On either side of the Baptism is a relief representing
a Father of the Church, seated on a high-backed throne
in full episcopal costume — on the front SS. Augustine
and Jerome, on the back SS, Ambrose and Gregory.
Of these figures the finest is S. Augustine, superbly
posed and gazing upward with inspired expression.
The draperies are arranged in large free folds, and the
long-fingered beautiful hands are characteristic. The
other three seem to have been left to assistants. Their
attitudes are somewhat cramped, the draperies less
free and structural, and the faces more common-
place.
Next in importance to the Baptism is the relief in
the centre of the base, representing Moses holding high
up, with menacing gesture, the tablet of the law. It
is a superb figure, and with its fierce face and noble
action recalls so strongly Michelangelo's Prophets
of the Sistine Chapel, and his Moses of S. Pietro in
Vincoli, as to suggest its influence upon those works.
It is treated with a breadth and grandeur which in
spite of its actual dimensions give the impression of
colossal size.
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 55
On either side is a medallion representing the Virtues
Faith and Hope. These show marked differences in
style and quality. The Faith, ill-posed with wide-
spread knees and coarsely treated draperies, is evidently
the work of an assistant, while the Hope is one of the
most beautiful and characteristic of Antonio's figures.
She is seated, her body swung round in free and graceful
pose, her long delicate fingers pressed together in
adoration. Her draperies emphasize the fine modelling
of the limbs. Her large scythe-like wings seem to cut
the air behind her. The foreshortening of the right
thigh, in the extremely low relief, is admirably
managed. It is interesting to compare the simple
severity of this Hope with the mannered and restless
figure on the Tombs of the Popes executed thirty
years later.
On either side of these medallions is affixed a small
shield, bearing the arms of the Mercatanzia — an eagle
perched on a woolsack — strong fierce birds, splendidly
designed. Beyond these again are two medallions
with the other Virtues, Temperance and Charity,
insignificant figures, probably executed by assistants.
The latter is repeated with slight variations in the
centre of the pedestal immediately below the
Tabernacle.
On either side of these is an Angel who, with arms
truculently folded on its chest, rushes forward with the
impetus of the wind. Antonio's conception of an
Angel is original and characteristic. It is neither
graceful nor gentle, but audacious in bearing, violent in
56 POLLAIUOLO
action, and with the muscular development of a prize-
fighter. This material conception is redeemed by the
beauty of the large wings and of the fluttering
draperies. The counterpart of these figures will be
found frescoed above the Altar in the Chapel of the
Cardinal of Portugal, S. Miniato, painted by Antonio
several years later.
On the volutes at the back of the Cross, corresponding
with Betto Betti's Saints, are medallions containing
the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin, one of those
romantic and poetic scenes, which now and then break
through his usual blunt realism. Curiously enough some
critics have supposed these exquisite figures to be by
the same hand as the uncouth Saints in front, and have
attributed all four medallions to Miliano Dei. They
are however thoroughly characteristic of Antonio both
in type and treatment. In one the Virgin kneels on
the flowered grass before a reading desk. One finger
marks the place upon her open book as in the painting
of Verrochio in the Uffi/i. These hands are of the
greatest beauty — the long delicate hand peculiar to
Antonio. The severely arranged draperies model her
shoulders and arms, and hang about her in noble
simplicity. In the other the Archangel, with large
sharp wings, has just alighted, as we are made aware by
a subtle seizure of transitory movement. The pose is
easy and graceful, with its gesture of reverential
salutation — wings and draperies correspond with those
of the vehement angels on the base, while the long
body and simple robes of the Virgin recall those in the
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 57
relief executed by Antonio later for the Silver Altar.
Both figures kneel in a landscape, which, though
indicated only by a few trees and flowered grass, is
wonderfully suggestive of space and open air. The two
medallions form one of the most exquisite Annunciations
of the fifteenth century.
The Tabernacle below, in which the relic was formerly
enclosed, represents a little temple of beautiful propor-
tions, the roof of which is covered with tiles of blue
enamel, decorated with the crescent and star, in allusion
to the Turkish origin of the relic. Its original state is
a matter of dispute. Dr. Mackowsky considers that
the statuettes in the niches — two seated Baptists and
four Angels — belong to the eighteenth-century additions,
partly because he finds the style modern, partly because
he holds the repetition of the same figures, back and
front, to be out of character with the epoch. The
larger statuettes of angels, standing on the sphynx-
supported brackets, which resemble these, he claims to
belong to the original work, supposing that they occupied
the place on the branches above, where now are the
modern statuettes of the Virgin and Evangelist. My
own studies lead me to a different conclusion — namely,
that the small figures in the Tabernacle belong to the
original work, and the larger Angels imitated from them
to the eighteenth -century additions. That the niches were
intended for statuettes there can be no question ; the
figure of the Baptist has everything in common with
Antonio's style, is finely constructed and well posed,
and has the severity of the epoch, while the Angels
5 8 POLLAIUOLO
with their beautiful wings and draperies are much more
in Antonio's character than those on the pedestals, which,
with their sentimental gesture and affected expression,
have decidedly an eighteenth century air. That figures of
Angels however originally stood on the upper brackets,
where now are the Virgin and Evangelist, is probable, for
we find them in similar work, apparently copied from
this, the most noted example of which is the enamelled
Reliquary of S. Girolamo executed in 1487 in direct
imitation.* It is possible that the original figures
(which, being on the upper part of the Cross, were
probably executed by Betto Betti and not by Antonio)
were destroyed or lost, and that Bernardo Holzmann
the restorer, through whose hands the S. Girolamo
Reliquary also passed, replaced them in imitation of
this. The small vases filled with flowers surmounting
the temple seem also to have been added by him.
In the tiny details of this Reliquary — the first dated
work of Antonio, and as such the standard and starting-
point in the study of his development — we have found
the most characteristic examples of his style, delicate
goldsmith's work, which yet has had its influence on
paintings and sculpture, the greatest which modern art
has produced. It is impossible to look at the Baptism
without being reminded of the painting of Verrocchio,
at the Annunciation without recalling the stag-like
figures of Botticelli, at the Moses without thinking of
* By an unknown artist. The Reliquary is preserved in the
Tabernacle of S. Antonio Abate in the Dnomo. It was restored
by Holzmann in 1693.
EARLY GOLDSMITH'S WORK 59
Michelangelo. In general design, denuded of the
eighteenth-century additions the work is faultless, the
carvings, technically considered, are a marvel of low relief.
And it is besides important as offering at the outset evi-
dence of the unconscious struggle between the man and
the artist, of which we are made aware throughout his
work. The noble energetic figure of Moses, the muscular
pugilist who poses as Christ, the dainty figures and
romantic setting of the Annunciation, the vehement,
rushing Angels — all bear witness to the conflicting
elements which makes his work of so great psychological
interest — the innate love of beauty and refinement, the
idolatry of brute-force, and the scientific interests in
which his intellect was centred.
The Cross was first used in 1483, at the date of the
completion of the Silver Altar. Both Reliquary
and Altar were prized as the most precious treasures of
the Republic, and in time of war, when finances were
low and other works in precious metal were pawned to
meet expenses, they alone were spared. Only once, in
1529, was the Cross in danger, when, the city being in
urgent need of money, it was pledged to the banker
Camillo Antinori, for the sum of 1500 florins. It was
however redeemed shortly after for 1650 florins.
In 1465 Antonio was commissioned by the same Arte
dei Mercatanti to execute two Silver Candlesticks to
accompany the Cross (Doc. XV. p. 272). They are
described as being enriched with enamels and carved with
figures and reliefs, and probably resembled it in design.
They were 2\ bracelet in height and the total cost was 1548
60 POLLAIUOLO
florins, Antonio being paid at the rate of 17 florins the
libbra. Unfortunately they are no longer in existence,
and it is probable that they were melted down in 1527,
when so many treasures of the Church were destroyed
to meet the expenses of the war.
CHAPTER V
EARLY PAINTED WORK. THE HERCULES
GROUP. 1460
IN comparison with his bronze and goldsmith's work
painting occupied but a subordinate place in the art of
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Of the large number of pictures
attributed to him in public galleries and private
collections, it is impossible to accept more than eleven
as genuine, and of these, four are the joint work of him
and his brother. From all that can be gathered, it
seems probable that as soon as Piero was old enough to
assist him, Antonio, preoccupied with his other work,
left to him the greater share in the paintings for which
he received commissions. It is certain that four out of
the seven oil paintings, executed entirely by him, date
from a time when Piero was still a mere apprentice.
In the dearth of documents it is difficult to decide with
any degree of certainty the chronological order of
his paintings. Not one of them is dated, and only by
inference do we obtain the approximate time of three,
— the two small Hercules panels, which must have been
painted about 1460, and the frescoes and Altarpiece of
62 POLLAIUOLO
the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal, S. Miniato,
which date from about 1465. Vasari gives the year of
the S. Sebastian of the National Gallery as 1475, but
the statement is unsupported by any evidence. Recent
investigation has proved the Newhaven Hercules and
Nessus to have been painted before 1467. This is all
the aid to a chronology that is forthcoming. The
order of execution must then be judged by the
development discerned in the paintings themselves, by
their relation to the dated bronze and goldsmith's
work, and by taking into account the development of
Piero. The earliest appear to be the David of the
Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin, the Apollo and
Daphne of the National Gallery, and the two panels of
Hercules in the Uffizi. In neither of the four is the
hand of Piero visible. The latter may be dated 1460.
the others I should be inclined to place earlier for the
following reasons. The interest of Antonio in the play
of muscle and violent action seems to have increased
steadily with the development of his powers, and in the
Hercules pictures is already predominating. With the
exception of the David and the Apollo and Daphne
not a painting by him exists which does not suggest
this preoccupation, his treatment of the theme being
determined by his desire to present the nude in violent
action, or to seize some transient and difficult movement.
The sense for poetry and beauty, inherent in his nature,
was eclipsed by these intellectual interests, and mani-
fests itself indirectly and "unconsciously. But in these
two paintings the sentiment is purely romantic, and the
EARLY PAINTED WORK 63
figures are constructed with a grace and daintiness in
marked contrast to his usual robust, half savage type.
In both there is something which suggests the idyllic
sentiment of youth, to which the interest in physical
strength is subordinate. It is true that in the Apollo
his passion for seizing swift and transitory movement is
revealed, but the picture is conceived in a spirit as
romantic as a mediaeval poem. Later he would have
seized the opportunity offered by the theme to represent
Apollo as a nude athlete, and have laid stress on the
action of the limbs and the play of muscle. Instead he
is clad in the daintiest of costumes, painted with the
love of Carpaccio for beautiful clothes, and the limbs
beneath have no exaggerated development. There is
more poetry than attempt at realism in the way the
large bay-branches sprout from the fingers of Daphne,
forming a sort of grove. Behind them stretches the
Arno Valley, through which the river winds like a
snake, and this characteristic landscape is treated with
a mixture of realism and poetry which never varies
in his paintings of scenery.
The small panel is painted with the delicacy of a
miniature. The colour is rich and dark, with warm
crimsons and deep-toned greens, and has that gem-like
glow and depth which must have been imitated from
jewels. At whatever date it was painted Antonio had
already little to learn in anatomy. The rapid move-
ment of Apollo as he seizes the nymph is presented
with his usual science, and the action is full of life and
energy. It is probable, from its classic character, that
64 POLLAIUOLO
it was painted at the commission of Lorenzo or
Giuliano de' Medici, but its history is unknown.*
Equally romantic in feeling is the small painting of
David, No. 73A of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum,
Berlin. (Plate V.) The youth stands with his slender
legs firmly planted on either side of the giant's head,
clad as daintily as the Apollo, in a coat of chestnut-
coloured velvet, lined and trimmed with white fur, and a
blue tunic brocaded with gold. The figure, vibrating
with energy as it is, has none of the superficial manifes-
tations of strength, and is certainly drawn from no atelier
model. He is as delicately built as a woman, and has
a woman's slender hands. Neither is there any attempt
at realism in the accessories. He stands against a
slate-gray wall, or screen, as in many of the portrait
figures of the time, and, but for the sling and the head
of the giant, might pass as the portrait of some young
Florentine noble. And this is probably the case, for
the sensitive face with the pale eyes and melancholy
expression is very individual, and was certainly not
chosen as representative of the young David, for which
Donatello had already set the type in Florentine art.
Nothing could be more different than this youth and the
arrogant striplings of Donatello and Verrocchio. Like
Judith, David was adopted by the Florentines as the
symbolic personage representing the liberty of the
* No 928 of the National Gallery. Its provenance is unknown.
In 1845 it was in the collection of Mr. W. Coningham, and later in
that of Mr. Wynn Ellis, by whom in 1876 it was bequeathed to the
National Gallery.
Graph. Geselhchaft, Berlin
DAVID. BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO. KAISER FRIEDRICH
MUSEUM, BERLIN
Face p. 64
EARLY PAINTED WORK 65
Republic, and it is not unlikely that a member of the
Medici family may have chosen to be portrayed in
that character. The face resembles strongly the
portrait by Botticelli in the Uffizi of a young man in a
red cap, who holds between his hands the medal of
Cosimo il Vecchio. The features are identical. In
both paintings we see the same delicate face with
prominent cheek bones, the same heavy-lidded pale-
gray eyes, the same shock of brown hair growing low
on the broad forehead, the same curved melancholy
mouth. The likeness is undeniable, but it does not
aid in discovering the original, for the portrait of
Botticelli has never been satisfactorily identified. At
one time called the Portrait of a Medallist it now
bears the name of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, although
it has no resemblance to his face as portrayed by Bron-
zino in the series of Medici portraits. Later critics
have suggested a name equally unsatisfactory —
Giovanni, uncle of Lorenzo. But again, although there
is some resemblance in colouring, in expression the face
differs completely from that of the accepted portraits. If
it be really Giovanni it could not have been painted from
life, for he died at the age of forty-two, when Botticelli
was only seventeen, and the portrait represents a man
of at most twenty-five. It would be of interest could
the features of the two portraits be identified, for the
date of Antonio's painting would then be approximately
fixed. The presence of the medal points to the
probability that Botticelli's portrait represents some
youth of the Medici family, or at least closely connected
66 POLLAIUOLO
with it, but I have searched in vain among portraits
and medals for the same features and expression.
The David is officially ascribed to Piero, an unreason-
able attribution, since, while it has everything in common
with the best work of Antonio in energy, in form and
in colour, it resembles in nothing the feeble work of
Piero. The spare figure full of concentrated force, in
which every bone is accentuated, whose feet, gripping
the ground, are planted with the resolution of a warrior
by Signorelli, differs completely from the puffy forms
of Piero, which seem inflated with air and have as little
weight and balance as a bladder. If a comparison
between the work of the two brothers be desired, let the
reader turn to the Altarpiece of S. Sebastian (p. 15),
where in the legs of the foreground archer to the left,
may be seen a precise copy of those of the David,
apparently imitated either from this picture or some
preliminary study. They are alike only in form how-
ever, for in passing through the hand of Piero they
have been robbed of all vitality. The David is a
masterpiece of fine draughtsmanship and technical per-
fection, of which Piero in his most mature years was
incapable.
The date of the two small panels in the Uffizi,
(No. 1 153) (Plates Vl.and VII.) representing the Combats
of Hercules with the Hydra and with Antaeus, is
approximately fixed by their connection with the three
large canvases, now lost, painted by Antonio for Lorenzo
de" Medici in 1460. The letter in which he refers to
these paintings, stating them to have been executed by
VI
Alinari
HERCULES SLAYING THE HYDRA. BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
UFFIZI, FLORENCE
Face p. 66
EARLY PAINTED WORK 67
himself and his brother in that year, has been already
quoted (p. 17). It is certain that the share of Piero
must have been limited to the most subordinate parts
since he was only seventeen at the time. It is generally
supposed that the small panels were painted as studies
for the canvases, but considering the miniature-like care
with which they are finished, and for other reasons that
will be stated presently, they must hold an independent
position, though it is most likely that they were painted
about the same time. They belonged to the Medici
Collection, probably to Lorenzo himself, and it may be
that he valued them so highly as to order them to be
copied on a larger scale.
Of the perished canvases we have the following
notices. Vasari, who evidently knew them well, writes
of them thus :
" In the house of the Medici Antonio painted for Lorenzo
the three pictures of Hercules, five braccia high, in one of
which he strangles Antaeus, a most beautiful picture, in
which is actually seen the effort of Hercules in the
squeezing, that the muscles and nerves of the figure are
all concentrated in the effort to burst Antaeus ; and in the
face of the said Hercules is seen the grinding of the
teeth, corresponding with the other parts, which even to
the toes of the feet swell with the effort. And with no
less care is painted Antaeus, who, squeezed in the arms of
Hercules, is seen to lose all his strength, and with open
mouth yield up his spirit. The other, slaying the lion,
places his left knee on its chest, and gripping the jaws of
the beast with both his hands, clenching his teeth and
68 POLLAIUOLO
straining his arms, tears them wide open by sheer might,
although the lion to defend itself, scratches his arms
horribly with its claws. The third, slaying the hydra, is
certainly a marvel, especially the dragon, which is painted
in a manner so vivid and precise, that it could not be more
living. Here one sees so vividly the poison, the fire, the
ferocity, the fury, that it is worthy of renown and to be
imitated by the best artists." *
The canvases were painted for the large hall in
the Palace of the Medici in Via Larga, now Palazzo
Riccardi. In the Inventory of the possessions of
Lorenzo made after his death in 1492 they were thus
catalogued :
" In the large hall of Lorenzo ....
" A Canvas enclosed in a gilded frame, 6 braccia square?
with the painting of Hercules slaying the Hydra — 20
florins ....
" A Canvas enclosed in a gilded fra me 6 braccia square
with the painting of Hercules rending the lion — 20
florins ....
"A Canvas of 6 braccia, enclosed in a gilded frame
with the painting of Hercules strangling Antaeus ; all
which labours of Hercules are by the hand of Pollaiuolo —
20 florins, "f
* Vasari, iii. p. 294.
f " Nella sala grande di Lorenzo.
" Uno panno, cornicle intorno messa d'oro, di br. 6. per ogni
verso dipintovi dentro Erchole ch' amaza 1'Idra — f. 20 ...
" Uno panno, cornicle intorno messa d'oro, di br. 6. per ogni
verso dipintovi drento Erchole che sbarra el Lione. — f. 20 ...
" Uno panno di br. 6. chorniciato intorno e messo d'oro dipintovi
Erchole che scoppia Anteo, tutte queste fatiche d'Erchole sono
EARLY PAINTED WORK 69
At the expulsion of the Medici in 1495, the canvases
were appropriated with other of their possessions by the
Signoria, and we find them decorating the Sala del
Consiglio in the Palazzo dei Priori. Albertini
(making the error of attributing them to Verrocchio)
thus mentions them in his " Memorialed " In Palazo
Maiore. In the old Council Hall is the picture of
Philip " (Filippino Lippi) *' and the three large pictures
on canvas of Hercules by Verrocchio." 5
Finally we have Vasari's statement that they were
copied by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, at the commission of
Giovanni Battista della Palla, agent of Francis I. to
be sent to France, t
This is the last notice we have of the paintings. It is
strange that works of such dimensions having occupied
a prominent place in so important a public building as
the Palazzo dei Priori, should have so completely dis-
appeared. The notice of Albertini proves that they
survived the destruction of 1512, when the Palazzo was
used as a caserma for the Spanish Troops. That Vasari,
di mano del Pollaiuolo. — f. 20." Muntz, Les Collections des Medicis
au quinzieme siecle. Paris. 1888. The original inventory was
copied, December 23, 1512, at the order of Lorenzo, Duke of
Urbino, and it is from this copy that the above extracts are
made.
* " In Palazo maiore. Nella sala del consiglio antique £ la
tavola di Philip e li tre q uadri grandi di Hercole in tela del Ver-
rocchio."
f " Ritrasse poi " (Ridolfo Ghirlandaio) " le tre forze d'Ercole
che gia dipinse nel palazzo de' Medici Anton Pollaiuolo, per Gio-
vambattista della Palla, che le mando in Francia." Vasari, vi. p.
540.
yo POLLAIUOLO
who expresses such admiration for the paintings, should
have allowed them to be destroyed when he redecorated
the Palace in 1569, is incredible, and it is also incredible
that, even at an age so unappreciative of quattrocento
art as the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, works
of such value should have been allowed to perish. It
seems more likely that they were laid aside and for-
gotten, and if that be the case, it is possible that they
may one day be discovered.
The small panels of the Uffizi, as representing the
specific qualities of his art to perfection, take the fore-
most place among Antonio's paintings. In spite of the
obvious preoccupation with muscular movement and
vehement action, they have much of the romantic
beauty of the Apollo and Daphne in the landscape and
detail. In colour and miniature-like delicacy of execu-
tion they resemble it closely.
In the sinewy, lean figures of Hercules is concentrated
the highest pitch of physical force in violent action.
Each muscle is strained to its limit of tension, and as
we look, we feel our pulse quicken and our muscles
tighten in unconscious imitation. The strains and
efforts of the limbs are focussed in the distorted features,
with the wrinkled brows, clenched teeth, and lips drawn
down at the corners like a savage beast. No artist has
ever concentrated in a human face so much passion and
brute-force as in the tiny head of Hercules strangling
Antaeus.
In both paintings the nude is faultless. Every detail
of the underlying structure is indicated with consummate
EARLY PAINTED WORK 71
science, the nervous force of the arms, the grip and
pressure of the feet on the ground, the tension and
elasticity of the strained muscles. In the combat with
the Hydra the vehemence and rapidity of the movement
takes one's breath away. Violence and passion have
never been so vividly presented as in the hero's fierce
rush on his prey, the swing of the club, and the clutch
of the hand upon the neck.
In the combat with Antaeus the action is collected in
one supreme muscular effort, whose external manifesta-
tions are comparatively tranquil. Only by the swelling
of the muscles, the grip of the feet on the ground, the
grimace of the features, is the immense effort expressed.
The result of the combat in both scenes is inevitable.
The onslaught on the Hydra is as irresistible as the
squeeze of the iron arms that forces the breath visibly
from the body of Antaeus.
There are other preeminent qualities, besides this
marvellous concentration of energy, in the tiny panels,
by which they take rank among the supreme Master-
pieces of art. The composition is superb, built up in
pyramidal form, and notwithstanding the violence and
transitoriness of the action, it is as final as though
designed for some colossal monument. From the waist
downwards the figures press upon the ground with
immense weight, while the torso shoots upward free as
the branches of a tree.
The paintings offer good examples of Antonio's
characteristic method of composition — setting his
figures well in the foreground upon a prominence, which
72 POLLAIUOLO
hides the middle distance, whereby they gain grandeur
and importance against the distant landscape. Not-
withstanding that their actual dimensions are only a
few inches high, they appear colossal, by contrast with
the stretch of spacious landscape, against which they
tower like huge bronze statues.
His innate sense for beauty reveals itself, in spite of
his evident preoccupation with the action of the figures,
in the beauty of the line and of the landscape. The
curves of the lion's tail, of the skin blown out like a
wind-filled sail, and of the hydra's necks, have the value
of an exquisite decorative pattern, against the pale blue
sky. As is invariable in the landscapes of Antonio one
has the sense of spaciousness and plein air in spite of
the somewhat heavy colouring. It is extraordinary
how, with no attempt at atmospheric effect, he realizes
the values of distance with such precision that we know
the number of miles we could wander by the side of the
winding stream before reaching the town, and beyond
that again to the sky line.
The colour is of the same rich bituminous tone as the
Apollo and Daphne — a scheme of warm browns and
greens, harmoniously fused, and suggestive of polished
bronze and the glow of gems. The paintings, like the
foregoing, are in excellent preservation and in all four
the palette of Antonio can be well studied at the
outset.
That the panels were executed as independent work
and not as studies for, or copies of, the lost canvases,
\vhich decorated the Palace of Lorenzo, seems probable
VIII
HERCULES SLAYING THE HYDRA. FROM AN ENGRAVING
BY ROBETTA
Face p. 73
EARLY PAINTED WORK 73
for the following reasons. Among the engravings of
Robetta are two scenes of the Labours of Hercules —
The Combats with the Hydra and with Antceus>
(Plates VIII. and IX.) — which, while resembling the
paintings in the principal figures, differ completely in
the backgrounds and other essential points. They are
generally accepted as copies from the small panels, but
it seems more likely that they are more or less faithful
reproductions of the lost canvases, the variations being
so important and so much in the manner of Antonio's
own work as to suggest that they originated, not with
Robetta, but with him. Robetta, with the timidity of
the inferior artist, would hardly have dared to alter so
completely the background of the Combat with the
Hydra, by adding the cave and rocks in the middle dis-
tance, still less have had the audacity to insert in the
Combat with Antaeus the strange figure of the child in
the foreground, presumably representing the Infant
Hercules strangling the serpents. This figure is con-
structed in Antonio's manner, and recalls vividly his
pen study of a child blowing a trumpet on the sheet of
nudes in the Uffizi, (Cornice 42. No. 246) as well as the
child Cain who leans against the knee of Eve in the pen
drawing (Cornice 31. No. 97f. Plate XXVII.) More-
over the cave in the Combat with the Hydra resembles
precisely that in Antonio's Altarpiece The Communion
of S. Mary of Egypt in Staggia. (Plate XXXIV.)
Another important difference is that in Roberta's en-
graving the club of Hercules breaks out in flame, which
occurs also in Antonio's own drawing in the British
74 POLLAIUOLO
Museum, of which we shall presently speak, but not in
the Uffizi painting. The hand of Hercules also has not
yet grasped the Hydra's neck, as in the painting, but
is stretched out towards it, as in the drawing. These
important variations, Robetta, feeble and imitative
artist as he was, was incapable of inventing, and even
were he capable, it would be difficult to find his reason
for so changing the original. There are besides, other
variations of minor importance. The Hydra of Robetta
has six living heads instead of two, and their necks have
not the same curve. The club is swung at a higher
level, and the foot of Hercules is not set upon the
severed head, but at some distance from it. It is
unnecessary to give importance to the small buildings in
the background or the birds in the sky, which are
stylistic, and may well have been added by the engraver.*
In the Combat with Antceus the principal figures are
similar, except that the head of the lion's skin worn by
Hercules, hangs down below his thigh, and that the
outstretched leg of Antaeus is less foreshortened.
Finally, while in the Uffizi paintings the shape of the
Combat with Antceus differs from the other in being much
narrower, in the engraving it is of the same proportions
as the Combat with the Hydra, that is to say nearly
square. It will be remembered that according to the
Inventory, the lost canvases were square.
On one of the sheets of the so-called Verrocchio
* An earlier impression than that in the British Museum, from
which the reproduction is made, exists in the Albertina Collection,
Vienna. It is without the clouds.
IX'
Macbeth
HERCULES SLAYING ANTAEUS. FROM AM ENGRAVING BY ROBETTA
Face p. 74
EARLY PAINTED WORK 75
Sketch-Book in the Louvre Collection, is a pen-
drawing of Hercules slaying the Hydra, accepted as a
copy of the Uffizi painting, but which follows more
closely the engraving of Robetta. The hand, as there,
has not yet grasped the Hydra's neck, but is stretched
towards it, and resembles precisely that of Robetta,
while the tail of the lion's skin instead of flying out
behind, as in the painting, hangs down between the
legs, as in the engraving.
Taking into account the resemblance between the
drawings of Antonio, of the anonymous author of the
Sketch-Book, and of the engraving, and the Pollaiuolo-
esque character of Robetta's variations, it seems
probable that these engravings were copied more or
less faithfully not from the small paintings of the
Uffizi — but from the lost canvases painted for Lorenzo.
In the so-called Raffaelle Sketch-Book in the Acca-
demia, Venice, is another sketch, in the style of Antonio,
of the Combat with the Nemcean Lion, which may
possibly be a study from the third. The paintings
must certainly have been well known, occupying as
they did important positions, first in the house of
Lorenzo and after in the Palazzo dei Priori, and it is
more likely that Robetta and the author of the Sketch-
Book should have known and copied them, than the
small panels secluded in the Medici private rooms.
To return to the pen-sketch by Antonio in the
British Museum, which represents Hercules swinging
his club in act to slay the Hydra. It corresponds in
action with the painted figure, but has the important
;6 POLLAIUOLO
differences that the point of the club breaks out in
flame and that the hand has not yet grasped the
Hydra's neck. These variations, resembling as they do,
those in Robetta's engraving, suggest that it was a
study, not for the. small panel, but for the lost canvas.
It is a magnificent sketch, rapidly touched in with
clean decisive strokes, as spirited and full of fire as a
drawing by Leonardo. For energy of action it is quite
equal to the painting, but the proportions of the figure
are not so faultless, the arms being somewhat too small
and the legs too large for the body. It is a study of
action rather than of form.*
The two engravings attributed to Antonio by
Bartsch, one representing the Combat with Antaeus, the
other Hercules fighting the Giants are neither executed
by him. A fragment however by his own hand of a
cartoon for some painting or wall decoration from
which the latter must have been copied, exists in the
Collection of the Earl of Pembroke, Wilton House.
It is in pen and sepia, the figures being relieved against
a dark washed background. Full of energy and
vibrating with fury they fight with bow and sabre.
Only three entire figures remain, but parts of others are
to be seen, and from these fragmentary parts — a
shoulder, fluttering ribbons, feet — we are able to
reconstruct the action of the complete body. The
energy and ferocity concentrated in the face and
* It was first attributed to Antonio by Morelli, having before
passed, most unaccountably, under the name of Ridolfo Ghirlan-
dajo. See Morelli, "Die Galerie zu Berlin," p. 30, Note 2.
EARLY PAINTED WORK 77
gesture of the soldier drawing his bow, and the grip on
the sabre of the other's hand, are as well presented as
in the Hercules panels.
It was probably the fame of the large Medici canvases
which made the Labours of Hercules so favourite a
theme in the art of the fifteenth century. The subject
appealed to the realistic and dramatic tendencies of
the artists, as affording scope for the display of the
nude in violent action, and pleased the tastes of the
commissioners, grown classic under the influence of the
Medici. They figured in the most incongruous sur-
roundings, as decoration for the thrones of Madonnas,
for marriage chests, for saloons, and even in the
ornamentation of the Tomb erected by Charles VIII.
in the Cathedral of Tours, to the memory of his
children, who died when they were merely infants ; and
all the representations show the influence of Antonio.*
Antonio is at his best in treating this subject, which
lent itself to his special interests in representing the
nude in violent action. We have from his brush
another painting, which although not entirely by his
own hand, nor of equal merit with the Uffizi panel, is
yet one of his most important and characteristic works.
* M. Reymond thinks it possible that Antonio might himself have
furnished designs for the reliefs of the Tours Tomb, which repre-
sent three of the Labours of Hercules, — Hercules supporting the
pillars of the earth, the Combats with the Hydra and with Antaeus —
and three from the life of Samson. The Tomb is conceived in
the style of that ofSixtus IV. in S. Peter's and is obviously imitated
from Antonio. See Reymond, "Le Buste de Charles VIII.,"
("Bulletin Archeologique du Co mite des Travaux Historiques et
Scientifiques," 1895, p. 242.)
7.8 POLLAIUOLO
This is the Hercules and Nessus now in the Jarves
Collection, New Haven, U.S.A. (Plate X.) The date
of this picture cannot be far distant from the Uffizi
panels, for in the collection of Sir Frederick Cook,
Richmond, is a Florentine Cassone, on the ends of
which are painted copies of it and of the Combat with
the Hydra. This Cassone dates in all probability from
1467, since it bears the united arms of the Carnesecchi
and the Lanfredini, and the intermarriage of these
families took place in that year, between Giuliano Car-
nesecchi and Cassandra Lanfredini.* Antonio^s paint-
ing must therefore have been in existence at that date,
but considering the greater maturity shown in Piero's
share of the work, than in the Altarpiece of S. Miniato,
painted about 1465, it can hardly be placed before that,
and we may accept 1467 as about the date of the
painting, as well as of the Cassone copy. It was
originally painted on wood but is now transferred to
canvas, and has suffered much from cleaning and
repaint. When bought for the collection the Deianira
was painted completely out, the body of the horse and
the landscape being continued over the figure. This
over-painting seemed contemporary, and it is suggested
by the compiler of the Catalogue that it may have
been done by one of the Pollaiuoli, at the time of
Savonarola's attack on the nude. This however seems
improbable since it is incredible that even a Piagnone
* See Herbert Cook, " The New Haven Pollaiuolo," " Burlington
Magazine," 1906, p. 53.
EARLY PAINTED WORK 79
could find indecency in this draped figure, which
resembles a puppet rather than a human being.
Antonio's share in the painting is confined to the
Hercules, and to the beautiful landscape which stretches
away into the sky with a spaciousness and effect of
distance even more successful than in the Uffizi panels.
It is the finest of his landscapes, one of the truest
portraits of Florence and the Arno valley that exists.
It shows all the important buildings with the fidelity
of a photograph, the Duomo, the Campanile, the
Baptistry, Or S. Michele, and the Signoria, can all be
discerned enclosed in the oval curves of the walls. The
lean sinewy figure of Hercules is of the same build as
those in the Uffizi paintings, and equally well con-
structed, if somewhat less fine in action. If offers in its
energy and splendid modelling a sharp contrast to the
weak, ill-constructed figures of the Centaur and
Deianira, whose actions are as awkward and trivial as
those of a mechanical toy. The head and body of
Nessus seem to have been repainted and to have lost
much of their quattrocento character, but in the Deianira
we have a good example of Piero's early work, since,
thanks to the care with which the overpainting was
removed, it is the least injured part of the picture. It
would be difficult to conceive action more constrained
and awkward than in these two figures, with their heads
and limbs stretched in different directions. The ill-
constructed body, sentimental expression and puffy
modelling of the Deianira is characteristic of Piero's
work at this epoch.
8o POLLAIUOLO
That the painting was well known is proved by the
fact that Diirer imitated, with but little variation, the
figure of Hercules in his picture dated 1500 — The
Combat ivith the Stymphalides — now in the German-
ischen Museum, Niirnberg.* Attitude and gesture are
copied almost exactly, but where the Hercules of
Antonio vibrates with energy in every muscle of the
supple body, that of Diirer, loosely jointed and flaccid,
seems heavy and inert.
In the Collection of Herr von Beckerath, Berlin, is
a pen-sketch pricked for transfer, attributed to Antonio
himself, representing the Hercules of the New Haven
painting. The figure varies little from the original, of
which it is obviously a copy. It stands in the same
attitude, drawing the arrow to the head, but it is ill-
balanced, the legs are too long, and the feet have no
grip on the ground. Mr. Berenson thinks that Durers
acquaintance with the Hercules was probably derived
from this drawing, and if this be so the lack of energy
in his figure would be less remarkable. It is to be
noticed that in his study for the picture, which exists in
the Ducal Palace, Darmstadt, the figure is far less
Pollaiuolesque than in the finished painting.
Before leaving the group, attention may be drawn to
a little known, but exceedingly powerful sepia study of
a male head in the Santarelli Collection in the Uffizi,
which resembles so much the Hercules of the foregoing
pictures as to suggest that it was drawn from the same
* Not exposed. Officially attributed to an unknown artist of the.
fifteenth century.
XI
All nar i
HERCULES SLAYING ANTVEUS. BRONZE STATUETTE. BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. M^SEO NAZIONALE, FLORENCE
Face p. 81
EARLY PAINTED WORK 81
model. The face is in repose, but in its bony construc-
tion and the arrangement of hair and beard, it is
exactly similar, while the flattened nose which looks as
though it had been broken, suggests that it was an
atelier study from the life. The connection of the
drawing with Antonio is due to Mr. Berenson, who
however, considers it to be merely a copy. To me it
seems to have the quality of his own work. The
face is admirably modelled with his peculiar feeling
for bone, and the touch has energy and decision.
In sculpture, out of the numerous statuettes and reliefs
of the Hercules subject attributed to Antonio, but
three can be accepted as genuine. These are the small
bronze group of the Combat with Antaeus^ (Plate XI.)
and the two reliefs on the breastplate of the Young
Warrior, both in the Museo Nazionale, Florence.
Statuette and bust are evidently early work. The
former was in the collection of the Medici, and was
probably executed for Giuliano, for in the Inventory of
their possessions, made in 1495, it is catalogued as
being in his private apartment.* Full of force and
energy as they are, the figures are not equal either in
construction or action to those of the paintings. It is
but a rough sketch in bronze, left unchiselled as it
issued from the mould, and the details are merely
suggested, the hands and feet, the features and the
* " Uno Erchole che scoppia Anteo, di bronzo tutto, alto br. \.
f. 2. Nella chamera che risponde sulla via chiamata di Monsignore
dove sta Giuliano." Miintz, "Les Collections des Medicisau XVme
Siecle," Paris, 1888, p. 85.
F
82 POLLAIUOLO
tortoises on which the pedestal rests, being very roughly
indicated. The face of the Hercules, powerful as it is,
verges on caricature, with its huge nose and flattened
skull. Yet though it would be unfair to compare the
group with the highly finished paintings of the Uffizi,
in concentration of energy it falls short hardly at all
of these.*
The two groups carved on the breastplate of the terra
cotta bust of a Young Warrior, No. 161 of the Museo
Nazionale, (Plate XII.) are worked so elaborately that
they may be considered among this series as in-
dependent reliefs, apart from the bust they decorate.
On one side Hercules slays the Stymphalian bird,
* It is perhaps hardly necessary to refute the attribution to
Antonio of the bronze statuettes, called " Marsyas," exhibited in
the same cabinet as the Hercules, for they have no resemblance
whatever to his style, and seem to be copies from some antique
original. There are four of these figures, each slightly varied.
Two are entered in the Inventory of the Medici possessions, made
by the Grand Duke Ferdinand in 1589, as follows. " Una figurina
di bronzo moderno delta una paura, alta soldi 1 1 posa sur una base
ornata di legname colorita di mistio" ..." Una figura di bronzo
antico intera igniuda d'una paura posa sur una basa di bronzo alta
braccia §." And again in the Inventory of 1684. " Una statuette
di bronzo alta soldi undici di un giovane che ha intorno alia boccha
una fascia e fa atti con le mani " . . . "Una figurina tutta di
bronzo che fa atti con le mani e pare che abbia una fascia alia
poccha e posa sopra una basa lunga pure di bronzo, il tutto alto
fin circha." Other more detailed descriptions are given in later in-
ventories. The other two statuettes were bought in 1769. (See
Catalogo del R. Museo Nazionale, 1898, p. 386.) Other copies
exist in the Berlin Museum, in the Louvre, and in the Collection of
Mr. Pierpont Morgan. In the so-called Raffaelle Sketch-Book are
studies of the figure drawn from several points of view.
XII
Alinari
BUST OF YOUNG WARRIOR. TERRA COTTA. BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. MUSEO NAZIONALE, FLORENCE
Face p. 82
EARLY PAINTED WORK 83
gripping its throat with the same energy as in the
Combat with the Hydra, in the other he strangles the
serpents. So vigorous in action are the figures, so con-
centrated in effort, that the eye involuntarily rests first
upon them, diverted somewhat unduly from the face
above. As the bust dates most likely from the same
period as the early paintings of Antonio, it may be
considered here. It is probably a portrait of one of the
Medici, whose type of face and arrogant bearing it
resembles closely. It is evidently modelled with the
intention of casting in bronze, and the clay has been
painted in imitation, either by Antonio himself or sub-
sequently. This paint has cracked in places and peeled
off to the great damage of the delicate modelling. It
has suffered much in other ways, the arms having
apparently been broken from the shoulder, which gives
it a curious jar-like look. The dragon-shaped helmet
is also much broken, little remaining but the legs of the
beast. Yet in spite of all this damage, the bust seems
to fill the room with its buoyant, vivacious life. In
expression the face has something of the audacious
insolence of the David and *$*. Lorenzo of Donatello,
but the audacity is mixed with charming boyish frank-
ness, and the curled lips are as sensitive as a girl's.
The face is exquisitely modelled, with a realism as
absolute as any modern portrait, and there is no trace
of convention in conception or treatment. Putting
aside the over-elaboration of the breastplate, in itself a
superb piece of goldsmith's work, the bust is one of the
freest and most modern sculptures of the epoch.
84 POLLAIUOLO
In the possession of Mr. Berenson, Settignano, is a
fine terra cotta group representing the Combat with
Antaeus, which seems to be a copy from some original
by Antonio's own hand. It has been gilded, which
gives it at first sight a somewhat meretricious appear-
ance at variance with the severity of the work itself.
The modelling of the nude bodies, especially that of
Antaeus, is admirable, the muscles are well indicated,
but the figures lack the concentrated energy of his own
work, and seem to be copied by some follower able to
reproduce his forms but not his spirit. The usual types
have been reversed, the Antaeus being of the lean
sinewy build of the Hercules in the foregoing works,
while the hero himself is more stoutly and heavily
built. It is, however, a type we shall see frequently in
his nudes, indicative of great physical strength and
somewhat recalling Michelangelo.*
It is impossible to notice every painting and sculpture,
representing the Labours of Hercules, which are attri-
buted to Antonio, and which show for the most part
undoubted traces of his influence, but the most
important of these imitations are the following. In
the Berlin Museum is a small lead statuette of a nude
athlete, probably a Hercules, so close tq his style that
it is possible it may be a copy of some lost original.
It is roughly modelled and seems a mere sketch. In
spite of the disproportion between the large head and
* In the Collection of the Comtesse de Beam, Paris, is a bronze
group closely resembling it, for which it has been suggested it may
have been the study. It is unknown to me even by photograph.
EARLY PAINTED WORK 85
hands and the rather puny body, and the lack of balance
which may be due to injury suffered by the metal, the
figure is energetic, and the lean face with its corrugated
brows and compressed lips has concentration and force.
