The Uffizi Museum is one of the oldest and most famous museums in the world, holding one of the largest collections of Renaissance art, which is perfect since that is what we are studying. Today, we explored only a small section of the museum and saw pieces by various artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, and Filippino Lippi to name a few. In viewing these pieces of art, we were able to compare them to, not only one another, but also, to pieces we have seen throughout our trip.
The first room that we entered housed the Maesta’s by Giotto, Duccio, and Cimabue. In each, the Madonna is seated on a throne, holding the Christ Child and is flanked by angels and/or saints. In all of the paintings, you can see that Mary is the largest figure. This is because the artists wanted to show that Mary is the most important figure. In addition, Mary is not seen as a poetic figure of beauty, but as a devotional figure. These paintings were meant to be altarpieces and would have been placed either behind the the central altar or they may have hung on the rood screen which separated the clergy from the laity.
Maesta by Giotto
Maesta by Duccio
Maesta by Cimabue
If you look at each of the pieces separately, you can see that in his Maesta, Giotto worked very closely with light and how to show the places where light would hit the body, for example the Virgin’s knee. The angels all appear to be recessing behind the throne. In addition, as suggested by Campbell and Cole, his Virgin and Child are solid and weighty. In the Maesta by Duccio, we also see that there are lights and shadows and also, we see that Mary’s throne is painted in a way so that it appears to be angled back. In Cimabue’s Maesta, we don’t see as much emphasis on light, but we do see that the angels are painted receding into the space. Also, as our friends, Campbell and Cole, suggest, Cimabue’s figures look superhuman and as if placed in a timeless and spaceless realm. They also point out the Virgin’s three-dimmensional gown and the symmetry and repetition that Cimabue used.
The next pieces that we went to look at were two of the four altarpieces that were originally in the Siena Cathedral, which we visited on Wednesday. The first altarpiece we saw today was the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti and the second was the Annunciation with S.S. Ansanus and Maximus by Simone Martini. In comparison to the altarpiece we saw yesterday in Siena, The Birth of the Virgin, we are able to note many similarities between the two. Both altarpieces have similar architecture painted in the background, similar colors, and construction of space. Lorenzetti’s altarpiece also showed the same starry blue sky painted into the ceiling of the architecture in the piece (which links the altarpieces to the starry blue sky in the cathedral). Again, we see the division of space by pillars and the triptych form (three panels) of the altarpiece is unified into one space and panel. In this piece, we see Mary dressed in her signature blue with a star, and a man named Simeon dressed in red and green. In the Old Testament, there is the story of Simeon, an old man who wanted to see the Messiah before his death and in this altarpiece, you see that his wish is fulfilled.
In Martini’s altarpiece, we see some differences in the way that Mary is painted. In the Lorenzetti, Mary’s hair is not shown, but in Martini’s it is. Since Martini’s altarpiece was painted after Lorenzetti’s, the faux pas of showing the Virgin’s hair is becoming less common. In addition, by showing her hair under her wimple, she becomes more accessible to the viewer. In the central panel of this altarpiece, which is approximately 1.5 times larger than the Lorenzetti, there are raised words that come from Gabriel’s mouth to Mary’s ear. The translated phrase reads , “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” This is the scene of Gabriel announcing to Mary that she will bear God's child. It is thought that through Gabriel's enunciation, Mary conceived - aural impregnation. Or in other words, people thought that Mary became pregnant by hearing Gabriel’s words. In addition, you can see that the dove in the upper middle, a sign of the Holy Spirit, is also facing Mary.
There are also some questions posed when looking at Martini’s polyptych altarpiece because the two saints in the left and right panels deny the central panel. Normally, you would expect that if there were two saints on either side, they would be looking in to the important scene in the central panel; however, this is not the case. Both saints are looking to the right, suggesting that there is something important that we are missing. One reason this is thought to be so is because the two figures were painted by Martini’s brother. Also, interesting to note, both figures are standing in the same position, orienting their bodies in the same way, and both look to the right.
The next piece we saw was an altarpiece by Daddi named the Madonna and Child with Angels. This piece was mainly reconstructed by art historians, like putting together a puzzle because the different panels were sawed apart and fragment, scattering segments in museums across the world. The saints on the left were placed so that they would be oriented to look at the Virgin and Child in the center, whereas all but one of the figures on the right look left towards the central panel. On the predella, are several scenes including the birth of the Virgin, the annunciation, and the nativity. The altarpiece can be said to be in Sienese style because Daddi was trained by a Sienese painter and picked up the common practice of painting almond-shaped eyes.
The next piece was the Coronation of the Virgin, Saints and Angels, the Redeemer, Announcing the Angel and Annunciate, by Lorenzo Monaco. This is an altarpiece that was originally meant for the Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. Though the church is now ruined, you can see on the altarpiece that there is an inscription for the commission and date of replacement of the previous altar. This inscription is not usually seen on paintings at the time even though many paintings and altarpieces have been replaced. Towards the bottom of the painting, you can see that there are several light and dark blue lines. These are meant to depict the firmament or the levels between heaven and earth. In this altarpiece you can see restoration that has been made; we can see these restorations because they did not want to fool people into believing that this was the original piece. On the other hand, the restoration did not leave a blank spot because that could take away from people’s devotion.