It is the best of all the many statuettes attributed to
Antonio.
It is impossible to accept as more than mere atelier
work the small bronze figure of Hercules in the collection
of Mr. Pierpont Morgan, at present in the Victoria and
Albert Museum, London. He stands with one foot on
the head of an ox, nude except for the lion's skin thrown
over the shoulder. The pedestal is Pollaiuolesque in
design, with rams1 heads and acanthus leaves decorating
the corners.
In the Museo Nazionale, Naples, is another bronze
statuette of a nude figure, with long hair and pointed
beard, wearing a kind of turban, which according to the
authorities represents David, but which has enough
analogies to be included in this group. It is attributed
in the Museum and by several critics to Antonio, but
appears to belong to a generation later, more influenced
by the works of Michelangelo, though bearing indications
of his influence.
The attribution to Antonio of the vulgar statuette
of Hercules in the collection of Mr. Alfred Beit, London,
is unjustified either by the style or the quality of the
work. The swaggering attitude, the exaggerated
muscular development, particularly of the swollen
thighs, recalls rather the work of Bandinelli or some
more mediocre follower of Michelangelo.
86 POLLAIUOLO
Lastly, among the representations of Hercules
erroneously attributed to Antonio, may be mentioned
the frescoes of the Palazzo Venezia, Rome, representing
eight of the Labours, and other decorative figures and
designs. It is astonishing that such poor work could
have been seriously attributed to him.* The scenes are
tamely conceived, the figures are badly constructed, and
have neither energy nor any other quality that could
warrant the attribution. They are considered by Mr.
Berenson to be probably the work of Girolamo da
Treviso the Elder.
* The attribution is that of Dr. Ulmann. Sec "Die Thatendes
Herkules, Wandgemalde im Palazzo di Venezia zu Rom." Miin-
chen, 1894.
CHAPTER VI
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 1465-1470
Or the same year in which Antonio painted the three
Labours of Hercules for the Medici Palace we have
notice of some goldsmith's work, which however is no
longer in existence. In 1460 he made, while in partner-
ship with Maso Finiguerra and Pietro Sali, a Tabernacle
of Silver at the commission of the monks of S. Pancrazio,
to contain the arm of the patron saint, which had been
presented to the monastery by Pius II.,* and about the
same time he was executing with Finiguerra some jewels,
ordered by Filippo di Cino Rinuccini, for which he
received payment in 1461. These jewels were a girdle
wrought of silver in open work, decorated with niello
and two chains of gilded silver, which Filippo presented
to his wife Ginevra Martelli. (See Doc. XI., p. 260.)
His next dated work is the decoration of the Chapel
of the Cardinal of Portugal, S. Miniato, and consists of
frescoes of Angels executed entirely by his own hand,
and the Altarpiece representing SS. James, Eustace and
Vincent, now in the Uffizi,f (Plate XIII.) the greater
* Vasari, III. p. 298, Note i. t No. 1301.
88 POLLAIUOLO
part of which he left to Piero. This is the first
existing painting in which the hand of Piero is visible.
As the Chapel was dedicated in 1466 the completion of
the Altarpiece may be placed about that time, thus
when Piero was twenty-three. Considering the medio-
crity of his talent, it is improbable that before this age
he should have been entrusted with more than subor-
dinate work. The parts executed by him are feebler in
drawing and show less experience than any other of his
paintings, and the Altarpiece may be taken as the start-
ing-point in the study of his development, and as repre-
senting the earliest joint work of the two brothers.
Vasari's account of the paintings in the Chapel is full
of errors.
" They executed for the Cardinal of Portugal an oil
painting in S. Miniato al Monte, outside Florence, which
was placed on the Altar of his Chapel ; and thereon they
depicted S. James the Apostle, S. Eustace, and S. Vincent,
which have been much commended, and Piero in particular
painted on the walls some Prophets in oil, (which he had
learnt from Andrea dal Castagno) in the spaces of the
angles below the architrave, where are the lunettes of the
arches ; and in a mezzo tondo, an Annunciation with three
figures." *
The Annunciation contains but two figures — the
Virgin and Archangel — and is by the hand of
Alesso Baldovinetti, as also are the Prophets below the
vaulting. The only part executed by Piero is a share
in the Altarpiece, designed, and in part painted, by
* Vasari, III. p. 291.
XII
Alinari
SS. JAMES, VINCENT AND EUSTACE. BY ANTONIO AND PIERO
POLLAIUOLO, UFFIZI, FLORENCE
Face p
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 89
Antonio. By the hand of Antonio are the two
frescoed Angels over the Altar, which are un-
noticed by Vasari, and but little known to the
general public, thanks to their ill-lighted position on
the wall.*
The Chapel dates from 1461! and was erected two
years after the death of the young Cardinal,! who
passing through Florence from Rome on a papal mission
to "Germany, was taken ill and died there in 1459, at
the age of twenty-six. The most renowned artists of
the day were employed in the work, and even in its
present ruined state, the Chapel remains one of the
most perfect and representative monuments of the
older masters of the fifteenth century. It was designed
by Antonio Rossellino, by whom also is the Tomb
itself with the recumbent statue, which covers one
entire wall. Opposite is a marble throne of beautiful
proportions, inlaid with porphyry and green serpentine,
and above is the Annunciation, attributed by Vasari to
Piero, in reality by Baldovinetti. The roof is of
glazed terra-cotta, with medallions by Luca and
Andrea della Robbia, and the frescoes below — a frieze
formed by the stemmi of the Cardinal, and lunettes
* Attention was, I believe, first drawn to these frescoes by Dr.
Ulmann, who however attributed them to Piero. It was Mr.
Berenson who first gave them to Antonio.
t " La sepoltura del Cardinale di Portugallo fu data a fare ad
Antonio Rossellino 1'anno 1461 per il prezzo di 425 fiorini d'oro."
Note of Gaetano Milanesi, Vasari, III. p. 95.
J Jacopo, of the royal house of Portugal, Archbishop of Lisbon
created Cardinal with the title of S. Eustachio by Calisto III.
90 POLLAIUOLO
containing half figures of Prophets and Church Fathers
— is also by Baldovinetti.
The Altarpiece of Antonio and Piero has been
replaced by a worthless painting of a later date, but its
original frame remains, and above this are the Angels
frescoed by Antonio.* The reason that the frame was
allowed to remain when the Altarpiece was removed, is
probably that Antonio has so utilised it that it forms
an integral part of the fresco, the Angels being painted
as standing upon it, and withdrawing curtains on
either side to expose the picture. They are painted
with a realism so deceptive that it amounts to a tour de
force, for, while the feet push energetically against the
frame, the heads, shoulders, and knees seem to project
far bsyond it into the Chapel, as though in free relief.
In treatment and form they closely resemble the Angels
on the Silver Cross of S. Giovanni, robust and vehement,
with the same large scythe-like wings. They wear
short tunics which leave their muscular arms and legs
bare, and except for their jewelled diadems and wings,
resemble nothing less than the traditional angel. The
hands grip the curtains strenuously, the feet press
downward against the frame with characteristic energy.
The legs are bent, as is usual with Antonio when
desiring to express sinewy strength, and the bones of
* Unfortunately I am unable to give a reproduction of these
frescoes, which owing to their position and the exceedingly bad
light are difficult to photograph. Excellent photographs have how-
ever been published by Dr. Schmarsow, " Kunsthistorische Gesell-
schaft fur Photographische Publikationen. Achter Jahrgang," Leip-
zig, 1902.
PAINTINGS WITH FIERO 91
these and of the arms are strongly accentuated. The
nude parts are superbly drawn, the hands and feet
being of special beauty. Unfortunately this Master-
piece of Antonio's painted work is much damaged, the
colour in places having completely peeled off. The
draperies and curtains have especially suffered and are
almost obliterated. This is due chiefly to the method
of fresco employed, which is the same as that of Alesso
Baldovinetti, a mixture of tempera and oil painted on
the dry plaster, strictly speaking not fresco at all. To
the use of this method is due the loss of Baldovinetti's
work, and Antonio's adoption of it offers further
evidence in favour of his having learnt painting in his
bottega.
The Altai-piece, now in the Uffizi, represents the
three patron saints of the dead Cardinal — James,
Eustace, and Vincent. The characteristic composition
is certainly due to Antonio. Here, as in the Hercules
panels, the figures occupy the foreground, seeming far
larger than they actually are by reason of their promi-
nent position against the stretch of landscape, with no
middle distance. The actual painting seems about
equally divided — the whole of S. James and a great
part of S. Vincent being by Antonio, the rest by Piero.
The contrast between the powerful S. James and the
weak, almost childish S. Eustace is most striking. In
the former we have the characteristic strongly-built
frame, the square face with prominent bones, broad
low forehead and deep-set eyes, (closely resembling the
head of Goliath in the David of Berlin) and the bony
92 POLLAIUOLO
powerful hands of Antonio. The figure, well planted
on the ground, stands like a Hercules between the
others. There is much of Antonio's own work also in
S. Vincent, and the feeble touch of Piero has not
entirely spoilt the fine drawing of the face, although
the absence of modelling and weak expression betray
his hand in the execution. In this figure the brushwork
of Antonio seems confined to the velvet robes which
hang in the long straight folds peculiar to him at this
epoch, and which, thick and richly decorated as they
are, do not conceal the good proportions and easy pose
of the form beneath. The fine painting of the robes
of S. Vincent and S. James, with their deep rich colour
glowing like gems, and the realistic imitation of the
texture of the velvet, of its weight and softness, must
certainly be the work of Antonio. Admirably painted
are the jewelled embroideries, the gold-brocade, and
the fur hat surrounded by a diadem, which lies at their
feet.
The drawing as well as the painting of S. Eustace
must have been left entirely to Piero. It has all the
defects of his style, the badly constructed form, the
puffy unmodelled flesh, the want of balance, the puppet-
like action. It stands like a burattino suspended by
the head, the legs seeming to dangle limply from the
body. The structure beneath the clothes is badly
indicated, the thighs and arms are ill-connected with
the trunk. The face is boneless, and its unbroken oval
adds to the foolish expression of the weakly drawn eyes
and mouth. The figure has a superficial resemblance
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 93
in type and costume to the David of Berlin, and it is
possible that Piero in designing it had it in his mind.
The position of the hand stuck in the belt, the little
finger widely separated from the rest, the short velvet
tunic, the white fur, the vest embroidered with gold,
all superficially recall the David, but the contrast is
sharp between this feeble puppet and the energetic
youth of Antonio. It is the weakest of Piero's
paintings, and represents him at the lowest point of his
artistic development. We shall see a gradual improve-
ment and a nearer approach to the characteristic forms
of Antonio, but here the imitation of his style is merely
superficial.
The landscape, which represents, like those of the
Hercules pictures, the Arno valley, has the characteristic
spaciousness of Antonio, but the painting of the pave-
ment with its crudely contrasted colour, hard lines and
bad perspective must be the work of Piero. The
absence of shadow, which should be cast by the figures,
gives them a hard unreal look, and detracts from the
solidity arid balance even of the S. James.
In colour the work has the rich dark tones, the deep
peacock-blues, moss greens and crimsons, the glowing
rubies and amethysts of Antonio's palette, and even in
the parts executed by Piero the depth and richness is
maintained. It is in form and modelling, rather than
in his imitation of Antonio's colour, that the weakness
of Piero betrays itself.
Very close to this Altarpiece in style, and probably
of about the same date, is the large painting represent-
94 POLLAIUOLO
ing The Journey of Tobias, No. 117 of the Turin
Gallery (Plate XIV.). The picture is mentioned by
Vasari as having been painted by the two brothers to
decorate a pilaster in Or S. Michele.* According to a
note of Carlo Milanesi it was transported thence to the
Assembly Hall of the Capitani of the Church, and at
the suppression of that tribunal, the hall being devoted
to other purposes, it was removed and lost sight of,
until it was found in the house of the Tolomei, who
brought it from Maiano. The Tolomei had it for some
time in their house in Via de' Ginori, Florence, but took
it later to their Palace in Siena. From thence it passed
to the Collection of Baron Garriod and in 1865 to the
Turin Gallery. The only objection raised against the
identification of the picture with that mentioned by
Vasari, is that he states it to have been painted on
canvas, whereas the Turin painting is on panel,f but
the objection is of little weight and there seems no
doubt but that it is the work which once decorated the
pilaster in Or S. Michele. Like the Three Saints of
S. Miniato, the work shows the design of Antonio and
the execution of both brothers, though Antonio^
share in the actual brushwork is less. As usual the
figures are placed upon a prominence, which by con-
cealing the middle distance, adds to the impression of
* " Dipinsero ancora in S. Michele in Orto, in un pilastro in tela
a olio un Angelo Raffaello con Tobia." Vasari, III. p. 291.
t A close examination of the surface reveals however in certain
lights rectangular lines as of the fine texture of linen beneath the
paint, as though the canvas had been stretched upon a wooden
background for protection.
XIV
Alinari
THE JOURNEY OF TOBIAS. BY ANTONIO AND PIERO
POLLAIUOLO. GALLERIA REALE, TURIN
Face p. 94
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 95
their size. The seizure of the transitory action is very
characteristic. So illusive is the impression of the swift
movement of the two figures, as to partake of the
nature of a tour deforce. They seem to walk so rapidly
across the panel that one is conscious of the un-
obstructed landscape when they shall have passed
beyond. Were the actual execution equal to the
grand conception, we should have in the Archangel one
of the noblest figures of quattrocento art. The strongly
built athletic frame, clad in the amethyst velvet robes,
with large wings that seem to cut the air, has great
distinction and beauty. The square-shaped head is of
the same construction as that of S. James, but the poor
modelling and vacuous expression betray the hand of
Piero in the execution. The robes have the straight
angular folds of Antonio but suggest little solidity in
the form beneath. The best painted parts of the
figure, in which alone the brush of Antonio is visible,
are the wings, and to the crisp energy of these, their
feathery quality and cleaving power, is due in great
part the elan of the movement, which if we cover them,
seems comparatively tame. The Tobias, on the other
hand cannot have been more than suggested by him, so
ill-constructed is the figure, so full of faults of anatomy
and of drawing. It is a fit companion to the S. Eustace
of the S. Miniato Altarpiece, and only in a better
realisation of bone does it show any advance upon it.
The face is weak, with the characteristic insignificant
features of Piero, and is, as usual at this early period of
his development, ill-modelled. The folds of the tunic
96 POLLAIUOLO
are arranged with the utmost stupidity. The drawing
of the right leg, and especially of the foot, is so
faulty that it is a mystery how Antonio could have
allowed it to pass. That the figure has buoyancy and
movement in spite of these faults proves the power of
Antonio in depicting action, for it is certain that in
such sketch as he may have given for it, little but the
movement could have been indicated.
But if nearly the whole of the painting of the figures
is Piero's, the beautiful spacious landscape must be the
work of Antonio. It is the usual Arno valley through
which the stream winds like a snake till it is lost in the
pale blue of the sky. The city with its cupola and
towers is visible between the arms of the figures. The
colour is pitched in a higher key than either of the
foregoing paintings, and the tints of pale blues and
greens in landscape and sky are exquisite.
The Journey of Tobias was a favourite subject with
the Florentine merchant and was often dedicated as a
votive picture on the departure of his son for foreign
countries. Thus the connection with the Merchants'
Church of Or S. Michele is obvious. Like the Labours
of Hercules, Antonio has made the theme his own,
either through this or some lost painting, for most of
the pictures of the subject show traces of his influence.
Among the best of these is the fine panel — Tobias
with the three Archangels — No. 24 of the Accademia,
Florence, officially attributed to Botticelli and by later
criticism to Francesco Botticini, which, though the
figures bear equal traces of Verrocchio's influence, shows
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 97
in the composition and landscape the strongest
reminiscence of the Turin painting. Another work
showing the influence of both Masters is the panel No.
781 of the National Gallery. The left hands of the
Archangel and Tobias might have been copied from
those in the Turin painting, and have the structure
peculiar to Piero — broad in the palm with the thumb
inclined to curve backward.
A very unequal work almost entirely by the hand of
Piero is the Annunciation, No. 73 of the Kaiser
Friedrich Museum, Berlin * (Plate XV.). Judging by
the superiority of the painting it must be placed at a
later date than either of the foregoing, probably nearer
to 1470, the year of the Mercatanzia Virtues, which it
closely resembles. In the Catalogue it is attributed to
Piero alone, yet it is probable that Antonio furnished
part of the design, and that he aided his brother in the
beautiful and characteristic landscape. The painting
was most likely executed at the commission of Lorenzo
de' Medici for the Chapel of Careggi, for the view of
Florence is that seen from the Villa, and so much
emphasis is laid on the decoration of the hall, as to
suggest that it represents one of the rooms. It seems
as though the composition has been patched together
from separate studies, for the background has two
points of view. The gallery behind the Archangel has
its own vanishing-point, and is in admirable perspective,
the depth of space being rendered with Antonio's usual
* It was bought from the Solly Collection, where it was attributed
to Antonio.
6
98 POLLAIUOLO
science, but we may seek in vain for the vanishing-point
of the room behind the Virgin, the perspective of which
is in defiance of all laws. The placing of the figures
well in the foreground is characteristic of Antonio's
composition, and the unconventional and easy attitude
of the Archangel points to his design, but the awkward
pose and bad proportions of the Virgin, and the childish
drawing of her chair, prove that with this figure he had
nothing to do. In type, structure, and brushwork, the
Virgin is very characteristic of Piero at the date of the
Mercatanzia Virtues, with her long swollen body and
legs, her narrow shoulders, her puffy ill-modelled face
and her broad lifeless hands, so different to the bony
energetic hands of Antonio. The draperies are also
characteristic, with their badly arranged folds, which
seem inflated with air, ending in sharp hard lines on the
floor. It is a peculiarity of Piero 's female figures that
they seem at once meagre and swollen, and of his flesh-
painting that it is at the same time solid yet unreal.
The execution of the Archangel must also be by Piero.
Fine in attitude, even noble in gesture, it is robbed of
its dignity by the heavy bourgeois face, badly drawn and
modelled.
The background with its over-elaborated decoration
is made still more ponderous by the hot heavy colour, a
crude imitation of Antonio's, but lacking his fusion and
harmony. The figures, placed against these coarsely-
coloured marbles, lose the importance their fine group-
ing and position against the depth of space might
otherwise have lent them. The beautiful landscape seen
PAINTINGS WITH PIERO 99
through the windows has the delicacy of a miniature,
and the view of Florence and its buildings is even more
detailed than in the Hercules and Tobias paintings.
These four pictures are the only joint work by the
two brothers that can be placed within this decade.
The rest, judging by the development of Piero, must
belong to a date subsequent to the Mercatanzia Virtues.
CHAPTER VII
THE DESIGNS FOR THE EMBROIDERIES
OF S. GIOVANNI. 1466.
IN tracing the development of Piero and his share in
Antonio's paintings, the chronological order has been
slightly neglected, and we must now retrace our steps
from the Berlin Annunciation to the work which followed
directly upon the S. Miniato Altarpiece — the designs
for embroideries, executed between 1466 and 1480.
Of these Embroideries Vasari writes at length.
" From Antonio's designs were made for S. Giovanni in
Florence, two tunics, a chasuble and cope, woven of one
piece without join, and for the border and decoration of
these were embroidered scenes from the life of S. Giovanni,
with most delicate mastery and art, by Paolo da Verona,
divine in that craft, and excelling every other master ; * in
these the figures were executed no less excellently with
* Paolo di Bartolommeo di Manfred! da Verona came to work in
Florence shortly after 1465, and carried on his craft of embroiderer
with Antonio di Giovanni di Piero and Galliano di Michele in his
bottega in the parish of S. Frediano. Besides those for S. Giovanni
he executed other important embroideries for the Badia in 1480.
(See Note of Milanesi. Vasari, Hi. p. 299.)
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 101
the needle than if they had been painted by Antonio with
a brush ; for which we are indebted in no small measure
to the skill of the one in designing and the patience of the
other in embroidering. Twenty-six years were employed
in the work and this good fashion of embroidery — done
with close stitches, which besides being more durable
appear really to be painted with a brush — is almost lost,
the custom in our day being to use larger stitches, which
are less durable and less beautiful to see." *
The embroideries, now detached from the vestments
which time had decayed, are to be seen framed and
glazed in the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo. Vasari's
praise of the needlework is not exaggerated, for with so
much skill have the designs been followed, that they do
actually seem as though painted with the brush. The
designs vary considerably in quality, some having
evidently been left to the hand of assistants, and it is
noticeable that the best and most characteristic of the
compositions are also the most skilfully and delicately
stitched. In these the character of Antonio's work,
the energy of his line, the values of distance, the very
expression of the faces, have been preserved so success-
fully that his style can be studied as accurately as in his
paintings. The thirteen designs by his own hand form
a group as important as the Hercules pictures and the
bronze reliefs on the Tomb of Sixtus, in judging the
qualities of his art.
They are stitched in silks of bright colours upon
* Vasari, iii. p. 299.
102 POLLAIUOLO
finely woven canvas, with gold threads worked in
horizontally in such quantity, that in certain lights the
embroideries gleam like plates of pure gold. The
colours seem little faded. Like the designs the quality
of work varies, some being much less finely stitched than
others. Some also are in a state of almost perfect
preservation, while from others the silks are worn away
and allow the design beneath to be seen.
How much value the Florentines set on the beauty of
their Churches at this epoch of their prosperity, is
proved by the time and money spent on these unique
embroideries. No less than eleven Master- Craftsmen
from different countries were occupied for fourteen
years in the work, the total cost of which was 3179
florins, 7646 lire, 10 soldi, 8 denari. The commission
was given by the Arte della Mercatanzia, whose stemma
— the eagle on the woolsack — occurs constantly in the
designs. A series of entries in the Account Books of
the Guild tell the dates of execution and the names of
the embroiderers. (Doc. XII. p. 261.)
They were begun in 1466, the first entry recording
the deliberation being dated Aug. 5 of that year. It is
probable that Antonio received the commission for his
designs even earlier, since, as this entry records the
choice of the embroiderers, some of the designs must
have been already prepared. Four Master- workers are
mentioned, one of whom was a Venetian, one from
Antwerp, one from Navarre. In a later deliberation of
Dec. i. two others were chosen, a Florentine and a
master from Perpignan. The name of Paolo da Verona,
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 103
the celebrated embroiderer mentioned by Vasari, does
not appear in the documents till 1470.*
Antonio's name is not mentioned until 1469 in which
year he received payment of ninety florins for his
designs. In 1480 he received another ninety, and
by July of the same year the embroideries must
have been completed, for the vestments they were to
adorn were ordered. These were of pure white,
and of so rich a material that it cost twenty florins
the braccia.
Cavalcaselle considers the execution of the designs, as
well as the colouring, to have been by Piero, from
sketches furnished by Antonio, and it is possible that to
Piero are due the inferior compositions, although his
name is nowhere mentioned in the documents. Some of
them show a feebleness in drawing for which certainly
Antonio is not responsible, and which contrasts sharply
with those evidently by his own hand, which are as
energetic and as technically perfect as any of his best
work. Out of the twenty-seven scenes thirteen are
entirely executed by him, while the remaining fourteen
show the intervention of assistants. The embroideries
are divided in the Museum into four groups, determined
* The names of the embroiderers are of interest as showing the caie
with which they were chosen from other countries and provinces of
Italy. They are eleven in number. Coppino di Giovanni da
Melina di Fiandra, Piero di Piero da Venezia, Paolo d'Anversa,
Janiscuro di Navarra, Antonio di Giovanni da Firenze, Gianpaolo
da Perpignano, Giovanni di Jacopo, Giovanni di Morale, Giovanni
di Pelaio di Prignana, Paolo di Bartolommeo da Verona, and Nic-
colo di Jacopo di Francia.
104 POLLAIUOLO
by their different dimensions, and in this order and not
of subject, they will be described.
The first group, the largest in size (51 centimetres
by 30) is the best and most important, all the designs
being by Antonio's own hand, and nowhere has he
given better proof of his skill and science in the seizing
of transitory movement, the rendering of depth of
space, in faultless composition and perspective, than in
these tiny scenes designed merely as a decorative border.
The first scene (Plate XVI.) represents S. John
baptising the multitude, an admirably composed group,
whose only defect is the ill-balanced conventional figure
of the Baptist himself. This defect in the principal
figure is all the more curious that the rest are treated
with a realism almost crude in its truth to nature. It
is a repetition of the Baptist in the relief of the Silver
Cross, equally conventional in action, and not faultless
in anatomy. It would be of interest to know why, in
nearly all these scenes, otherwise treated with so much
originality and realism, the Baptist only should be
presented in the stiff and conventional trecento
manner.
It is wonderful how little the design has suffered
from the mechanical process of stitching, for the
spontaneity of gesture, the modelling of the nude, the
values of distance and spaciousness of the landscape,
are so well reproduced as to seem actually from the
brush of Antonio. The most subtle expressions are
given to the faces, so that the individuality of the
different persons and their attitude towards the cere-
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 105
mony, can be appreciated. Some remain thoughtful
and unconvinced, and seem to weigh the value of the
new doctrine ; some are openly antagonistic and argue
with conviction : others are fervidly devotional. Each
figure in the scene is worth special attention as a
realistic study of character, and for its fine pose and
expressive action, caught at the most significant point.
Nothing could be more natural than the gesture of the
two personages, one standing, one kneeling, who are
being stripped by their pages ; nothing could be better
than the anatomy and action of the three figures —
academic studies of the nude though they be — who
kneel to receive baptism. The contrast between
these and the Baptist is most striking.
The landscape, with the stretch of Arno valley
through which the river winds, is also treated with the
utmost realism, and the values of distance are wonder-
fully reproduced. It is the same landscape we have got to
know so well, with the city of Florence enclosed in its
almond-shaped walls, the Duomo, the Campanile, the
Palazzo Vecchio, and all the principal buildings plainly
visible. It resembles most the background in the
Altarpiece of S. Sebastian in the National Gallery.
In the next scene (Plate XVII.) the Baptist stands
preaching before Herod and the High Priest. It is
treated in a manner equally realistic, and here the
Baptist also is well proportioned and good in action.
He is engaged in energetic argument with Herod, who
is seated with Herodias, sullenly silent, on one side,
and Salome, ostentatiously indifferent, on the other.
io6 POLLAIUOLO
Opposite are the High Priest and other dignitaries,
vehemently antagonistic, and all round nobles and
burgesses listen and dispute with animated gesture.
Here again, so natural and expressive are the faces, so
significant is the gesture, that the attitude of each
person in the argument is clear. No character-study
by Hogarth presents a scene more dramatically. As
illustrations these designs of Antonio are perfect. The
fine half-figures of soldiers on either side of the fore-
ground should be noticed, superb energetic figures that
add solemnity to the somewhat banal scene. The
perspective of the hall is, as in all these interiors of
Antonio, admirable, and has been wonderfully preserved
by the embroiderers.
The third of the group represents the Feast of
Herod (Plate XVIII.), and in composition resembles
the above. Two episodes are comprised in the scene.
To the left stands Salome, gazing with a deprecatory
gesture at the Baptist's head, which a young soldier
holds before her. To the right the same soldier bears
it swiftly to the banquet table, where Herod and
Herodias are seated. At the back are the guests to
whom a page runs hastily forward. Antonio has never
rendered rapidity of movement more successfully than in
these two central figures, which fill the otherwise
tranquil scene with life and motion. Balancing Salome
on the other side, half out of the composition, stands
the executioner, a superb athlete, splendid in pose and
gesture, whose calmness gives stability to a scene which
might otherwise be too vehement in action.
BAD OF ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO. FROM THE FRESCO BY FILIPPINO
LIPPI IN THE BRANCACCI CHAPEL, CARMINE, FLORENCE
Frontispiece
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 107
These three embroideries are in a state of almost
perfect preservation, a few places in the background
of the last only having suffered. As character-studies,
as well as for fine rendering of movement, faultless
perspective and composition, the designs rank among
the most important of Antonio's works.
The second group is of different form and measure-
ments being thirty-five centimetres high by twenty-four
broad. It comprises six scenes, several of which are
inferior to the rest, and show the hand of assistants.
All are less finely worked. The first represents the
Circumcision of the Baptist, and has the characteristic
composition and fine perspective of Antonio, but the
stitching is coarse. The architecture of the Temple is
decorated with a medallion bearing the stemma of the
Arte della Mercatanzia, supported by two vehement
angels, which resemble those over the Altar of
S. Miniato.
The second — the Institution of Baptism — shows the
hand of assistants in some parts, but the nude youth
kneeling to receive the sacrament, and the Pharisees
who stand round arguing emphatically, must certainly
be designed by Antonio himself.
The composition and perspective of the third — the
Baptist rebuking Herod for his marriage with Herodias
— are good, and point to the design of Antonio, but the
figures are weakly posed and tame in action, and cannot
have been more than roughly indicated by him, unless
indeed one must lay the defects at the door of the
embroiderer. The stitching is much less fine than in
io8 POLLAIUOLO
the scenes of the first group, and a somewhat Northern
angularity of gesture, verging on the grotesque, in this
and several other of the embroideries, suggests that
they were worked by one of the Flemish craftsmen, who
visualised rather after the manner of his own school
than of the Florentine. So faithfully are the scenes of
the first group rendered, that the character of Antonio's
work is reproduced exactly, but it is possible that the
inferiority and strange Northern style of some of the
figures in the rest, may be due to the intervening person-
ality of a craftsman less conscientious and less skilful.
This suggestion of Northern art is even more
perceptible in the next — the Baptist preaching to the
Multitude — which, as regards the greater part of the
figures, might have been designed by a Fleming.
Especially Flemish is the man seated in the centre, with
crossed knees and folded arms, and another to the
extreme right. The composition is good, but the
values of distance between the figures has been lost,
giving the scene an overcrowded appearance. The
landscape with its sharp rocks and conventional shrubs,
is treated in the traditional trecento style such as we see
in the early reliefs of the Silver Altar, and can hardly
have been designed by Antonio.
The fifth — the Baptist interrogated by the Messengers
of the High Priest — is comparatively coarsely stitched,
and very much worn. In action and construction the
figures are poor, and the design seems to have been left
chiefly to assistants. It has the same suggestion of
Flemish influence as the above.
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 109
Lastly we have an exceedingly fine composition — the
Reception of Herod by the Baptist. The Tetrarch
has dismounted from his horse, which is held by a page
in the background, and stands talking to S. John.
Around are five mounted knights, and behind stretches
the Arno valley. The stitching is much coarser than
in the first series and the faces have little expression,
but the grouping is so fine, the horses and their riders
are so well drawn, and the landscape is so characteristic
that it must certainly have been designed by Antonio
himself.
The third series measures 2 1 centimetres high by 36
broad. It comprises also six scenes, three of which are
much inferior to the rest, while all show the hand of
assistants.
No. i. The Meeting of Christ with the Baptist is
poor. The figure of the saint is badly drawn, and
there is much disproportion in the sizes of the surround-
ing persons. This is a defect noticeable in several of
the inferior designs, and can hardly be due to the
embroiderer.
No. 2. Christ baptising the Baptist is better
than the above, but seems to be chiefly the work
of assistants, while the stitching also is somewhat
coarse. The reversion of the Biblical narrative, in
which it is the Baptist who baptizes Christ, is a curious
error.
No. 3. The Descent of Christ into Limbo. This
scene is very unequal, the figures on the right being
evidently designed by Antonio, while those on the left
i io POLLAIUOLO
show the hand of assistants. The group of four female
saints to the right are exceedingly fine, the two who
stand behind being superbly posed. The S. Mary of
Egypt who kneels in the foreground has a special
interest, for she resembles closely the same Saint in the
recently discovered Altarpiece of Staggia of which
we shall speak presently. (Plate XXXIII. p. 161.)
The figures on the other side, including Christ and
Baptist, are among the weakest of the series, their
relative proportions are bad, and the attitudes and
gestures poor. They cannot be by Antonio's own
hand.
No. 4. The Dance of Salome is entirely by Antonio
and is one of the most successful of this series, although
the stitching is much less delicate than in the first
group. That the embroiderer has not reproduced the
original design so faithfully, is evident from the vacant
expression of the faces and the rather tame action.
The attitudes and gestures are however easy and
natural, and no hand but Antonio's could have
designed the figure of Salome, seizing so cleverly the
transitory movement of the dance, presenting so real-
istically the supple twisting of the body. It seems
however even here as though something of the rhythm
of the original action has been lost in the process of
embroidering, which cannot be by the same skil-
ful craftsman who executed the first group.
No. 5 — the Baptist pointing out Christ to the
Multitude — is of slight interest and seems to be chiefly
the work of assistants.
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES in
No. 6. The Announcement to Zaccharias of the
birth of a son must have been entirely designed by
Antonio. The composition is noble, the complicated
perspective is good, and the figures which stand on
either side, like heraldic supporters, are grandly posed.
It is seldom Antonio foregoes his interest in movement
and gives us figures so statuesque and motionless.
The last group consists of twelve scenes measuring
30 centimetres high by 22 broad. Like the foregoing
they vary in quality, but for the most part seem to
have been designed by Antonio himself.
No. i. The Expulsion of Zaccharias from the
Temple. There is much vigorous action in the figure
of Zaccharias, who is precipitated from the door of the
Temple as though by some irresistible force. In the
foreground four heraldic figures raise their hands in
astonishment. One of these — the youth in short tunic
and hose — is finely proportioned. The stitching is
coarse but the design must be by Antonio's own hand.
This scene has been copied in ink by some follower of
Antonio (Uffizi, Cornice 40, No. 98) and is erroneously
ascribed to the Master himself and accepted as the
original design for the embroidery, whereas it is in all
probability copied from the embroidery itself.*
No. 2. The Visitation is a fine composition, but in
detail unworthy of Antonio's hand. The central figures
are well posed and their draperies broadly treated, but
* The same may be said of the pen-drawing representing the
Baptist preaching to the Multitude in the Collection of Herr von
Beckerath, Berlin.
ii2 POLLAIUOLO
the faces are trivial and the action of the clasped
hands is especially weak. The figure of Joseph is
out of all proportion to that of the handmaid on
the same plane, and the childishly composed landscape
and seraphim in the sky can hardly have been designed
by him.
The scene that follows — The Birth of the Baptist
(Plate XIX.) — is one of the best of the whole series,
and ranks next in merit to those of the first group. It is
noteworthy that the best designed and stitched of the
embroideries are also the best preserved, as though they
had decorated a vestment that was but little worn.
Not only for beauty of composition and admirable
perspective is this design of value, but as a genre
picture, illustrating Florentine domestic life of the
fifteenth century. In a richly decorated room, whose
walls are hung with blue brocade embroidered with
gold, S. Elizabeth lies in a low bed, which a maid
behind bends over holding a tray of refreshments.
The panels of the coffered ceiling, the brocade of the
walls, and the draperies of the bed, are executed with
extraordinary realism, and it is marvellous that the
embroiderer has been able so successfully to reproduce
the depth of interior space across the room and down
the corridor beyond, keeping the values of space between
the figures. At the foot of the bed is seated a charming
youthful figure asleep. In the foreground is the child
on its nurse's knee, which other women prepare to
clothe, one warming the little shirt at a portable stove,
the other bending over it admiringly. No more charm-
XIX
A linari
EMBROIDERY. BIRTH OF BAPTIST. DESIGN BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. MUSEO DELL' OPERA DEL DUOMO, FLORENCE
Face p. 112
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 113
ing and realistic scene of a Florentine interior exists in
contemporary art.
No. 4 — Zaccharias naming the Child — is not so
delicately stitched. The composition has Antonio's
pyramidal grouping and the architectural perspective
is good. The scene is treated in the same intimate
manner as the above, and the figures of the nurse
holding the Child and of Zaccharias, who writes in a
cramped position, with the scroll upon his knee, and
the inkpot in his hand, are as crudely realistic studies
as one could find in a painting by Teniers. The woman
who stands behind, wrapped in toga-like draperies, is,
on the other hand, noble and statuesque.
After this follow three scenes which seem to be
almost entirely the work of assistants. First, the
Baptist preaching in the desert, surrounded by seven
figures, all tame and feeble. Second, the Arrest of the
Baptist, which is poor in action, with the exception of
the soldier striding forward with drawn sword, whose
energy contrasts sharply with the slackness of S. John
and the rest. In the third — the Baptist conducted to
prison — no sign of Antonio's hand is perceptible. The
Saint is ill drawn and walks with a mincing gait, and
the other figures are equally feeble. In all these
the landscape is treated in the conventional trecento
style.
In the scene representing the Baptist receiving the
disciples in prison, there is something that recalls
Signorelli in the foreground figures with their grand
pose and sweeping draperies. The design must certainly
u4 POLLAIUOLO
be Antonio's, but the stitching has not the delicacy of
the first group, and in passing through the craftsman's
hand the original drawing has obviously suffered. It is
besides one of the most damaged of the series.
The next— the Decollation of the Baptist (Plate XX.)
— is composed in Antonio's most characteristic style. In
spite of the injuries to the embroidery, the figures have
preserved the energy and force of the Hercules paintings,
especially the executioner, whose spare sinewy frame and
concentrated ferocity closely resemble them. The
soldiers too are finely posed, but the Baptist is more
commonplace and conventional. The perspective of the
prison courtyard and the loggia is admirable.
No. 10 of this group — Salome presenting the head of
the Baptist to Herodias, (Plate XXI.) — is again very
characteristic of his love of swift movement. Salome
whirls into the room with the impetus of the wind. It
is an original and strange conception of the scene —
Herodias seated like some barbaric Idol in its niche,
and the childish figure of her daughter, who shows the
head with a child's delight in a new toy. The
quattrocento conception of Salome was certainly not
that of our own day.
With this ends the work of Antonio himself. The
remaining scenes — The Bearing of the body to the
Sepulchre and the Entombment — seem to have been
left entirely to assistants, and have little merit either in
the treatment of the figures or of the landscapes, which
are purely conventional.
In spite of the seriousness of the subject and of the
XX
Alinari
EMBROIDERY. DECOLLATION OF BAPTIST. DESIGN BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. MUSEO DELL' OPERA DEL DUOMO, FLORENCE
Face .11
DESIGNS FOR EMBROIDERIES 115
science with which composition, perspective, construction
and action of the figures, are handled, there is in the
whole series a touch of naivete^ almost of humour.
Antonio seems to have conceived the scenes in a vein of
gaiety, almost as though he were illustrating a fairy-
story for children. In this they recall Carpaccio's Story
of S. Ursula, but while this levity is in harmony with
the temperament of the Venetian, it is a curious
departure from the usual severity of Pollaiuolo.
CHAPTER VIII
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES FROM THE NUDE
1464-1470
No documentary record exists of other work executed
by Antonio during the years in which he was occupied
on the designs for the embroideries, yet it is unlikely
that these took up much of his time or were even the
principal work on which he was employed. These were
the years of his full maturity, and it may be presumed
that a great part of them was devoted to his special
interests and studies of the nude in action. A superb
example of this may by inference be placed about this
time — the frescoes discovered in 1897 ^n the Villa della
Gallina in the grounds of the Torre del Gallo, Arcetri,
near Florence.* The frescoes decorate one wall of a
room on the ground floor of the Villa, and represent a
Bacchic Dance of nude figures, two-thirds the size of
life. At the date of their discovery they were supposed
to be by Botticelli, and it was Mme. Mary Logan who
first attributed them to Antonio.f
* Formerly in the possession of Count Galletti, now of Signer
Bardini.
i Mme. Mary Logan, "Decouverte d'une Fresque de Pollaiuolo,"
" Chronique des Arts, 1897," p. 343.
XXII
Anderson
FRESCO OF TORRE DEL GALLO
Face p. 117
The Villa belonged to the Lamberteschi, but in 1464
it was bought by the brothers Jacopo and Giovanni
Lanfredini, the latter of whom was the intimate friend
of Lorenzo de"1 Medici and filled the post of Florentine
Orator at the Papal Court. It is probable that they
commissioned Antonio to decorate the hall at the time
of their purchase of the Villa, and in any case we may
take these figures as the centre of a group of nudes in
action, which must certainly date from his most mature
and self-expressive years.
The frescoes are in a state of the utmost ruin. In
their present condition the visitor to the Villa sees, not
the work of Antonio, but of the restorer, who, shortly
after they were discovered, repainted the whole of the
figures, coarsening the delicate outline, which was nearly
all that remained, and adding a coloured background in
order to give them prominence. The author had the
good fortune to study them at the time of their discovery,
when the wash with which they were covered had been
just removed. At first sight nothing but a few lines and
patches of faint colour were visible, but gradually the
beautiful forms took shape, and detached themselves from
the stains and broken surface of the wall. The outlines
were slightly incised in the plaster, and were of the utmost
beauty and delicacy. Here and there were faint traces
of colour — a touch of yellow in the hair, of pink in the
flesh, of green in the garlands, and ochre in the architec-
tural designs. The frescoes represent a dance of five
nude figures, male and female, linked together by
garlands, which they hold high above their heads.
n8 POLLAIUOLO
Their movements, alternately rapid and rhythmic, are
exquisitely harmonious and graceful, the transitory
attitudes being seized with Antonio's peculiar skill.
To form a continuous frieze of interwoven action was
his evident intention, and from the decorative point of
view the result is worthy of the sculptor of the Parthenon
reliefs. In detail the figures are some of the most perfectly
proportioned and beautiful nudes of modern art. Who-
ever may have commissioned the frescoes it is evident that
here at least Antonio was allowed free play for his special
interests in the body and its movements.*
The first figure is of a youth (Plate XXII.) whose hair
is bound with fluttering ribbons, a motive constantly
employed by Antonio, possibly to add rapidity to the
movement. He seems to have just leapt lightly into the
dance, and to have seized the garland, which he holds
above his head, while he balances his body with the hand
below. This action is very characteristic, and occurs
several times in other nudes presumably of the same date.
Next, bending her body towards him with the supple
twisting of an Eastern dancer, is part of a beautiful
female figure. The face is exquisite, with its delicate
features, laughing mouth and thick cloud of hair.
Nothing but the head and the upper part of the body
remain, but as with a fragment of Greek sculpture, we
are aware of the entire figure and its action, which must
have been the same as that of the youth, but seen in front
* The following notes were made from the frescoes before the
repainting and the past tense should perhaps therefore have been
employed.
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 119
instead of in profile. She wears a kind of crown in which
are traces of red and green, probably remains of flowers.
A door is cut through this and the following figure, and
in the spandril of the vaulted roof above, are the remains
of what was probably a stemma, surrounded with fruits
and foliage retaining vague traces of colour. A scroll
below these fruits runs round the wall above the figures,
on which elaborate letters of curious character are
perceptible, too much damaged however to be legible.
On the other side of the door is another youth, seen
full front, who dances somewhat with the gesture of the
Faun of the Tribuna. The right arm is lost, but seems
to have balanced the body with the same action as the
foregoing, while the left holds up the connecting
garland. The head, with its thick curling hair and
laughing mouth, is full of careless gaiety. It is
slightly foreshortened and is bent gracefully towards
the shoulder. On the flesh are slight traces of colour.
The next is again a female, this time in repose. The
head is completely destroyed, but other parts — the
advanced foot especially — are well preserved, and of
the utmost beauty. The figure bears a strong
resemblance to the Flora in the Primavera of Botticelli,
the legs and feet being in almost exactly the same
position.
The last figure is the best preserved, the whole form
being perfectly visible, and it retains traces of yellow in
the hair and of pink in the flesh. It is a youth, seen
nearly full front, poised on one leg, his body swung
round lightly and rhythmically. The beautiful shape
120 POLLAIUOLO
of body and limbs and the modelling can be appreciated.
The group seems to have ended with this figure, whose
gesture completes the composition, thrown backwards
towards the rest as the first is thrown forwards, the
two seeming to enclose those between.
The beauty of the composition considered as decora-
tion is as great as is the science shown in the gestures
and actions of the individual figures and in the seizure
of the momentary attitude. The nude is differently
constructed to the Hercules or gladiator type, more
gracefully built, yet exceedingly muscular and with the
bone well emphasised. With the abandon of Donatello's
putti the figures combine the rhythmic dignity of an
antique frieze.
Beneath are remains of architectural designs, deep
arches and windows, and winged putti, in all of which
faint traces of colour are visible. Above the fireplace
on the other side are fragments of foliage, fruits, and
flowers. It is uncertain whether the dancing figures
were continued round the other walls, but no trace of
them has been discovered.
Signer Guasti* is of opinion that the frescoes were
washed over at an early date, since, he considers,
paintings of such beauty and importance would
certainly have been mentioned by Vasari, Albertini, or
some of the early writers, had they been known to them.
He suggests that they were covered over at the time of
Savonarola's onslaught on so-called licentious works of
* Gaetano Guasti, " Gli affreschi del secolo xv scoperti in una
villa ad Arcetri," " Rassegna Nazionale," February i, 1900.
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 121
art, as one of the Lanfredini was a Piagnone. It seems
however likely that, had they really been washed over at
so early a date, they would have been better preserved.
Very different in subject, yet closely connected to
these frescoes by its decorative character and har-
monious combination of movement, is the engraving
called The Battle of Ten Nudes of which the best
example exists in the Collection of Prince Lichtenstein
at Feldsberg* (Plate XXIII.). As the plate has
already been considered from the technical point of
view (p. 34) the following notes refer only to its artistic
qualities. It is signed on a cartello attached to a tree
OPVS. AXTONII. POLLAIOLO. FLORENTiNi., and is the only
existing engraving that can be attributed to his hand.
In the shading of the background, by which the figures
are thrown into relief, it recalls the technique of the
niello-worker and this peculiarity has great decorative
value. The engraving, taken as a specimen of Antonio's
power in representing the nude in violent action, as well
as for its decorative beauty, is one of the most impor-
tant of his works.
The group is composed of ten nude soldiers, engaged
in fierce combat with sabre and battleaxe, against a
background of vines and Indian corn. The theme is
employed merely to display the body in a variety of
movements, more or less violent, but with his innate
sense for beauty, Antonio has interwoven the bodies,
* There are several impressions in various collections. The best
known — that in the Uffizi, from which the reproduction is made —
is not a good impression, the plate having been much worn.
122 POLLAIUOLO
limbs, and weapons into a pattern of such subtle
harmony, that in spite of the brutality of each indi-
vidual figure, the impression we receive from the whole
is graceful and rhythmic. Considered as decoration the
composition is superb, and has close connection with
the frescoes of Arcetri. For masterly treatment of the
nude it is unrivalled even among his own works. The
anatomy is faultless ; the short thickset figures differ in
construction from the more meagre type of the Hercules,
but embody no less the climax of physical strength.
The action is full of energy, and has been seized at its
most significant point, so skilfully that we are as aware
of the previous and succeeding movements of the limbs
as of those actually presented. The weight of the
bodies, the muscular efforts and pressures, the grip of
the feet on the ground, the free swing of torso and arms,
and the concentrated ferocity of the faces, are given
with the utmost truth and realism.
In detail the design separates itself into four groups,
each of which is a masterpiece of composition. The
most violent action is centred in the two nudes who
seem to be struggling for a chain in the middle. We
feel the swell and tension in each nerve of our own
bodies, and so concentrated are the energy and fury that
it is impossible to look at these figures without emotion,
without the muscles stiffening and the teeth clenching
in involuntary imitation. The result of the combat is
inevitable. The strength of the soldier to the left is
failing, and in another instant his opponent's sword
will be plunged in his heart. This certainty as to the
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 123
result of each struggle is the highest tribute to Antonio's
power in depicting movement.
To the right the group is composed in characteristic
pyramidal form, and in spite of its vehement action has
the monumental stability of the Hercules and Antaeus.
One combatant has received his death-stroke and lies in
agony, his limbs not yet relaxed. His face is of interest for
it resembles exactly that of the Baptist in Antonio's pen
drawing in the Uffizi (Cornice 31, No. 357), and appears
to be drawn from the same model. His assailant digs
his dagger furiously into his breast, while above another
swings a battleaxe, concentrating his entire forces in the
blow, which will descend with smashing weight on the
head of the foe.
Balancing these on the other side, two figures writhe
struggling on the ground. Again the result of the
combat is inevitable, and the victory will not be for
him now uppermost, who has lost his balance in the
surprise of the arrested blow, but for him lying beneath,
who, with one foot pressed hard against his thigh will
drive his dagger through his brain. Another instant
and he will fall forward dead on the body of his
conqueror.
Behind is another group of three. One rushes
swiftly forward, arresting with his hand the battleaxe
swung by his foe, while behind the third with furious
grimace draws his bow to the arrow head. This last
figure is in almost exactly the same position as the
Hercules in the Combat with the Hydra.
Precisely at what date to place the engraving would
i24 POLLAIUOLO
be difficult to say. It bears much resemblance to the
Hercules paintings and to the Arcetri frescoes, and
must certainly be the production of his most mature
years. It is in some respects the most personal of the
works of his Florentine period.
Another work of the same kind, treated in the same
decorative fashion, is the pen and sepia drawing in the
British Museum representing a Prisoner brought before
a Judge (Plate XXIV.). The figures are arranged,
like the foregoing, in the manner of a decorative frieze,
all combined in one continuous movement, and it is
possible that the design may have been intended for
some such wall decoration as the Arcetri frescoes, with
which in style it is closely connected. It is composed
of eight nude figures on the same plane, outlined in
pen and slightly washed with sepia, and the background
is coloured dark, so that they stand out in decorative
relief something in the manner of niello.
To the left is seated the Judge, whose fat figure
contrasts sharply with the sinewy athletes before him.
Two accusers stand by, one pointing with a baton to
the prisoner, who is led before the throne by a gaoler,
his hands bound behind him with cords. Behind,
another nude swings a sabre as though in act to defend
the prisoner, while behind him again are two others,
one of whom, a negro-like figure, whose hair is bound
by fluttering ribbons, grasps his arm as though to
restrain him. What the scene illustrates is unknown
to me, but a somewhat similar group is carved on the
Triumph Arch in the Martyrdom of S. Sebastian.
O Q
is
Q D
W
OQ
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 125
The scheme of composition is the same as in the fore-
going, the most vehement movement concentrated in
the centre, framed in and balanced by the more tranquil
figures at either end. The movement is continuous and
rhythmic, and caught up from one figure to the other
as in the Arcetri frieze. The drawing falls into its
place between the fresco and the engraving like the
connecting link of a chain, for while the gaoler and his
assailant resemble in face, form, and gesture the
fighting nudes, the two figures to the extreme right are
almost exactly like those of the Arcetri frieze, especially
the negro, with his half dancing attitude and the palm
of his hand turned down with precisely the same
gesture.
Another scene of the same kind may find a place
here, although it must have been executed at a much
later date, probably after Antonio's departure for
Rome. This is the gesso relief called Discord in the
Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, there
attributed to Leonardo, but which has all the character
of Antonio's work* (Plate XXV.). It is to be regretted
that its position in the Museum, difficult to find, and
when found, impossible to study to advantage, should
prevent its being better known and appreciated, for it
* I must plead guilty to having, in my book on Verrocchio, attri-
buted the relief to that artist, while recognising however the strong
influence of Antonio, and especially of the Battle of the Nudes,
shown in the conception of the theme and the construction of the
nude. A closer study of Antonio's work has forced me to revoke
this too hasty judgment, and to recognise in the relief one of the
most characteristic works of Antonio himself.
126 POLLAIUOLO
is one of the most important works of the fifteenth .
century, for the admirable compositition and manage-^ >•
ment of the relief, and for the beauty and fine action ^
of the figures.
Like all the foregoing scenes the subject represented '
has never been satisfactorily explained, and seems $
chosen chiefly with the object of displaying the nude
in violent action. In the official catalogue it is called
The Genius of Discord, but the title is hardly definite
enough, for it will be remarked that in each combat^
it is a male who slays or dominates a female. In the
centre foreground rushes with furious gesture a gaunt
hag — (Discord ?) — who seems to be inciting the males
to the onslaught. On either side of her struggle a man
and a woman, the one to the left has already slain his
victim, and kneels over her corpse vehemently gesticu- .,;
lating, the one to the right has clutched the hair of his '
prey in act to strike off her head, as she grasps the
flying draperies of the hag. On either side is seated •
tranquilly, half outside the frame, a classic looking
figure like a river god, which from the statuesque
treatment points to the influence of Roman sculpture.
A youth to the right stands also indifferently watching
the carnage. Within a loggia beyond him is seated
a judge apparently ordering the ejection of a hideous
female, who unwillingly descends the steps, casting
venomous looks behind her. Opposite is an oval
building of classic architecture, with balcony and open
portico, in which stand nude youths in superb attitudes,
recalling antique statues. One in the background
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 127
seems to be refusing admittance to a young woman, at
whose feet are stretched two corpses, while on the other
side is a group fiercely struggling — males against
females — one of whom is in the act of striking off the
head of a fat and repulsive hag. A wall in the middle
distance divides the scene from the background, which
represents, in Donatellesque low relief, a street of
classic buildings vaguely recalling Rome, in which
other figures are seen swiftly walking, standing, and
seated. The perspective of this street and the depth of
space presented, are most admirable, for the last build-
ing seems a quarter of a mile away, and the values of
distance between each are well rendered. It is to be
noticed that while nearly all the males are young
athletes, superbly built, the females are for the most
part hideous and old, and of a construction which recalls
the nude women of Diirer and the German schools. It
seems certain that in the subject, allegorical or historic,
lies some misogynistic meaning.
Technically the relief is one of the finest of Antonio's (
works, a masterpiece of splendid modelling of the nude, j
of free action, and fine management of perspective.
The male figures seem imitated from Greek statues,
one — the youth who stands within the second arch of
the portico — seeming as though copied from the
Doryphorus. From this treatment of the nude and
the classic architecture it may safely be placed after
his visit to Rome, among the latest of his works. In
freedom of action and gesture also, the figures show a
marked advance over the nudes of the engraving. If
128 POLLAIUOLO
less concentrated in force, they reveal a facility of
technical manipulation, which suggests the baroque art
of the following century.
It is just possible that it may have been one of
those gesso reliefs of which Vasari writes as follows :
" Antonio executed in low relief in metal a Battle of
Nudes, very beautiful, which was sent to Spain ; of
which there is a cast in gesso in the possession of all
the artificers in Florence." * That it was intended to
be executed in metal the style of the relief shows, and
the number and variety of action of the figures would
make it an invaluable model in an atelier for the study
of the nude.
Of nude studies by Antonio we have several fine
examples. On a sheet in the LTffizi (Cornice 34, No. 276)
are seven drawings of male figures, four in ink and
three in chalk on a larger scale, the latter so rubbed as
to be almost obliterated, and not visible at all in the
photograph. They are however the most important on
the sheet, and are magnificently constructed and posed.
To the right stands a man, firmly planted, with legs
widely separated in the grand attitude Signorelli
adopted and made his own. His arms are outstretched
and his hair is bound with fluttering ribbons. To the
left is another with bald head, seen in profile, and
between them a third, almost effaced. In ink are four
of a smaller size, disconnected studies of a male nude,
one of an archer without head or arms, two sketches of
the same model from different points of view, and a
* Vasari, iii. p. 296.
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 129
study of a torso. A sheet full of interest as an
example of Antonio's atelier studies from the nude
model, dashed in with characteristic energy.
In the collection of M. Bonnat, Paris, is a pen drawing
washed with sepia, of a young man standing in a defiant
attitude, his arms folded on his chest. The expression
of the face is concentrated, and the figure, most
realistically treated, vibrates with energy. It is another
atelier study from the life. The pen touch has not the
flashing Leonardesque quality of Antonio's best draw-
ings, but it is sharp and decisive enough to warrant the
attribution to his own hand.
In connection with the classic nudes of the " Discord "
may be noticed four fine studies of a Herma in the Uffizi
Collection (Cornice 34, No. 267). As in the nudes of
the stucco relief, there is something that anticipates the
athletes of Michelangelo in the muscular torso, which is
repeated four times in different positions. Here also
the influence of the Roman antique is evident, and the
drawing may be placed at as late a date as the relief.
On the back of the sheet are two male nudes standing,
and a draped seated figure.
Another study in the same collection (Cornice 42, No.
246) is very characteristic of his interest in violent
action. A male figure seen from the back strides
forward as though in amazement, his hands outstretched
towards another, who, seated, gazes at him with horror,
Whatever the scene may have been intended to illustrate,
it is in the highest degree dramatic. To the left, but
1 30 POLLAIUOLO
apparently a detached study, a nude child marches
rhythmically, blowing a trumpet.
Lastly in this group of nude studies by Antonio's own
hand, we have the curious pen drawings of Adam and
Eve in the Uffizi Collection* (Plates XXVI. and
XXVII.), (Cornice 31, Nos. 95 and 97 F.), curious,
because, while the technical qualities of drawing and
modelling, and certain mannerisms of construction, do
not permit the rejection of them as his authentic work,
there is, in the type of face, in the heavily built forms,
in the stiff angularity of pose, and in the treatment of
the detail, a certain Northern crabbedness which suggests
Dlirer and the German schools which influenced him.
Mr. Berenson finds analogy between the Adam and the
work of the disciples of Domenico Veneziano, and draws
attention to its resemblance to the man leaning on a
staff in a similar pose, in Piero dei Franceschi's fresco of
the Death of Adam in Arezzo, and while accepting the
drawings unhesitatingly as the work of Antonio, remarks
on their Northern character, "which suggests Sluter
and the sculptors of Burgundy.'1 This trace of German
influence is not unique in the work of Antonio, for, as
has already been remarked, the females in the " Discord"
fat and heavily built, suggest the Northern type.
The form of Adam is of heavier bui!4 than any we
have yet met with in his work. The huge torso and
limbs suggest immense strength, but it is an ox-like
strength, lacking the elastic energy of his usual type.
* The drawings were attributed to Signorelli until Morelli first
gave them to Antonio (" Italian Painters," I. p. 93.)
XXVI
Alinari
ADAM. DRAWING BY ANTONIO PQLLAIUOLO. UFFIZI
Face p. 130
FLORENCE
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 131
The lightness and elasticity of his figures is generally
their principal quality, and the Adam is, on the
contrary, loosely jointed and ponderous, in this recalling
strongly the figures of Diirer. In construction the Eve
also, though less heavily built, reminds one of his female
nude. In the careful finish of the detail, each tendril-
like hair of the body being minutely drawn, there is
also a reminiscence of the German schools.
This being the case, and Antonio's widespread
influence being accepted, it may be asked why the
drawings should not be rather ascribed to some German
impressed by his style. Yet in spite of the difference
to his other work, they bear too strongly the stamp of
the Florentine school, for this to be seriously suggested.
To what epoch of his career they belong however I find
it impossible to decide. That they are no mere studies
is proved by the extreme care with which they are
finished. They are evidently executed as cartoons for
some paintings as minutely worked as the Hercules
panels.
It would be wearisome to mention all, even the more
important, of the many school drawings from the nude
wrongly attributed to Antonio. His influence was
widely spread throughout Italy, and many must have
actually studied in his atelier and drawn from the same
models, which gives a superficial resemblance to his
style. Nearly every drawing from the nude of the
epoch bears some trace of his influence and many of
them are attributed to him without regard for the
quality of the work. One or two of such imitations
1 32 POLLAIUOLO
however are too important and too close to his manner
to be omitted.
The best is perhaps the so-called "Death of'
Gattemelata " in the Hertford House Collection. It is
in pen washed with sepia, and represents eleven nude
figures weeping violently round a tomb. Mr. Berenson
considers it to be a copy of a lost original by Antonio
himself, dating from his earlier years.*
The sheet of nudes in the Louvre cannot be accepted
as more than school work, in spite of the contemporary
inscription, which proves that even in his own century it
was considered to be a genuine study by his own hand.t
Among the numerous atelier studies of the nude in
the Uffizi, attributed to Antonio, the most important
are the following. A sheet in pen and wash representing
two males, one of whom strides forward with folded
arms, the other falling backward as though wounded.
(Cornice 42, No. no.) The scene has all the dramatic
qualities of his work, but the action is poor, and all
that can be said of it is that it may be a copy from his
own composition. These remarks apply also to another
drawing by the same hand, where four nude soldiers
fight with sword and shield. (Cornice 32, No. 260.)
The pen drawing of three nude figures attacking a
centaur (Cornice 34, No. 279) may also be a copy from
* It was formerly attributed to Mantegna. There is another
copy much damaged in the Munich Print Room. See Berenson,
" Florentine Drawings," Vol. I. p. 30.
t The inscription is " Antonii Jacopi excellentissimi ac eximii
florentini pictoris sculptorisq prestantissimi he opus e . . . cumq
hominum imaginem fecit vide q mirum i membra redegit."
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 133
his design, but is certainly not by his own hand. The
line is tame and mechanical and the drawing poor. It
bears his name in contemporary writing, but a com-
parison with his genuine signature proves this to be
spurious.
In studying these works from the nude, the chrono-
logical order has been somewhat abandoned, but with
the exception of the " Discord" the drawings of the
Hernia and the Adam and Eve, most of them fall into
place around the frescoes of Arcetri and the engraving
of the Ten Nudes, and may, roughly speaking, be dated
from the years between 1464 and 1470. One record
exists of goldsmith's work executed in these same years,
a suit of armour and trappings made by Antonio for
Benedetto Salutati to be worn at the Joust of Lorenzo,
which took place February 7, 1469.
The notice appears in the " Discorsi " of Borghini,
and although the work no longer exists, it has a certain
interest in giving some idea of the diversity of his
undertakings.
" Benedetto Salutati (nephew of that Messer Coluccio,
famed in his time for his studies of the belles lettres) who,
although held in repute, and universally much esteemed,
was not however of our first and purest nobility, nor of
such excessive wealth that he was forced by his reputation
despite himself to enter into such great expense as were
the Medici, Pazzi, Pitti, and such others with whom he
might have to compete — yet was he of so noble a soul and
so great heart, that in the caparison, headpiece and
other accoutrements of two horses, he employed 170 libbre
i34 POLLAIUOLO
of fine silver, of which the crest of the hai'ness was solid.
Nor was he content with such great richness, but ordered
it to be delicately wrought with heads, figures, and scenes
in bas-relief and enamels, by the hand of him who was
unique in the art of chasing metals, and is still praised so
highly — Antonio del Pollaiuolo — reputed equal to one of
those Mentovi, Agragati and Boeti who had such fame
among the ancients ; wherefore it might be said that the
art and beauty of the work surpassed the material. He
employed moreover in the embroidering of the said
accoutrements, of his own surtout, and of the jerkins and
tunics of his men-at-arms, about thii'ty libbre of pearls, for
the most part of the greatest price, of the value of from
five to fourteen soldi the ounce ; of which two garments
alone, not reckoning the other expenses of cloth, brocades,
and jewels, cost about five thousand florins, that is, about
52 libbre of the purest gold."*
Although none of these pieces of pageant-armour
have survived, one work, executed possibly to be carried
in some tournament, is in existence — the shield formerly
in the collection of Mr. Capel Cure, Badger Hall,
Shropshire, dispersed in 1905, now in that of Signer
Brauer, Florence (Plate XXVIII.). It is certainly by
the hand of Antonio himself and a work of much
importance. The shield is of wood painted black, and
upon it is modelled in high relief a nude figure about
two feet high, gilded. It represents Milo of Cortona in
his death agony, his hands caught in the cleft of the
tree, which in his old age he attempted to uproot, and
* Borghini, "Discorsi," Fiorenza, 1585, II. pp. 162—164,
XXVIII
SHIELD WITH MILO OF CROTONA
BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO. COL-
LECTION OF SIGNOR BRAUER
FLORENCE
(By kind permission of Signer Brauer)
PAINTINGS AND STUDIES 135
unable to withdraw them was devoured by wild beasts.
On either side of the head the name of the hero is
inscribed in gold letters — MILO CRO — and round the
border runs the following inscription & INVALIDO
SAPIEKTIS EST POST VICTORIA QVIESCHRE NIHIL N TAM FIRMV
cvi NO SIT PERICVLV. On the right is painted a stemma
which Signor Brauer supposes to be that of the Miauti
family of Arezzo. The figure is of the same stout build
as the nudes of the engraving, and is splendidly modelled
on broad planes with sculpturesque largeness and
freedom. The shield is in good condition and has a
special value as one of the few surviving specimens of
such decorative work by a great master.
CHAPTER IX
THE VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA, 1470
THE next documentarily dated work after the designs
for the Embroideries is the series of Virtues painted for
the Universita della Mercatanzia, in which, however,
the share of Antonio is confined to a chalk drawing for
the figure of the Charity, and perhaps some slight
touches on the detail of the Prudence. In the gallery
the six panels are attributed to both brothers, with the
exception of the Prudence, which is ascribed to Antonio
alone, probably on account of its marked superiority to
the rest. All the paintings are, however, in the mature
style of Piero, and the discovery of certain documents
has confirmed the evidence of the work itself.
The panels were ordered to decorate the large Council
Hall in the Palace of the Mercatanzia in the Piazza
Signoria, a building which still preserves its ancient
facade decorated with the stemmi of the quartieri and
sesti of Florence. They were commissioned to Piero
alone independently of his brother.
Vasari makes only a slight mention of the paintings
and speaks of them as the joint work of Piero and
Antonio. " They executed, in the Mercatanzia of
Florence, some Virtues in that same place where the
Court of the Tribunal holds its sittings." * By Antonio
Billi,f the Anonimo Gaddiano J and Albertini § they
are attributed to Piero alone. The series of documents,
discovered in 1903 among the archives of the Univer-
sita, are of interest, not only as regards the Pollaiuoli,
but for the share taken in the work by Botticelli, for we
learn that the Fortitude was painted by him, not, as had
hitherto been supposed, in his capacity as pupil and
assistant of Antonio, but as the result of competition
and in direct rivalry to Piero. The history of the
commission is briefly as follows.lF
On August 18, 1469, it was decided by the Council
of Six of the Universita to commission Piero to paint
figures of Virtues to decorate the Hall of their Palace.**
* Vasari, III. p. 292.
f " Piero del Pollaiuolo fecie . . . delle Virtu sie (sic) si vede in
una spalliera in sala della Mercantia " (Antonio Billi, p. 27.)
I "Fece" (Piero) "le 6 Virtu che sono nella spalliera della sala
della merchatantia che la ya cioe la fortezza e di mano di Sandro
Botticello" (Anon. Gaddiano, p. 56).
§ "Non fo mentione delle sei figure delle Virtu sono dell' Arte
della Mercatantia per mano di Pietro Pull. La septima e di Sandro "
(Albertini, Memoriale, Cl. xvii. 17).
^f The documents are published by Jacques Mesnil in his article,
" Les Figures des Vertus de la Mercanzia," "Miscellanea d'Arte
1903," I. p. 43. They will be found transcribed in the Appendix.
Doc. XIV. p. 267.
** The name is erroneously recorded by the notary as " Piero del
Verrocchio," a lapsus calami, explained by the fact that Verrocchio
had received the commission to send in a drawing for one of the
figures.
138 POLLAIUOLO
The first of the panels executed by him was the Charity,
which probably occupied the central position. This is
mentioned as being already completed by December of
the same year.
The importance of the work seems to have roused the
jealousy of the Florentine painters, and several applied
for a share in the commission. This competition neces-
sitated a fresh deliberation of the Council, which took
place December 18, 1469. The Six Commissioners,
having listened to what Piero had to say (probably with
regard to payment), and having discussed the question
among themselves, put it to the vote with black and
white beans, and decided to renew the commission to
Piero, who thereupon received the order to complete
the remaining six figures for the price of twenty broad
florins each. The document recording this deliberation
mentions a design for one of them already executed by
Verrocchio, which was rejected in favour of Piero's.
From an entry made three days later (December 21,
1469) we learn that Verrocchio's rejected design was
for the Faith, and that he received for it eight small
lire. Of this drawing more will be said later.
The name of Antonio is mentioned twice in the
documents, but in no way as the superior of Piero, who
received the commission as an independent Master. In
one it occurs as standing guarantee for a certain sum of
money, in the other as being present and offering his
opinion in the second deliberation of the Council.
Later, at the intervention of Tomaso Soderini,
Botticelli succeeded in obtaining the commission to
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 139
execute one of the figures — the Fortitude — for which on
August 1 8, 1470, he received payment. Soderini, the
friend and patron of Botticelli,* was one of the most
influential personages of the Republic, and chief of the
Medici party, and it was probably in deference to his
position that the commission was taken from Piero.
Finally a document records that on August 2, 1470,
Piero received payment for the Temperance and Faith,
which are stated as being second and third of the
paintings executed by him.
The following facts are thus obtained. That the
Charity, Faith, and Temperance were painted by Piero
Pollaiuolo. That the Charity was executed the first of
the series, and was already completed by December 18,
1469 : the Faith and Temperance not until December 21
of the following year : and that Botticelli's Fortitude
was finished by August 18, 1470. Of the remaining
three figures — the Prudence, Hope, and Justice — no
mention is made in the documents, and, perhaps owing
to carelessness in the entries, no further payments are
recorded. To decide whether these were painted by
* The Anonimo Gaddiano relates the following anecdote which
testifies to the interest taken by Solderini in his protege. "Being
once pressed by Messer Tomaso Solderini to take a wife, Botticelli
answered him, ' I wish to tell you something that happened to me
not many nights ago. I dreamt that I had taken a wife, and
suffered so much because of her that I awaked, and in order not to
fall asleep again and redream the same dream, I arose, and walked
about Florence the whole night like a madman.' From which
Messer Tomaso understood that this was no ground in which to
plant vines" (p. 70).
140 POLLAIUOLO
Piero or by his assistants the work itself must be
examined.
The figures are seated on marble thrones of elaborate
architecture, raised on a dai's placed on an oriental rug-
There are variations in the details of ornament and
costume, but the general composition is alike in all,
including the arrangement of the draperies. It is
difficult to decide with certainty what were their
respective places on the walls, but as far as may be
judged by the relative sizes and inclination of the
figures, it would seem that the central position was
occupied by the Charity, in her double character of
Chief Virtue and Madonna. Botticelli's Fortitude
probably formed the pendant to the Prudence, the
Faith to the Temperance, while the Hope and Justice,
strangely enough on a larger scale than the rest, must
certainly have matched each other. It is curious that
while the others are in a state of the utmost dilapida-
tion, the Fortitude and Prudence are comparatively well
preserved. So damaged were the remaining five panels
that at the time of their removal to the Uffizi, they
were considered unfit for exhibition, the colour having
for the most part completely peeled off.* The greater
part of what we see is thus the work of the restorer,
and the pictures must be judged therefore by com-
position and form, for only in small parts has the
original colour escaped.
The best painted, as well as the best preserved, of
* Cavalcaselle, " Storia della Pittura in Italia," Firenze, 1894, VI.
p. 106.
XXIX
Alinari
PRUDENCE. BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO. UFFIZI
FLORENCE
Face p. 140
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 141
Piero's six figures, is the Prudence (Plate XXIX.), which
is officially attributed to Antonio. By Antonio how-
ever it certainly is not, although the admirable painting
of certain details suggests that he may have lent some
slight assistance. At the date when the Virtues were
painted Piero was twenty-seven, and his work had
naturally improved since the S. Miniato Altar-piece and
the Turin Tobias, but as yet, although the form beneath
the clothes is solid and well indicated, especially in the
arms and breast, he is not able to suggest the structure
of bone and muscle in the nude parts. The face is
modelled with complete disregard for the skull beneath,
and the neck is as flat as a piece of paper. Though the
figure has a certain dignity of pose and bearing, his
characteristic defects of proportion are as glaring as
ever. The legs, especially from the knee downwards,
are huge in relation to the body, and were she to stand
up, the effect would be to the utmost degree grotesque.
The insignificant features and vapid expression, the
puffy folds of the draperies, which seem inflated with
air — characteristic faults of Piero — are in direct contrast
to the keen concentrated faces and bronze-like draperies
of Antonio. It is surprising that with the superb
figures of the Hercules panels close by, this mediocre
painting should be ascribed to him.
The best part of the work is in certain details of
goldsmith's work and in the harmonious colour. In
colour Piero showed himself not unworthy of his brother's
tuition, though he never succeeded in obtaining his depth
of tone and gem-like glow. The embroidered gown, of
142 POLLAIUOLO
a subtle tint difficult to name, is exceedingly beautiful,
but especially so are the mirror with its crystal handle
and reflected profile, delicately painted as a miniature,
and the snake with its fine curves. So admirable are
these accessories as to warrant the suggestion that they
are the work of Antonio himself. Antonio, it is evident,
had none of the creator's pride in his paintings, or he
could not have allowed his designs to be spoiled by the
unskilful brush of Piero. He seems in all their joint
work to have reserved to himself only such parts as
interested him, and it is quite possible that he may have
chosen to paint these exquisite bits of goldsmith's
work — perhaps wrought in his own bottega — the mirror
with its beautiful setting, and the bronze-like snake.
However it may be, it is certain that the painting of
these details shows a marked superiority to the rest.
The next best of the figures is the Charity (Plate
XXX.) as far as its ruined and repainted state will per-
mit of judgment. It is in better condition than the re-
maining five panels, for the mantle and robe still retain
much of the original colour,but the face has suffered from
cleaning and the entire body of the Child is thickly
repainted. The lower part — the dais and oriental rug —
is, as in all the remaining panels, entirely modern. The
figure has to an exaggerated degree the same defects as
the Prudence, the same disproportionate length of limb,
the same lack of bone and muscle in the face and neck.
The features are equally insignificant, the legs are
awkwardly posed and badly foreshortened, and yet,
despite these faults, it has a certain dignity. The colour
XXX
Alinari
CHARITY. BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO. UFFIZI
FLORENCE
Face p. 142
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 143
has a suggestion of the glow of Antonio's own painting
in the deep red of the velvet robe and the green of the
gold-brocaded mantle. It is evident that in this figure
Antonio had a share, not in actual execution, but in
council and supervision, and to how large an extent he
was interested in the work the cartoon drawn by his own
hand on the back of the panel bears witness. Here we
have the entire figure rapidly sketched in broad decisive
touches. The drawing is wonderfully well preserved,
having been protected by its position from the damage
suffered by the painting. It seems to have been drawn
rather as a correction to the original than as a cartoon
to be copied, for the figure is of the characteristic build
of Piero, but with its defects modified. There are
variations in the composition also which must have been
suggested as corrections, and it would seem as though
Antonio, noticing the faults of construction in Piero's
figure, had turned the panel and rapidly dashed in the
drawing, as a master's practical lesson to his pupil. The
exaggerated length of body and limb is modified, the
modelling of the form beneath the draperies is
emphasised, while another arm is added to the child in
a different position, as though to suggest an improve-
ment. The position of the drawing, on the back of the
painting, precludes the possibility that it served Piero
as the cartoon, and it seems more likely that Antonio,
while retaining the general forms of his brother's work,
sketched the figure thus as a lesson and correction.
With these two figures ends any share Antonio may
have had in the Virtues of the Mercatanzia. The
i44 POLLAIUOLO
remaining four paintings have the unredeemed mediocrity
of Piero's unaided work.
Of the Temperance and Faith it is difficult to say
much in the condition to which they are reduced. The
Faith (Plate XXXI.) in especial has suffered, and is
the worst damaged of the whole series, and the restora-
tion has been so coarsely and unintelligently done, that
the original character of the work has almost dis-
appeared. The face is repainted as a child might daub
a print, the features being outlined all round with a
hard line, that gives them a paltriness of which even
Piero was incapable. No suggestion of modelling has
been attempted. The mantle over the left shoulder
and the knees is entirely modern, as also is the brocade
of the gown. The carpet and dais have been smeared
carelessly over, and in the whole painting nothing but
the moss-green brocade of the right arm, and the
Crucifix, remain of the original work. We can therefore
criticise only the forms of the figure, which have the
same defects as the rest — the same exaggerated length
of leg, bad foreshortening and awkward pose.
The cartoon for the head, in black chalk tinted with
pink and pricked for transfer, is in the Uffizi collection,
(Cornice 43, No. 14506) and it is evident that the face
of the panel has been repainted by the restorer with
the aid of this drawing. The cartoon has the usual
defects of Piero's work. The insignificant features are
timidly drawn on the flat unmodelled face. Its
redeeming quality is a certain sincerity of feeling
XXXI
Alinari
FAITH. BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO. UFFIZI, FLORENCE
Face p. 144
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 145
which the restorer of the painting has failed to
reproduce.
It will be remembered that in the second deliberation
of the Council as to the commission, mention is made
of a design for this figure of Faith executed by
Verrocchio, which was rejected in favour of that of
Piero. This rejected design by Verrocchio may perhaps
be identified with the black chalk drawing, washed with
sepia and heightened with white, in the Uffizi. (Cornice
52, No. 208), (Plate XXXII.) It represents the
figure of Faith seated on a raised dais precisely as in
Piero's paintings. It is officially attributed to Botti-
celli, in spite of its obviously Verrocchiesque character.*
That it was designed to form one of this series of
Virtues there can be no question, for it is alike in
general composition and detail. The figure is in
precisely the same attitude as the Faith of Piero. The
light strikes on the same side, the position of the knees
and arms is nearly the same. The mantle is arranged
in the same manner over the left shoulder, hanging in
heavy folds between the knees. Cup and Cross are of
the same pattern. (The Cross is sketched in the draw-
ing in two positions, one upright as in the painting,
one slanting towards the right, but they are so slightly
indicated that the photograph does not reproduce
them.) Lastly, the throne rests on a raised dais of
* The identification of the drawing with the rejected design by
Verrocchio is due to Dr. Gronau, who kindly allowed me to publish
his discovery in my article " Un disegno del Verrocchio per la Fede
nella Mercatanzia di Firenze," " Rassegna d'Arte," VI. No. I.
146 POLLAIUOLO
peculiar shape, with rectangular sides and curved
front, a form followed in four out of the seven
paintings.
At first sight, in studying the photograph only, the
heavy expression of the face makes the attribution of
the drawing to the energetic Verrocchio difficult to
accept, but in the original it will be seen that this is
due to coarse pen-strokes outlining the features, an
addition by some later hand. The lines of the eyelids
and eyebrows thus drawn over, give an owl-like
expression to the face, which in other respects has
everything in common with Verrocchio's type, the same
bombe forehead and square jaw, the same wide- winged
nose, round nostrils, and curved mouth, that we find in
the female head in the Malcolm Collection of the
British Museum, in the drawing of the head of an
Angel in the Uffizi, and in the reclining Venus of the
same collection. The figure is constructed also in
Verrocchio's manner, with broad, flat chest, fine pro-
portions, and with his peculiar feeling for bone. The
draperies are arranged in folds which closely resemble
those of the Christ in the group of Or S. Michele, on
which it will be remembered he was at work at the same
date as the competition for the Virtues.
So much for the superficial resemblances of form and
feature, which might have been imitated by his followers.
The fine quality of the drawing can be appreciated only
in the original. The firm touch, the rounded modelling
obtained by the slightest wash, the fine proportions of
the figure, so different to the long ungainly bodies of
XXXII
Alinari
FAITH. DRAWING BY ANDREA VERROCCHIO. UFFIZI, FLORENCE
Face p. 146
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 147
PiercTs Virtues, reveal the hand of a Master, and I have
little hesitation in accepting the drawing as the design
of VeiTocchio mentioned in the documents.*
It is perhaps idle to speculate why the work of so
feeble a painter as Piero should have been chosen before
that of Verrocchio. We have record of a similar pre-
ference in the competition for the Forteguerri Tomb of
Pistoja, when the design of Piero was again preferred to
his (see p. 23). On that occasion it was decided by the
commissioners that Piero's model was " piu bello et piu
degno d'arte " than Verrocchio's, yet it is easy to see
that the choice was really based on motives of economy,
the price demanded by Verrocchio being more than
they could afford. It is probable that the same reason
influenced the Council of the Mercatanzia, for it is
incredible that they should have really considered the
drawing of Piero to be the best.
The Temperance, which seems to have formed the
pendant to the Faith, is in equally bad condition. The
face is entirely repainted with a hot red, varying little
from the colour of the hair. The sleeves have been
brocaded with gold, but the design is hardly perceptible
beneath the smears of the restorer, who has hatched the
high lights white in a manner unknown to the epoch.
The mantle seems also to have been brocaded, but
has been thickly over-painted with amethyst colour,
* It would be interesting to know if the drawing of Faith attri-
buted to Botticelli, No. 12 of the Malcolm Collection, British
Museum, has connection with the series of Virtues with which it
has much in common.
148 POLLAIUOLO
evidently copied from that of S. James in the S. Miniato
Altarpiece. The brocaded robe has partly escaped, as
also has a detail of much beauty — the water in the
bowl with its delicately painted bubbles. The figure is
of the characteristic construction of Piero, and the face
has his insignificant features, and without the proof
given by the documents the painting would be recog-
nised as his work.
There remain the Hope and Justice, neither of which
are mentioned in the documents, but which by analogy
with the Madonna of the Berlin Annunciation., must
certainly be by Piero. They are on a larger scale than
any of the foregoing, and evidently matched each other
on the walls. They are badly damaged and repainted,
though less so than the Faith and Temperance. In
both the lower part of the work, from the draperies
downward, is entirely modern.
The Hope is a coarse and robust female, solidly
modelled but without feeling for bone, giving the
impression of inflation peculiar to Piero's figures. In
construction she resembles closely the Virgin of the
Berlin Annunciation., with her round, boneless face, small
shoulders, and huge stomach and legs. The mantle
drawn across the knees has been heavily daubed by the
restorer, but the brocaded gown, though much re-
touched, is better preserved.
The Justice is built on the same heavy lines, but is
less vulgar than the Hope. The face and the flat
unmodelled neck have much resemblance to those of
the Prudence. The mantle is the work of the restorer,
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA 149
who has evidently copied the colour from that of the
Prudence. The upper part is better preserved, the
brick-red brocade, the steel shoulder-piece, with its
edge of linked mail, and the curious Oriental head-
dress, being but little damaged.*
It is interesting to note in connection with Botti-
celli's rivalry with Piero, that in designing his Forti-
tude, although he has conformed, as he was bound, to
the general scheme, he has followed it as little as pos-
sible in detail. The painting shows however, as does
all his earlier work, the strong influence of Antonio,
and the fact that he was at this time in rivalry with
his brother, does not preclude the reasonable assump-
tion that he was at one time actually his pupil, f
* In connection with this series of paintings may be mentioned
a small panel representing Justice, in the Museum of S. Apollonia.
there ascribed to the School of Pollaiuolo, and evidently inspired
by them.
t Since writing the above a panel representing the Madonna, having
complete analogy with the series, has been purchased for the
Strasburg Museum. As it is known to me only by photograph I
refrain from any criticism. The figure is seated like the others, but
the throne has curtains draped behind it. The mantle is drawn
across the knees, but the folds differ in form. The brocaded gown
is bordered on the chest with the words AVE MARIA GRA embroidered
in pearls. The child has one hand raised in blessing, the other
holds a crystal globe.