Coronation of the Virgin, Saints and Angels, the Redeemer, Announcing the Angel and Annunciate by Lorenzo Monaco
The Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano shows the international Gothic style that was commonly found in courts. This painting was commissioned by the Strozzi family, the rival family of the Medici. The Medici family later appropriated this scene to visualize themselves as princes.
Next we compared two paintings by Masaccio and Masolino; and Veneziano, both portraying the Madonna and Child. Veneziano’s painting shows more gentle looking figures, is more perspectival, and is painted about 20 years later. The figures are symmetrical and there is a light source coming from the upper right. There are multiple systems of perspective, showing recession on the floor and platform where Mary is seated. The saints in the painting are St. John the Baptist, St. Zenobius , St. Lucy, and St. Francis. The Madonna and Child by Masaccio and Masolino show the differences between the paintings of the two artists. We can see that Masaccio painted Christ and Anne, who are less delicate in appearance; whereas Masolino painted Mary.
The next room we entered was the room of works by Lippi, both father and son. The Coronation of the Virgin, painted by Fra Filippo Lippi, puts us relative to the space. We also see that the figures are all wearing contemporary clothing. This is done to allow people to connect with the painting and feel like part of the scene. Like the altarpiece by Monaco, we see the light and dark blue lines that indicate the firmament. Another Lippi painting showed several saints which indicated who the painting was commissioned for. The saints portrayed were St. Francis, St. Damian, St. Cosimo, and St. Anthony, of these, Damian and Cosimo are the patron saints of the Medici family. Also shown in the painting was the palle or family’s coat of arms.
Next, we looked at a painting done by Filippo’s son, Filippino Lippi, called the Madonna and Child. This painting is very similar to works done by Botticelli, which we saw later. It has a much darker palate which may have been from experimentation since we know that Filippino Lippi was able to paint using a lighter color scheme. At the top of the piece, you can see the Florentine coat of arms, which is the red cross on a white background. In addition, there is a poetic style to Mary since Lippi has chosen to show her hair. All of the figures in the painting are looking towards Mary since she is the most important figure, except John the Baptist who looks out to bring the viewer into the painting. Also, a Bible at the bottom of the painting crosses the space between the heavenly beings and the viewers. The Bible mediates the boundary of the saints' space and our own, and allows the viewer to enter the scene.
Madonna and Child by Filippino Lippi
The Portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino: Frederico de Montefeltro and Battista Sforza, by Piero della Francesca, was the next painting on our viewing list. Women during the Renaissance were usually painted on their right side, because the left side was the more holy space. In this painting, the figures are reversed. The man is painted on the right side and his wife on the left. The reason that this is so is because Frederico de Montefeltro lost an eye and section of his nose while jousting and asked to be painted on his left side. His wife, Battista, is very idealized because she is a woman; yet, in addition, her skin is painted almost white because Battista died before this painting was commissioned. On the other side of the painting are the scenes of the Allegorical Triumphs of the Duke and Duchess.
The next room on our journey through the Uffizi was the Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci. This scene shows the angel Gabriel coming to Mary in her garden to tell her she will bear God’s son. The perspective that Leonardo tried to show is not visually accurate. Also, Mary’s garden which is normally closed to show her immaculate conception is shown open. Though some may think differently, this painting is considered a failure by many art historians.
Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci
The other finished piece by Leonardo that we saw was the Baptism of Christ which he worked on with Verrocchio. When looking at the piece, one is able to see that Christ’s face is too small for his muscular body. There is also much difference between the two angels; this is because one is painted by Leonardo and the other is painted by Verrocchio. This painting was done in tempera and oil and it is thought that the tempera was applied first and then Leonardo went over the tempera with oil.
The next pieces we saw were done by Botticelli, the first being La Primavera. In this piece are the figures Mercury, Venus, the three Graces, Zephyr, and Flora. The gesture that Venus is doing is a sign of greeting and welcome. The clothing, especially that of Flora, is festive and an irregular pattern. On the left is Mercury who is stirring the winds, this was thought to bring spring showers and make the winter storms go away. The forest in the background is a very dark green, this is because the green paint that he used fades to a brown after about 20 years, so originally it would not have looked so dark. This painting and The Birth of Venus were commissioned by the Medici family and their palle (coat of arms as mentioned previously) can be seen as the oranges that hang from the trees. It is questioned where this painting originally stood because of its size; however, because of the theme of fertility it is thought it may have once hung in a bedroom.