CHAPTER X
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE, 1475
THE only existing dated work, except the drawing of
Charity above mentioned, executed by Antonio between
the designs for the Embroideries and the Relief of the
Silver Altar, is the Altarpiece of S. Sebastian, painted
for the Pucci Chapel in the SS. Annunziata, now in the
National Gallery, and for the date of this — 1475 — we
have no authority but Vasari's statement. We have,
however, the following documentary notices of gold-
smith's work of this epoch, all of which has unfor-
tunately perished.
In 1472 he was commissioned by the Signoria to
execute a silver helmet, goblets and other vessels, to be
presented to Federigo di Montefeltro, Count of Urbino,
in recognition of his services, as Captain of the troops
of the Republic, in reducing Volterra to submission.
(Doc. XVI. p. 272.) In 1473 he was again commissioned
by the Signoria to make a large silver basin for use in
the Chapel, and of this we have the notice that it was
wrought with garlands and putti. (Doc. XVIII. p. 273.)
The basin is mentioned in the Inventory of the treasure
belonging to the Signoria, made on September i, 1473,
XXXIII
Hanfstaengl
S. SEBASTIAN. BY ANTONIO AND PIERO POLLAIUOLO
NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
Face p. 150
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 151
in the following words, "A large new basin with
garlands of babies of silver in the middle." * In 14/3 he
made a Silver Cross for the Church of the Carmine, at
the cost of 170 florins, money left for the purpose by
Madonna Bonina de' Ricci.f
Of the Altarpiece of S. Sebastian (Plate XXXIII.)
the best known and most popular of all Antonio's
paintings, Vasari gives the following notice :
"In the Chapel of the Pucci, in the Servi, Antonio
executed the picture for the Altar of S. Sebastian, which
is of rare excellence ; in which are admirable horses, nudes,
and most beautiful foreshortened figures, and the S.
Sebastian himself portrayed from life, that is, from Gino
di Lodovico Capponi: and this work was more praised
than any other painted by Antonio. Wherefore in order
to imitate nature as far as possible, he painted in one of
the archers, who, pressing his bow against his breast,
bends to the ground to load it, all the force that one
* " Un bacino grande nuovo con grillanda di bambocci d'ariento
nel mezzo," (Inventario generale di tutte le massenzie e beni che
sono appresso alia signoria cipe di tutte le cose dedicate alia capella
&c. dal 1458 — 1479, Arch, delle Riformag. di Firenze, Cod. In 4°.
Seg, No. 101, c. 56 V°)
f See Zibaldone del Migliore, II. , c. 68, "1473, Nella qual
Chiesa"'(the Carmine) " trovasi una Croce d'argento che costo
fiorini 170 di suggello qual fece e dette finita il di 30 di agosto 1473
Ant° del Pollaiolo, orafo celebre, quali denari furono consegnati
per tal opera in mano a Ser Piero del Pugliese, e questa somma sino
in 100 fiorini ci lascio Ma Bonnina de Ricci, che fu madre di Piero
e Gio. Guiducci, che ci dettono questo danaro comeeredi.di lor
Madre, e ci pervenne questo lascito per la morte di Frate fran°
Agosdno nostro Religioso, e fino al intero pagam fu fatto dal
Convento."
152 POLLAIUOLO
strong in the arms could exert in loading that weapon ; so
that one sees the swelling of the veins and muscles and
the holding of the breath to gain more force. And this
is not the only figure painted with care, but all the rest
besides, in various attitudes, prove very clearly the skill
and attention put into the work ; the which was certainly
recognised by Antonio Pucci, who gave him in payment
300 scudi, affirming that it hardly paid him for the colours.
It was finished in the year 1475." *
Vasari makes a mistake in stating that the Saint was
a portrait of Gino Capponi, for he died before Antonio
was born. Moreover the face is merely stylistic and
has the characteristic features of Piero, resembling
almost exactly the drawing of Faith, with its weak ex-
pression, its rounded eyelids and insignificant mouth.
The date given by Vasari is probably correct, but must
be accepted with hesitation, unsupported as it is
by any evidence. The painting must, however, date
from the full maturity of Piero, whose share in the
work shows a marked advance beyond any we have
yet seen.
It is one of the few pictures whose history can be
traced without a break down to the present day. It
remained in the Chapel of S. Sebastian in the SS.
Annunziata, until the Marchese Pucci removed it to
his own Palace, from whence, in 1857, it passed to the
National Gallery. It has been somewhat restored, but
is in fairly good condition.
Opinion differs as to the share of the brothers in the
* Vasari, iii. p. 292.
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 153
work. Vasari, as has been seen, gives it entirely to
Antonio, and Baldinucci follows his lead.* Antonio
Billi, the Anonimo Gaddiano,f and Albertini,J on the
other hand, attribute it to Piero. Among modern
critics, Morelli considered the cartoon to be by Antonio
and the execution by Piero, while Mr. Berenson attri-
butes both to Antonio. My own study leads me to the
opinion that the composition is entirely due to Antonio
and a large part also of the execution, namely, the two
archers loading their bows in the foreground, the
spirited groups of figures in the background, and the
characteristic landscape. To the brush of Piero I
attribute the remaining four archers and the figure of
the Saint himself, but Piero has advanced beyond the
pulpy masses of flesh of his preceding work, and is
capable at this epoch of imitating the construction of
Antonio. Weak in action, and lacking in expression
and energy as are the figures, they are much superior to
the Madonna of the Berlin Annunciation and the
Mercatanzia Virtues.
In composition the picture is superb, and shows all
* " Fra le belle pitture che di tutta sua mano" (Antonio's) "si
veggiono pubblicamente in Firenze, una e la tavola del S. Sebastiano
della Cappella de' Pucci contigua alia Chiesadella Santissima Nun-
ziata, la qual tavola fece 1'anno 1475," &c. Baldinucci's words are
almost a transcript of Vasari's.
t " Piero del Pollaiuolo fecie . . . una tavola di Sto Bastiano a
S4* Maria de' Servi, dove ritrasse Gino di Lodovico Capponi."
(Antonio Billi, p. 27. The words of the Anonimo hardly vary.)
J " Nella Nuntiata . . . Nello oratorio contiguo di Sancto Sebas-
tiano de' Pucci e una tavola bellissima di Piero Pullaro ..."
(Albertini, Memoriale).
154 POLLAIUOLO
the peculiarities of Antonio — his pyramidal building
up, and his method of giving grandeur to his figures by
the elimination of the middle distance. As in the
Hercules panels, the scene is placed upon a hill, beyond
which the eye falls at once on the distant landscape.
Had all the figures been painted by his own hand with
the same splendid energy of the two archers, the Altar-
piece would have been one of the most impressive
masterpieces of the quattrocento, for in no other work
known to me, not even in the drawings of Leonardo,
nor the frescoes of Michelangelo, has physical energy
been so concentrated as in these two figures. So com-
pletely do they dominate the scene, that, like Vasari,
we remark nothing but them. The Saint is insignifi-
cant, the remaining archers are puppets, only these two
magnificent athletes fill the panel. And this is the
highest tribute to the power of Antonio, for they are
devoid of literary or dramatic interest, are in fact
nothing but atelier studies of the nude, introduced to
show oiF their thews and sinews — tours de force of
splendid foreshortening and muscular effort.
That the figures of the other archers were designed
by Antonio, the construction of the bodies, the type of
face, and arrangement of the draperies, proves. But in
the actual painting the feeble hand of Piero is evident.
The superficial forms he has copied, but he has been
unable to endue them with life, much less with energy.
The faces with their harsh features and stubbly beards
resemble the Hercules type, and so do the meagre
sinewy limbs. Form, attitude, and action are all
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 155
Antonio's, but though the bone beneath the flesh is
indicated, and the outward forms of strength are
imitated, no real force animates these figures. There is
no effort in the arms that pull the bowstring, nor any
pressure or grip of the feet upon the ground. The
would-be ferocity of the faces has resulted in feeble
grimace. It has been already remarked that the legs of
the Archer to the left are exactly similar to those of
the Berlin David, not only in construction and attitude,
but even to the sandals. But what a contrast between
the nervous energy of the one and the limp inertness of
the other ! Not one of these archers of Piero has any
weight or balance. The action of the arms is fixed
and motionless, and it is impossible to see, as we do
in the works of Antonio, the past and succeeding
movements.
With his usual indifference to subject, Antonio has
left the principal figure to Piero, who seems however to
have patched the S. Sebastian together from his designs.
That Antonio is responsible for the weak attitude, and
sentimental face is incredible, but the torso, with its
broad shoulders and square pectorals, is of the Hercules
build, and we shall find the counterpart of the legs and
feet in his nude archer below, slightly varied and
robbed of all strength, but evidently copied from them.
It is interesting to compare these limbs, alike in form
yet so dissimilar in character. Muscular force and
effort have never been better presented than in those
of Antonio's archer. The toes grip the ground with a
tenacity our own muscles involuntarily imitate, while
156 POLLAIUOLO
the legs of Piero's Saint, alike in outline, dangle as
feebly as a puppet's.
Perhaps never has human energy been so concentrated
as in the two archers of Antonio. The bodies vibrate
with effort and strain, and even beneath the velvet of
the doublet the swell of the muscles is evident. Every
sinew in our own body responds more readily than
before the antique Hercules, or even than before the
athletes of Michelangelo. The two figures represent
the climax of physical force and energy. It will be
observed that, as is so often the case in quattrocento
art, the two are identical in posture and action, are in
fact, the same model seen from different points of
view. This is the case also with Piero's two archers on
either side.
In appreciating the anatomy and action of Antonio's
figures, the costume of the clothed archer should not be
overlooked. It is a marvellous bit of painting, with its
rich harmonious colour and admirable realisation of the
texture of the velvet.
The background, with its animated groups of soldiers,
must certainly be Antonio's own work, as well as the
beautiful far-stretching landscape. In none of his other
paintings is the eye carried back thus far. In the
distance beyond the hill on which the martyrdom takes
place, are small figures as full of fire and life as a sketch
by Leonardo. To the left two mounted knights fight
with fierce gesture, and even at this distance we can
appreciate the fury of their combat. Balancing them
on the other side are two others, one of whom has
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 157
received his death-wound and throws back his head
with a yell of agony. In the centre another shouts
furiously, and with so much realism is it painted, that
we seem to hear the sound as it issues from the wide
open mouth. Beyond are more groups of soldiers on
horse and foot and on the edge of the river others gallop
madly, their horses seeming actually to leap across the
picture. Assuredly Piero, who was unable to animate
the foreground archers with life, had no hand in these
vivid and vehement figures.
To the left is a ruined Roman Arch, decorated with
reliefs, and even these carvings are full of movement and
energy. In the centre medallion is a relief which recalls
the drawing of the Prisoner brought before the Judge,
while below, in the archway, is a most spirited battle
scene. In the angles above are the negro heads, the
stemma of the Pucci, for whom the Altarpiece was
painted.
Beyond the animated groups of horsemen stretches
far back the quiet valley of the Arno, as seen from below,
Florence, the city with its almond-shaped walls and
principal buildings visible on the left. It is one of the
most beautiful and spacious of all these landscapes
repeated so often by Antonio.
All the old writers have agreed in their praise of this
Altarpiece, which seems to have been the most popular
of his works, and to have exercised a very important
influence on contemporary painters, as the numerous
imitations show. It appears that it was not the only
painting of the subject executed by him. Richa records
158 POLLAIUOLO
that in the Church of S. Jacopo sopr' Arno, was a panel
three braccia in height, said to be his work, representing
S. Sebastian tied to a tree. "The said picture,"" he
writes, " has been left neglected for many years, and in
1757 was cleaned by the celebrated living painter
Agostino Veracini." *
In the so-called Verrocchio Sketch-Book, on one of
the sheets in the Louvre, is a pen-drawing of S. Sebastian
evidently copied from some design by Antonio. Body
and limbs are of the meagre Hercules build, and the
face, with its square jaw, is of that type. One arm is
tied above the head, and the legs are posed differently
to those in the Pucci painting. Below is a nude archer,
indifferently sketched, but which bears some trace of
Antonio's style. As most of the drawings of the Sketch-
Book are copied from popular Florentine works of art,
it is probable that this was done from some well-known
painting, possibly the lost panel of S. Jacopo.
Two drawings by Antonio's own hand are in existence,
studies for a similar subject, though obviously not for
the Pucci Altarpiece. In the Kupferstichkabinet, Berlin,
is a superb pen and sepia sketch of a nude archer.f
The legs are planted firmly, widely stretched, as in the
* Richa " Chiese fiorentini," x. p. 355.
t Reproduced by Dr. Gronau in his work "Aus Raphaels
Florentiner Tagen," Berlin, 1902. IV. II. Of this drawing Mr.
Berenson writes in his " Florentine Drawings," " In the Poldi
Pezzoli is a predella, with the subject of the Martyrdom of S.
Sebastian, ascribed to Antonio, wherein the action of this figure is
copied exactly. This mediocre picture must have been painted by
a person who had the felicitous idea of combining the styles of
Pollaiuolo and Credi. ' '
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 159
figure to the left of the Pucci Altarpiece, but the action
of the upper part of the body is too different for it to
have served Piero as his model. The broad shoulders
and slender waist, the large nose and square jaw,
resemble closely the Hercules type. The action, as he
draws the bowstring to his ear is full of energy. The
drawing is sharp and vigorous with the flame-like
quality of touch peculiar to Antonio and Leonardo.
Morelli possessed a pen-sketch of S. Sebastian, which
he considered to be Antonio's study for the figure in
the Pucci Altarpiece, but again, the differences are too
great for this to be likely. The position is reversed,
the body and head being turned to the left instead of
to the right, and there are other essential differences.
The drawing is much injured, and has been gone over
in parts by a later hand, especially about the head, but
the energy and touch of the pen justify the attribution
to Antonio.*
Among the most important of the paintings of a
similar subject showing the influence of Antonio, are the
S. Sebastian by Botticelli in the Berlin Gallery, and
that of Signorelli in the Pinacoteca, Citta di Castello.
The former was, according to the Anonimo Gaddiano,
painted in 1473 for the Church of S. Maria Maggiore,f
and bears much resemblance to the figure of the Pucci
* Now in the Collection of Signer Frizzoni, Milan. Reproduced
in his " Collezione di quaranta disegni scelti della raccolta del
Senatore Giov. Morelli," Hoepli, 1886, Plate II.
t " In santa Maria Maggiore e di sua mano un San Bastiano in
tavola, che e in una colonna, il quale fece di Giennaio nel 1473."
(Anon. Gadd. p. 70.)
i6o POLLAIUOLO
Altai-piece. It passed for years under Antonio's name,
and there can be no question as to his influence. Torso,
arms, and legs, in structure and position are alike, but
the figure is certainly not copied from the sentimental
saint of Piero, with his head thrown back in weak
despair. Botticelli's S. Sebastian is calm and indifferent,
and it is most likely that both his and Piero's were
imitated from some original by Antonio's own brush,
possibly the lost painting of S. Jacopo. If this be so,
and the dates of Vasari and the Anonimo are correct,
this work would be earlier than the Pucci Altarpiece by
at least two years.
Signorelli, strongly influenced as he was throughout
his life by Antonio, has imitated the painting in his
Altarpiece, executed in 1496 for the Church of
S. Domenico, Citt& di Castello, now in the Pinacoteca.
The weak saint of Piero he has ignored, his figure
standing upright and firmly balanced on the tree, but
the composition, and particularly the two soldiers
stringing their bows in the foreground, are obviously
inspired by Antonio.
Among the less important paintings of the subject
bearing marks of Antonio's influence, is the life-sized
S. Sebastian by Jacopo di Barbari, No. 384 of the Pitti
Gallery, still unaccountably attributed to Antonio him-
self. It is a nude of Antonio's athletic type, and is
constructed somewhat in his manner, with huge
shoulders, bent legs, and hard developed bone and
muscle, but the resemblance is superficial only, and
cannot have been inspired by the Pucci Altarpiece.
XXXIV
H. Burton
COMMUNION OF S. MARY OF EGYPT. BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
P1EVE, STAGGIA, NEAR POGGIBONSI
Face p. 1 60
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 161
Perhaps somewhat earlier than the S. Sebastian may
be placed the Altarpiece representing the Communion
of S. Mary of Egypt, recently discovered in the Church
of Staggia, near Poggibonsi. (Plate XXXIV.) The
picture was originally brought to notice by Mr.
Mason Perkins, who however attributed it to Botticini.
Mr. Berenson* first gave it to its true author, Antonio
Pollaiuolo, but he allows him the design only, and con-
siders the execution to be by Piero. To me the painting
seems to be not only designed by Antonio, but executed,
at least in the greater part, by his own hand.
The Saint has just issued from her rock-cave, and
supported by Angels, who surround her in the form of
a mandorla, receives the wafer of the Sacrament. The
composition is fine and impressive. The large figure is
treated with the utmost realism, the nude limbs being
those of an elderly woman somewhat wasted, and the hag-
gard face shows traces of former beauty. She resembles
almost exactly the kneeling Saint in the embroidery re-
presenting Christ in Limbo. Face, arms, hands, and legs,
are identical. She is clad in her own hair, tied with a
loose girdle, and in the embroidery she wears a hair shirt;
the figure is more upright, but except for these slight
changes the same drawing might have served for both.
As usual in Antonio's composition, there is no middle
distance, and the figures stand out impressively against
the distant landscape — a landscape so ruined that the
winding stream of the Arno can be only dimly dis-
* B. Berenson, " Due quadri inediti a Staggia," " Rassegna
d'Arte," 1905.
1 62 POLLAIUOLO
cerned. The picture has been badly repainted, espe-
cially the faces and draperies, yet in spite of this the
figures retain much energy and force. The wrinkled
face of the Saint is admirably constructed, and the
strong limbs, with their well-defined bone and muscle,
and the sinewy beautifully shaped hands, must surely be
the work of Antonio himself. To none of his figures,
however well he has imitated the structure, has Piero
been able to impart the strength of this. The Angels,
with their square jaws and prominent cheek-bones,
their large cutting wings and vehement action, are of
the same family as those in the fresco of S. Miniato and
on the Silver Cross. The swift movement of the one
which flies impetuously out of the cave is specially
characteristic. In the hands of Piero, judging by all
precedent, the energy and concentration, the rapidity of
movement and all the qualities which make the painting
so impressive, would have vanished, and we should have
had, as in the archers of S. Sebastian, mere flaccid and
lifeless forms.
In connection with this painting it is of interest to
note that the husband of Maddalena, the second
daughter of Antonio, belonged to a family settled in
Staggia — Bruno, son of Ser Benedetto, probably notary
of the town.
Another example of Piero imitating Antonio's style
and failing to reproduce more than the forms is to be
seen in a work which must date from about the same
time as the Altarpiece of S. Sebastian. This is the
fresco of S. Christopher, now in the Metropolitan
XXXV
S.CHRISTOPHER. FRESCO BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, NEW YORK
(By kind permission of the Director)
Face p. 162
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 163
Museum, New York, evidently a copy of Antonio's
work. (Plate XXXV.) It would seem to be a replica
on a reduced scale of a perished fresco, mentioned by
Vasari as having been painted by Antonio on the^a^ ode
of the now-demolished Church of S. Miniato fra le
Torri, which stood near Or S. Michele in the street
which still bears its name. " For S. Miniato fra le
Torri, outside the door, Antonio painted a S. Cristofano,
ten braccia high, a very beautiful work, executed in the
modern style. It is the best-proportioned figure of the
size that had been done up to that time."* Antonio
Billi and the " Anonimo Gaddiano " also mention the
fresco, but attribute the execution to Piero, and the
design only to Antonio.f Albertini attributes the
entire work to Piero.J
In the time of Baldinucci the fresco was still to be
seen, though much injured, and of it he gives the
following notice :
"In our day is to be seen the marvellous figure of
S. Christopher in fresco, ten braccia high, which he
(Antonio) painted on the facade of the church of S.
Miniato fra le Torri, a figure which had the reputation of
being the best proportioned that had been done up to
* Vasari, iii. p. 293.
•}• "Piero del Pollaiuolo fecie uno Sto Cristofano a Sto Miniato
fra le Torre che fu disegnio di Ant° suo fratello " (Antonio Billi, ed.
Carl Frey, Berlin, 1892, p. 27). "In Firenze dipinse" (Piero) "nella
faccia dinanzi della chiesa di san Miniato fra le tore un San Cristo-
fano, et si dice esserne il disegno di Antonio suo fratello " (" L" Anon-
imo Gaddiano," — ed. Cornel v. Fabriczy, Firenze, 1893, p. 72).
£ " In Sancto Miniato fra le Torri e una tavola d'Andreina, et il
sancto Christ, fuori e braccia X di Pietro Pullaro."
164 POLLAIUOLO
that time. The Saint stands, one leg in repose, the other
lifted, and the limbs are so well drawn, so well proportioned
and supple, that it is reported Michelangelo Buonarroti
himself, in his youth drew them many times for study."
And the following note is appended :
" A few years ago the legs and other parts of the figure
being reduced to a bad state by exposure to the in-
clemency of the air, were repainted by an imbiancatore,
with what art and perfection the reader may see. O
vicissitudes of things human ! "
The last notice we have of the perished fresco is by
Richa in his description of the facade of the Church.
" Over the door outside, is to be seen a Madonna of
glazed terracotta, very beautiful, the work of Luca della
Kobbia, and on the right of it is a S. Christopher,
ten lyraccia high, painted in fresco by Antonio del
Pollaiuolo." The rest of the notice is a repetition of
the words of Baldinucci, about Michelangelo copying
the figure, " some imitation of it," he adds, " being
observable in the David of the Piazza." *
If, as seems probable, the fresco in the Metropolitan
Museum is a copy of this perished work, there is little
doubt but that it was by Antonio, for both face and
figure have his characteristic forms. The spare sinewy
frame, the muscular legs, the lean face with the thin
beard and moustache, resemble the Hercules type. The
seizure of the transitory movement is also characteristic,
although much has evidently been lost in passing
through the hands of Piero. It is a timid copy in
* Richa, " Chiese fiorentini," Firenze, 1762, iv. p. 71.
THE PUCCI ALTARPIECE 165
which the strength and energy of the original are only
vaguely suggested ; the expression of the face is weak,
and the movement vacillating and uncertain, but our
acquaintance with the Hercules paintings enables us to
reconstruct the perished fresco, and to understand the
admiration excited by so admirable a figure on so
colossal a scale. There is a marked advance in Piero's
work, the forms are better imitated, and the bone and
muscle better realised than in any of his foregoing
paintings, except perhaps the archers of S. Sebastian.
The fresco measures 112^ inches by 59, about a
quarter the size of the original. It is known to me
only by photograph, but if one may offer an opinion
from such superficial acquaintance, it seems to be much
repainted and the face of the child and the landscape
to have lost the character of the epoch. It is also
difficult to believe that even Piero was guilty of the
badly drawn hand resting on the hip, which has more
resemblance to a bird's claw than to a human hand.
One other work by Piero may find a place here since
it evidently belongs to his full maturity — the ruined
fresco in the lunette over the Altar in the Sacristy of
S. Niccolo, representing the Madonna giving the girdle
to S. Thomas. It is inscribed with the date 1450, but
this is obviously a forgery, the letters having been
smeared in by the restorer. It was attributed by
Cavalcaselle to Alesso Baldovinetti, chiefly on account of
the landscape, which resembles that in the fresco of the
Nativity in the cloister of the SS. Annunziata.* It was
* Cavalcaselle, " Storia della Pittura," vi. p. 61.
1 66 POLLAIUOLO
Mr. Berenson who first detected the hand of Piero in
the painting, of which he writes that " type, draperies
and landscape point clearly to his style, while showing
his close relationship with Baldovinetti." * It seems to
me, however, that the influence may well have been
received indirectly through Antonio, for the landscape
has even more resemblance to his usual Arno valley.
In the right foreground lies a deer, admirably painted,
which recalls that in the background of the Hercules
panel, and another of which mention will presently be
made in the cartoon of S. Jerome. The Virgin, sur-
rounded by angels and cherubs in the form of&mandorla,
hovers over the Tomb filled with roses, by the side of
which kneels S. Thomas. The Tomb is of marble, but
is bound at the corners by metal acanthus leaves, which
recall Verrocchio's Sarcophagus in S. Lorenzo. The
fresco, if in reality designed by Piero, is one of the best
compositions by his hand. It is in so ruined a condi-
tion that little but the general forms can be criticised.
The deer has, however, fared better than the rest, and
in its truth to nature and easy attitude, suggests the
co-operation of Antonio himself, as also do the fine
landscape, the plastic treatment of what remains of the
head of S. Thomas, and the straight angular folds of
the draperies. The condition of the fresco forbids a
more definite judgment.
* Berenson, " Florentine Drawings," i. p. 26, note J.
CHAPTER XI
THE RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR
1477-1480
THE Silver Altar of S. Giovanni is perhaps the most
priceless of the art-treasures of Italy, not only for its
intrinsic beauty, but because, thanks to the time that
elapsed between commencement and finish, in its reliefs
the progress of Florentine art can be traced for a
hundred years. It is besides, for its elaborate and
exquisite decorations, one of the marvels of the gold-
smith's craft.
The original design was not for an Altar, but only a
Dossale which was to be placed upon the Altar for the
exhibition of the relics. It was not until 1483 that
the cornice and base of carved and gilded wood were
added, by which it assumed the dimensions of an
Altar.
Its history is briefly as follows. In the prosperous
years of the fourteenth century it was decided to endow
the Church of S. Giovanni with a Dossale, worthy of
the Republic. The original document of commission is
not forthcoming, but the inscription on the Altar itself
1 68 POLLAIUOLO
records that it was begun in 1366. This inscription
runs round the base on the left side, enamelled in
Gothic letters, and is as follows. ANNO DOMINI 1366
INCEPTUM FUIT HOC OPUS DOSSALIS TENPORE BENEDICT!
NEROZZI DE ALBERTIS PAULI MICHAELIS DE RONDINELLIS
BERNARDI DOMINI CHORONIS DE CHORONIBUS OFFICIALIUM
DEPUTATORUM. These names — Benedetto degli Alberti,
Paolo Rondinelli and Bernardo Coroni — are those of
the officials of the Arte della Mercatanzia, by whom
the commission was given. The first document of pay-
ment is dated January 16, 1367, and states that the
design was by Betto di Geri and Leonardo di Ser
Giovanni, the latter known for the equally elaborate,
though less artistic, Silver Altar in the Pistoja
Cathedral.* In 1377 the name °f Leonardo no longer
figures in the documents of payment, and instead we
find those of Cristofano di Paolo and Michele di Monte,
the former apparently acting as chief goldsmith. In
1425 the following entry shows how much was at that
date completed :
"Dossale of Silver ... for the Altar of S. Giovanni,
worked in relief with the story of S. John the Baptist, in
eight square compartments, each about one braccta square,
with thirty entire figures of silver placed above in the
manner of a frieze, each figure standing in its niche, with
an arched Tabernacle in the centre with many niches, in
which is to stand the large figure of S. John the Baptist,
to be made of silver, with many pilasters and niches above
* The Silver Altar of Pistoja was begun before that of S.
Giovanni. Leonardo was at work upon it from 1355 — 1371.
RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR 169
and at the sides. And this Dossale, placed entire upon
wood and strengthened, is preserved in the house of the
said Operai in a wooden chest made for it. The Altar is
placed in the Church of S. Giovanni on the vigil of his
nativity, which is celebrated each year on the 24th day of
June." *
In 1402 the work had ceased for lack of funds, and
the Dossale remained in its unfinished state for fifty
years, when (1452) Michelozzo was commissioned to
make the statue of the Baptist for the central
Tabernacle. Again a quarter of a century elapsed, and
it was not till 1477 that the lacking side reliefs were
undertaken. In that year on July 24, Verrocchio and
Antonio Pollaiuolo received the commission to execute
models. Verrocchio presented two and Antonio three,
for which they received respectively the sum of six and
eight florins. (It must be remembered that such models
were executed and paid for independently of the
ultimate commission, becoming the property of the
commissioners. They were generally exhibited to the
public before the final decision.)
The competition for a work of such importance was
inevitable and, as in the case of the Virtues of the
Mercatanzia, the models of the better Masters were
rejected in favour of those who were willing to demand
less money. Thus we find that in 1477 Antonio di
Salvi and Francesco di Giovanni, goldsmiths, partners
* See " Catalogo del Museodell' Opera del Duomo," Firenze, 1904,
p. 67. All the documents relating to the commission are transcribed
in the Appendix (Doc. XIX. p. 274).
1 70 POLLAIUOLO
in a bottega in the Vacchereccia, obtained the commis-
sion to execute two of the reliefs — the Banquet of
Herod and the Decollation of the Baptist — and
Bernardo di Bartolommeo Cenni the remaining two —
the Annunciation to Zaccharias and the Birth,
Verrocchio and Pollaiuolo being quite excluded from
the work. Was it perhaps the intervention of Lorenzo
de' Medici that made them alter this decision, as in the
case of the Forteguerri Tomb of Pistoja, or some
reduction in price made by the Masters ? At all
events the work was finally distributed as follows —
the Decollation to Verrocchio, the Birth to Antonio,
the Annunciation to Bernardo Cenni, and the Banquet
of Herod to the partners Antonio di Salvi and
Francesco di Giovanni. This commission is dated
Jan. 13, 1478. (1479 of our reckoning.) It is little to
the credit of the commissioners that these last should
have been preferred to Verrocchio and Antonio, for
their work is of the poorest, combining every defect of
trivial conception and execution. The Annunciation
of Cenni is trecento in its ndivett of treatment, but it is
a naivete without charm, due only to ignorance, while
the Banquet of Herod is merely a vulgar caricature of
the manner of Verrocchio. Verrocchio's Decollation and
Antonio's Birth are among the finest works of these
realistic Masters, and it is indicative of the fallacy of
popular judgment, even in that time of artistic
appreciation, that they should have been placed on an
equality with such paltry work as that of Cenni and
Salvi.
RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR 171
The four reliefs were finished in 1480. Verrocchio
received 397 florins, 21 lire and i soldo; Antonio, 487
florins, i lira, 16 soldi and 4 denari ; Antonio di Salvi
and his partner, 384 florins, 12 soldi and 10 denari, and
Bernardo Cenni 475 florins, 2 lire, 5 soldi and 10
denari. The prices are of interest as proving that the
poor work of Cenni and Salvi was equally well paid
with that of Antonio and Verrocchio, the differences
being merely according to the greater or less amount
of metal employed. The artists had, besides the
reliefs, to make all the pinnacles, niches, statuettes and
other decorations, in accordance with the older part of
the Dossale.
The history of the Baptist begins on the left of the
front of the Dossale, and ends on the right side with
the Banquet of Herod. The eight original reliefs of
the fourteenth century, comprise the following scenes.
1. The Departure of the child Baptist to the Desert.
2. The Presentation of Christ to the Multitude. 3. The
Preaching of Christ to the Multitude. 4. The
Baptism of Christ. 5. The Baptist rebuking Herod.
6. The Baptist disputing with the Pharisees. 7. The
Disciples visiting the Baptist in Prison. 8. Christ
healing the Sick. Nothing could be more beautiful
than the proportions and general design of the Altar,
nothing more dainty than the elaborate carvings and
enamels which adorn it. Above the reliefs a series of
small niches run round beneath the cornice. They are
enamelled on a blue ground with figures, in colours of
the same gem -like glow as those on the Cross above,
172 POLLAIUOLO
and each niche contains a small carefully wrought
statuette. In the angles of the arches of these niches
are round apertures from which tiny heads look out, a
design followed in the architectural decoration of the
Robbia school. Between each relief is an elaborate
Gothic pinnacle ornamented with statuettes and enamels.
The decoration of the sides corresponds precisely with
the earlier part of the Altar.
The central Tabernacle is of the fifteenth century, as
is proved by the character of the statuettes which
surmount it, one of which is a copy of the Joshua of
Bernardo Ciuffagni, now in the Duomo.
Antonio's relief, representing the Birth of the Baptist
(Plate XXXVI.), is on the left side of the Altar. It is
one of the most poetic of his works, realistic only in the
sense that it gives a faithful genre picture of a con-
temporary Florentine interior. In composition it bears
much resemblance to the same scene in the embroideries.
Here, as there, we look into the deep interior of a room,
in which the bed is placed midway. A servant brings
refreshments behind, and the child with its nurses
occupies the foreground. But the embroidery lacks the
exquisite stag-like figure of the Virgin, who enters
with her attendant, a figure which recalls so strongly
the Flora in the Primavera of Botticelli, as to suggest
that he had it in mind in painting her. The scene is
treated with greater solemnity than in the embroidery
— the figure in the bed, there verging on caricature,
is of great beauty and severity, although the attitude
hardly differs. The foreground scene — the washing of
RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR 173
the child — is sacramentally solemn, notwithstanding
the realism of detail, as for example the woman feeling
the temperature of the water. The severity of the
composition, of the attitudes, and expressions, of the
draperies with their long straight folds, is remarkable
at this period of Antonio's development. A few years
later and he will be executing the most bizarre and
voluptuous work of the quattrocento — the Arts and
Sciences round the Tomb of Sixtus.
Technically the work is admirable. The depth of
space is as usual presented with wonderful realism.
The perspective is faultless, and the space values between
the figures rendered with a success quite marvellous,
when it is considered that even those at the end of the
room are in high relief. All are wrought in one piece
of metal, with the exception of the Virgin, which is
attached to the background with a screw.
The Altar is in a state of almost perfect preserva-
tion. During the five centuries that have elapsed since
it was begun, its only damage consists in the loss of
one of the small statuettes of the frieze, of seven of the
tiny figures in the pilasters, and a few ornaments.
During the stormy times of Florence, when most of its
treasures were melted down, the Altar was spared, as
representing the importance of the city. In 1527
the Signoria, in sore straits for money, wished to pawn
it, but did not dare, so infuriated were the people at
the mere suggestion.*
* See Franceschini. " II Dossale d'argento del Tempio di S. Gio-
vanni," Firenze, 1894.
1 74 POLLAIUOLO
Albertini gives the following description of the Altar
as it stood in S. Giovanni :
" In the said Temple is an Altar, all of fine silver,
gilded, with the statue of S. Giovanni in the middle, by
the hand of Antonio Pullaro " (Albertini makes the same
error as Vasari in attributing Michelozzo's feeble figure to
Antonio), " and scenes in high relief by other Masters, of
admirable richness. Upon it is placed a very high cross,
all of fine silver, with most suitable figures, and the eight
large silver candelabra, and the golden rose, the gift of
the Pope, and many vases and reliquaries with figures and
enamels, by the hands of most learned Masters." *
Another description of the Altar as exhibited in the
Piazza del Duomo in 1530 is worth quoting :
"On the 1 6th day of May was shown in the Piazza, of
S. Giovanni, before the doors of S. Maria del Fiore and of
S. Giovanni Battista, in the midst of the said Piazza, the
Silver Altar of S. Giovanni Battista and all the relics of
the Saint, and above the said Altar the baldacchino,
attached to a rope that was stretched across the said
place. Afterwards was sung a solemn Mass of the Holy
Spirit in S. Maria del Fiore, the Signoria, the Guilds and
Magistrates being present, and the Mass said, they went
to seat themselves outside befoi'e the Church, as at the
procession of S. Giovanni. Next, all the soldiers were
assembled in S. Maria Novella, and marched in order to S.
Giovanni, passing before the Altar; and then appeared
two Canons chosen from those who were of highest dignity,
with the Books of the Evangelists, and placed their hands
* Albertini, " Memoriale, Quartiere di S. Giovanni."
RELIEF OF THE SILVER ALTAR 175
upon these Evangelists in oath, and passed on ; and in the
said procession there were sixteen green banners, each
having the sign of its Gonfalone." *
As late as the eighteenth century the Altar was still
brought twice every year from its wooden chest to the
Baptistry, and exhibited in the octagonally paved space
where once stood the font broken by Dante, t It was
removed to the Museo delF Opera del Duomo in 1891.
The final payment to Antonio for the relief was not
made until 1483, but it is probable that it was finished
long before this. Meantime he was employed by the
same commissioners (in 1478) to make a Reliquary to
contain the finger of the Baptist, and a cover for an
Epistolario wrought in silver with figures. This last
was melted down in 1500, and with the metal was
made a pair of candlesticks by Paolo Sogliani.J Of the
Reliquary we have no further notice.
* Cambi, " Storie fiorentine," published in " Delizie del Padre
Ildefonso," vol. xxiii.
t See Richa, "Chiese Fiorentine," 1762, vol. v. xxx. "In quello
spazio dell' ottagono, lastricato in oggi di mattoni, due volte 1'anno
si colloca il meraviglioso Dossale di argento massiccio che pesa libbre
325." The Font was destroyed in 1576 on the occasion of the
Baptism of Don Filippo, son of Francesco I. and Giovanna
d' Austria.
J Vasari, iii. p. 298, note 2.
CHAPTER XII
PORTRAITS BY ANTONIO AND PIERO.
PIERO'S LATEST WORK. C. 14,70-1483
IT would be strange if so realistic an artist as Antonio
had not been employed to execute portraits, at a time
when every Florentine of any wealth and standing was
having himself and his family painted. That he was
so employed we have the evidence of Vasari and
Baldinucci, but unfortunately none of the portraits
mentioned by them are in existence. From Vasari we
learn that he painted " Messer Poggio, secretary of the
Signoria of Florence, who wrote the history of Florence
after Messer Lionardo of Arezzo ; and Messer Gianozzo
Manetti, a very learned and estimable personage." *
These were painted to form part of a collection of
portraits of famous personages for the Palace of the
Proconsolo, where the Guild of Judges and Notaries
met. If they were painted from life, and not from
already existing portraits, they would have been
among his earliest existing works, since both Poggio
Bracciolini and Manetti died in 1459. Baldinucci tells
us that he executed many portraits, " which are to be
* Vasari, iii. p. 292.
PORTRAITS BY ANTONIO 177
seen in our own time in the houses and galleries of
citizens, very well preserved." " The loss of all these
works is infinitely to be regretted for judging by the
superb realistic portraits of Innocent VIII. on the
Roman Tomb, Antonio must have excelled in this as in
all else, and have seized the essentials of character with
the same unerring directness that he shows in the pre-
sentation of physical force.
One portrait may perhaps be attributed to him with
a fair show of reason — one of the most beautiful works
of the fifteenth century, the authorship of which has
always been a mystery — the Profile of a Lady in the
Poldi-Pezzoli Museum, Milan (Plate XXXVII.). In
the official catalogue it is ascribed to Piero dei Fran-
ceschi, in spite of the obviously Florentine character of
the work. It has also been attributed by different
critics to Verrocchio, to Piero Pollaiuolo, and to
Antonio, but tentatively rather than decisively. The
work is certainly by a realist, and one well versed in
the scientific methods of Antonio's school. The fine
construction and modelling, with its feeling for bone
and muscle, the delicate yet firm outline, the suggestion
of the goldsmith in the treatment, as well as its con-
nection with another profile, certainly Pollaiuolesque,
all point to Antonio as the painter.
The panel is inscribed on the back VXOR IOANNES DE
BARDI, and it has been generally supposed that it repre-
sents the same lady at a more advanced age as the well-
* "Fece ancora molti altri ritratti che si veggiono a' nostri tempi
per le case e gallerie de' Cittadini, molto ben conservati ..."
M
178 POLLAIUOLO
known profile, really by Piero dei Franceschi, in the
Berlin Gallery. The features certainly have much
resemblance, but an essential difference forbids the
acceptance of the identity of the ladies, for in the
Berlin portrait the eyes are pale blue, while in that of
Milan they are dark brown. The resemblance may be
due to one of two things, either that they were sisters,
or that the Milan picture was painted under the in-
fluence and in direct imitation of that of Berlin.
In execution the two portraits differ essentially. In
that of Berlin, flesh and hair are very thinly painted in
pale, almost monochromatic tones, and there is so little
solidity in the modelling that the profile lies on the
background almost as though cut out of paper. That
the official attribution to Piero dei Franceschi is correct,
the resemblance in style to his work, especially to the
ladies of the Queen of Sheba in the Arezzo frescoes,
proves, and it is probable that it dates from the same
epoch — between 1452 and 1466. The Milan portrait
must be, judging by the style of the hair, at least a
decade later, probably nearer to 1470. It is boldly
and solidly modelled, and in spite of the fact that the
background is painted against it so thickly as to make
a perceptible difference of surface, the profile stands
out with great realism as a third-dimensional object.
The intention is decorative, but it seems as though
the artist's scientific training made him, in spite of his
intention, realistic. His conception of the sitter
differs equally. While the Berlin portrait presents a
poetic and idealised study of a young girl, cold and
XXXVII
Alinari
PORTRAIT OF THE WIFE OF GIOVANNI DEr BARDI. BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. POLDI-PEZZOLI MUSEUM, MILAN
Face /. 178
PORTRAITS BY ANTONIO 179
emotionless as are all Piero's figures, that of Milan is
conceived with great realism. It shows a shrewd,
practical lady, sharp-witted, perhaps a little banale,
and certainly not without passions.
That the Milan portrait was executed under the
influence of that of Berlin seems evident. The same
importance is given to the outline, and there are many
other superficial likenesses, so obvious that it is need-
less to point them out. It is not unlikely, if the sitters
were really sisters, as the likeness of feature suggests,
that it may even have been executed as a pendant to
the older portrait.
No documentarily-authenticated portraits, male or
female, by Antonio's own hands are in existence, and no
heads painted on so large a scale — the portrait is life-
size — by which to judge his style in this branch of art,
but by the process of elimination his name seems forced
upon us as the author of the painting. With the ex-
ception of Verrocchio, no other artist of the epoch to
which it belongs, was capable of so fine and realistic a
work, and it shows Antonio's characteristics far more
than those of Verrocchio, both in conception and tech-
nique. The firm yet sensitive outline, the scientific
modelling of the cheek and neck, the crisp touches of the
hair, the vivacity of expression, correspond with the
special qualities of Antonio's work. Comparing it with
the portraits of Verrocchio I can find no points of
resemblance, and who but these two among contem-
porary painters was able to combine so exquisitely the
simple idealistic portraiture of the earlier quattrocento,
i8o POLLAIUOLO
with the subtle and realistic treatment of the later,
which found its culminating-point in the Mono, Lisa of
Leonardo ?
There is further evidence in favour of Antonio's
authorship in its connection with the much injured and
repainted portrait of a lady, No. 3450 of the Uffizi
(Plate XXXVIII.), like all this group ascribed to Piero
dei Franceschi, but evidently Pollaiuolesque. The face
has been so thickly repainted as to have nearly lost its
original character, and at first sight seems rather to
represent a lady of the eighteenth century, painted and
powdered, than a quattrocento Florentine. Only a very
close examination reveals the excellence of such parts of
the original work as have escaped the brush of the
repainter. Repaint nearly the whole of the picture is,
from the crude blue of the background to the heavily
stippled red of the cheek, which suggests the rouge pot.
Hair and flesh are thickly over-painted, the outline of
the face, perhaps once as delicate as that of the Milan
portrait, has been lost in the smearing of the back-
ground against it. The nose especially has been coars-
ened and modernised. The ribbons which bind the
hair have been edged with different colour like those of
the Milan head, but are completely retouched. The
strings of pearls which bind the hair are glassy and
obviously modern. Only in the throat and neck, the
repaint, being less thick, allows the original lines to
appear, and these lines are similar to those in the Milan
portrait. Such parts of the ear as are visible are also
precisely the same.
XXXVIII
Alinari
PORTRAIT OF LADY. BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO (REPAINTED)
UFFIZI, FLORENCE
Face p. 1 80
PORTRAITS BY ANTONIO 181
It is strange that while the face and hair have
been thus daubed over, the sleeve and bodice are un-
touched, and in an excellent state of preservation.
Here the beautiful, carefully painted embroidery of the
sleeve and the deep amethyst-coloured velvet have
everything in common with Antonio's work. It is per-
haps idle to speculate, yet the perfect preservation of
the lower part of the painting, generally subject to most
damage, and the eighteenth-century character of the
head in its present state, suggest that the repainting
may be due, not to any damage suffered by the
original work, but to the effort to adapt the portrait to
another sitter. The neglect — almost contempt — with
which quattrocento work was regarded in the eighteenth
century is well known, and it is at least possible that
the portrait, which seems to have been always in the
Medici Collection, may have been tampered with by
some Court painter of one of the later Grand Dukes.
A third portrait shows unmistakable traces of
Antonio's influence, and seems to be by Piero in his
most mature years — the profile of a Lady in the Collec-
tion of the late Herr Hainauer, Berlin.* It represents
a young woman with a heavy and rather cruel expres-
sion, painted against a dark blue background. She
wears a white cloth or veil folded round her head, and
a green bodice cut very low on the chest, with a deep
crimson velvet sleeve. The face is solidly modelled, but
lacks, as in most of Piero's work, the feeling for bone
* Bought from the Odiot Collection, attributed by Mr. Berenson
to Antonio himself, by Dr. Bode to Piero.
1 82 POLLAIUOLO
and muscle. The wisps of hair escaping from the folds
of linen and hanging over the temples, point to a
date subsequent to 1465, when the shaved forehead of
the earlier epoch was beginning to be replaced by an
elaborate coiffure.
The portrait of Galeazzo Sforza, No. 30 of the Uffizi
(Plate XXXIX.), is proved byMocumentary evidence,
as well as by the character of the work, to be by Piero.
In the Inventory of the Medici possessions, made in
1510, it is thus mentioned : " In the large saloon on the
ground floor, called the room of Lorenzo ... a picture
painted with the head of the Duke Ghaleazo, by the
hand of Piero del Pollaiuolo ; " and again in the Inven-
tory of 1553 : " A portrait on panel of a Duke of
Milan, with gilded decoration and a doublet covered
with golden lilies." *
In the darkest part of the Corridor leading from the
Uffizi to the Pitti, among the Portraits of Illustrious
Personages painted for Cosimo I., is a portrait similar
in all respects to that of Piero, except that the hand
holding the glove is omitted. It is inscribed GALEACIVS
M. SFORTIA MED : DVX. Most of the portraits in this
collection were copied by Cristofano Papi, called
L'Altissimo, from earlier paintings, chiefly by cele-
brated artists. Rossi, in his article on Piero's portrait,
* " Nella chamera grande terrenadetta Chameradi Lorenzo . .
un quadro dipintovi la testa del Duca Ghaleazo di mano di Piero
del Pollaiuolo, f. 10."
" Un ritratto in tavola d'un duca di Milano con ornamento dorato
et vesta pienadigiglidorati" (Mtintz, "Les Collections des M^dicis, '
p. 60).
XXXIX
Alinari
GALEAZZO SFORZA. BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO. UFFIZI. FLORENCE
Face p. 182
PIERO'S LATEST WORK 183
suggests that both paintings were copied from a lost
original by a Lombard painter,* a suggestion which
seems very probable, for the character of the work is
Lombard rather than Florentine. Both have, more-
over, the stiff, conventional look of copied work.']' It
is possible that the original may have been presented
by Galeazzo to Lorenzo on the occasion of his visit to
Florence in 1471, and that Piero copied it some years
later, for the painting belongs to his best and most
mature period. The modelling is still faulty and the
bone ill-suggested, the eyes have the rounded lids of
the Virtues, the features are coarse and at the same
time insignificant, but it has neither the puffy model-
ling of his earlier work, nor the puppet-like imbecility
of expression. The portrait is in a very dilapidated
condition, having been apparently cleaned with some
corrosive which has exposed the underpaint, and most
unskilfully restored, with smearing brush-strokes which
give it a disagreeable look. The doublet, also smeared
over between the lilies, is of a deeper green than that of
the Corridor copy, which is paler and more harmonious.
One last work by Piero's unassisted brush, though
not a portrait, must find a place here — the Corona-
tion of the Virgin, in the Collegiata S. Gimignano
(Plate XL.). It bears the date 1483, and must there-
fore have been executed shortly before his departure
* Rossi, " Due Dipinti di Piero Pollaiuolo," "Arch. Stor. dell'
Arte," 1890, p. 160.
f Cavalcaselle also was of opinion that the portrait by Piero was
copied. Cavalcaselle, vi. p. 136.
1 84 POLLAIUOLO
for Home. It is the only work to which he has signed
his name, and represents, in spite of its dulness, the
highest point of his development and his nearest
approach to a scientific construction of the body.
The painting was commissioned by Fra Domenico
Strambi,* for the High Altar of the Church of
S. Agostino, whence it was removed to the Collegiata.
It is not in its original state, a strip having been cut
off the top, as the remains of the cherubs show, and a
piece added at the bottom. The composition is well
balanced, but there is no feeling for space, anil the
picture seems overcrowded. Above, weighing heavily
on the figures below, are Christ and the Virgin, and
beneath the patron Saints of the city and church — to
the right SS. Jerome, Gimigna.no and Niccolo da
Tolentino, to the left SS. Agostino, Niccold di Bari,
and Santa Fina. The last is the only figure which
retains something of the puffy modelling of his earlier
work, the rest, particularly the Virgin and Christ, are
as meagre and bony as skeletons. At the age of forty
Piero has at last mastered the anatomy of the human
frame, and as though proud of his knowledge, unduly
accentuates the bone. The faces are no longer un-
modelled lumps of flesh without expression, but show,
especially those of Christ and St. Jerome, a knowledge
of the skull, and they have all a certain gravity and
* The same (called "II Dottor Parigino" from the fame of his
theological teaching in the Paris University) who, in 1464
commissioned Benozzo Gozzoli to paint the frescoes of the life of
S. Agostino in the Choir Chapel of the same Church.
XL
Alinari
CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN. BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO
COLLEGIATA, S. GIMIGNANO
Face p. 184
PIERO'S LATEST WORK 185
concentration. It is evident that he has tried to
imitate Antonio's forms, the knotted joints and sinewy
limbs, but the power of presenting life is as far beyond
his reach as ever. The figures have weight and sub-
stance and are less puppet-like than formerly, but they
are still as lifeless as logs.
With the construction of the greater part of the
figures no fault can be found, but his old lack of the
sense of proportion is visible in the exaggerated height
of the Virgin. Were she to rise she would be at least
ten feet high. In spite of technical improvement few
pictures are more completely uninteresting, or reveal
more clearly the hopeless mediocrity of the artist. In
his desire to correct the puffy modelling of his earlier
work, Piero has fallen from one fault to another, for
nothing could be uglier than the gaunt Virgin with her
sour expression, or less attractive than the meagre
Saints. The inflated folds of his earlier draperies he
has also corrected, but they are still unstructural, and
without any beauty of line. The painting is in oil, the
colours, thickly applied, are dull and opaque, and have
a vitreous shine in the flesh-tints.
The only sculptured work which can be attributed,
and that with hesitation — to Piero, is the terra-cotta
bust in the Museo Nazionale, which bears the name of
Piero di Lorenzo de1 Medici. It is officially attributed
to Verrocchio, and was formerly, with as little reason,
given to Antonio Pollaiuolo. The lack of energy and
poor modelling are sufficient to exclude it as the work
of either of these Masters. The face is modelled with
1 86 POLLAIUOLO
no feeling for the structure of the bone, the shoulders
are like those of a badly carved dummy, and the attach-
ment of the arms is indicated with a lack of science
surprising even in so poor an anatomist as Piero.
There is, however, in the puffy flesh and in the feeble-
ness of expression, something which recalls his work
more than that of any other artist of the time. If the
portrait really represents the son of Lorenzo, and is by
Piero, it must be one of his latest works, for Piero de
Lorenzo was not born till 1471, and the face is that of
a youth of at least eighteen. The features have the
characteristic Medici look and resemble strongly the
family portraits in Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi.
An attempt has recently been made to ascribe to the
hand of Antonio the terra-cotta bust of Charles VIII. in
the same room, * but fine as it is, it has neither the
quality nor the character of his work. Like that of
Niccold d'Uzzano ascribed to Donatello, it is one of
those mysterious works that suggest the hand of the
modern imitator. It has at different times been
attributed to Andrea della Robbia and to Verrocchio,
attributions as little satisfactory as that to Antonio,
and which have convinced no one. It is however
artistically of so much importance that any attempt to
elucidate the mystery is of interest. The work is
certainly Florentine, and seems executed with the
intention of casting in bronze. It represents the King
* See Marcel Reymond's article, "Le Buste de Charles VIII.."
" Bulletin Archeologique du ComitS des Travaux Historiques et
Scientifiques," 1895. p. 242.
PIERO'S LATEST WORK 187
exactly as he is described by the Ambassador Zaccharia
Contarini in his report to the Venice Republic. " The
King of France,"" he wrote, " is twenty-two years of age
small and ill-made in his person, ugly in face, with
great white eyes more apt to see evil than good ; the
aquiline nose also is larger and coarser than it should be ;
the lips also are large, and he keeps them continually
open."
With all its realism the bust is lacking in the essential
characteristic of Antonio — energy. The expression is
feeble and insipid, and neither weakness nor insipidity
were the defects of the King, nor was Antonio the artist
to bestow them on his sitters. Had he executed the
portrait of this same monkey-like head, with its large
features and evil expression, we should have had
something very different to this weakly sensual face.
Moreover the modelling is not worthy of his science, for
it is lacking in subtlety, and the treatment of the eyes
and the hair is poor and conventional. With the
energetic and exquisitely modelled bust of the Young
Warrior before us, it is impossible to accept it as his
work. If, as seems possible, it is modern, the only artist
capable of so admirable an imitation was Bastianini.
Vasari tells us that Antonio executed several " very
beautiful medals," including some of the Popes, but it is
probable that he attributed to him those of other artists,
for none are in existence. The only medal cited by him —
that struck on the occasion of the Pazzi Conspiracy — is
not by Antonio, although for years it has passed under
his name. This medal, which bears on the obverse the
1 88 POLLAIUOLO
head of Lorenzo, with the scene of his rescue in S. Maria
del Fiore, and on the reverse that of Giuliano, with the
scene of his murder, has nothing in common with
Antonio's style, and has been conclusively proved to be
the work of Bertoldo di Giovanni, the pupil and assis-
tant of Donatello.*
* See Bode, "Bertoldo di Giovanni und seine Bronzebildwerke "
(" Jahrbuch der Kgl. Preuss. Kunstsammlungen," 1895, p. 153).
CHAPTER XIII
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES
1484-1498
WE have now reached the epoch in Antonio's life which
marks an astonishing change and development in his
work. It may be that the wider intellectual atmosphere
of Rome stimulated his faculties, the fact remains that
in the two superb monuments executed by him there,
he touched a higher point than he had hitherto reached,
not only in intellectual energy of the conception, but
in the perfection of his science and skill. The magnifi-
cent figures which surround the Tomb of Sixtus, and
the two splendid statues of Innocent, represent the
climax of his powers. With them he initiated a new
and freer style in sculpture which realised the aims for
which Florentine Art had striven since the days of
Giotto. It is significant of the strength of his person-
ality that the antique sculpture seen by him in Rome
exercised but the most superficial influence upon his
work there. His Tombs are the most personal and
original of his productions. In the reliefs of the Silver
Altar he still adhered somewhat in idea, in composition,
1 90 POLLAIUOLO
and in detail, to the severe traditions of the Florentine
School. In the Tombs of the Popes he breaks uncom-
promisingly with all tradition, and innovates a licence
in the treatment of the human form which opened the
way directly towards the splendid creations of Michel-
angelo in the Sistine Chapel, and indirectly to the
baroque art of the following century.
Francesco d'Albescola della Rovere, who succeeded
Paul II. in the pontificate in 1471, under the name of
Sixtus IV., died August 13, 1484, at the age of
seventy-one. His successor, Giovanni Battista Cybo —
Innocent VIII. — in calling Antonio to Rome to execute
his Tomb, was probably influenced by Lorenzo de1
Medici. The Tomb of Sixtus was finished, as its date
shows, in 1493, but Innocent did not live to see it,
dying himself a year earlier. Later his nephew,
Cardinal Lorenzo Cybo, commissioned Antonio to
execute the second Monument, which is, in much of its
detail, only a replica of the first. This — his last existing
work — was finished only in the year of his death, 1498.
Piero, who accompanied him to Rome to aid him in the
Monuments, had already died in 1496.
Of the Tombs Vasari writes :
" Antonio, grown very famous among the artists, was
after the death of Sixtus IV. called by Innoceut his suc-
cessor to Rome, where he executed in metal the sepulchre
of the said Innocent, in which he portrayed him as alive,
seated as when he gave the benediction ; which was
placed in S. Pietro; and that of the said Pope Sixtus,
TOMBS OF THE POPES 191
which was finished at great cost,* and placed in the
Chapel called by his name, richly decorated and com-
pletely isolated ; and upon it lies the said Pope excellently
done ; and the Tomb of Innocent in S. Pietro is near the
Chapel where is the Lance of Christ." f
The Tomb of Sixtus (Plates XLI. and XLII.) is in
its original state, but as will be seen, that of Innocent
has suffered an essential change. Both have been
moved from their original place. That of Sixtus was,
as Vasari states, in the Gappella di Sisto, now the Coro
dei Canonici, in the left aisle. It was removed between
1609 and 1615, when the Chapel was adapted to its
present use, and was temporarily placed in the Sagrestia
Vecchia, where it remained till 1635. In that year,
under Urban VIII., it was removed to its present
position in the Chapel of the Sacrament. M. Reymond
is of opinion that in its original state the Tomb was
raised on a base of marble, like that of Martin V. by
Simone Ghini. The higher elevation would certainly
add to its effect and it seems in fact to demand it.
The statue of the Pope in tiara and full pontificals
lies stretched out simply on the slab — a bed of state it
has been called. The head is supported on cushions
embroidered with the Rovere arms, the hands and feet
rest naturally, the eyes are solemnly closed, and around
this austere figure writhe and gesticulate in every variety
of twisted posture, sixteen nude females. Nude to all
intents they are; for the crumpled draperies, which
* For the Tomb of Sixtus Antonio received 5000 gold ducats,
t Vasari, iii. p. 295.
ig2 POLLA1UOLO
cover part of their bodies and limbs, are as transparent
as gauze — a tour deforce of diaphanous texture mani-
pulated in metal.
As portraiture the head has less character than
might have been expected, given the energy of both
sculptor and Pope (Plate XLIIL). Pride and over-
bearance were his salient qualities, whereas these
features express chiefly benevolence. The painting by
Melozzo da Forli in the Vatican gives a better idea of
his temperament. This is due no doubt to the statue
having been executed from already existing portraits
and not from life. But the modelling of the face is
faultless, on broader lines and more plastically treated
than any work we have yet seen. The goldsmith
betrays himself in the elaborate and carefully wrought
tiara and vestments, but the face has the breadth of the
sculptor in marble.
The slab on which the body is laid is covered with
elaborate brocade, and rests on a base on which are
represented the Seven Virtues, while round the sides
recline the Arts and Sciences, all the figures in highest
relief.
The Inscription at the foot runs as follows :
SIXTO QVAR PONT MAX EX ORDINI MINORVM DOCTRINA
ET ANIMI MAGNITVDINE OMNIS MEMORISE PRINCIPI
TVRCIS ITALIA SVMMOTIS AVCTORITATE SEDIS AVCTA
VRBE 1NSTAVRATA TEMPLIS PONTEFORO VIIS BIBLIO
THECA IN VATICANO PVBLICATA IVBILEO CELEBRATO
LIGVRIA SERVITVTE LIBERATA CVM MODICE AC PLANO
.•Jk
SIXTUS IV. FROM THE TOMB BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
S. PIETRO, ROME
Face p. 102
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 193
SOLO CON DI NE MANDAVISSET
IVLIANVS CARDINALIS PATRVO B . M . MAIORE PIETATE
QVAM IMPENSA F . CVR
OBIIT I DIB . SEXTIL . HORA AB OCCASV QVINTA AN
CHR MCDLXXXIIIJ
V1XIT ANNOS LXX DIES XXII HORAS XIJ.
On either side of this inscription are the Rovere
Arms — the oak tree — surmounted by the Cardinal's
hat. On the raised slab behind the head of the statue
is Antonio's signature and the date :
OPVS . ANTONI . POLAIOLI
FLORENTINI . ARG . AVRO
PICT . AERE . CLARI
AN . DO . MCCCCLXXXXIIJ.
In the compartment below this inscription reclines
the Charity, recalling in her attitude the Ariadne of
the Vatican. She rests one elbow on a low stool, and
gazes down on a child at her breast. Another plays
against her knee. In one hand she holds the horn of
plenty, curved like a graceful lily, and in the other the
symbolic flaming heart. No conception could be more
different to the conventionally treated relief of the
Silver Cross than this romantic semi-classic figure.
Nothing but the symbols indicate that she is a Virtue,
and she appears rather some water-nymph reclining by
her stream. The legs are crossed at the ankles, in the
peculiar position which occurs so often in Antonio's
works, which resembles the Ariadne of the Vatican.
Indeed the figure might have been copied from some
Roman statue. The limbs, and especially the hands
x
i94 POLLAIUOLO
and feet are exquisite, of a beauty and delicacy of shape
and modelling surpassing all his previous work.
Antonio, who had hitherto rather ignored the female
nude, and had devoted his genius to the interpretation
of physical force, seems in these last works to have
become aware of the charm and beauty of the female
form, and certainly no other sculptor has combined so
exquisitely its possibilities of grace and strength.
On either side of the recumbent statue of the Pope,
in sharp contrast to the repose of the dead face, are
two of the most vivacious figures ever placed by a
quattrocento sculptor on a tomb. The attitudes and
gestures are as mannered and voluptuous as though
they were pirouetting in a ballet. They are conceived
in a spirit almost of flippancy which Antonio surely
would not have permitted himself had he been working
for the sober Florentines. The Faith gazes up, and
waves her cup with the air of a Bacchante, and the
Hope is little less boisterous. The climax of movement
is in these figures, for those immediately below — the
Prudence and Temperance — are less excited, while the
Fortitude and Justice on either side of the feet of the
statue are comparatively tranquil. The mannered
treatment of the draperies, crumpled into a thousand
pleats, accentuates the restlessness of movement, yet the
multiplicity of folds in no way hides, but rather
emphasises, the beautiful modelling of the limbs. If
the lack of simplicity may be regretted from the artistic
standpoint, one can have nothing but admiration for
the science and skill with which the figures are
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 195
executed. Antonio, at this point of his development
plays with the human form with the facility of one for
whom its construction and movements have no mystery.
He twists the supple limbs into the strangest postures
with a science that makes them appear natural and easy.
The ten figures representing the Arts and Sciences
are in much higher relief than the foregoing, some
of the limbs being quite free. They are equally
mannered in posture, equally voluptuous in idea, and
several are nearly as vehement in gesture. Each has a
cartello bearing the name, and an open book on which
is inscribed some text from the Bible or Classics.
Three are almost completely naked, while the rest are
so diaphanously draped that no curve of the body is
concealed, and perhaps never has the female nude been
at once so exquisitely and so scientifically modelled.
The chiselled and polished limbs and the finely formed
hands and feet are of unequalled beauty.
At the head of the Tomb are Philosophy and
Theology, at the foot Rhetoric and Grammar ; to the
right Geometry, Music and Perspective, to the left
Arithmetic, Astrology and Dialectics.
Philosophy is represented by a young woman, seated
on a low carved stool, immersed in study. On one
dainty hand she leans her head, the other holds the
book in which she reads. By her side is a desk with
another book, on whose pages her motto is inscribed.*
* It may be of interest to transcribe these mottoes. That of
Philosophy is : " Intelligere quidem et scire contingit circa
omnes scientias quarum sunt principia et caussse aut elementa."
196 POLLAIUOLO
Theology by her side, is one of the most beautiful of
the series (Plate XLIV.) She lies grasping a bow, her
quiver slung over her shoulder, shading her eyes from
the Trinity, symbolised by a sun with three faces. A
gay little angel holds the Bible open before her.* It is
a strange conception of the theme and in keeping with
the pagan character of the Monument, for this volup-
tuous nymph might more fitly represent Diana, struck
down by her love for Endymion, than so serious a study
as Theology.
Geometry is seated in much the same attitude as
Philosophy, bent over her task with her head twisted
away from her legs. She works out a problem with her
compasses from a book open before her.f On the bench
is carved an apparently irrelevant scene — a sea-god
bearing off a naked nymph on his back — which recalls
the paintings of the Hercules series.
Music is seated at a small organ which is decorated
with the Rovere stemma. A winged putto blows the
bellows. She is very animated and the fluttering
ribbons add to the impression of restlessness.]:
* The motto of Theology : " In principio creavit Deus ccelum et
terram, terra antem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebroe erant super-
faciem abyssi. In principio erat verbum et verbum erat apud
Deum et Deus erat verbum."
t " Dato angulo dato circulo equum angulum capientem portionem
abscindere. A dato puncto ad datum circulum liniam contingente
descendere. Corporum isoperimetrorum capacissimum est sphce-
rium. Corpus est quod habet longitudinem, latitudinem et profun-
ditatem. "
f The motto of Music : "Varia Musicorum, Instrumentorum genera
exculpta habebat."
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 197
By her side, is Perspective (Plate XLV.), one of the
most beautiful figures of the series. It has the interest
of being the first time Perspective had been included in
artistic representation among the Arts and Sciences.
She holds in one hand an astrolabe, and bears over her arm
the Rovere stemma, as being under the special protection
of the Pope. This honour is accorded only to three of
the figures, the other two being Rhetoric and Dialectics,
doubtless in tribute to his powers of oratory. To these
three Antonio seems to have given extra care for they
are the most beautiful in attitude and in form.
Perspective is more classic and simple in pose and
gesture than the other figures, and the outstretched leg
and foot are of a beauty remarkable even among these
exquisitely modelled limbs.*
Arithmetic on the other side of the Tomb has on her
face the expression, wonderfully well presented, of one
who calculates. She bends over her tablets, absorbed in
* Her motto has a special interest as being quoted from the "Per-
spectiva Communis " published by John Peckham, in the very year
of the completion of the Tomb. It runs : " Sine luce nihil vedetur.
Visio fit per lineas radiosas recte super oculum innitentes. Radius
lucis in rectum semper porrigitur, nisi curvetur diversitate medii.
Incidentiae et reflectionis anguli sunt aequales." The original words
of Peckham are as follows: "prop. L: " Sine luce nihil videri." I.
prop. XXVIII : " visionem fieri per lineas radiosas recte super
oculum et initentes," I. prop. XV. " radius lucis primarie similiter
et coloris in rectum porrigitur. nisi diversitate medii incurvetur."
II. paro (prop.) VI. . . . angulos incidentie et reflectionis aequales
esso." This interesting discovery was published by C. Joseph Kern
in his " Grundziige der Linear Perspektivischen Darstellung inder
Kunst der Gebruder Van Eyck,'1 Leipzig, 1904, vol. i. p. 35.
198 POLLAIUOLO
the problem before her.* Next to her is Astrology, an
inspired figure gazing upwards, one of the simplest in
pose and the most severe of the series.f Dialectics
again is less mannered and of great beauty (Plate
XLVL). Like Perspective, she bears the Rovere oak
branch, and with the other hand holds the symbolic
scorpion. J
At the foot of the Tomb are two nude figures,
Rhetoric and Grammar reclining back to back with
their feet crossed. Rhetoric (Plate XLVII.) holds the
Rovere oak branch ; § her body and legs repeat almost
exactly those of Grammar in a reversed position.
Notwithstanding the restlesssness of the figures and
draperies, the exceedingly high relief, and the goldsmith's
minuteness of detail, the general effect of the Monument
is grand and severe. Technically as well as artistically
* " Numerorum seriem in infinitum procedere. Numerus est
multitude ex unitate composita."
t The motto of Astrology : ' ' Qui ad rem aliquam aptus est,
habebit omnino stellam eius rei significatricem in nativitate sua
potentam. Animus qui ad intelligentiam rerum aptus est, magis
assequitur veritatem. quam qui ad summum se in scientia exercint.
Amor et odium accipiuntur ex convenientia turn luminarium turn
etiam ascendentise utriusque nativitatis ; signa vero quse obosdientia
dicuntur, intendunt amicitiam. Animus sapiens coelesti pote stati
cooperatur, sicut optimus quoq' agricola in undando arandoq' naturae
ipsius agri cooperatur."
J The motto of Dialectics : " Ars artium et scientia scientarum
ego sum, in omnibus doctrinis principia pono, quia ratiocinandi
doceo modum, ideoque verum et falsum unicuiqu' eligio."
§ The motto of Rhetoric : " Apertaet ampla oratione ex qualibet
disciplina pro tempore assume, apte dico, persuadeo et dissuadeo."
Of Grammar : " Diversorium idiomatum homines doceo, ut uno
duntaxat id i ornate o nines loquantur."
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 199
it is the Masterpiece of Antonio, all metal workers
agreeing that it is one of the most superb examples of
casting and chiselling in existence.
With all its originality and beauty the Tomb of
Innocent VIII. cannot be compared to that of Sixtus.
It is its echo only, and, as will be seen, much of the
detail is merely assistant's copy from it. Only the two
noble portrait statues show the same grandeur of con-
ception and power of execution, and these are as
superior to that of Sixtus, as are the reliefs that sur-
round his Tomb to those on the Monument of Innocent.
In the Tomb of Sixtus the wealth of detail throws the
figure somewhat in the shade. In that of Innocent the
statues dominate.
It is probable that it was begun soon after the com-
pletion of the other. Innocent was struck by apoplexy
in 1491, and died the following year, never having re-
covered his faculties. He thus did not live to see the
Tomb of his predecessor. At his death his nephew,
Cardinal Lorenzo Cybo, commissioned Antonio to
execute the Monument, which was originally placed, as
described by Vasari, near the Chapel of the Sacred
Lance. This Chapel, dedicated to the Virgin and
S. Gabiniano, was erected by Gregory III. at the end of
the chief nave of the old Basilica Constantina, and
above the Altar, Cardinal Cybo, in 1495, caused a
Tabernacle to be constructed for the relic according to
the wishes of his uncle. The acquisition of this Lance
— or rather Lance-head — was, as is well known, the
chief glory of Innocent's pontificate. It was presented
200 POLLAIUOLO
to him by the Sultan Bajazet as part payment for his
custody of Prince Djem, the rightful heir to the Turkish
throne. The statue of Antonio holds the Lance-head,
a faithful portrait of the relic, and was intended to
guard over the Tabernacle wherein the treasure was
deposited. Altar, Tabernacle, and Tomb were how-
ever removed from their original place in 1507, when
the old Basilica was demolished, and were placed tem-
porarily in the nave of the Volto Santo, where they
remained until the completion of the new building in
1621. The relic was then placed in one of the four
Loggie of the dome, where it still remains, and the
Monument of Innocent was removed to its present
position near the Cappella del Coro. It has been
altered from the original plan, the recumbent figure,
which used to rest on the projecting bracket over the
seated statue, having been placed below it, while the
whole of the surrounding marble work was added. In
the Collection of Herr von Beckerath, Berlin, is a pen-
drawing of the seventeenth century, showing the Tomb
in its original state, probably sketched j ust before the
alteration.
The Pope is seated in full pontificals, one hand raised
high in the papal benediction, the other grasping the
head of the Lance. Below are inscribed the following
words :
INNOCENTIVS VIII CIIBO
IANVENSIS . PONT . OPT . MAX
VIXIT . ANNOS VII . ME . X . DI . XXV
OBIIT . AN . DNI . MCDHIC . M . IVLII
XL VI 1 1
Anderson, Rome
TOMB OF INNOCENT VIII. BRONZE. BY ANTONIO
POLLAIUOLO. S. PIETRO, ROME
Face p. 200
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 201
On either side, enthroned in niches, are the four theo-
logical Virtues, and above, beneath the heavy bracket
where once lay the recumbent figure, are the stemmi of
the Pope and Cardinal Lorenzo. In the lunette over
are the three Cardinal Virtues, Charity in a mandorla
supported by Faith and Hope.
Below lies the statue of the dead Pope, on a bronze
sarcophagus decorated with the Cybo stemma and the
Papal arms. On it is inscribed :
IN INNOCENTIA
MEA INGRESSVS SVM
REDIME ME DOMINE
ET MISERERE ME.
Here the original work of Antonio ends. The framework
of coloured marbles, the surmounting stemmi and urns,
the marble brackets which support the throne, and the
long inscription, date from the seventeenth century.*
* The later inscription is as follows :
D . o . M
INNOCENTIO . VIII . CYBO . PONT . MAX
ITALICAE . PACIS . PERPETVO . CVSTODI
NOVI . ORBIS . SVO . AEVO . INVENTI . GLORIA
REGI . HISPANIARVM . CATHOLICI . NOMINE . IMPOSITO
CRVCIS . SACRO . SSANCTAE . REPERTO . TITVLO
LANCIA . QVAE . CHRISTI . HAVSIT . LATVS
A . BAIAZETTE . TVRCARVM . TYRANNO . DONO . MISSA
AETERNVM . INSIGNI
MONVMENTVM . E . VETERE . BASILICA . HVC . TRANSLATVM
ALBERICVS . CYBO . MALASPINA
PRINCEPS . MASSAE
FERENTILLI . DVX . MARCHIO . CARRARIAE . ET . C
PRONEPOS
ORNATVS . AVGVSTIVSQ . POSVIT . ANNO . DOM . MDCXXI
202 POLLAIUOLO
The statues seem to be, one a very realistic study from
life (Plate XLIX.), the other modelled on a death-
mask (Plate L.) Their superiority to that of Sixtus is
probably due to the close acquaintance Antonio must
have had with the features of Innocent during his
residence in Rome. The character of the Pope was
genial and good-natured, but he is reproached for
avarice and lack of decision. All these qualities are to
be read in the expressive faces. The weakness of char-
acter, accentuated by Peretta Usodimare in the receding
forehead and chin and feeble mouth of his medal, struck
in 1484, is suggested only with the utmost subtlety by
Antonio, while full justice is done to the noble bearing
and imposing presence for which he was celebrated.
The statues are treated with greater freedom than
that of Sixtus, and less emphasis is laid on the orna-
ments of the robes. The free pose, the declamatory
gesture, and the multiplicity of folds in the draperies,
give to the seated figure a somewhat baroque air, which
certainly was not without effect on the sculptors of the
following century.
The contrast between the living and the dead figures
is sharply emphasised. The former, with its animated,
sweeping gesture seems the incarnation of energy and
power. The hand seems raised, not in benediction, but
in imperious, almost menacing, command. Below, the
corpse lies inert and powerless, the fires of life burnt out,
leaving only great dignity and solemnity of expression.
It must certainly have been executed from a death-mask.
The peaked nose, the skin strained over the bones, the
XLIX
I/A
A/oscioni, Rome
INNOCENT VIII. FROM THE TOMB. BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
S. PIETRO, ROME
Face p. 202
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 203
hollowed eyes, show every sign of having been moulded
on the corpse itself.
The four Virtues on either side of the seated statue
are but varied copies of those on the Tomb of Sixtus.
The same designs have served for both, with a few slight
changes in the inclination of the heads and arms, and
in the folds of the draperies. The execution has evidently
been left to assistants, for the figures have less energy,
the draperies are coarser, and the modelling of the nude
parts is not so delicate. The exquisite chiselling and
polish of the others also is lacking in these replicas.
The three Virtues above in the lunette must also have
been left chiefly to assistants, for in execution they are
unworthy of Antonio's own hand. The design is bold
and original, and as far as is known to me it is the first
time the subject has been so treated — the Charity sur-
rounded by the mandorla, whom Faith and Hope serve
as attendant angels. It will be remarked that these
figures are also but varied repetitions of those on the
Tomb of Sixtus, the Charity of the Justice, the Faith
and Hope of the same Virtues.*
The remains of the Pope were placed in the
Sarcophagus, Jan. 30 1498, as is noted by Burchard in
his Diary. An interesting account of the ceremony is
in existence, written by an anonymous eye-witness.f
He relates that the body was, at the hour of Vespers,
taken out of the coffin, and was found to be almost
* For the Tomb of Innocent Antonio received 4000 ducats,
f The MSS. is preserved in the Vatican Library. For the
original words see Doc. XXII. p. 281).
204 POLLAIUOLO
uninjured and still wearing the pontifical robes. It was
wrapped freshly in a robe of violet taffeta and placed in
the bronze Sarcophagus.
The account of its disinterment on the occasion of the
removal of the Tomb more than a hundred years later,
written by the archaeologist Jacopo Grimaldi is worth
transcribing.
"On the 5th of September, 1606, at the i4th hour, the
illustrious and most reverend Cardinals of the new Temple
of our Holy Lord — desirous that in demolishing the said
Basilica, the bones of the High Pontiffs, the relics, and
other objects worthy of notice, should be carefully walled
up — deputed that the Rev. Canons Dario Buccario and
Aloiso and the Lord Niccol6 Amato, should have the
charge of this, without whom the masons were forbidden
to open the Tombs, which were in the vaults in the midst
of the Basilica and along its sides. Wherefore, the same
Rev. Alloysio being present, was opened the urn or coffin
of bronze in the Tomb of the Pope Innocent VIII. in the
nave of the Holy Sudario ; and the body of the said
Innocent was inspected, and was found to be entire, but
corrupted : and it was wrapped in a red robe of satin, and
was clad in its precious pontifical vestments of gold,
embroidered with gold fringe and set with pearls. The
body was of great stature. Within the coffin, at the feet
of the Pope, was found a bronze coin, stamped with the
image of the said Innocent as he was when alive, clad in
a pluvial, surrounded by the inscription Innocentius
Januensis VIII. Pont. Max. On the reverse three female
figures with the words Justitia. Pax. Copia. The Sarco-
phagus was then closed, and was replaced in the new
THE TOMBS OF THE POPES 205
Temple, in the Chapel of S. Gregory, near the Tomb of
Clement VIII." *
Torrigio, in his " Sacre Grotte Vaticane," published
in 1635, giyes an account of the opening of the Tomb
which differs little from that of Grimaldi, and adds a
description of the later disinterment of 1621, when the
Monument was transferred to its present position.
"On the 10th of September the said Sepulchre was
again opened — the Cardinal Ottavio Bandini being present
— (and other coins of silver and bronze were found) having
been placed against the recess where now is the sepulchre
of Paul III. at the top of the Basilica, whence it was re-
moved and placed where it may now be seen, with the
Epitaph in gold letters, with the arms of the Pope himself
and of the Grand Duke.
In connection with the Tomb of Innocent must be
mentioned a series of designs in the Uffizi, there
attributed to Antonio, and generally supposed to be his
original studies for the Monument. They are in pen
washed with sepia, and represent a seated Pope, the
Virtues Prudence, Fortitude, and Justice, and three
Saints — James, Andrew, and Peter. (Cornice 34, Nos.
261 — 266 and 276.) The presence of the Saints has sug-
gested to some critics the idea that Antonio's Mon-
ument originally included such figures, and that they
wereremovedat the alteration of the seventeenth century.
The drawings are however not by Antonio, nor even of
his epoch. The sheet with the Pope is signed with his
* For the original words, see Doc. XXII. (2) p. 281.
206 POLLAIUOLO
name, but the handwriting does not resemble his. The
figure has but the most superficial likeness to that of
Innocent. The features and every detail of the dress are
different, and the lance-head is omitted. The Virtues,
while obviously imitated from those of Antonio, differ
in essential points, chiefly that they are nude to the
thighs. The drawings are free imitations of details of
the Tomb, apparently copied with the intention of
adapting them to a Monument of later date, and are
the work of some very mediocre artist of the late six-
teenth or early seventeenth century, who presumably
had not enough originality to create a new design.
Before closing this chapter on Antonio^s work in
Rome it may be as well to add that the Bronze Doors
of the Tabernacle which enshrines the chains of S. Peter,
under the High Altar of S. Pietro in Vincoli, which
are sometimes attributed to him, are not by his hand.
The date is inscribed on a tablet — 1477 — at which
time he was still in Florence. Moreover the work
bears not the slightest resemblance to his style.
DRAWINGS NOT ALREADY MENTIONED
MOST of the important drawings by Antonio have been
already noticed with reference to the works for which
they were designed, but there remain two, not hitherto
mentioned, of the greatest importance and beauty, and
several others of minor value.
It was Mr. Berenson who first drew attention in his
"Florentine Drawings" to a ruined pen and sepia
drawing in the Uffizi representing S. Jerome in
penitence.* The sheet is so ruined from damp and
careless handling that careful study is necessary before
the half-effaced lines detach themselves from the
stains of the corroded paper. At first glance only the
head of the Saint is visible, having been inked over in
later times, but after close inspection a composition of
great beauty in Antonio's most characteristic manner
is revealed. It is an elaborate drawing pricked for
transfer, probably the cartoon for some highly-finished
painting.
The Saint kneels in the foreground before a large
* Berenson "Florentine Drawings," i. p. 30. The drawing is not
exposed. The sheet measures 37 centimetres by 53.
2o8 POLLAIUOLO
Crucifix, and gazes up at the figure whose back is
turned towards us. His lips are parted and his
expression is fervent and concentrated. At his feet is
a pile of books, of which one is open, and at the foot
of the Cross are a skull and crossbones with the
Cardinal's hat. To the extreme right a lion is
devouring a lioness, and behind stretches a spacious
landscape composed in Antonio's usual style. To the
left are sharp rocks and beyond in the distance three
hounds dart swiftly, and behind these again is a group
of eight horsemen. To the right is a port opening to
the sea, in which float four large war-ships, and on the
farther coast is a battlemented tower and a large
fortress. In the middle distance a stream winds in
serpent-like curves towards the sea, and on the brink a
deer drinks, while another bounds beyond. The fore-
ground figure stands out prominently against this
landscape, which retains, even in its dilapidated
condition, the values of distance. The lines, where
they have escaped the corrosion of ink and paper, are
of great delicacy, the action of the beasts is energetic,
and the drawing of them admirably true to nature.
The drinking deer resembles strikingly that in the
Combat with Antceus.
Some clue may be obtained as to the painting for
which this was designed through an engraving which is
obviously copied from it, to which Mr. Berenson first
drew attention. In the 2nd edition of "Pisa Illustrata,"
published in 1812 by Alessandro da Morrona, this
engraving is reproduced, and corresponds in almost
DRAWINGS NOT MENTIONED 209
every detail with the drawing. The only difference is
that the figure on the Cross is turned towards instead
of away from us. As an engraving it is exceedingly
poor, being timidly executed with a weakness of line
which points to its being the work of an inexperienced
hand. Morrona, to whom the original plate belonged,
had no idea that it was connected with Antonio, his
interest in publishing it being, that he considered it to
be done from a lost painting originally over the Altar
of S. Girolamo in the Cappella Maggiore in the Campo
Santo. The Altai-piece had been replaced in 1595 by
the existing painting by Aurelio Lomi. He inscribed
the reproduction " L' Antico S. Girolamo del Campo
Santo, Rame del Secolo XV." His reason for identifying
it with the lost Altarpiece, besides the fact that it
represents S. Jerome, is that he considers the port
and fortress to be those of Pisa at the mouth of the
Arno.*
That the engraving was copied from a painting by
Antonio, for which the Uffizi drawing served as the
cartoon, seems undeniable, and the combination of S.