Next, we looked at Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus which is another pagan painting. This one is thought to be done before La Primavera. This painting shows Venus being born of the sea and being blown by the winds to the island of Cyprus. The winds are shown in an anatomically incorrect form, the head of Venus is too small for her body and her limbs are elongated, and her position on the shell would make her tip over. All of these qualities suggest the artificiality of the fantasy shown.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
Of the last few paintings that we saw was an altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes. The altarpiece was done in the Burgundian fashion. It shows the Adoration of the Shepherds. You can see that there is a difference in the way he has painted the women, there is much detailing to the fineness of their hair. Also, many Florentine painters were excited by this altarpiece and began to place the three shepherds in more paintings. The shutters to this panel were displayed open and you can see that the outside is gray to show the contrast of the painting inside.
Lastly, we saw Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi. This painting was commissioned by a man who wanted to get into the good graces of the Medici family. To do this, he asked that many of the Medici family were pictured in this scene, which was already appropriated to them. Because several of the family members were already dead, they were able to be placed among the saints and it was not frowned upon. Unfortunately, he was never able to reap the consequences since he died shortly after it was painted.
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After our visit to the Uffizi, we took some time to grab lunch and rest our feet before meeting Richard Freemantle and touring the exhibit “Money and Beauty.” Before we went into the exhibit, Richard gave us some background on the Renaissance and the exhibit we were about to see. First we had a vocab lesson and learned some very important dates, here is what we learned:
- papacy: government of the Roman Catholic Church
- Reformation: Catholics who wanted to transform the Catholic church.
- Christianity: during the Renaissance, it was basically anyone that was European
- 1348-1351: The bubonic plague decimated the population of Europe and the remaining people became very rich, severely altering the system of commerce previously in effect.
- 1383: John Whitecliff died. He was a professor at Oxford who proclaimed everything that Martin Luther would later say.
- 1378-1417: The Great Schism is happening. Four popes all claimed to be the messenger of God and from this, the Catholic Church was discredited.
- 1492: Columbus travels to the “New World” and brings back immense amounts of silver making Spain very wealthy.
- 1517: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses and the Protestant Reformation begins.
It is also important to note that during the Middle Ages, people had terrible living conditions and this led them to believe more passionately that they would have a better after life in heaven. During the Renaissance, people cared more about living a good life on Earth and would donate to the church as a way of keeping their money but also having a path to heaven. Also important to this exhibit is the illegality of usury. That is that, the church said, you could only make money from working and contributing to society. Bankers, such as the Medici family, were very close to being considered guilty of usury.
The exhibit begins with a gold florin. It is a symbol of the dependence that people kept on the Florentine money. It was the backbone of the economy and became something that led to the commercialism during the Renaissance. After the florin, the viewers see a painting of Francesco Datini. Datini was a very rich man who gave a lot of money to the church because he wanted access to heaven.
Gold florin
The theme of the second room was the evil side of money. In one painting, Death and the Miser, death is looking at a young man’s employer’s book to see what the young man accumulated in sinful debt. Death is deciding whether to place him in heaven or hell. Another painting was the Punishment of the Misers which showed a picture of hell. The church used paintings like this to scare people into following the rules of the church.
The third room was all about trade and how communities dealt with trade. In this room there was a bale of wool to show a common product brought to Italy from Flanders to be dyed and shipped elsewhere. There was alum, one of the ingredients used to dye the wool. Also, there were a number of bags and boxes that were used when traders were traveling in order to keep their money safe from thieves.
In the next room, we saw several portraits of bankers and people dealing with money, all done by northern artists. There was a painting of St. Nicholas who saved a group of traders from a storm at sea. In this and other paintings, we see the use of abstract forms, such as rocks, becoming the backbone of paintings. We also see a painting of Tobias and the angel which becomes very popular to bankers because Tobias was sent on a long journey to retrieve money for a trade.
Painting of two Money Lenders
The church at this time did not allow people to show off how much money they had, so people did so through painting. For example, in the exhibit there was a painting of a Banquet which showed the family’s status. The Madonna and Child by Lo Scheggia showed the holy family very fancily dressed with intricate instruments all of which showed off the implied wealth of the holy family. We also saw a panel that was beautifully painted for when a baby was born, this is called a desco da parto.
The next few rooms showed the relationship between bankers and artists, primarily Botticelli. The Medici family commissioned many works from Botticelli, including two pagan paintings that we saw earlier at the Uffizi. Botticelli was accused of making people too sexy and he came into much conflict with a reformer named Savonarola. Savonarola said that the paintings, and especially nude paintings, were sinful. He is known for his Bonfire of the Vanities, of which there was a painting in this room. Also, there is a painting of Savonarola being burnt alive a few years later. Later in his life, Botticelli takes inspiration from Savonarola and returns to a more religious style.
In the last room, we see the changes in Botticelli’s art based on his influence from Savonarola. He goes back to the crowded scenes that were used in religious paintings. Meanwhile, Michelangelo and Leonardo are moving forward with new techniques. His Madonna and Child used twisting figures to make the painting more interesting.
Finally the day came to a close and we were able to talk more with Richard over dinner at the Birrerria before retiring to sleep. We had a busy day but learned so much!
Ciao, Liz