Jerome and the Port of Pisa, warrants the suggestion
that it was executed for the Altar dedicated to that
Saint in the Campo Santo. Moreover the fighting lions,
which take so prominent a place in the composition,
would be explained as symbolic of the subjugation of
* The present whereabouts of the plate is unknown, but impressions
precisely similar to the reproduction in " Pisa Illustrata" are in the
Albertina Collection, the British Museum, and the Munich Print
Room. The latter, however, is modern.
210 POLLAIUOLO
Pisa — the lioness — by Florence — the lion. In all other
representations of S. Jerome known to me the lion is
tranquil, either lying asleep or peaceably pacing. To
depart so far from the traditional treatment as to make
the tame beast devouring another, implies some special
motive.
To sum up. Seeing that the drawing in the Uffizi is
pricked for transfer, that it represents S. Jerome, with
a background which may well be the Port of Pisa, and
that a painting of that subject is known to have existed
in the Chapel of the Campo Santo before the sixteenth
century, it seems reasonable to suppose that it served
as the cartoon for part of the lost Altarpiece. Its
dimensions preclude the idea that it was the Altarpiece
itself, but it may well have been a predella scene. That
the painting was popular the existence of the engraving
proves. It would be of interest to discover whether it
has really perished, or whether it is lying hidden away
in the neighbourhood.
In the Collection of drawings at Chantilly is the
head of a Saint in black chalk attributed by Mr. Beren-
son to Antonio. It was described by Morelli as being
probably a copy of some work by Mantegna, and at first
glance something in the hard angular lines recalls the
Paduan School. The face bears some resemblance, in
the expression of pain in the eyes and parted lips, to
that of S. Jerome in the ruined drawing of the Uffizi.
It is pricked for transfer and may have served for some
larger painting of the same subject, possibly of the
Altarpiece to which the drawing was a predella-scene.
DRAWINGS NOT MENTIONED 211
Of equal importance is the pen and sepia study for
the equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza in the Munich
Print Room (Plate LI.). It belonged to Vasari, who
thus writes of it :
te After Antonio's death were found the drawing and
model which he had made for Lodovico Sforza, Duke of
Milan ; the which drawing is in our book in two designs
in one he has Verona beneath him, in the other, completely
armed, upon a pedestal covered with battle-scenes, he
makes his horse career over the body of a warrior : the
reason why he never executed these designs I have not
yet been able to learn."*
It seems to be the last of these drawings, lacking
however the carved pedestal, which is now in the Munich
Print Room.
Galeazzo Sforza decided to raise an equestrian statue
to his father Francesco, but was prevented by his
assassination in 1476, and the plan was put in execution
by Lodovico. Lodovico assumed the government of
Milan in 1480, and it was probably soon after that he
announced a competition for the work, for which
Leonardo, as is well known, gained the commission.
Leonardo's numerous studies for the statue are in
existence, and in the earlier drawings the horse careers
over the vanquished warrior as in Antonio^s sketch,
from which it may be assumed that it was so planned
in the commission. In one of them, now in the Windsor
Collection, the figures of both horse and rider have the
* Vasari, iii. p. 297.
212 POLLAIUOLO
strongest resemblance to Antonio's, although the
vanquished knight is replaced by the trunk of a tree.
The rider, standing stiffly upright in his stirrups, the
arm outstretched with the baton of command, as well
as the details of the armour, are precisely similar. In
his later designs Leonardo changed the rearing horse
to one pacing tranquilly, possibly influenced by the
success of the Colleoni statue, which had meantime
been completed.* Antonio's drawing was supposed to
be one of the many designs of Leonardo, until Morelli
ascribed it to its true author, f It is treated in the
same decorative manner as the " Prisoner before the
Judge " and the Wilton House nudes, the figure being
relieved against a dark background of sepia wash. The
horse is inferior in energy to the rider, whose gesture is
superb. As a portrait it is excellent, if one may judge
by its resemblance to the medal by Pisanello struck in
1441. There is strong reminiscence of Castagno's
Tolentino in the general conception and the attitude
of the rider, but in build the horse recalls rather those
of Paolo Uccello. In effect the group is noble and
majestic, but it is easy to see that Antonio had studied
equine less than human anatomy. The hind quarters
are poorly constructed, and the legs too short, while
the action is spiritless and even clumsy. The finest
* Leonardo began the statue and put it aside for some years.
He recommenced it in 1490, as we learn from his own words, *' A
di 23 d'aprile 1490 . . . ricominciai il Cavallo " (see Richter.
" Leonardo da Vinci," ii. p. 14.) The statue was never cast and the
model was destroyed by the French in 1500.
t Morelli, *'• Italian Painters," ii. p. 116.
Bruckmann, Munich
STUDY FOR EQUESTRIAN STATUE TO FRANCESCO SFORZA. DRAWIN<
BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO. MUNICH PRINT ROOM
Facep, 212
DRAWINGS NOT MENTIONED 213
part is the head, which somewhat resembles th" colossal
antique bronze, formerly in the Medici Collection, now
in the Museo Archeologico, Florence, a work which
influenced both Donatello and Verrocchio in their
equestrian statues. The drawing is in bad condition,
the sheet being much torn, but the pen-strokes still
retain their original delicacy and energy.
In the Collection of Lord Pembroke, Wilton House,
is a pen-study of a horse, which may possibly have
some connection with the Sforza Monument. It is a
mere outline in profile, with indications for measure-
ments and proportions in Antonio's own handwriting.
In the Collection it is given to Verrocchio, and its
attribution to Antonio is due to Mr. Berenson. The
correctness of this attribution is proved, not only by the
handwriting, but by the characteristic quality of the
line, sensitive yet firm, with that flame-like touch which
is so close to that of Leonardo. The horse is not
careering as in the Munich drawing, the two legs which
only are indicated, are in the tranquilly pacing position
of the Gattemelata and Colleoni statues. It is more
likely that it was designed for some other monument,
for we know from his letter to Orsini that Antonio
planned at least one other, though he seems never to
have put it in execution.
Besides these there are other drawings by Antonio's
own hand worthy of special attention. The best are
the two pen-studies of the Baptist in the Uffizi. The
first (Cornice 31, No. 357) is washed with sepia. It is
badly damaged, the ink and paper being corroded and
214 POLLA1UOLO
stained. It represents the Baptist, dejectedly leaning
his head on his hand and pointing to a skull. The
face, with its parted lips, between which one sees the
set teeth, is of the Hercules type, almost exactly similar
to the slain soldier who lies to the right in the engraving
of the " Ten Nudes." The other (Cornice 29, No. 699)
is less fine, but the characteristic touch makes its
authorship beyond question. * It is a rapid sketch of
the Baptist, again with an expression of suffering,
leaning against a rock, with one hand pressed to his
heart. It offers evidence of the care given by Antonio
to the construction of his figures, for each bone in the
hands and legs is inserted, and apparently dissatisfied,
he has drawn the hands again several times on the
sheet. One of these — in chalk, on a larger scale than
the rest — is a superb anatomical study. Below are
some words written in his own hand. " S. Giovannj."
"S. Saverstro di Jachopo.1' Apparently notes jotted
down on the sheet, the name being perhaps that of
the commissioner for whom the work was to be
executed.
Of importance also are three sheets of drawings, two
in the Uffizi, one in the Albertina, which evidently
belong to the same composition — studies for an
A deration of the Magi. Of those in the Uffizi one
represents the old King attended by a negro page
(Cornice 34, No. 369). He is prostrate, in a curious,
rather animal-like posture, while the boy holds up his
mantle. The action of this latter figure is superb.
* It was formerly unaccountably attributed to Giorgione.
DRAWINGS NOT MENTIONED 215
The sheet is signed " Antonio Pollaiuolo " in his own
handwriting. The second (not exposed. Cat. II.,
No. 2299) represents a young King in profile, who
stands holding a goblet, with three men behind him
engaged in conversation. The third — that in the
Albertina — seems a fragment of the same group. Two
men wearing high Greek hats stand conversing. It
was formerly attributed to Lazzaro Vasari, and later,
by Professor Wickhoff in his Catalogue of the Collec-
tion, to Andrea dal Castagno. The attribution to
Antonio is due to Mr. Berenson, who thus writes of it :
"The vehemence of the pose and action and the
determined look, do indeed vividly recall Castagno,
nevertheless the figures have a keenness and refinement
which surpass that master, while the well-hung draperies,
the large modelling, the sure and firm penstroke and the
very pictorial use of the wash, point unmistakably to
Antonio Pollaiuolo. Note the resemblance of the face to
that of the Hercules in the little Uffizi picture." *
These remarks apply equally to the two drawings of the
Uffizi. As with the cartoon of S. Jerome we must
regret here also the loss of some fine predella picture.
Lastly, among the genuine drawings by Antonio, we
have the exceedingly fine design in pen and sepia for a
Turibulum or Censer, in the Uffizi (Cornice 29,
No. 942). On the back of the sheet is another design
for the Navicella. Both are signed by his own hand
" Antonio del Polajuolo Horafo." The Turibulum has
* " Florentine Drawings," i. p. 17.
216 POLLAIUOLO
much in common with the Reliquary of the Silver
Cross, two storeys of small openings in imitation of
Renaissance windows, separated by Gothic pinnacles.
It is surmounted by acanthus leaves ending in a flame-
like point. The drawing is free and energetic, and has
the interest of a finished picture rather than of a mere
goldsmith's design.
Of the numerous drawings in Antonio's manner
attributed to him, the following are the most important.
In the Uffizi a small pen-sketch of an angel giving gold
to beggars (Cornice 29, No. 278), which seems to be a
copy from some original by his own hand, though the
dull mechanical stroke betrays the imitator. It appears
to be a fragment of a larger group, for parts of the
draperies of another figure are seen. It represents an
angel standing on a platform with a sack of money.
Out of a vessel he pours coins into the hands of a
beggar who carries a child on his shoulders. Two
others stand by, and a second angel seems to be
removing a barrier to give access to the platform.
In the same Collection are two fine pen-drawings
washed with sepia, attributed to Antonio. On one
sheet (Cornice 34, No. 275) is a youth clad in tight
fitting doublet and hose, who gazes up beseechingly.
On the other (Cornice 30, No. 370), are two studies of
the same youth in the same costume, one pensively
reclining, his head on his hand, and the other seated.
The first is signed " Antonio " in handwriting which
resembles his genuine signature. The line is firm and
delicate, the drawing and modelling are admirable, yet
DRAWINGS NOT MENTIONED 217
neither the figures nor the pen-stroke have the qualities
of his work.
It is perhaps hardly necessary to discuss the authen-
ticity of the large drawing of two fighting centaurs in
the Kunsthalle, Hamburg, there attributed to Antonio.
The lines are feeble and mechanical, the drawing poor
and incorrect, the hands being especially bad. The
subject only can be the reason of the attribution.
The pen drawing of Dante in the Collection of Christ
Church, Oxford, has much in common with the style of
Antonio, although it is not by his own hand. It has,
however, a special interest in its connection with the
painting by Domenico di Michelino in the Duomo,
Florence, which it resembles exactly. The commission
was given to Domenico in 1465 to paint " a figure in
the guise of the poet Dante, according to a model
furnished by Alesso Baldovinetti." * To the single
figure ordered, Domenico added at his own fancy, the
surroundings — the group of Florentine Buildings and
the illustrations to the " Divina Commedia " — and for
these additions he received extra payment. The
Oxford drawing is more in the style of Antonio than of
Baldovinetti. It is possible that it may be a copy of
the model mentioned in the document, which must
have been executed by some one strongly influenced by
Antonio.
* " 1465, 30 Gennaio, Alloghorono a Domenico di Michelino
dipintore . . . una fighura in forma e ghuisa del poeta Dante, la
quale debbe fare dipinta et colorita di buoni colori a oro mescolato
coli ornamenti come apare per modello dato per Alexo Baldovinetti
dipintore." See Gaye, "Cart. Ined." II. V.
2i 8 POLLAIUOLO
We have notice that Antonio gave to a certain
Francesco del Lavacchio, jeweller in his employ, a book
of designs, presumably for goldsmith's work, which
came later into the possession of the Alessandrini
family of Florence. According to Milanesi this book
of drawings passed from the Alessandrini to the
Marzimedici, in whose possession it was seen by the
antiquary Dei in 1756. * Migliore records that on the
fly-leaf were inscribed the following words, " Antonio
di Jacopo del Pollaiuolo, goldsmith, and Madonna
Tommasa his mother, gave a book of designs by the
hand of the said Antonio to Francesco di Antonio
del Lavacchio, jeweller, when he was employed as shop-
boy by the said Antonio." f The present whereabouts
of the book is unknown to me.
Of drawings by Piero, the only one that can be
attributed to him with any certainty is the head of
Faith, already mentioned, but it is probable that the
studies of nude old men in the Uffizi, one in the act of
drawing a bow and one reclining, are by his hand
(Cornice 42, No. 248, and 43, No. 100). Mr. Berenson
gives to him also the study of a horse in silver
point (Cornice 48, No. 7630). On the same sheet the
head of the same bald old man is sketched.
* Vasari, iii. p. 287.
t Del Migliore, Zibaldone, XXV. 392, c. 184, " Ant0 di Jacopo
del Pollaiuolo orafo e M. Tomasa sua madre dono un libretto di
disegni di mano dell d° Antonio a fran° di Ant° del Lavacchio
gioielliere quando stette per fattorino con do Ant° ." In the margin
is written, " Lib : di disegni in casa degli Alessandrini sul quale v'e
questo ricordo."
APPENDIX
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II
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE LIFE
AND WORKS OF ANTONIO AND
PIERO POLLAIUOLO.
[Where the name is not mentioned the statements
refer to Antonio.]
1432. (N.S.) Jan. 17. Birth of Antonio.
1439. Birth of Giovanni.
1443. Birth of Piero.
1457. Feb. 22. Commission for the Silver Cross of S.
Giovanni.
1459. Receives payment for Silver Cross.
1459. May ii. Is emancipated from his father.
1460. Executes three paintings representing the Labours
of Hercules for Lorenzo dei Medici.
1461. (N.S.) Jan. 3. Commission by the Abbot of S.
Pancrazio for a reliquary.
1461. July 7. Receives payment for a silver girdle from
Filippo di Cino Rinuccini.
1462. April 6. Receives payment for silver chain from
the same.
1465. Executes two silver candlesticks for S. Giovanni.
1466. Commission for the designs for embroideries.
1468. (N.S.) Jan. 19. Is required to value the palla of
the Lantern of S. Maria del Fiore.
1469. Decorates armour and accoutrements for Benedetto
Salutati to be worn at the Joust of Lorenzo.
APPENDIX 223
1469. June 26. Buys property at Quarata, near Pistoja.
1469. Aug. 1 8. Commission to Piero for the Virtues of
the Mercatanzia.
1469. Dec. 18. Renewal of commission to Piero for the
above.
1470. Aug. 2. Piero receives payment for two of the
Virtues — Faith and Temperance.
1472. Antonio executes helmet for the Count of Urbino.
1473. Last payment for the designs for embroideries.
1473. Aug. 30. Receives payment for the silver crucifix
executed for the Carmine.
1474. (N.S.) Jan. n. Commission from the Signoria to
execute silver basin.
1475. Altarpiece of S. Sebastian painted for the Pucci
Chapel.
1477. July 24. Commission for Relief for the Silver
Altar of S. Giovanni.
1477. Aug. 2. Receives payment for models for the
Relief for the Silver Altar.
1477. Piero executes model for the Fortiguerri Tomb of
Pistoja in competition with Verrocchio.
1478. April 9. Commission from the Operai of S. Maria
del Fiore for a reliquary for the finger of the
Baptist.
1478. Dec. 24. Commission to Piero from the Signoria
to paint the Altarpiece of S. Bernardo for the
Chapel in the Palazzo dei Priori. (Commission
withdrawn a month later and given to Leonardo.)
1480. Portate to the Catasto by Antonio, Giovanni, and
Piero.
1481. (N.S.) Feb. 17. Estimates reliquary made by
Jacopo da Pisa for S. Gimignano.
224 POLLAIUOLO
1481. Buys house in the parish of S. Michele, Berteldo.
1482. Commission to Piero from the Signoria to paint
ihefagade of a fountain.
1483. Buys property in the parish of Bacchereto of about
1 8 acres.
1483. Last payment for the Relief of the Silver Altar.
1483. Piero paints the Coronation of the Virgin for the
Church of S. Agostino, S. Gimignano.
1484. Departure for Rome.
1491. Takes part in the competition for the facade of the
Duomo.
1493. Completes the Tomb of Sixtus IV.
1494. July 13. Writes to Gentil Virginio Orsini for per-
mission to travel from Rome to Pistoja.
1494. Buys property near his estate of Bacchereto.
1496. Nov. 4. Makes testament.
1498. Feb. 4. Dies in Rome.
1498. Feb. 13. The Signoria claims debts due to
Antonio on behalf of his heirs.
Ill
LIST OF WORKS BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO.
PAINTINGS.
BERLIN. — Kaiser Friedrick Museum. DAVID. Oil on
wood. H. 0.96, cm. B. 0.34. Bought 1890.
FLORENCE. — Uffizi. 1153. COMBAT OF HERCULES WITH THE
HYDRA and COMBAT OF HERCULES AND ANTAEUS. Oil
on wood. 1301. SS. JAMES, VINCENT AND EUSTACE.
APPENDIX 225
Oil on wood. Painted for the Chapel of the Cardinal
of Portugal, S. Miniato. (With Piero.)
3450. PROFILE PORTRAIT OF LADY. Oil on wood.
(Much repainted.)
Museo dell' Opera del Duomo. DESIGNS FOR
EMBROIDERIES. 1466 — 1473-
S. Miniato. Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal.
Over Altar. Two ANGELS. Fresco.
Torre del Gallo. Villa Gallina. Arcetri. FIVE
DANCING FIGURES. Fresco. (Ruined and repainted.)
LONDON. — National Gallery. — 292. S. SEBASTIAN. Oil on
wood. 1475 ? Painted for the Pucci Chapel, S.S.
Anmmziata, H. 9 ft. 6 in. B. 6 ft. 7^ in. Bought from
the Marchese Pucci, 1857. (With Piero.)
928. APOLLO AND DAPHNB. Oil on wood. H. njin.
B. 7 1 in. In 1845 in the collection of Mr. W.
Coningham, later of Mr. Wynn Ellis, by whom it was
bequeathed to the Gallery, 1876.
MILAN. — Poldi-Pezzoli Museum. PORTRAIT OF THE WIFE
OF GIOVANNI DEI BARDI. Oil on wood. H. 0.46 cm.
B. 0.34 cm.
NEW HAVEN, U.S.A. — Jarves Collection. 64. HERCULES AND
NESSUS. Oil. H. o. 21 cm. B. 0.31 cm. Transferred
from panel to canvas in 1867. (With Piero.)
STAGGIA (NEAR POGGIBONSI). — Pieve di S. Maria. COM-
MUNION OF S. MARY OF EGYPT. Oil on wood.
TURIN. — Galleria Reale. 117. THE JOURNEY OF TOBIAS.
Oil on wood. H. 187 cm. B. 118. Painted for Or S.
P
226 POLLAIUOLO
Michele. Bought by the Gallery, 1865, from Baron
Garriod, who had it from Casa Tolomei, Siena. (With
Piero.)
SCULPTURE
FLORENCE. — Museo Nazionale. BUST OF WARRIOR. Terracotta.
HERCULES AND ANTJEUS. STATUETTE. BRONZE.
Museo dell' Opera del Duomo. SILVER CROSS,
1457 — 1459. Lower part only.
BIRTH OF BAPTIST. Silver relief on left side of
Silver Altar. 1477-1480.
Collection of Signor Brauer. SHIELD WITH MILO
OF CROTONA. Gesso on wood. From the Collection
of Mr. Capel Cure.
LONDON. — Victoria and Albert Museum. " DISCORD."
Gesso relief.
ROME. — S. Pietro. Chapel of the Sacrament. TOMB OF
SIXTUS IV. 1493. Bronze.
Left Aisle. TOMB OF INNOCENT VIII. 1498. Bponze.
DRAWINGS
BERLIN. — Kupferstich Kabinet. 471. NUDE ARCHER. Pen
and wash.
CHANTILLY. — Musee Conde. HEAD OF SAINT. Black chalk.
H. 19 cm. B. 14 cm. (Attributed to Mantegna.)
FLORENCE.—^*. On the back of Piero's painting.
CHAHITV. Black chalk heightened with white.
APPENDIX 227
[Cornice 29, No. 294.] TURIBOLO. Reverse ;
NAVICELLA. Pen and wash. H. 27 cm. B. i8£cm.
[Cornice 29, No, 699.] S. JOHN BAPTIST AND OTHER
STUDIES. Pen and wash. H. 28 cm. B. 19^ cm.
[Cornice 31, No. 357.] S. JOHN BAPTIST WITH
SKULL. Pen and wash. H. 34 cm. B. 23 cm.
[Cornice 31, No. 95 F.] ADAM. Pen and wash.
[Cornice 31, No. 97 F.] EVE. Pen and wash.
Dimensions of each, H. 27^ cm. B. 18^ cm.
[Cornice 34, No. 267.] NUDE STUDIES. Reverse :
STUDIES OF HERMA. Pen. H. 19^ cm. B. 24^ cm
[Cornice 34, No. 369.] OLD KING ADORING. Pen
and wash. H. 13 cm. B. 23 cm.
[Cornice 42, No. 269.] NUDE STUDIES. Pen and
chalk. H. 28 cm. B. 20^ cm.
[Cornice 42, No. 246.] NUDE STUDIES. Pen. H.
17 cm. B. 26 cm.
[Not exposed. Categoria II. No. 101.] S. JEROME.
Pen and wash. H. 37 cm. B. 53 cm. Pricked for
transfer.
[Not exposed. Categoria II. No. 2299.] YOUNG
KING AND SUITE. Pen and wash. H. 33 cm. B.
26 £ cm.
[Santarelli Collection. No. 58.] HEAD OF MAN.
Sepia Wash, H. 14^ cm. B. 10 cm.
LONDON. — British Museum. HERCULES AND HYDRA. Pen.
H. 28 cm. B. 16 cm.
PRISONER BROUGHT BEFORE JUDGE. Pen and wash.
H. 37 cm. B. 69^ cm.
MILAN. — Collection of Signor Frizzoni. S. SEBASTIAN. Pen
and wash. H. 23 cm. B. 9 cm.
228 POLLAIUOLO
MUNICH. — Kupferstich Kabinet. STUDY FOR EQUESTRIAN
St-itue to FRANCESCO SFORZA. Pen and wash.
PARIS. — Collection of M. Bonnat. NUDE MAN. Pen and
wash. H. 26 cm. B. 8 cm.
SALISBURY. — Collection of Lord Wilton, Pembroke House.
NUDE FIGURES IN COMBAT. Pen and wash. H. 23 \
cm. B. ig^cm. STUDY OF HORSE WITH MEASUREMENTS.
Pen.
VIENNA. — Albertina. Two MEN CONVERSING. Pen and
wash. H. 27^- cm. B. 21 \ cm.*
IV
LIST OF WORK BY PIERO POLLAIUOLO
PAINTINGS
BERLIN. — Kaiser Friedrich Museum. ANNUNCIATION. Oil
on wood. H. 150 cm. B. 174 cm. Bought from the
Solly Collection, 1821. Assisted in small part by
Antonio.
Collection of Herr Hainauer. PROFILE PORTRAIT OF
LADY. Oil on wood.
FLORENCE. — Uffizi
1306. PRUDENCE
69. HOPE
Oil on wood. Painted for
the Council Hall of the
' f Palazzo del Tribunale di
71. TEMPERANE A/r ^. ,
Mercanzia, Florence. 1469-
72. FAITH
n T47°-
73. CHARITY
* I am indebted for the measurements to Mr. Berenson's
" Florentine Drawings."
APPENDIX 229
30. PORTRAIT OF GALEZZO SFORZA. Oil on wood.
S. Niccolo Sacristy. MADONNA DELLA CINTOLA. Fresco.
[Possibly assisted in small part by Antonio.]
S. GIMIGNANO. — Collegiata. CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN.
1483. Oil on wood. Painted for the Church of S.
Agostino.
SCULPTURE
FLORENCE. — Museo Nazionale. BUST OF YOUTH? [called
Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici.] Terra cotta. Attributed
to Verrocchio.
DRAWINGS
FLORENCE. — Uffizi. [Cornice 42, No. 248.] OLD NUDE
ARCHER. Pen and wash.
[Cornice 43, No. 100] OLD NUDE MAN RECLINING.
Pen and wash. H. 21 cm. B. 25 cm.
[Cornice 43, No. 14506.] HEAD OF FAITH. Black
chalk rubbed with red. H. 20 cm. B. 17 cm. Cartoon
for painting No. 72. Pricked for transfer.
[Cornice 45, No. 78.] YOUNG NUDE ARCHER. Pen
and wash. H. 15^ cm. B. 13^ cm.
[Cornice 48, No. 763°.] STUDY OF HORSE AND HEAD
OF MAN. Silver-point. H. 20 cm. B. 27 cm,
230 POLLAIUOLO
V
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BALDINUCCI, FILIPPO. — Notizie dei Professor! del Disegno.
Firenze. 1728. Vol. iii. pp. 116-118.
BALDORIA, NATALE. — Monument! Artistic! in S. Gimignano.
Arch. Stor. dell' Arte. 1890. p. 67.
BARTSCH. — Le Peintre Gravure. Vienne. 1811. Vol.
xiii. pp. 201-204.
BERENSON, BERNHARD. — Florentine Painters of the Renais-
sance, London and New York. 1896. pp. 45-56.
Drawings of the Florentine Painters. London. 1903.
Vol. i. pp. 16-31, and ii. pp. 133—136.
Due Quadri inediti a Staggia. Rassegna d'Arte.
1904. p. 9.
BODE, WILHELM. — Die Italienische Plastik. Berlin. 1893.
p. 106.
Denkmaler der Renaissance Sculptur Toscanas.
Briickraan. Miinchen. 1904.
BORSARI. LUIGI. — Antonio del Pollaiuolo e gli Orsini,
Roma. 1891.
BURCKHARDT. — Cicerone. Ed. Bode and Fabriczy. Leipzig.
1904. pp. 443 and 656.
CAVALCASELLE E CROWE. — Storia della Pittura in Italia.
Firenze. 1904. Vol. vi. pp. 72-148.
CELLINI, BENVENUTO. — Trattati dell' Orificeria e della
Scultura. Firenze. 1857. Ed. Lemonnier.
APPENDIX 231
COCCHI, ARNALDO. — Degli antichi Reliquarii di S. Maria del
Fiore e di S. Giovanni. Firenze. 1901. pp. 45, 55, &c.
COLVINJ SIDNEY. — Finiguerra's Florentine Picture Chronicle.
London. 1898.
CRUTTWELL, MAUD. — Un disegno del Verrocchio per la
Fede nella Mercatanzia di Firenze. Rassegna d'
Arte. 1906. p. 8.
DELABORDE, HENRI. — La Gravure en Italic. Paris.
FABRICZY, CORNEL v. — II Codice dell' Anonimo Gaddiano.
Firenze. 1893.
FILANGIERI DI CANDIDA. — Conte. Un Bronzo del Pollaiuolo
nel Museo Nazionale di Napoli. L'Arte. 1898. p. 188.
FRANCESCHINI. — II Dossale d 'argento del Tempio di S.
Giovanni. Firenze. 1894.
FREY, KARL. — II Libro di Antonio Billi. Berlin. 1892.
GAYE, GIOVANNI. — Carteggio Inediti d' Artisti dei Secoli
XIV. XV. and XVI. Firenze. 1839. Vol. i.
GUALANDI. — Memorie Originali Italian! risguardanti le
Belle Arti. Bologna. 1840. Serie V.
KRISTELLER, PAUL. — Die Italienische Niellodrucke und
der Kupferstich des XV. Jahrhundert. Jahrbuch der
K. Preuss. Kunstsammlungen. 1894. p. 94.
LABARTE. — Histoire des Arts Industriels. Paris, 1864.
Vol. ii. pp. 467-472.
MACKOWSKY, HANS. — Das Silberkreuz fur den Johannisaltar
im Museo di S. Maria del Fiore zu Florenz. Jahrbuch
der K. Preuss, Kunstsammlungen. 1902. p. 235.
232 POLLAIUOLO
MESNIL, JACQUES. — Les Figures des Vertus de la Mercanzia.
Miscellanea d' Arte. 1903. p. 43.
MORELLI. — Italian Painters. Trans. C. Ffoulkes. London.
1893. Vol. ii. p. 180, &c.
Die Galerie zu Berlin. Leipzig. 1893. p. 30, &c.
MttNTZ, EUGENE. — Les Collections des Medicis au XVC
siecle. Paris. 1888. pp. 507-511.
Histoire de 1'Art pendant la Renaissance. Paris.
1891. Vol. ii.
Les Arts a la Cour des Papes. Vol. iii. p. 86.
REYMOND, MARCEL. — La Sculpture Florentine Florence.
1899. p. 185, &c.
Le Buste de Charles VIII. par Pollaiuolo. Bulletin
Archeologique du Comite des Travaux Historiques
et Scientifiques. Paris. 1895. p. 242.
RICHA, GIUSEPPE. — Notizie Istoriche delle Chiese fiorentini.
Firenze. 1762.
Rossi, UGO. — Due Dipinti di Piero Pollaiuolo. Arch, Stor.
dell' Arte. 1890. p. 160.
ULMANN, HERMANN. — Bilder und Zeichnungen der Briider
Pollaiuoli. Jahrbuch der K. Preuss. Kunstsammlungen
1894. p. 230.
Die Thaten des Herkules. Wandgemalde im Palazzo
di Venezia zu Rom. Munchen. 1894.
VASARI. — Le Vite dei Pittori. Ed. Sansoni. Firenze. 1878.
Vol. iii. pp. 285-307.
APPENDIX 233
VI
DOCUMENTS
[The following four documents were transcribed and for
the first time published in complete form by the author in
" L'Arte," Anno VIII. Fasc. V., 1905. Gaye had cited a
part of the Portata of Antonio for the year 1480 and a
small part of that of Jacopo for the year 1457 (Cart. Ined.
i. 265-66.)]
PORTATA AL CATASTO DEL 1457.
DI JACOPO DI ANTONIO DI GIOVANNI (POLLAIUOLO).
Filza di portate del Cataslo. Quartiere San Spirito.
Gonfalone Drago, anno 1457, n- 795 a c- 622.
lacopo di antonio di giovanni pollaiuolo dicieva nel
primo catasto in antonio di Giovanni mio padre
Castato (*ic) . . . . . F. 6.6
Valsente F.
Cinquina . . . . . . F. 10
Sustanze.
\ Casa posta a charmignano in su confuni della corte di
renaccio che da p° via secondo il podere di sandro speziale
a \ e J del detto sandro la quale tengho per mio abitare.
Fo una bottega di pollaiuolo in merchato vecchio che '1
sito e degl' uficiali della torre che ne pago laniio 1 1 fiorini
in sulla detta bottega trafficho 1. 100.
Debitori dell' anno 1414 insino di mio padre
(JQMtMJfX
234 POLLAIUOLO
Debitor! mia dal 1429 in qua
(pmissis).
Creditori
(omissis).
Bocche.
Jacopo detto d'eta d'anni 58 • . * . F. 200
Monna Tommasa mia donna d'eta d'anni 45 F. 200
Antonio mio figluolo d'anni 24 . . . F. 200
Salvestro mio figluolo d'anni 22 . . F. 200
Giovanni mio figluolo d'anni 17. . . F. 200
Piero mio figluolo d'anni 14 . . . F. 200
Cosa mia figluola d'anni 10 e nonna dota . F. 200
II
PORTATA AL CATASTO DEL 1480
DI GIOVANNI DI JACOPO DI ANTONIO.
Campione del Catasto. Quartiere San Spirito. Gonfalone
Drago, anno 1480, n. 1000 a c. 206.
Quartiere S. Spirito. Ghonfalone Dragho.
Giovanni di Jacopo d'antonio pollaiuolo abita nel popolo
di santa maria maggore e'n sulla piazza degli agli ghon-
falone dragho san giovanni ed e prestanziato nel ghonfalone
dragho santo spirito.
disse il chatasto 1469 in nome di Jacopo d'antonio mio
padre ebbe in detto ghonfalone dragho santo spirito.
„ „ „ „ fior : — 1. 4. sol i. den: 8
Ebbe di sesto. . . fior: 3. 1. 3. sol: 2 den: 6
Sustanze.
$ di chasa per non divisa chon antonio e piero mia
APPENDIX 235
frategli posta nel popolo di santa maria maggore e'n sulla
piazza degli agli ghonfalone dragho san govanni che da
primo via sechondo nofri degli agli °/3 messer bernardo
degli agli chavaliere friero* °/4 Guliano di piero pancatichi
la quale chomperamo da sindachi di filippo di domenicho
degli agli per fior: 300 larghi roghato ser barone di
francescho nel 1472 e paghane la rata mia della dota della
ginevra figluola di francesco baccegli e mie donna tenghola
per mio abitare e negli ^ terzi abita antonio e piero mia
frategli,
Una casetta posta in detto popolo e dietro la nostra
abitazione nel chiasso de buoi ghonfalone drago san govanni
ch'a primo detto chiasso sechondo noi medesimi di dietro
°/3 filice di deo del becchuto o altri piu veri chonfini la
quale si chostuma apigonare a portatori o mondane ma non
continovamente e al prexente vi sta federigho della barbera
tedescho e tienla a mesi per ragone di lire 40 per 1'anno
sanza scrittura nissuna la quale chasa comperai da filippo
di domenicho degli agli roghato ser antonio di ser batista
per pregio di fior: 120 suggello e paghala della dota della
ginevra sopradetta mie donna 1'anno 1470. fior: 142.17-1.
Uno palchacco nel popolo di santa maria in chanpidoglio
ch'a primo via sechondo francescho di govanni del pitoso
pollaiuolo °/3 pagholo di simjone charnesecchi il quale
s'aopera a tener polli e tortole e altro del nostro mestiero
tienlo a pigione xfano di lorenzo vinattiere e olle al mese
per soldi 40 il mese troverretela nella portata di iacopo mio
padre nel 1469 ..... fior: 85.14.4
Exercitomi cholla persona in fare un po di bottegha di
pollaiuolo in merchato vecchio dove trafficho lire quaranta
di piccoli in circha e per rispetto degF occhorrenti tenporaK
* Cavaliere del Santo Sepolcro.
236 POLLAIUOLO
fo piu tosto debito che mobile chome posso alle spettabilita
vostre mostrare.
Incharichi.
Tengho a pigone una bottegha posta in merchato vecchio
la quale e degli uffitali della torre e donne 1'anno fior ; otto
di pigone. Roghato ser Andrea nacchianti di dicenbre 1479.
Sono obrighato dare ogn'anno a bivigliano di. . .
chorseliini lire 4 piccioli el quale a tale rigresso e tale rata
sopra il palchacco ch'e fralle sustanze si noma posto nel
popolo di santa maria in chanpidoglio, di che senpre
chiarir6 le menti vostre.
Bocche.
Jachopo mio padre d'eta d'anni 81.
Govanni detto d'eta d'anni 41.
mona Ginevera mia donna anni 26.
Salvestro mio figluolo anni 8.
lucrezia mia figluola anni 6 senza dota.
francescho mio figluolo anni 4.
domenicho mio figluolo anni 3.
Truovomi chome vedete senza entrata ordinaria e con 7
bocche adosso e a tutto mi conviene sopperire coll' industria
e' tenporali son fortissimi chome sanno le spettabilita vostre
alle quali senpre mi racchomando.
Ill
PORT ATA AL CATASTO DEL 1480
DI ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO.
Campione del Catasto. Quarliere San Spirito. Gonfalone
Drago, anno 1480, a c. 14.
Quartiere di Santo Spirito Ghonfalone Dragho.
Antonio di Jachopo d'antonio horafo del pollaiuolo
APPENDIX 237
chonpreso nel chatasto 1470 sotto Jachopo mio padre e
chosi ebe nel sesto 1474.
Ebe di chatasto . . . fior — 1. 4. sol i. den. 8
Ebe di sesto che ci a disfatti tior. 3. 1. 3. sol 2 den. 6
Fu mancieppato d'lacopo mio padre a di xi di magio
1459 roghato ser sllvano notaio di por santa maria a libro
rosso de la merchatantia c. 56.
Sustanze.
Una chasa per mio abitare popolo di santa maria magiore
in su la piaza degll agli chonfinanti da primo detta piazza
sechondo ^ messer bernardo degli agk friere £ guliano di
piero panciatichi \ giovanni mio fratello, ^ nofri di nicholo
di lotto degli agli la quale conperai da sindachi di filippo
di domenicho degli agli fiorini 400 di sugiello roghato ser
barone notaio di deti sindachi furono parte de la dote de
la donna mia ....... fior —
Un pod ere nel chontado di pistoia che ne vorei essere
diguno luogo detto a quarata popolo di sa michele a buriano
chonperalo da braciotto di michele da bachereto fior: 415
larghi charta per ser nicholaio da bachereto cho le sue
apartenenze sotto di xxvi di gugnio 1469 chon chasa da
lavoratore da primo via, sechondo rio £ e beni di sa michele
a buriano £ giacho d'andrea i bonachorso salveti e altri piu
veri chonfini chol champo di piano che lo tiene mateo
pacini damie di fitto staia 13 di grano queste terre lavora
al prexente nicholaio di vestruccio e mateo guelfi annole
partite fra loro tenghovi suso un paio di buoi chostorono
fior : 1 3 £ e mateo un paio di giovenchj in tuto fior : 24.
Tengho undeficho si comper6 da francescho di bartolomeo
linauolj lire 57 charta per senicholaio da bachereto credo
che sia nel ghonfalone del vaio.
238 POLLAIUOLO
E perche non v'era chasa per lavoratore che quella che
v'era adopero per me tolsi un fitto ricomperando dalla
chiesa di sa michele a buriano cioe la chasa dove sta ora
e' lavoratore chon cierti pezi di terra donne 1'anno staia 2 1
di grano. roghato in veschovado di pistoia e di questo non
e' sto in chapitale feci per un be' mi sta . . nor : 498
Poi chonperai un pezo di terra chon una chasaccia
boschato a primo e sechondo via J francescho di ser lucha
da pistoia chost6 lire 63 charta ser nicholaio da bachereto
nel popolo di buriano trasene pocho uxasi chol podere
nor. 15
Un altro pezo di terra che v'e in mezo un chiasso tra
Funo e 1'altro chonperai d'andrea di gione lire 68 charta
ser nichola del trincia che sta a la merchatantia de la
quale chonciede a tornarvi drento a mona chaterina di
gienaio per 1'amo' di dio evi stata 5 anni e questo e noto
a tutto el paese. Rendono in parte le sopradette chose
. . . . fior : 1 7
Grano, staia 40 detta Reridita e chol podere di sopra.
Vino, barili 20.
Biade, staia 15.
Olio, barili 7^.
Legnie 1'anno chataste 3.
decie annj una volta libbre 120 di charne.
Una chusura chon una chasetta chonperai da nichola
d'antonio arotatore in pistoia chostomi fior : 40 larghi
charta di ser nicholo del ghallo da pistoia luogho detto
abonto chonfinsi a primo via sechondo veschovado di pistoia
terzo tura di piero di tura £• nicholaio di teo.
E piu un chanpo di dua staiora chonperai da vestro
d'aghostino chostomi lire 21 charta per ser antonio di
ghuglielmo da popi chonfini da primo rio e sechondo
APPENDIX 239
Jachopo d'ormanno linaiuoli ^ beni di prete ghodenzo da
pistoia.
U [uno] pezuolo di vignia chonperai da la chonpagnia di
quarata chostd lire 30 di piccioli charta ser giorgio da
monte magnio chonfini da primo via sechondo 1' opera di sa
Jacopo da pistoia.
Lavora queste chose pasquino da tasinaia chon un paio
di bucelini chostorono fior : undici. Rende pichola chosa
in parte ....... fior: 61-15
Grano, staia 8 .
Olio, barili \.
Vino, barili —
Legnia, cataste i.
Una vignia a chastello popolo di macia o vero santo
stefano in pane chonperala insino innanzi 1'altro chatasto
del 1470. chonperala da bartolomeo di giovanni cieraiuolo
fior : 35 charta per mano di ser silvano de 1'arte di por
santa maria da prima andrea de la stufa secondo lionardo
di meo sali terzo via e J viotolo rende in parte barili sette
1'anno, fior. 48.
O fior : ciento in sun una chasa drrieto al chiasso de
buoj e quali si paghorono sotto nome di chonpera di soma
di fior: 300 ne 1'anno 1470. Roghato ser antonio di ser
batista chome a bocha vi chiarird fior : 214.5 9
Tengo a fitto da antonio e cristofano spini \ di podere
fuori de la porta al prato donne 1'anno 1. 36 di piccioli.
Fo una botegha d'orafo in vachereccia in una botegha la
quale e de 1' erede di Jacopo baronciegli donne 1'anno di
pigione fior: 14 di single (sugello) ne la quale o per
chompagnio pagholo di giovanni sogliani el quale trae per
lira soldi 6 ed io tragho soldi 14 per lira che si faceva piu
pe' lui essere stato pe' gharzone in modo abiamo fatto in su
240 POLLAIUOLO
la quale botegha non abiamo chorpo solevano fare chol
credito de banchi e anche questo e manchato. Restiamo
di chorpo le nostre maserizie chon pocha speranza di
benese dio non provede.
Ebi di dota fior : 800. Tute queste sustanze non fanno
la somma de la dote e domani chi manchassi e 1'abi la sua
dote non rimanendo nulla alia chasa che non rimangha
disfatto chi rimane. lo mi vi rachornando.
Boche.
Antonio sopradetto d'eta d'anni 49.
Marietta mia donna d'eta d'anni 29.
IV
CAMPIONE BELLA DECIMA 1498 DI ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO.
Campione dell a Decima 1498 a c. 5.
Quartiere S°. Spirito. Gonfalone Dragho.
Antonio d'iacopo orafo popolo di santa maria magore di
firenze disse la gravezza 1481 in nome detto in detto
quartiere e ghonfalone.
Sustanze.
ja chasa per mio abitare popolo di santa maria magiore
in sulla piazza degli agli confinata a primo detta piaza
secondo J messer bernardo degli agli friere £ guliano di
piero panchatichi 3- govanrii mio fratello ^ nofri degli agli.
j° podere posto nel chontado di pistoia luogho detto
quarata popolo di santo michele a burriano comprato dal
1481 indrieto da brucotto di michele da bacchereto fiorini
415 suggello charta per nicholo da bachereto cholla
sua apartenenza sotto di 27 di gugno 1464 che a primo via
secondo rio £ beni di santo michele a buriano £ gacho i
APPENDIX 241
bonachorso salvetti e altri piu veri chonfini a priino via
secondo via ^ fosato |- antonio detto.
E perche detto podere nonna chasa da lavoratorc che
quella che v'era adopero per mio abitare tolsi uno fitto
ricomperando dalla chiesa di santo michele a buriano coe
la chasa dove ista el lavoratoi'e con certi . pezzi di tera
posti in detto popolo a primo ......
donne 1'anno staia 21 di grano rogato in veschovado di
pistoia e di questo none ist6 in chapitale
lavora al presente detta terra e detto podere matteo di
ghuelfo e lorenzo di meo di lionardo di detto popolo rende
in parte cho j° paio di buoj fiorini 34 soldi 1 7
grano, staia 40
vino, barili 20
biade, staia 15
olio, barili 3
fichi secchi, staia 3
legne, cataste
E piti comperai j° pezzo di terra cho ja chasata boschato
posto in detto popolo da primo e sechondo via ^ francescho
di ser lucha da pistoia chosto lire 63 charta per ser
nicholaio da bachereto nel popolo di burjano fu dal 1481
indrieto.
j° altro pezzo di terra che v'e in mezzo j° chiasso tra l'j°
a 1' altro comperai d'andrea di gone lire 68 piccioli charta
per ser nicholo del trinca da pistoia sta alia merchatantia
dal 1481 indrjeto.
ia chiusa con ja chasetta conperai da nichola di antonio
arotatore in pistoia chostomi fiorini 40 dal 1481 indietro
charta per ser nicholo del ghallo da pistoia luogho detto
erbonto da p° via sechondo veschovado di pistoia ^ tura J
nicholo detto.
242 POLLAIUOLO
E piu j° champo di 2 staiora chonperai da vestro da-
gostino chosto lire 21 dal 1481 indrieto charta per ser
antonio di ghuglielmo da poppi ch'a primo rio sechondo
iachopo d'ormanno linaiuolo \ beni di prete ghodenzo da
pistoia.
j° pezzo di vigna in detto popolo ch'a primo via sechondo
1'opera di santo iachopo di pistoia costd lire 30 dal 1481
indrieto.
j° pezzo di terra posto nel popolo della pieve di
bacchereto da primo gismondo da bachereto a sechondo
giochino da bachereto \ antonio comperatore J via
comperato da lorenzo d'amadio da bachereto fiorini 33^ di
suggello charta per ser piero di matteo dati fino dall' anno
M93-
L'entrata di dette terre e ne la faccia di la chon tre
altri pezi di terra.
j° fattoio in detto popolo a uso di detto podere.
j° pezzo di terra lavoratia hulivata e soda posta nel popolo
a piviere di bachereto comprata da govachino da bachereto
che a primo via a sechondo gismondo d'amadio \ antonio
conpratore \ nicholo castruci rog6 ser xfano da chastel-
francho di staiora 18 in circha 1493.
ja casaccia con certi pezzuoli di tera posti in detto popolo
che a primo via sechondo francescho di ser lucha da pistoia
\ rio ^ antonio comperatore \ domenicho fagnoni chon piu
altri veri chonfini la quale chasa e tera chomperai d'antonio
di ser lucha da pistoia charta per ser chimenti taratti da
pistoia le dette terre sono hulivate parte boschate vignate
e sode chostorono per tutto nor : 74^ numero de I'ano no
mi richordo 1494.
2 pezzi di terra lavoratio e j° sodo overo boschato posto
nel popolo della pieve di bacchereto afitato a francescho
APPENDIX 243
di govachino da bachereto damme di fitto I'ano grano
staia 2.
Lavora dette terre di sopra e 6 pezzi di terra dati nella
faccia di la biago mescherino e piero di tura di detto
popolo rendono 1'anno di nostra parte cho j° paio di
buoj ...... fior: 50. s. 17. d. 6
Grano, staia 180.
Vino, barili 25.
Olio, barili 8.
Biade di piu ragione, staia 15.
fichi sechi, staia 5.
j° pezzo di tera di staiora 6 in circha posto in su 1'ombrone
luogho detto a la chasolana da primo ombrone sechondo
adovardo rucellai ^ santa maria nuova. Olio affitato a
lazzero e marcho di migliore di detto luogho in su choii-
fini tra prato e pistoia danomene 1'anno staia 15 di grano
coe grano staia 15 fior : 2. sol : 16. d : 3.
j° pezzo di vignata di staia 6 in circha posta nel popolo
di santo stefano in pane comprata 1470 da bartolommeo di
govanni ceraiuolo rog6 ser silvano a primo rede d'andrea
della stufa sechondo lionardo di meo di sale ^ via £ viottolo
e disfatta ed e terra da pane.
Olla afitata a Jachopo di stagio di piero di detto popolo
a soldi 28 piccioli lo staioro danne in tutto di fitto 1'anno
lire 8 sol : 2. a parola fior : 3 sol : 8. d. 3
Incharichi.
Tengho a fitto dal v° x di pistoia 2 pezzi di terra posti
nel popolo di santo michele a buriano luogho detto al
bonto da p° via sechondo nicholo forbicaio ^ nicholo buon-
girolami £ via donne 1'anno di fitto che apare in su libri di
detto veschovado done 1'anno di fitto staia 6 di grano coe
libbre 2 d'olio.
244 POLLAIUOLO
Grano, staia 6.
Olio, libbre 2.
Tengho a fitto dal kamerlingho del veschovado di pistoia
j° pezzo di tera di staiora 4 in circa posto nel popolo di
santo michele a buriano luogo detto alle guncherete da
primo sechondo ^ io medesimo dona 1'ano di fitto
Grano, staia 4.
tengho a fitto rechomperando da pretre ghodenzo da
pistoia. 2 pezzi di terra posti nel popolo di santa lucia a
quarata a primo via sechondo beni d'andrea di fiore ^ rio
donne 1'anno di fitto staia 15 di grano coe
Grano, staia 15.
Do ogn' anno a la chiesa di santo michele a buriano per
fitto de la chasa comperai dalla chiesa detta per mio abitare
con certe tera chome apare di sopra staia 2 1 di grano e
libbre ja d'olio coe
Grano, staia 21.
Olio, libbre i.
Beni alienati.
ja chasa posta nel popolo di santo michele bertelde drieto
al chiasso dei buoi la quale 1481 avemo comperata fior : 300
e datone fior : i oo d'arra dipoi paghai e detti fiorini 200 e
di poi 1482 mi fu convinta per la via del potesta di firenze
e oggi la tiene francesco di antonio gugni ghonfalone ruote
e onne pagato la gravezza dal 1481 in qua e ommi perduto
fior : 300 siche levatela dalla mia gravezza e ponetela a chi
oggi la possiede.
Ebbi in dote da monna lucrezia figluola di fandone
fandoni mia donna ja entratura di ja bottega in merchato
vechio che oggi 1'abita iachopo di nutto solosmei ghonfalone
Lione d'oro a lato allo speziale del re. E piu ebbi in dote
da detta mona lucrezia e da detto fantone.
APPENDIX 245
ja chasa posta nel popolo di santo piero maggiore di
rimpetto a san xfano nella via del giardino dal detto fandone
con suoi chonfini. La quale entratura e chasa mi fu chon-
vinta per la via del potesta di firenze dalla nanina figluola
fu di piero del ciringa ghonfalone chiavi per la sua dota
cheffu soda prima chellamia.
O dato le dette cose di sopra perche la gravezza sia
posta chi tiene e detti beni e per non perdere le mie
ragioni se io ne potessi mai ridrarre alchuna chosa.
E piu abiamo una meza chasa cioe dal fattoio in su la
quale e di nostra madre tiella domenicho di sandro speziale
alia tenuta da 1449 in qua acci promesso di farrci el dovere
e mai non se ne auto nulla la quale chonfina chol suo
fattoio e chonfina cholla sua vendemmia e risponde in
sulla via publicha.
PORTATA AL CATASTO DEL 1480 DI PIERO
POLLAIUOLO
[Published by Jacques Mesnil, " Rivista d'Arte," III. Fasc.
I. p. 70
S° Spirito. Drago
Piero di Jachopo d' Antonio dipintore
Sustanze
Chasa per mio abitare cioe J parte posta ala piaza degli
Agli popolo di Sancta Maria Maggiore, da p° via 2° Nofri
degli Agli 3° Messer Bernardo degli Agli chavaliere friere,
la quale chonperammo noi frategli da Filipo di Domenicho
degli Agli, cioe de sindachi suoi, charta per mano di ser
Barone di Franc0 notaio alia merchattantia.
246 POLLAIUOLO
Una chasetta la quale e apichata cholla delta di sopra
fu di messer Bernardo degli Agli chavaliere friere phagone
1'anno f sei la i. 4 S. VII la quale adopero quando ho che
fare a dipingniere.
Un pezo di tera chon chasa rovinata posta nel popolo di
S. Michele a Buriano chontado di Pistoia la quale e di una
chompagnia della Trinita di Pistoia paghone 1'anno staia
13 di grano e S. 30. a detta chompagnia di fitto.
Bocche
Piero di Jacopo sopra detto d'eta d'anni 33
Monna Tommasa mia madre d'anni 68 ala quale do le spese.
VI
TESTAMENTO DI M° ANTONIO Qm JACOPO
ANTONIO POLLAJUOLI FIORENTINO FATTOJN
ROMA
[Published by Gualandi, " Memorie Original! Italiane
risguardanti le Belle Arti/' Bologna, 1844. Serie V.]
The original is preserved in the Archives of the Convent
of S. Pietro in Vincoli, in a book entitled " S.P.V. Jura
diversa ab anno 1433 usque ad annorum 1665."
[Outside] Testamentum Antonij polagiolj in hac ecclesia
Sancti petri ad Vincula prope altare S. Sebastiani 1496.
JESUS MARIA.
In Cristi nomine Amen. Anno a natiuitate eiusdem M°
CCCC°LXXXXVI°. In Ditione . . . [sic] Die vero 4
Nouembris pontificatus Smi in X. po. patris et D.ni N." D.
Alexandri Diuina prouidentia. pp. VI anno V.
Quoniam ut ait beatus apostolus Statutum est hominibus
APPENDIX 247
semel mori et cum nil sit incertius hora mortis propterea
egregius ac prudens vir magister Antonius q. Jacobi Antonij
Del pollagiolo Ciuis florentinus hoc diligenter in se ipso
considerans sanus qd mente et corpore volens res suas ita
bene disponere ut quando placuerit Altissimo creatori
animam ipsius de hoc ergastulo Carnis ad se uocare nulla
prorsus questio lis aut difficultas orire inter filias suas atque
nepotes heredes, sed omnia paccata atque queta secundum
ipsius voluntatem perpetuo per durent. Id circo primo et
ante omnia prefatus magister Antonius vult et ordinat quod
si casu accideret ipsum claudere diem extremum in urbe
Roma animam eius toto corde reccomendat factori suo : in
quo sumsit principium ut ipsius sola dementia et non eius
meritis dignetur eandem in paradisi sedibus collocare.
Item vult et ordinat cadaverem suum tumulandum in
ecclesia sancti petri ad uincula cum debito honore atque
officijs funeralibus iuxta suam qualitatem et conditionem.
Item ordinat quod annuatim a fratribus prefate ecclesie
celebretur anniuersarium in die sui obitus nisi accideret
in die festi quo casu in die immediate sequenti pro remedio
animae suae quibus fratribus ordinat dari annuatim pro
huiusmodi anniversario a suis heredibus de bonis suis
quolibet anno due. unum aurei cum duobus cereis duarum
librarum.
Item vult quod si accideret eundem mori in ciuitate
Florentiae quod corpus suum traddatur sepulture patrum
suorum predictis modo et forma uel ut supra cum annuali
anniuersario : ita tamen quod elemosina superius ordinata
detur religiosis presbyteris apud quos fuit corpus tumulatum.
Item reliquit Dominabus Marietae et Magdalene filiabus
suis ex se et domina lucretia ipsius uxore legiptime natis
Duo millia Ducatos auri pro earum dote V mille dn*
248 POLLAIUOLO
Mariete super Montem in ciuitate Florentiae : et reliquos
mille Dne Magdalene qui retrahi debeant de fructibus
possessionum suarum quando non reperirentur in contantis
ut quocunque nihil uendendo aut alienando de bonis suis
stabilibus aut minuendo. De quibus duobus millibus
ducatis sic retractis voluit prefatas ipsius filias libere et
licite posse disponere quicquid voluerint et ordinauerint
secundum earum uotum ac uoluntatem.
Item uoluit et ordinauit quod prefatoe ipsius filiae una
cum domina lucretia earum matre et eius uxore sint et
esse debeant ususfructuaria tarn omnium bonorum suorum
immobilium V Domorum et possessionum tarn intus quam
extra Florentiam aut commitatu siue in territorio
pistoriensi constitutarum in iuta sua tamen. Et quod pars
premorientis accrescat ad superuiuentes uel superuiuentem
donee et quousqe pi'efate Dna lucretia eius uxor et Dna
Mariete et Magdalene eius filiae diem earum clauserint
extremum. Non tamen liceat prefatis Dominabus
lucretia Magdalene et Mariete uendere alienare diminuere
uel obligare dicta bona stabilia, sed uoluit integra et
illibata reseruari ad heredes.
Item uoluit ordinauit atque reliquit prefatis dominabus
lucretie Mariete et Magdalene omnia bona sua mobilia tarn
in pecunijs quam in reliquis bonis que reperientur tempore
sui obitus. De quibus uoluit eas obligatas esse alicui
persone cuiusque status gx-adus uel couditionis existant
reddere rationem sed esse et fore sua libera et expedita.
Item voluit ordinavit atque reliquit testator prefatus
post mortem prefatarum dominarum lucretie Mariete et
Magdalene suos ueros atque legiptimos heredes omnium
bonorum stabilium nepotes suos masculos tarn legiptime
natos ex Joanne qm Jacobi Antony del pollagiolo dicti
APPENDIX 249
testatoris fratris carnalis. Ita tamen quod non possit aut
valeant uendere alienare diminuere uel obligare quocunque
modo predicta bona sua immobilia alicui persone extranee
extra lineam directam et masculinam, sed i accideret
alicui eorum aliquia urgeat necessitas in hoc casu voluit et
ordinauit quod liceat eisdcm uendere alter alteri uel
ipsorum nepotibus masculis tarn per lineam directam
legiptime nascituris. Ita tamen quod semper bona prefata
preseruentur et uadant de heredibus masculos prefate
linee nepotum suorum masculorum et non alia modo. Et
voluit quod si aliquis eorum contraueniret huic sue
uoluntati et testamento et ordinationi quocunque modo
quod ipso facto cadant a iure istius legati et quod filie
prefate succedant in portione contraueniendis huiusmodi
sue uoluntati et quod possint disponere de dicta portione
ad earum uelle. Et similiter si omnes heredes instituti id
ipsum facerent et contrauenirent similiter cadant ab ipso
legato et hereditate et succedant dicte filie immedate suis
bonis tarn mobilibus quam stabilibus disponendo in dicto
casu de omnibus ad earum uelle.
Item voluit et ordinauit prefatus testator quod Joannes
supradictus frater eius carnalis si superviveret Domino
permittente post mortem predictarum dominarum lucretie
Mariete et Magdalene et ipse dum uixerit intret in portionem
fructuum omnium bonorum immobilium tam domorum quam
processionum intus et extra florentiam constitutorum nee
omnino excludi possit ab ipsis suis nepotibus et filijs dicti
Joannis sed is sit rector et Gubernator et maior super suos
filios.
Item voluit et ordinauit prefatus testator quod supradicte
domine Marieta et Magdalena sint et esse debeant sub
tutela et regimine domine lucretie earum matris et uxoris
250 POLLAIUOLO
ipsius testatoris quousque faerint nupte et quod null us possit
aut valeat eandem mollestare rationae prefati tutelae, neque
ipsam donrinam Lucretiam eius uxorem, aut dominant!
Marietam et Magdalenam eius filias raolestare aut trahere
ad judicium siue curias quocunque modo ratione dicte
tutele seu legati ordinationis et uoluntatis dicti testatoris.
Item prefatus testator expresse uoluit et ordinauit quod
si in euentum prefatus Joannes eius frater carnalis uel
nepotes ipsius testatoris et filii prefati Joannis aliquando
mollestaret seu traheret ad indicium uel curiam prefatas
Dominas lucretiam Marietam et Magdelenam contra ordinatem
voluntatem atque testamentum testatoris prefati : quod
tune et eo casu ipso facto ille per quod accidiret talis
turbatio sit priuatus et cadat a iure prefati hereditatis siue
legati dicti testatoris, et filie prefate succedant in dictam
portionem modo et forma ut supradictum est. Et si omnes
prefati heredes tarn Joannes frater carnalis dicti testatoris
quam filij ipsius Joannis et nepotis dicti testatoris quocunque
modo molestarent inquietarent uel ad indicium siue curias
traherent prefatas dominas lucretiam Marietam et Mag-
dalenam : tune expresse et omnino voluit omnes priuatos
esse ipsa hereditate et cadere ab omnia iure suOj prefatasque
dominas Marietam ac Magdalenam statim succedere in
omnibus prefatis suis bonis immobilibus que dicti testatoris
ac si essent masculi possintque ac valeant dicte Domine
Marieta atqueMagdalena hereditatem prefatam transferre et
ordinare donare laxare atque dimitere pro earum voluntate
atque arbitrio. Et hanc dixit et voluit esse testator prefatus
suam voluntatem ad hoc ut prefate Domine Lucretia
Marieta atque Magdalena pacifice et quiete uiuere possint
ac valeant in hoc mundo dum placuerit altissimo.
Item voluit ordinauit prefatus testator quod si Domino
Jesu Cristo placeret ipsum superuiuere et habere aliquem
APPENDIX 251
heredem masculum legiptimum ipsum reliquit heredem
uniuersalem omnium bonorum suorum tarn mobilium quam
immobilium cassando et annullando omnia supradicta
legata ordinatione tamen dotis filiarum in suo robore
permanente siue D. luc. Mar. et Magd. nee non et ordine
sepulture et aniuersarij.
Item voluit et ordinauit quod post eius obitum ipsius
heredes siue in perpetuum annuatim in die sancti Antonij
Abbatis XVII d. Januarij teneantur et obligati sint facere
pro remedio anima ipsius testatoris unum honestum
prandium duodecim pauperibus honerando super hoc eorum
conscientias ac obseruationem prefate elemosine et post
dictum prandium dent duodenos grossos florentinos dictis
pauperibus pro quoiibet, causa elemosinae.
Item voluit et ordinauit testator prefatus exequatores sui
testamenti ordinationis ac voluntatis dilectam ipsius
Contubemalem dominam lucretiam supradictam ac nobiles
viros florentinos Antonium tuci maneti et bernardinum Nicolaj
del barbisa et Antonium de marabotino rustichi et Andream
lamberti de li caluane [or Siluane] et ne forte post obitum
dicti testatoris oriri possit aliqua difficutas lis aut differentia
inter filias suas atque heredes et fratrem ipsius testatoris
de boni ipsius superius ordinatis ratione successionis cum
Joanne qm Jacobi Antonij del pollagiolo frater eius carnalis
tamquam de bonis paternis aut dotis matris utriusque
Magistri Antonij testatoris et Joannis ipsius fratris tamquam
de rebus male dispositis ad declarationem mentis omnium
posterorum dictus testator asseruit quod de anno dni 1463
uel circa testator prefatus mancipaiut se a prefato Joanne
eius fratre sicut constat ex instrumento Ser Siluani notarj
artis porte Sanctae Mariae : pro ut etiam apparet ad officium
dominorum florentinorum et ad officium artis mercantiae. Et
ita assemit et in eiqs conscientia dixit omnia bona superius
252 POLLAIUOLO
ordinata V* unam domum in civitate florentiae valoris mille
quingentorum due. auri uel circa. Et unam possessionem
extra ciuitatem in territorio aut committatu pistoriensi
valoris et pretij trium millium ducm auri uel circa secundum
comunem extimationem se aquisiuisse et emisse propriis
pecunijs laboribus atque industria post ipsam mancipa-
tionem.
Ideo pro uoluntate sua voluit ac potuit supradicte
disponere absque conscientie preiudicio aliquo. Non imo
voluit testator prefatus se privatum intelligi presentem
heredem ut matris dote sibi pro rata seu parte pertinente
in euentum quod dicti heredes mollestarent D. M.
Lucretiam Marietam atque Magdalenam sed voluit eandem
suam portionem ab ipsius filiabus suis D. M. et M. exigi
possit a dictis heredibus tamquam rem suam propriam ab
ipso testatore eisdem relictam. Quamque portionem
bonorum paternorum quam etiam dotis matris sue dixit se
non habuisse sed esse apud Joannem fratrem suum carnalem,
ordinauit et voluit testator prefatus quod propter maiorem
commoditatem possessionum suarum et utilitatem et pacem
dictorum heredum : heredes prefati ipsius dna Marieta et
Magdalena ipsius filie teneantur et obligati sint emere certam
quantitatem terrarum contiguam certis suis possessionibus
ipsius testatoris a Nicolao Francisci Ser Luce pro precio et
quantitate quatrocentarum librarum ad plus et minori
precio si poterunt cum dicto venditore si conponere : De
qua quidem emptione fienda dictus testator asseruit se iam
convenisse cum dicto Nicolao sed tamen non firmasse
pretium. Sed dixit fuisse sibi datam fidem uendendi ab
eodem Nicolao, Cuiusquidem emptionis precium voluit et
ordinauit ipse retrahi debere de fructibus suarum possses-
sionum, nihil de ipsis uendendo aut minuendo.
Item idem testator dixit quod a certo tempore petrus
APPENDIX 253
qm eius frater carnalis dum esset in umanis : infirmus tamen
et prope mortem sponte et libere et mera sua voluntate et
minima subductus ad ipso testatore, coram testibus fide
dignis reliquit testatori prefati eandem quantitem terrarum
constitutarum in territorio uel comitatu pistorij post mortem
matris testatoris prefati et dicti petri valoris trecentarum
librarum uel circa commendans eidem testatori dominam
Lisam ipsius petri filiam naturalem quantum potuit,
omnemque ipius curam eidem testatori reliquit propter
quod. Item testator volens complere voluntati et desiderio
ipsius petri fratris sui libentissime curam egit ipsius dne Lise.
Insuper etiam eandem matrimonio tradidit omni studio ac
diligentia juxta qualitatem et conditionem prefate dne Dans
eidem pro dote de propriis pecuniis testatoris prefati centum
quinquaginta libras probate et bone monetae ciuitatis
florentinae.
Propterea idem testator dixit et voluit quod in euentum
quod si Joannes frater carnalis dicti testatoris super-
nominatus uel ipsius filij : atque nepotes dicti testatoris et
heredes constituti, aliquando uellent petere residuum
valoris dictae petiae terrae eidem testatori a petro superius
nominate eius fratre relicte atque donate V centum quin-
quaginta libras ultra eas quas dedit ac tradedit in dotem
prefate d'ne Lise. Dictus testator non obstante donatione
uel legato sibi a dicto petro eius fratre carnali facto atque
relictd ipse se remitit ad iuris dispositionem et ex nunc se
ad dictum ins remitit et transfert non obstantibus etc.
Item idem testator dixit qm Siluester eius frater carnalis
turn uiueret et esset pisis per Chyrographum manus
eiusdem Silvestri. Idem Silvester non subductus non coactus
sed sponte libere et de mera sua voluntate reliquit atque
donauit eidem testatori quoddam mollendinum ab oleo
existens in possessionem dicti testatoris valoris sexaginta
254 POLLAIUOLO
librarum florentinarum uel circa sicut constat ex dicto
Chirographo manu ipsius Siluestri exarato penes testatorem
prefatum.
Propterea Idem testator dixit atque voluit et ordinauit
quod si aliquando Joannes ipsius testatoris frater carnalis
uel filij dicti Joannis : atque nepotes testatoris et heredes
constituti raollestarent inquietarent uel ad indicium
traherent domains lucretiam dicti testatoris uxorem vel
Marietam et Magdalenam ejusdem testatoris et Dna lucretia
legiptimas filias et non sineret eas pacifice gaudere
usuf ructum Mollendini prefati, Dum uixerint tune et eo casu
voluit et ordinauit eos cadere ab omni legato et tota prorsus
hereditate atque eosdem penitus priuauit et priuat de
presenti : reliquiens Domm lucretiam uxorem suam usu-
fructuariam dumtaxat in uita sua una cum dominabus
Marieta et Magdalena eorumdem filiabus Dne S. lucretie et
ipsius testatoris. Ipsas uero dnas Marietam atque Magdalenam
ex nunc reliquit laxat atque constituit heredes universales
omnium bonorum suorum, mobilium et immobilium
presentium et futurorum. De quibus omnibus prefate
Da Marieta atque Magdalena possint et valeant vendere,
alienare, donare, laxare, atque disponere libere ac licite pro
earum voluntate atque arbitrio. Et hoc ideo ordinauit
testator prefatus ex ratione quod ipse accomodauit ac
dedit dicto Siluestro eius frater de propriis ipsius testatoris
pecuniis super quingentos due. auri. De quibus nihil aut
ullam minimum partem recepit a dicto Siluestro. Ideo
sicut aparet ex libus apotece dicti testatoris. Id ipsium
idem testator inteligi voluit fore et esse easdem universalis
heredes cum auctoritate disponendi ut supra etc. quoties-
cunque Joannes dicti testatoris frater carnalis uel eius filij :
atque nepotes dicti testatoris et heredes constituti molles-
tarent inquietarent uel ad indicium seu curias traherent
APPENDIX 255
dictas dominas lucretiam Marietam atque Magdalenam, tarn
ratione tutele, quam etiam legati siue ordinationis atque
voluntatis ipsius testatoris privans eosdem Joannem et
eius filios omni hereditate et beneficii legati supradicti et
si aliquid contrariaverit eius testatori ordinationibus ac
voluntati.
Et hanc esse ultimam suam voluntatem testamentum seu
ordinationem dictus testator dixit atque asseruit, cassando
et anullando quodcunque aliud testamentum voluntatem
seu ordinationem antea factam quacunque modo factum
seu factas. Volens idem testator presentem suam
voluntatem valere iure testamenti et si non iure testamenti
iure codicilli : nel donationis aut quomodocunque omni
meliori modo, uia, ratione, iure, causa et forma, sicut potuit
ac valuit. Cui presenti testamento voluntati ultime et
ordinationi testator prefatus voluit ad maius robor et
firmitatem manu propria se subscribere in presentia
testium infrascriptorum.
Mandans atque rogaiis notarium infrascriptum ut de
presenti suo testamento et voluntate ultima et ordinatione
conficeret publicum instrumentum.*
* In the Zibaldone del Migliore (XXV. 392, c. 184) is the follow-
ing notice : " 1496. Ant1 del Pollaiuolo fece testamento lascio a
Gio : suo fratello carnale et a Ma Lucretia sua Moglie et alia
Marietta e Madda sue figliuole usufruttuarie e se moriva in Roma
dove fece Testam*0 disse volere esser sepolto in S. Pietro in Vincola
come segul, e se moriva in firenze nella sepolt* di suo Padre." [non
dice dove]
Ants Tucci Manetti -\
Bernardus Nicolai del Barbigio I Nobiles et Gives floren1
Ants del Mavabottino Rustichi j executores de testamt0.
And : as Lamberti delle Calvane'
Ser Baldasar Rocca de Castrovillano not. rogavit. Roma."
256 POLLAIUOLO
VII
LETTER FROM ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO TO
GENTIL VIRGINiO ORSINI, LORD OF MONTE-
ROTONDO, WRITTEN FROM ROME 13 JULY, 1494.
[MSS. in the Archives of Casa Orsini.] Published by
Luigi Borsari, " L'Arte," 1892. p. 208.
[Outside] allo mio Illmo Se Virginio orsino adi xiij de
luglio 1494.
Inlustrissimo e gienerosso S. mio io pigliero licenza e
sichurtia nella umanita vostra poi che a bocha non a data
sorta.
E mi fu fatta una inbasciata nello orechie esendo a
ostia da parte di maestro agniolo medicho dissemi per
parte della S. vostra che vostra S. arebe auto charo che io
facessi la testa di vostra S. de bronzo quanto al naturale io
gli rispoi subito che io larej di grazia e chosi rafermo che
io mi verro a star dua di a braciano e ritrarovj in disegnio
poi me la rechero a roma e faremola di bronzo ma piu
charo arej farnj tuto intero in sun un chaval grosso che vi
farej etterno possiamo per la prima fare la testa poi
penseremo al tuto.
Magnificho S. mio io mi parto lunedi che sareno a di
XII 1 1 di luglio e vomene in toschana portomene dua
figgure di bronzo e voremene andare alle mie possisione
che sono XV miglia dischosto a firenze cioe quindicj miglia
e per la moria anno fatto che chi viene da roma non si
possa achostare a firenze a ventj miglia vorej dalla S.
vostra che per amor mio a piero de medicj che fussi
chontento che io avessi licenza a potere andare alle mie
possissione che sono tra '1 poggio a chaiano e la citta di
APPENDIX 257
pistoia, e credo che ve ne chompiacera volentierj perche sa
che io sono stato senpre di quella chasa e pensate che glie
34 annj che io fecj quelle fatiche derchole che sono nella
sala del palazo suo che le facemo tra un mio fratello ed io
so che le dovete aver vedute.
Jo voglio questo grado dalla S. vostra a cio che io abi
qualche chagione di richordarmi della S. vostra.
E piu m'achorra che uno mio nipote che io o quj prestd
a meser manfredi gli prest6 a chamino dua duchati doro
e tre charlinj promisegli di rechargliele in sino a roma
non la maj fatto se fussi posible quando glia la pagha
rimetergli a roma a piero panciatichi che fa colla S. vostra
gri renderebe a questo mio nipote meser manfredi credo
che sia vicentino.
Preghovj S. mio che mi perdoniate si o preso sichurta
cholla S. vostra che 1'afezione grande e sentendo che 1'opera
mia vi piaque del sepolchro di papa sisto.
Vostro servidore Antonio del pollaiuolo in Roma.
VIII
LA SIGNORIA DI FIRENZE A DOMENICO BONSI
Da Firenze, 13 Febraio 1497.
[Arch. d. Rif. di Firenze. Registro di lettere. Filza 102.
Published by Gave, Cart. Ined. I. 340.]
Domino Domenico Bonsio oratori.
Rome.
Magnifice orator nr chiarissime. Sendo morte alii giorni
passati costi Antonio del Pollaiuolo, sculptore celeberrimo
R
258 POLLAIUOLO
et nostro fiorentino; siamo pregati dalla donna sua che
vela raccommandiamo per esser restate creditore dicto suo
marito di alcuna somma di danari del Cardinale Reverend-
issimo di Benevento e di monsignore Ascanio, per certe
cose a loro lavorate di suo magisterio. Per6 vogliamo siate
con decti Rmi Cardinal! et nro nomine li exhortiate alia
satisfactione del dicto Antonio a sua donna et heredi tante
volte che,se e possibile,habbino la loro mercede, che essendo
stato dicto Antonio nostro cittadino et huomo unico nella
arte sua, merita che per sua memoria adiutiamo et la donna
sua et heredi suoi, come quelli che sempre havemo in somma
estimatione qualunque virtute.
Ex Palatio nro. die XIII febr. 1497.
IX
COMMISSION, &c, FOR SILVER CROSS
OF S. GIOVANNI.
[Published in Catalogo del Museo dell' Opera del Duomo
Firenze, 1904.]
(i)
1457. Febbraio 1 5 .
Disegni fatti per gl'orefici per la croce da farsi di nuovo
in S. Giovanni non si mostrino a alcuno senza il partito
de consoli e off? di musaico ; nella quale deve essere
messo il legno della croce di N. S. existente in detta
Chiesa : e annullata detta deliberazione.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1455-1459, c. 80-81. Spogli Strozzi-
ani, Arch, di Stato, I. c. 215'.]
APPENDIX 259
(0
1457. Febbraio 22.
Facciasi nella Chiesa di San Giovanni per il pezzo del
legno della croce di N. S. quivi existente molto grande
e bello, che non e ornato come si richiede e stando in
quella maniera non e manifesto a molti e nessuno sa
che sia legno della crocie, una croce grande d'argento etc.
Croce grande d'argento da farsi per il legno della Croce di
N. S. per la chiesa di San Giovanni si da a fare a Miliano di
Domenico Dei e Antonio di Jacopo del Pollaiuolo, orefici, la
meta, e 1'altra meta a Betto di Francesco di Betto, orefice.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1455-1459, c. 82-83. Spogli cit. I.
c. 2i6r]
(3)
1457- Aprile 30.
Convenzioni, modo da farsi e disegno della croce
da farsi per la chiesa di San Giovanni per mettervi il legno
della croce di Nostro Signore : doveva pesare 1. 60 in
circa e si trattava di mettervi pietre preziose di non
molto valore. Miliano Dei e Antonio del Pollaiuolo, orefici,
pigliorno a fare la parte inferiore di detta croce e Betto
Betti, orefice, la parte superiore.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1455-1459, c. 97-98. Spogli cit. I.
c. 216']
(4)
1459
Una croce d' ariento tutta bianca fatta per la Chiesa di
S. Giovanni Battista di peso di 1. 141 : cost6 intuttofior.
3036, 6, 18, 4, de' quali fior. 2006, 3, 13, 7, hebbe Antonio
di Jacopo del Pollaiuolo e fior. 1030, 3, 5, Betto di Francesco
Betti orafo.
[Libro grande E. 1459, c. 267. Spogli cit. I. c. ior.]
260 POLLAIUOLO
X
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM JACOPO
D'ORSINO LANFREDINI TO THE PODESTA OF
PISTOIA, GIOVANNI DI ANTONIO CANIGIANI.
[Published by Gaye, Cart. Ined. I. 341.]
lo credo vi ricordiate, perche vi trovasti presenti, come
per me e per Bartolommeo Valori s'entr6 mallevadore all'
arte de Mercatanti per Antonio di Jacopo orafo detto il
Pollaiuolo, di fiorini 2000 perche fece a detta Arte la Croce
di Santo Giovanni.
XI
PAYMENT FOR JEWELS EXECUTED
FOR CINO RINUCCINI.
[Ricordi Storici di Cino di Filippo di Cino Rinuc-
cini dal 1282 al 1460. Published by Giuseppe Aiazzi,
Firenze, 1840, p. 251.]
(0
A di 14 d'aprile 1462 speso nor. 4 d. 7, sono per un forni-
mento da cintola d'ariento ebbi da Maso Finiguerra, che
pes6 0.3 d.23, lavorato di niello e di traforo, il quale feci
mettere a una fetta paonazza, pes6 detta fetta O.z d.3, in
tutto fu O.6 d.2 in conto al d° Maso nor. 4. 7.
(2)
A di 7 Luglio 1461 nor. 3. 4. 9 per valuta di S. 50 d'ariento
detti a Antonio del Pollaiolo orafo, per uno fornimento
d'ariento bianco da cintola con traforo e niello a 8 cignitoi,
pes6 O.2 e la tolsi da lui per dare alia Ginevra che la donassi,
alia Sandra una sirocchia quando torn6 a casa sua, come e
d'usanza.
APPENDIX 261
(3)
A di 6 Aprile 1462. Pagai contanti fior. 10. 8 a Antonio
del Pollaiolo orafo, sono per d.2 di tremolanti e 2 catanelle
d' ariento dorato, comprai da lui per la d. Ginevra per fare
fruscoli a campanella.
XII
COMMISSION &c. FOR DESIGNS FOR EM-
BROIDERIES OF S. GIOVANNI.
[Published in Catalogo del Museo dell' Opera del Duomo.
Firenze, 1904.]
d)
1466. Agosto 5.
S. Giovanni. Facciasi un paramento di broccato e per
maestri del ricamo si eleggano : Coppino di Giovanni di
Bramante, Piero da Venezia, Pagolo d'Anverza e Jan-
sicuro di Navarra, etc.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1462-1468, c. 164-165. Spogli
Strozziani delle scritture dell' Arte de' Mercatanti, I.
c. 224'.]
(2)
1466. Dicembre i.
Ricamatori de' paramenti s'appuntino quando non lavo-
rano. Ricamatori due, elezione : Antonio di Giovanni da
Firenze e Gianpagolo da Perpignano.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1462-1468, c. 176-177. Spogli
cit. I. c. 224"".]
(3)
1466.
Coppino di Giovanni, Giovanni di Jacopo, Giovanni
di Morale, Pagolo d' Anguersa, Piero di Piero Ven-
eziano, Antonio di Giovanni da Firenze, Giovanni di
262 POLLA1UOLO
Pelaio di Prignana, ricamatori, lavorano i paramenti di
San Giovanni.
[Libro grande I. 1466, c. 236. Spogli cit. I. c. nr.]
(4)
1469. Agosto 9.
Paramenti e fregi ricamati si fanno per S. Giovanni
dove lavorano quattro maestri, e si eleggie un garzone.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1468-1473, c. 48. Spogli cit. I. c.
228'.]
(5).
1469. Agosto 9.
Disegni si dipingono per Antonio di Jacopo del
Pollaiuolo per i quali se gli paga fior. 90.
[Delib. cit. c. 59. Spogli cit. I. c. 228'.]
(6)
1470.
Coppino di Giovanni da Melina di Fiandra, ricamatore.
Piero di Piero da Venezia, Pagolo di Bartolommeo da
Verona, Niccol6 di Jacopo di Francia, Antonio di Giovanni
da Firenze, ricamatori, lavorano il paramento di San
Giovanni.
[Libro grande L. 1470, 0.294—300. Spogli cit. I. c. 1 11.]
(7)
1476. Dicembre 4.
Fregi e storie de' paramenti che si fanno di nuovo in
S. Giovanni, con figure, si conviene con gl' infrascritti
he gli finischino si come gl' havevano fatti e lavorati
sino all' hora, cioe con Coppino del g. Giovanni da Mellina,
Piero di Piero da Venezia, Pagolo di Bartolomeo da
Verona, ricamatori, e Niccol6 d' lacopo, Antonio di
Giovanni e Giovanni d' lacopo vocato Garzone ; per finirlo
APPENDIX 263
debbino havere fior. 800, e devono haverli finiti in anni
due e otto mesi etc.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1473-1477, c. 158, e 163. Spogli
cit I. c. 239*.]
(8)
1480 (?)
Antonio d' Jacopo del Pollaiuolo fa I disegni per i fregi
de' paramenti di S. Giovanni e per ci6 se gli paga fior. 90.
[Libro grande P. 1480, c. 288. Spogli cit. I. c. 12'.]
(9)
1480 Luglio 17.
Paramenti per i quali s'erano fatti ricamare i fregi, si
faccino bianchi e secondo il disegno di Francesco Malocchi,
tessitore di drappi. — Si danno a fare a Amerigo di Barto-
lomeo Corsini per D. 20 il braccio quadro, con che metta
almeno D. 1 1 d'oro per braccio. — Di poi gli fu pagato fior.
20 d'oro il braccio.
[Libro di Partiti, 1477-1481, c. 125, 129, 131, 207.
Spogli cit. I. c. 247'.]
(10)
1487 (?)
Ne' paramenti e fregi della chiesa di San Giovanni si
spese fior. 3179 lire 7646 soldi 10 denari 8.
[Libro grande R. 1487, c. 256. Spogli cit. I. c. 12'.]
CONSIGLIA INTORNO ALLA PALLA DELLA
LANTERNA DI S. MARIA DEL FIORE
[Published by Cesare Guasti, " La Cupola di S. Maria
del Fiore. Firenze, 1857. pp. 111-113.]
264 POLLAIUOLO
(0
An. 1467, a 19 gennaio.
Operarii opere Sancte Marie del Fiore, etc. intexo che
1'edifico della Lanterna esser fornito e conpiuto in per-
fetione chon ongni e qualunque adornamento, come per
adrieto fu ordinato : e considerate che le chastella le quali
furono fatte per murare detta Lanterna e tribuna furono
di grande spendio, noia, e difficilissme ; e veduto quelle
che se s'avessino a rifare chosterebbono grandissima quan-
tit& di danari : e veduto intexo che dette chastella non si
anno piu adoperare se nonne per la palla e bottone, el
quale s'anno a porre in su detta Lanterna. E consider-
ando che indugiando a fare detta palla, che dette chastella
infraciderebbono e arembosi a fare di nuovo ; e sarebbe
con danno e verghongna di detta Opera. E considerate
che a fare e deliberare detta palla e cosa molto maravig-
liosa e da volerla molto bene considerare e examinare,
perche molti maestri n'anno gia fatto disputa se detta
palla s'a a fare di getto o di martello ; e veduto intexo e
considerate quello che fu da intendere vedere e con-
siderare : volendo e detti operai avere sopra a tutte le
predette cose maturo consiglio e perfetta examinatione
per fare ottima e perfettissima concluxione ; ad onore,
lalde e glioria della madre e avochata de' pecchatori
Vergine Maria, nel cui nome e dedichato et celebratissimo
tenpio volcharmente chiamato Sancta Maria del Fiore, al
quale tenpio si a a porre nella sommita di detta sua
Lanterna detta palla ; mandorono e invitorono a di cinque
del presente, per fare disputa e perfetta examinatione e
choncluxione per molti venerabili cittadini, e pruden-
tissimi e ottimi maestri intelligent!, etc. E anti, detto di,
nel luogho della loro usata residentia, quivi disputando e
APPENDIX 265
examinando le predette cose : e in utimo dopo lungha e
perfetta examinatione tutti e prefati cittadini e maestri,
de' quali di sotto si dira loro nomi, tutti in una voce e
chonclusione deliberorno e confutorono detti operai che
detta palla si facci di gitto piii scietta di rame che si pu6,
mettendo con detto rame ottone fine ; perche chochiosono
la magnificentia e Teternita del getto. E veduto e detti
operai la detta disputa et examinatione volendp anchora
avere sopra alle prefate cose maturissimo consiglio per
fare perfettissima concluxione, deliberorono a' di 19 del
presente. Invitati a detta disputa tutti e detti gl' infra-
scripti cittadini e maestri, de' quali di sotto si dir& loro
nomi ; e disputando come di sopra in utimo chonchiusono
medesimamente, che detta palla si facci di getto, etc.
Che per nessun modo o forma si facca di martello, ma
faccasi di getto : e potendosi fare d'un pezzo, si facca
sanza alchuno rispiarmo, etc. etc.
Messer Giovanni Chanigiani :
Messer Dornenicho Martelli :
Matteo di Marcho Palmieri :
Alexandro Machiavelli :
Jacopo d' Antonio di Tedici :
Bartholomeo di ser Benedetto Fortini :
Carlo di Nichola de' Medici :
Francesco Cigliamochi :
Andrea di Tommaxo Minerbetti :
Giovanni di messer Lorenzo Ridolfi :
Bernardo Jachopi :
Bonacorso di messer Lucha Pitti :
Giovanni di Tommaxo Borghini :
Andrea di Francesco Zati :
Lorenzo di Piero di Cosimo. [Lorenzo de' Medici]
266 POLLAIUOLO
Maestri
cioe horafi, intagliatori e archittettori
Bruno di ser Lapo Mazzei :
Lucha di Simone della Robbia :
Corso orafo :
Carlo del maestro Bartolomeo :
Gianotto di Bruno, orafo :
Mino, intagliatore :
Antonio di Taddeo, orafo i
Antonio del Pollaiuolo :
Bancho orafo:
Andrea del Verochio :
Amerigho, horafo :
Taddeo di Ser Bartholomeo :
Zanobi Talani :
Francesco . . . orafo :
Gusto .... orafo :
Giovanni di Bartholommeo, intagliatore.
(*)
An 1468 a 2 dicembre.
Actendentes ad quandam locationem verbotenus
factam per operarios etc, Johanni Bartholomei
intagliatore e Bartholomeo Fruosini aurificho, cuiusdem
bottonis rame e ottone, quod debet poni in Lacterna
etc. et intellect© ipsum bottonem esse conpletum ; et
volentes solvere et eisdem dare mercedem dicti bottonis,
quia fuit locatum dicto Johanni pro pretio quod per
operarios qui pro tempore fuerunt,fuerit deliberatum : et
advertendo ad dictam locationem, miserunt per plures
magistras etc. Dicti magistri simul congreghati dederunt in
scriptis, quilibet eorum de per se, pretium sibi debendum
etc. in hunc mod urn, videlicet
APPENDIX 267
Io Lucha di Simone della Robbia gudicho che debbano
avere fiorini 60 del bottone per insino dove e condotto di
bono maestere.
Io Andrea del Verochio gudicho quello medeximo.
Io Antonio del Polaiolo gudicho che debbono avere fiorini
70 di loro manifattura.
Io Bancho di Filipo, orafo, gudicho ch'abbino avere di
loro faticha per insino dove e condotto il bottone fiorini
ottanta. etc.
XIV
COMMISSION, ETC., TO PIERO FOR THE
VIRTUES OF THE MERCATANZIA
[Published by Jacques Mesnil, " Des figures de Vertus
de la Mercanzia/' Miscellanea d'Arte, I. 1903, p. 43.]
(0
18 Agosto 1469.
. . . deliberaverunt quod virtus caritatis videlicet figura
et imago caritatis que est picta seu designata in pariete
seggii sex consiliorum dicte universitatis vel alia figura
dicte virtutis, prout videbitur infrascripto pictori, fiat et
fieri debeat in dicto loco, colorata et ornata bene et optime
prout decet et propterea dictum opus fiendum locaverunt
Piero del Verrocchio * [sic] pittori, et quod illam facere
teneatur et debeat et perfecisse durante tempore eorum
officii et quod propterea custodes actorum dicte universi-
tatis mutuent de pecunia dicte universitatis dicto Piero
1. centum p. et ponant eum debitorem.
* A lapsus calami, explained by the fact that Verrocchio was
then working at the group of Or S. Michele ordered by the same
commissioners.
268 POLLAIUOLO
[Arch, di Stato, Firenze, Mercanzia. Delib. dell' ufficiale
e del Sei di Mercanzia. Libro segnato, 305, c. 44.]
0)
27 Sep. 1469.
. . . considerate quod per officium dictorum sex fuit
locata ad faciendum pictura virtutis caritatis pro ilia
ponenda in loco ubi est similis pictura in sala magna
inferiori Piero. . . [sic] del Pollaiuolo pictori et quod ad
hoc ut possit laborare et dare principium dicto operi dicti
sex fecerunt mutuare ei 1. centum p. a Jeronimo custode
actorum dicti universitatis et pro eo habint a Francesco
de Cambinis . . , deliberaverunt . . . quod dictis came-
rarius de dicta pecunia universitatis solvat dicto Jeronimo
1 centum cum hoc quod dictus Pierus pictor non possit
habere dicta occaxione nee sibi solvi possint plures pecunie
nee possit vel debeat fieri mercatum et pretium dicti
laboris nisi per partitum et deliberationem fiendam per
sex et consules quinque maiorum artium qui per tempore
fuerint, ut est moris et juris in similibus cum hoc quod
dictus Pierus stet . . . [four words illegible] merced.
dicti operis, et quod eius frater Antonius stet et remaneat
obligatus pro dicta quantitate, ut erat ante et operarii
pilastri siti in S. Michaeli in orto videlicet in pariete
S. Anne sub signo dicte universitatis sint etiam operarii
dicte operis picture.
[Arch. cit. c. 84.]
(3)
18 dec. 1469
Supradicti sex omnibus insimul collegatis in loco ipsorum
solite residentie pro infrascriptis tractaiidis et examinandis
simul cum prudentibus infrascriptis viris consulibus quilibet
APPENDIX 269
eorum sue artis videlicet Guidetto de Guidettis pro arte
Kalimale, Francesco de Cocchis pro arte carobii, Maso
Luca de Albizis pro arte lane, Bernardo de Antinoris pro
arte porte S. Marie et Nero de Rinuccinis pro arte aroma-
toruni electis et deputatis ... ad praticandum, examin-
andum, intelligenclum et conferendum quid faciendum sit
de pictura jam incepta de septem virtutibus videlicet tres
theologicis et quatuor cardinalibus videlicet an sit perse-
quendum in opere jam incepto per viam picture vel aliter
et cui seu quibus locetur tale opus et de mercede debita
vel debenda et de virtute caritatis jam picta per Pierum
del Pollaiuolo et reliquis circumstantibus. Et visa una ex
dictis figuris designiata per Andream del Verochio et
auditis dicto Piero et Antonio ejus fratre et considerate
quod plures pictores sunt qui vellent facere et pingere
unam ex dictis virtutibus . . . misso inter ipsos sex et
consules partito ad fabas neras et albas et detempto omni
modo, etc. deliberaverunt et declaraverunt quod totum
dictum opus et omnes dicte figure fiende locetur et locentur
dicto Piero del Pollaiuolo et quod ipse habeat et habere
debeat pro suo labore et mercede et pro lignamine et
coloribus et auro et reliquis omnibus pluribus expensis pro
dicta figura caritatis iam facta in totum floren. viginti
largos. Et quod similiter habeat et habere debeat de
reliquis sex figuris predictis restandibus fieri videlicet flor.
viginti larg. de qualibet et pro qualibet earum ad omnes
suas expensas lignaminum et aliorum quorumcumque. Et
quod dictus Pierus teneatur et debeat omnibus tribus
mensibus initiandis die primo ianuarii proxime futuri dare
perfectas duas et dictis figuris et virtutibus. Et quod ipse
teneatur et debeat meliorare et non peiorare a prima figura
ad declarationem illorum qui deputabunt ad vigilandum et
270 POLLAIUOLO
operandum quod predicts fierint bene et diligenter, et
dehito et forma et tempore. Et quod etiam interim
durante quolibet ex dictis laboreriis etc. de tribus in tribus
mensibus ipse Pierus habeat ante opus perfectum duarum
figurarum tradendarum omnibus tribus mensibus, videlicet
de tempore in tempore a dicta universitate pecunias con-
decenter et temperate, adeo quod possit ducere et habere
necessaria pro ipso opere perficiendo et etiam ultra pro
suis indigentiis discrete habendo semper respectum ad opus
factum adeo quod non solvatur sibi plus quam vel idem
quod laboraverit sed quod semper dicta universitas sit
debitrix et satis. Et quod semper finitis et positis duabus
figuris satisfiat sibi integraliter de dictis duabus figuris et
fiat nova reiteratio solutionis de reliquis ut sopra. Et quod
etiam dictus Pierus teneatur prestare fidem de bene
serviendo et perficiendo opere et de faciendo debitum in
omnibus.
Et hoc presente intelligente et ratificante dicto Piero et
Antonio eius fratre cum eo . . .
(Delib. of 18 dec. 1469. Arch. cit. c. 159*.)
(4)
Dec. 21, 1469.
Andree . . . [sic] del Verrocchio sculptori et pro eo
Boninsegne de Actavantibtis 1. octo p. pro mercede et
labore unius figure virtutis fidei per eum facte pro designo
virtutum pingendarum et ponendarum in sala magna
domus dicte universitatis quam quantitatem 1. otto dictus
Boninsegna teneatur et debeat ponere ad computum ubi
habet debitorem dictum Andream vel dictam universitatem
de libris XXV mutuatis dicto Andrea per ipsum Bonin-
segnam occaxione figure fiende per dictum Andream per
APPENDIX 271
dictam universitatem in pilastro dicte universitatis sito in
pariete oratorii S. Anne civitatis Florentie.
[Arch. cit. c. 165'.]
(5)
June 18. 1470.
Botticelli pittoris fl. XL pro parte [in margin]
Supradicti sex insimul etc. advertentes quod, dato quod
de mense decembris proxime preteriti per tune officium sex
et consules quinque maiorum artium, servatis servandis,
fuerit locata pictura virtutum in sala magna terrena domus
dicte universitatis Piero . . . [sic] del Pollaiuolo pictori ad
rationem fl. 20 larg. pro qualibet, nichilhominus postea de
mense maii proxime preteriti per medium domini
Thomaxii de Soderinus.
Sandro di Mariano [in margin].
[Arch. cit. c. 147.]
(6)
Aug. a, 147°-
Piero Jaobi del Pollaiuolo pictori fl. viginti quinque larg.
pro residue et integrali satisfactione . . . picture et
laborerii . . . duarum figuraram, videlicet secunde et
tertie videlicet temperantie et fidei. . .
[Arch. cit. Libro Segnato, 307 c. 31],
(7)
Aug. 1 8, 1470.
Sandro Mariano Botticello pictori fl. decem larg. pro
resto flor. XX larg. eidem debitos a dicta universitate pro
pictura per eum facta de virtute fortitudinis in sala domus
dicti universitatis.
[Arch. cit. c. 41'.]
272 POLLAIUOLO
XV
PAYMENT FOR SILVER CANDLESTICKS FOR
S. GIOVANNI.
(0
S. Gio. Candellieri dargento fatti nuovamente da Ant°
di Jacopo del Pollaiuolo pesorno L. 88 oncie 5. Erano
con figure smalti etc. si da a d° Ant° p. manifattura di
d' Candellieri. F. 17 p. libra etc.
[Spogli Strozzi I. c. 230*.]
00
Candellieri due dargento daltezza di ba 2\ luno si fanno
p. la. chiesa di S. Gio. da Antonio di Jacopo del Pollaiuolo
orafo e costano F. 1578, L. 3, s. 6.
[Spogli Strozzi II. c. 112'.]
(3)
Candellieri dargento fatti ultimamente p. la chiesa di
S. Gio. da Antonio di Jacopo del Pollauolo pesorno L. 88
0.5 erano con figuri e smalti e si pag6 a d° Ant° p. mani-
fattura di d' Candellieri F. 17 per Libbra 1'anno 1470.
[Spogli Strozzi II. c. 120'.]
XVI
PAYMENT FOR SILVER HELMET FOR THE
COUNT OF URBINO.
Antonio d'Jacopo detto Antonio del Pollaiuolo orafo de'
dare a di xxiiij. di luglio fior. novanzette sol. xij. den. xx.
a oro larghi : sono per la monta di libre xj. d'ariento e one
APPENDIX 273
ii den. i6di fine per libra resta el fine libr. 10 one. —
den. 8 a fiorini 8J larghi la libr. del popolino — el quale se
gli da perche se gli aloch6 1'elmo che si dona al signiore
Chonte d'Urbino.
[Nel libro delle spese per 1'impresa di Volterra — Dieci
di Balia, 1472. Giornale a c. 37. Quoted by Milanesi.
Vasari, III. 298.]
XVII
COMMISSION TO PIERO OF FA£ADE OF
FOUNTAIN IN PALAZZO BELLA SIGNORIA.
[Published by Gaye, Cart. Ined. I. 578.]
Item dederunt et locaverunt vigore dictae legis
Dominicho et Sandro Marini, pictoribus, faciam sale
audientie dominorum dicti palatii ad pingendum et
ornandum pro ornamento dicti palatii.
Item locaverunt Pietro, vocato Perugino, et Blaxio
Antonii Tucci, pictoribus, faciam sale palatii dictorum
dominorum versus plateam, videlicet faciam fenestrae, ad
faciendum et pingendum ; solvendum salarium ut in
deliberatione de Dominicho del Grillandaio continetur.
Item locaverunt faciam putei dicte sale Piero Jacobi del
Pollaiuolo pictori etc.
XVIII
COMMISSION TO ANTONIO FOR SILVER BASIN
FOR THE PALAZZO BELLA SIGNORIA.
[Published by Gaye, Cart. Ined. I. 471.]
MCCCCLXXIII ii januar.
A Antonio di lacopo del Pollaiuolo si da a fare un bacino
grande d' argento per la Signoria.
s
274 POLLAIUOLO
[Regesta Florentina Internam Reipublicae Historiam
spectantia ab anno mccxxv usque ad annum MD.]
XIX
COMMISSION &c. FOR RELIEF OF SILVER
ALTAR OF S. GIOVANNI.
[Published in Catalogo del Museo dell' Opera del Duomo,
Firenze, 1904.]
(')
1477 Luglio 24.
Si d£ autorit& a' Consoli e official! di mosaico di allogave far
fare corapire e fornire 1' altare d' ariento di S. Gio1 Batt%
cioe le due teste al dossale nel modo e forma che sta al
presente el dossale, con quattro storie che vi mancono, cioe
in verso la porta del Battesimo due storie che sieno 1'
Annunziazione la Nativita e il Parto, le dette due storie
secondo il disegno et il modello che si faranno, la 3% che
riguarda verso 1'opera di S. Gio'. la cena la Donzella che
balla e quando gl'e tagliata la testa di S. Gio. Bata ad ornate
tutte le quattro storie con figure di piii che mezzo rilievo e
faccino che sieno finite per tutto Aprile 1478 etc.
[Delib. de' Consoli 1473-1477, c. 211. Spogli Strozzi I.
c. 240* -241'.
0)
1477. AgOStO 2.
Paghisi fior. 6 a Verrocchio orefice per due storie fatte per
lui per fare le teste del dossale dell' altare della chiesa di
S. Gio1, con il modello e similitudine del quale si dovevano
fare dette storie e i detti modelli dovevano rimanere all
opera di S. Gio!.
Item a Antonio del PoUaiolo paghisi fior. 8 per tre
altre storie fatte per detta occasione.
APPENDIX 275
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1473-1477, c. 215. Spogli cit. I. c.
241'.]
(3)
1477 (?)
Antonio di Salvi e Francesco di Giovanni, compagni,
orafi in Vacchereccia, vogliono fare due storie del dossale
d argento di S. Gio', cioe il Convito e la Decollazione, di
peso di libbre 30 d'ariento, a fiorini 15 la libbra e quello
pesasse piu delle dette Jibre 30 gli fusse pagato per ariento
etc. Gli e conceduto.
[Filza 6 dell' Arte de' Mercatanti di Provisioni e scritture
dipiu sortidal 1463 al 1477, c. 238. Spogli. cit. I. c. 133'.]
(4)
1477, Agosto 18.
Si da a fare a Antonio di Salvi e Francesco di Gio' com-
pagni, orefici, una testa o lato del dossale dell' altare d'ar-
gento della chiesa di S. Gio' Bata, cioe il Convito e la Decolla-
zione, al modello e conforme al modello di cei'a prescntato
per loro a' consoli, e ancora le cornice sovagi basi e
capitelli etc.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1477, c. 215. Spogli cit. I. c. 241'.]
Si d& a fare a Bernardo di Bartolomeo Vanni orefice,
1'altra testa o lato del dossale di detto altare, cioe
I'Annunziazione, Nativita e Parto di S. Gio!. Batt% al
paragone del modello di cera da farsi per detto Bernardo,
sovagi etc.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1473-1477, c. 216. Spogli cit. I.e.
141'.]
(5)
1478, Gennaio 13
Bernardo di Bartolomeo di Cenni, orefice, faccia le storia
dell' Annunziazione, et Andrea di Michele del Verrocchio
276 POLLAIUOLO
faccia la storia della Decollazione di S. Gio1 Bata, Antonio
d' lacopo del Pollaiuolo faccia la storia della Nativit& et
Antonio di Salvi e Franc0 di Gio! compagni, faccino la
storia del Convito di S. Gio' Bata ; secondo il modello e
dossale antico, excepto che le figure che sono sode sieno
vote, nel resto devono essere della medesima grandezza etc.
come sono quelle che sono in detto dossale e devono fare
ancora tutte le cornice sovagi pilerie basi fregi e capitelli,
come quelli del detto dossale vecchio, e tutto alia bonta di
perfetti maestri, e devono haverle finite per tutto il di 20
di Luglio prossimo a ragione di fior. 15 per libbra etc.
[Libro di partiti segnato C. 1477-1481, c. 7 e c. 20.
Spogli cit. I. c. 248'.]
(6)
1.578, Dicembre 30.
Ant° del Pollaiuolo e Andrea di Michele del Verrocchio
finischino drento a certo tempo le storie pigliate a fare.
[Libro di partiti segnato C. 1477-1481, c. 61, 63. Spogli
cit. I. c. 245'.]
(7)
1480.
Andrea del Verrocchio, scultore, finisce la storia del
dossale d'ariento, la quale pes6 1. 30 d. 4 ; per la quale in
tutto se gli pag6 fior. 397 1. 21 s. i.
Antonio di Salvi et . . . , orafi, finiscono la storia del
dossale d'ariento, la quale peso 1. 32 d. 4 e d' 18 ; per la
quale in tutto se gli pag6 fior. 384, s. 12, d, 10.
(Libro grande P. 1480,0. 274. Spogli cit. I. c. 12')
Bernardo di Bartolommeo di Cenni, orafo, finisce la storia
del dossale d'ariento, la quale pes6 1. 36 d. 1 1 ; per la quale
in tutto se gli pago fior. 475, 1. 2, s. 5, d. 10.
(Libro grande P. 1480, c. 275. Spogli cit. I, c. 12')
APPENDIX 277
Antonio d'lacopo del Pollaiuolo et . . . orafi, finiscono
la storia del dossale d'ariento, la quale pes6 1. 29, d. 3, d' 5 ;
per la quale in tutto se gli pago fior. 487, 1. r, s. 16, d. 4.
[Lihro gvande P. 1480, c. 288. Spogli cit. I. c.i24.]
(8)
1483, Aprile 26.
Si paga danari a Antonio del Pollaiuolo Bernardo di
Cenni Antonio di Salvi e Andrea del Verrocchio per
rassettare e fare le storie che feciono nell' altare di S.
Giovanni.
[Delib. de' Cousoli, 1482-1484. c. 48. Spogli cit. I. c.
251'-]
(9)
1483. Maggio 27.
Cornice e capitelli si danno a fare per 1'altare d'argeiito
di S. Giovanni.
[Delib. de' Consoli, 1482-1484, c. 53. Spogli, cit. I. c.
XX
LETTER FROM THE OPERAI DI S. JACOPO,
PJSTOIA, TO LORENZO DEI MEDICI
ii Marzo 1477 (N.S. 1478).
Magnifice Vir e benefactor nr singularissime post debit
recommendat. Nelle cose occorenti ci bisognia afaticare la
V.M. ; et questo sie che doppo la morte della buona
memoria di Monsignor di Thyano, nostro dilectissimo
compatriota per memoria della sua Reverendissima S. e
per benefitii ricevuti questa Cipta da lui, parve qui alia
278 POLLAIUOLO
comunita fare dimostratione, et per nri consigli fu obtenuto
per sua Sepoltura et memoria si dovesse spendere lire mille
cento e commisse a noi Ciptadini che facessimo fare
modelli, et quelli facti si presentassero al consiglio et
quello il consiglio elegiesse, si dovesse prehendere.
II perche al consiglio fu presentati cinque modelli, fra
quali nenera uno dandrea del varrocchio, il quale piaceva
piu che altro ; et il consiglio de commissione a noi,
dovessimo praticare di pregio con dco. Andrea. Ilche
facemo, et lui ci chiese ducati trecento ciriquanta, et inteso
noi la chiesta sua li demo licentia, et nulla saldamo seco ;
perche non avevamo commessione spendere piu che lire
mille cento. Et di poi desiderandosi per noi che dca.
opera avesse effecto, ricorrimo al consiglio, dicendo che
bisognava magior quantita di denari a questa opera che
lire mille cento, volendo una cosa degnia. II consiglio
inteso il vero nuovamente diliber6, et diecci auctorita
potessimo spendere quella quantita di denari ci paresse
per dca. opera, perche fuse bella. et potessimo allogarla a
dco. andrea et a ogni altro che ci paresse. II perche noi
intendendo essere qui piero del pollaiuolo fumo seco, et
preghamolo ci dovesse fare modello di tale opera ; il che
ci promesse fare, et per questo abbiamo diferito ad alogare
dca. opera. Ora e seguito che enostri M. Commissari, per
fare che dca. opera avesse effecto, lanno allogata al dco.
andrea per dco. pregio et modo ; et noi, come figliuoli
dubidientia, a questa et a ogni altra cosa che loro facessino
et deliberasseno, sempre staremo content! et ubidienti : et
cosi alloro nabbiamo scripto. Ora piero del pollaiuolo a
facto il modello che per noi li fu imposto ; il quale ci pare
piu bello et piu dengnio darte et piu piace a contento di
mess, piero fratello di dco. Monsignore et di tucta la sua
APPENDIX 279
famiglia, et simul di noi et di tucti e ciptadini della nra
cipta, che lanno veduto, che 11011 fa quello dandrea o
dalchuno altro, et per questo abbiamo preghato decti
commissari, che se paga loro usare alchuna cortesia a dco.
andrea, et pigliare quello di dco. piero, cio ne rarebbeno
contento et piacere assai. Ora a voi, come a nro protectore,
mandiamo e decti modelli,perche di simile cose et dognialtra
navete pienissima intelligentia, et siamo certi desiderate
1'honore di decto Monsignore et sua famiglia et di tucta la
nra. Cipta ; che essendo vero quello ci pare, ci prestiate il
vro. aiuto et favore al nro. desiderio, che non intende ad
altro che allo honore della Cipta, et alia memoria di dco.
Monsignore. Bene valete. Ex pistorio die xi. Martii,
Vriservidori Operari di San Jacopo offitiali della
Sapientia et Ciptadiui electi pel consiglio sopra dca. opera
in pistoia.
Magnifico viro Laurentio de Medicis benefactoris no^tro
precipuo florentie.
[Arch. Med. Famiglia privata Lettere. Filza 35. Gaye,
Cart. Ined. i. 256.]
XXI
VALUATION OF A RELIQUARY [MADE BY
JACOPO OF PISA FOR THE CHURCH OF S.
GIMIGNANO] BY ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO
[Published by Luigi Pecori, u Storia della Terra di S
Gimignano." Firenze, 1853, p. 637.]
A. d. xvii Febraio, 1480.
Fassi fede per me Antonio d' Jacopo Horafo detto del
Pollaiuolo chome avendo veduto uno horlichieri fatto per
28o POLLAIUOLO
Jachopo Horafo da Pisa e in chompagnia di Nofri hoperaio
e Antonio di Salvi abiamo veduto che sechondo un disegnio
die ci mostrorono 1'opera cioe e'lavoro e stato chondotto
secondo el disegnio, e inteso el pregio a spesa d' Jacopo
sopradetto cioe ariento horo e fattura che lui abi fatto in
vei'so di voi suo dovere, cioe che non a di quel del chomune
chosa che vabi a sodisfare.
Ma bene vero che se voi dicessi, se si potessi fare meglio
o chome noi siamo uxi a lavorare simili lavori che voi nollo
paghareste chon nor. 15 larghi la lib. perche sarebe ragion-
evole, e perche none interamente gli smalti al modo chome
noi facciamo di qua ci pare che stia bene el pregio sopra-
detto cioe nor. dodici larghi la libra, e massime sendo
1'ariento a legha di Firenze e per questo Antonio di Salvi
orafo e io Antonio supradetto gudichiamo insieme chome
si soscrivera qui e sara in questo medeximo gudicio la
channa pesa oncie dicotto cioe una libbra e mezzo che
facciamo che la lib. de la channa la fattura gli sia paghata
nor. tre larghi la libra, in tutto nor. quatro e mezzo per
tuto de la channa.
Fassi fede per me Antonio di Salvi orafo sopradetto e so
chontento al sopradetto gudichato chol sopradetto Antonio
d' Jachopo detto di sopra, e per6 mi sono soscripto di mia
propria mano 1480. Fede della valuta di uno calice doro
appartenente all' opera e ciborio dove sta il dito di San
Gimignano.
[Carte sciolte della Cancelleria, S. Gimignano, Filza T.
No. 64.]
APPENDIX 281
XXII
TOMB OF INNOCENT VIII
(i)
EXTRACT FROM MSS. DIARY.
[Published by Torrigio, " Le Sacre Grotte Vaticane," p.
214-217]
Anno 1498, feria 3, die 30 Januarii corpus sive cadaver
fel. rec. Innocentii Papae VIII quod post ejus obitum fuit
juxta murum altaris B. Mariae Virg. Chori, ubi canonici et
clerus Basilicae S. Petri de Urbe singulis diebus officium
peragere convenerunt, antequam statuam metalli Sixtus
Papa IV capellam suam pro choro eorum erigeret et ordi-
naret fuit ex deposito hujusmodi circa horam vesperorum
extractum ex capsa, in qua iacebat et compertum integrum,
illtesum, uno pede denipto quia in pedicis habuit aliquam
laesionem, in ipsa capsa positum super una raensa super
duobus tripedibus in dicto choro, juxta depositum hujus-
modi ordinata ibi per canonicos et clerum praedictaa
Basilicas, Vigilias mortuorum. De quibus locis postea
extractus fuit integer, ex dicta capsa adhuc omnia
Pontificalia paramenta habens illresa, et positus et consutus
in una petia de tafettano violacco et expositus in capsam
oeream ad memoriam tibi constructam.
(2)
PROCESS VERBAL MADE BY GRIMALDI, ARCHEOLOGIST, ON THE
TRANSFERENCE OF THE TOMB OK INNOCENT VIII, IN 1606.
[Published in "Arch. Stor. dell' Arte/' IV. 1891, 368.]
Aperitio Sepulcri Innocentii Octavi
Die quinta septembris MDCVI, hora XIX Illustrissimi
et Rmi dni Cardinales fabricae novi templi a S.D.N. deputati
282 POLLAIUOLO
cupientes ut in hac Basilicas demolitione ossa summorum
Pontificum, memoriae, et alia notatu cligna sedulo semaren-
tur, deputavit R"10S dnos Darium Buccarium et Alloysium
cittadinum canonicos, dnum Nicolaum Amatum beneficiatum,
qui hujusmodi curam haberent, sine quibus caementarii
tumulos et marmoreas areas quae in media Basilica et
lateralibus locis humi sepultae erant, nullatenus aperire
deberunt.
Quare, eodem R. d. Alloysio praesente, fuit aperta urna
sive capsa cenea sepulcri Innocentii Papae Octavi, in nave
Sn" Sudarii et inspectum corpus ejusdem Innocentii in-
tegrum, sed corruptum, ac involutum panno serico rubro
de raso, indutum preciosis paramentis pontificalibus euri
insertis ad perlas cum auri, frigio et chirothecis. Corpus
magnae erat staturae. Intra capsam ad pedes Pontificis
repertum est numisma oereum signatum imagine ipsius
Innocentii ad vivum expressa, induti pluviale cum litteris
in gyro " Innocentius Januensis VIII Pont. Max." In
altera parte tres imagines mulierum cum litteris " Justitia,
Pax, Copia. " Quod numisma habuit R. d. Alloysius
cittadinus Canonicus plus ostensurus 111"10 et R'"° Alphonso
Cardinal! Vicecomiti, uno ex cardinalibus fabricae
deputatis. Area fuit inde clausa, et in novo templo, in
aditu Sacelli S.Gregorii juxta Clementem VIII. reposita.
Super quibus . . . Actum ubi supra, praeseiitibus
dominis Joanne Belluccio et Paulo Bacioeco, testibus
rogatis. Ego Jacobus Grimaldus notarius rogatus scripsi,
subscripsi et signavi manu propria.
[Bibl. Barberini, XXXIV, 150, fol. 178.]
INDEX
ACCADEMIA, 96
Adam aud Eve, 130
Adoration of Magi, Albertiiia. 214
Adoration of Magi, TJflizi, 214
Albertiiia, 69, 137, 153, 174, 214
Alesso Baldoviuetti, 7, 33, 52, 53, 88,
89, 165, 217
Andrea ual Castagno, 6, 7, 23, 32,
36
Angel giving alms to Beggars, 216
Annunciation, Berlin, 97-99
Anomiuo Gaddiano, 5, 137, 153, 159,
163
Antonio Pollaiuolo, Private life,
2-14 ; Influences, 31-34 ; Charac-
teristics of Art ; 26-31, 38-44
Apollo and Daphne, National
Gallery, 62, 70, 72
Appolloula. S. Justice, 149
Arcetri Frescoes, 116-121, 125
Armour of Salutati, 133
BALDINUCCT, 153, 163, 176
Baldovinetti, 7, 33, 52, 53, 88, 89,
165, 217
Ball of Cupola, 22, 263
Baptist, Drawings, Utlizi, 213, 214
Baptistry Doors, 4, 5
Barbari, Jacopo di, 160
Bargello, 81, 82, 185, 186
Bartoluecio Ghiborti, 4, 5,
Basin for Signoria, 8, 150, 273
Battle of Nudes, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40,
121-124
Beam Coll., Paris, 84
Beckerath Coll., Berlin, 80, in, 200
iJuit Coll., 75
Belvedere, Home, 21
Bereusou, 8, 34, 80, 81, 84, 89, 153
158, 161, 181, 207, 210, 213, 215
218
Berlin, 34, 97, 40, 64, 80, 155, 158
178. 181, 200
Bertoldo di Giovanni, 188
Betto Betti, 48, 49, 51, 58
Bibliography, 230
Billi, Ant., 5, 137, 153, 163
Bouuat Coll., 1'aris, 129
Boiisi, Dom., 20, 257
Borghini, 133
Borsari, Luigi, 17
Botticelli, 41, 42, 58, 65, 119, 139
147. 157. *72
Botticiui, 96
Brauer Shield, 134
British Museum, 73, 75, 124, 146,
147
CANDELABRA, 8, 59, 272
Carmine, i. 20
Carmine Crucifix, 8, 151
Castagno, And. dal, 6, 7, 23. 32, 36
Cavalcaselle, 4, 22, 103, 140, 165, 183
Cellini, Beuveuuto, 10, 46
Ceiini, Bernardo, 170, 171
Centaurs lighting, drawing, 217
Charles VIII. Bust, 186
Chautilly, 210
Christopher, S. Fresco, 162-165
Chronological Table, 222
Citta di Castcllo, 160
Cook Coll., 78
Cros«, Op del Duouio, 8, 47-60,
258
284
INDEX
DANTE, drawing, 217
David, Berlin, 40, 64-66, 154
David, Naples, 85
Delaborde, 34
Discord, 39, 40, 125-128
Documents, 233
Donatello, 28, 31, 213
Drawings, Adam, Utttzi, 130 ; Adora-
tion of Magi, Albertina, 214;
Adoration of Magi, Uttizi, 214 ;
Angel giving Alms, Ullizi, 216;
Archer, Berlin, 158 ; Baptist, Utttzi,
213, 214; Charity, Uflizi, 143;
Centaurs fighting, 217 ; Dante,
Oxford, 217 ; Embroidery design,
Beckcrath, 1 1 1 ; Embroidery design,
Uflizi, in ; Eve, Ufflzi, 73 ; Fides,
Botticelli, 147 ; Fides, Ullizi, 144 ;
Fides, Verrocchio, 145-147 ; Gatta-
melata, Hertford House, 132 ;
Head of man, Chuutilly, 210 ;
Hercules, Beckeratli, 80 ; Hercules,
British Museum, 73, 75 ; Hernia,
Uttizi, 129 ; Horse, Wilton House,
76, 213 ; S. Jerome, Ullizi, 207 ;
Nude, Bouuat Coll., 129 ; Nudes,
Louvre, 132 ; Nude stu.lies,
Uttizi, 128 ; Prisouer before J udgc1,
British Museum, 124 ; Sautarelli
Head, Uflizi, 80; 8. Sebastian,
Frizzoni Coll., 159 ; S." Sebastian,
Verrocchio Sketch Book, 158;
Sforza Monument, Munich, 211;
Tomb of Innocent VI II. Becker.ith
Coll., 200 ;Turibuluin,UlBzi, 215
DUrer, 30, 80
EMBROIDEKIES, 100-115, 261
Engraving, 34-36
Engraving of Lady, Berlin, 34
K pistol trio, 175
FAQADE of Duorno, 22
Feldsberg, 35, 121
Filippino Lippi, i, 19
Finiguerra, 10, n, 35, 45, 46, 87
Forteguerri Tomb, 23, 147, 277
Franceschiui, 173
Francesco di Giovanni, 169
Frizzoni Coll., 159
GALEAZZO Sforza, 182-183
Gattarnelata drawing, 132
Gaye, 15, 216
Genealogical chart, 228
Ghiberti, Bartoluccio, 4, 5, 31
Ghiberti, Lorenzo, 4, 5, 31
Gimignano, S., 24, 183-185, 279
Grimaldi, Jacopo, 204
Gronau, 145, 158
Guasti, Gaetano, 120
HAMBURG drawing, 217
Hainautr, Profile, 181
Helmet for Count of Urbino, 8, 150,
272
Hercules, Lost Medici paintiugs, 8,
12, 17, 23, 67-70
Hercules paintings, Ullizi, 40, 41,
66-77
Hercules, Itobetta engravings, 73-75
Hercules and Auta:us, engraving,
76
Hercules and Giants, engraving, 76
Hercules and Nessus, Newhaveu, 78-
80
Hercules drawing, British Museum,
73-75
Hercules drawing, Beckurath Coll.,
80
Hercules and Antiuus, Bargello, 81
Hercules and An tains, Bcruusou
Coll., 84
Hercules, Pierpont Morgan Coll.,
85
Hercules frescoes, Palazzo Vem-zia,
86
Herma drawing, 129
Hertford House drawing, 132
INNOCENT VHI. Tomb, 15, 16, 18,
177, 281
JACOPO dl Barbari, 160
Jacopo, S. Sopr' Arno, 158
Jerome S., Uttizi, 207
KRIHTE.LLEH, 36, 46
LANFREDINI, Giovanni, 15, 260
Landscapes of Antonio Pollaiuolo, 42
63. 72. 79. 105, 157.
Leonardo d' Arezzo portrait, 176
Leonardo da Vinci, 41, 212
Lichtensteiu engraving, 35, 121
INDEX
285
List of works by Antonio, 224
List of works by I'iero, 228
Logan, Mary, 116
Louvre Nudes, 132
MACKOWSKY, 50, 52, 57
Madonna of the G Irdle, 165
Manetti portr.iit, 176
Mantegna, 36
Marini, Luc'i, 19
Marsy:is, Bargello, 82
Medallist, Botticelli, 65
Mercatanzia Virtues, 12, 23, 136-
149, 267
Mesnil, Jacques, 137, 267
Metropolitan Museum, X. York. 162-
165
Michelangelo, 54, 58
Michelino, 217
Migliore, 151, 218
Milan, 159, 177
Milauesi, 10, 18, 24, 94, 100
Miliano Dei, 48, 51
Milo of Crotona Shield, 134
Minitito 8. 8, 23, 33, 56, 87-80
Miniato, S., fra le Torri, 163
Morelli, 76, 130, 153, 159, 212
Momma, 208
Miintz, 69, 81, 182
NAPLES, 85
National Gallery, 62, 64, 70, 72, 97,
151
Newhaven, 78- -80
New York, 162-165
Niccol6, S., 165
Niello, 10, ii, 45, 46
Nude studies, 128-133
Nurnberg, 38, 80
OPERA del Duomo, 8, 47, 100, 167
Orsini, Gentil Virginio, 16, 257
Or S. Michele, 94, 163
Oxford drawing, 217
PACI, 45
Pancrazio, S. Tabernacle, 87
Paolo Uccello, 36
Paris, 84, 129, 132, 158
Pazzi Conspiracy medal, 187
Pembroke drawing, 76, 213
Pier del Franceschi, 178
Piero Pollainolo, 3, n, 19, 20, 22-24
25, 26, &c.
Pierpout Morgan, 82, 85
Pietro, S. in Vincoli, i, 8, 19, 206
Pietro, S. Tombs, 189-206
Pistoja, 23, 147
Pitti, 160
Poggio Bracciolini portrait, 176
Poldi-Pezzoli Museum, 177-180
Portraits, 176-183
Prisoner before Judge, 124
Pucci Altarpiece, 151-158
QUAIL on Baplistry doors, 4, 5
RAFFAELLE Sketch-book, 75
Reliquary for Duomo, 175
Keymond, Marcel, 186, 191
Richa, 158, 164, 175
Richmond, Cook Coll., 78
Richter, 212
Rinucclni Jewels, 11, 87, 260
Robctta, 73-75
Rome, i, 8, 15, 16, 18, 19,21, 86, 177,
189, 206
SALI, Piero, 10, 87
Salvi, Ant. di, 169, 171
Snntarelli Coll., 80
Schmarsow, 90
Sebastian, S. 8, 27, 151-158
Sebastian S., S. Jacopo sopr' Arno,
IS8
Sforza Galeazzo, 182-183
Sforza drawing, 17, 211
Shield, 134
Signorelli, 160
Signoria basin, 8, 156, 273
Signoria Commissions, 8,24, 150,273
Silver Altar, 59, 167-175, 274
Stiver Cross, 8, 47-60, 258
Sixtus IV. Tomb, 8, 15, 18
Sogliani, n,
St:i<rgia Altarpiece, 73, no. 161-
162
TESTAMENT of Antonio Pollaiuolo,
246
Three Saints, Ufflzi, 12, 13, 91-93
Tobias, Accailemin, 96
Tobias, National Gallery, 96
Tobias, Turin, 94-97
286
INDEX
Tomb of Antonio Pollaiuolo, i, 19
Tomb of Innocent VIII, 199-206,
281
Tomb of Sixtus IV., 8, 15, 18, 34, 39,
189-199
Torre del Gallo, 116-121, 125
Torrigio, 205
Tours, Tomb of Children of Charles
VIII, 77
Tnribulnm, 215
UCCELLO, 36, 212
Uffizi, 40, 41, 65, 66, 80, 91, in, 128,
129, 130, 136, 143, 144, 145, 180,
182, 207, 213, 214, 215, 216
Ulman, 86
Urbino Helmet, 8, 150, 272
VASARI, 4, 6, 10, 13,21,26, 45, 62, 67,
69, 88, 94, 100, 101, 128, 137, 151,
152, 163, 176, 187, 190, 211, 218
Venice, 75
Verrocchio, 12, '13, i£, 23, 26, 52, 53,
56, 58, 125, 145-147, 166, 169,
170, 177, 179, 213
Verrocchio Sketch Book, 74, 158
Victoria and Albert Museum, 39,40,
82, 85, 125
Vienna, 74, 214
Virtues of Mercatanzin, 12, 23,
136-149, 267
WILTON House Drawings, 76, 213
YOUNG Warrior, Bargello, 82
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