Tears Rendered in Silver and Gold

November 27, 2012

By Mary Jo Gibson

The Uffizi Gallery, that cradle of Florentine art in Italy, is home to the art collection of the Medici.  As titans of Renaissance patronage they have given commissions to such storied names as Titian, Botticelli, Tintoretto and Il Parmigianino.  The Medici dynasty originally built the Uffizi to house government offices and designed the top loggia as a picture gallery – a novel innovation at the time.  It is from that space, the galleria, that art galleries around the world take their name.  A chance to see this priceless art without visiting Italy is almost unimaginable; but on a cold autumn day with blustery winds blowing across the prairie, I made my way to Madison, Wisconsin, and the Chazen Museum to see “Offering of the Angels”, an exhibition from the Uffizi Gallery.

Chazen Museum of Art November 2012

Offering of the Angels

The Chazen offers the first visit to the United States for these works, rarely seen in public and selected for a special exhibition as a gift from the citizens of Florence.  The forty-three paintings and two tapestries span three centuries, from the late 14^th to the early 18^th.  The paintings were made for a wide range of purposes, from small works meant for private devotion in a home or palace, to large altar pieces made for a chapel.  “Offering of the Angels” includes two 16^th century tapestries designed from cartoons by Francesco De’Rossi, known as Il Salviati (Florence 1510 – Rome, 1563).   Close to seven feet wide, the tapestries depict Christ’s descent from the cross and the Resurrection.

Deposition From the Cross

The tapestries on view are something of a rarity.  They don’t travel well because of their weight and fragility, making them a challenge to transport.  The ‘Deposition from the Cross’, produced in Florence around 1546, is surprisingly detailed.  Christ’s mother, Mary, Mary Magadalene and Joseph of Arimathea are shown with Christ’s body.  Tears are rendered in the tapestry with silver and gold thread.

In the early 16^th century, Flanders was the center of tapestry production.  The Medici wanted Florence to be equally well known for this art and commissioned cartoons from celebrated Florentine artists.  Two Flemish tapestry experts were hired and the results are nothing less than spectacular.

The Resurrection 1546-1549

The first painting in the exhibition, “The Miracle of the Manna”, by Fabrizio Boschi, commands immediate attention due to its epic size.  Depicting manna falling from the sky, with biblical and secular figures; the participants show the continual overlap of time, centuries apart, showcasing this enduring story.

Miracle of the Manna, Fabrizio Boschi, 1594-1597

“Pieta with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria”, by Il Cappuccino Veronese, imagines St. Catherine at the crucifixion.  The painting was commissioned by Caterina de Medici, her namesake being Catherine of Alexandria, the Saint.  The community surrounding these paintings becomes an integral part of the art, in depiction as well as creation.

Pieta with Saints John the Baptist and Catherine of Alexandria, Il Cappuccino Veronese, 1621

These works may long be established as treasures, but the truth of the matter is that they are continually evolving.  Titian’s Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine contrasts with photographic stages of the restoration process.  The removal of varnish allows the colors to appear with the richness and depth the artist intended.

Workshop of Tiziano Vecellio,Titian, 1490-1576 Madonna and Child with St Catherine of Alexandria, 1550-1560

The most recognized painting in the Offering of the Angels is Botticelli’s Madonna and Child, or Madonna of the Loggia.  Having undergone multiple restorations, the only parts of the painting that are considered original are the red gown of the Virgin and the distant landscape.  One restoration was so disastrous that the faces were repainted entirely.  A prize of the Uffizi gallery, the painting has never been permanently finished, and looks entirely different now than in the 16^th century.

Sandro Botticelli, Madonna with Child, 1466

The Chazen Museum is one of the best kept secrets of the Midwest’s art institutions.  Their permanent collection of Renaissance art boasts a huge altar painting by Vasari, “Adoration of the Shepherds”, among other religious art and sculpture.  Well worth the trip on a cold autumn day, I expect many more visits in the future as the Chazen continues to showcase new exhibitions, the “Golden Age of English Watercolors” being the latest arrival.  Visual arts enrich the human experience and the knowledge of art is essential to understanding diverse cultures past and present.  This glimpse into the riches of the Medici certainly underscores that enrichment.

The Original Sin, Florentine Painter from the 16th century

The Last Supper, Luca Signorelli, 1523

Francesco Mazzola, Il Parmigianino, Madonna with Child, 1525

Alessandro Tiarini, Nativity of Jesus, 17th century oil on copper

Alessandro Allori, Madonna with the Symbols of the Passion of the Christ, 1581

Want more from the Uffizi Gallery?  They are part of the Google Art Project, and have an app for the iPad.

A great post by Hyperallergic on the Secret Life of Paintings reviews this exhibition while at the James A. Michener Art Museum, comparing some great writings of Machiavelli with the art, and the times.

Thank you joining me for “Offering of the Angels”, I look forward to chatting with you about this and future museum events.

Cheers,

Mary Jo

Turn the key. Open another door…

Cabinet lock from desk designed by David Roentgen

Welcome to this week’s Cabinet of Curiosities, with a special visit to the new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Extravagant Inventions, The Princely Furniture of the Roentgens.  As always, the drawers hold even more mysteries, so let’s begin!

Rolltop Desk by Roentgen

Abraham Roentgen, 1711-1793, may have lived life as a cabinet maker, but his works were in the castles and private homes of the aristocracy, such was the outstanding quality.  He was admired in England for his interesting use of inlay, inventive mechanical fittings and the hidden drawers he used in his furniture.

Another feature found at this exhibition is the Automaton of Queen Marie Antoinette which I featured on this blog when the Google Art Project went to the Palace of Versailles.  This exquisite piece was produced by David Roentgen, 1743-1807, Abraham’s son.   Expanding the business with shops in Berlin and Saint Petersburg, David sold furniture to Catherine the Great of Russia.  This suite is believed to still be in the Palace of the Hermitage, the hiding place of so much remarkable and forgotten art.

Automaton of Queen Marie Antoinette

The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars signaled the end of David Roentgen’s career.  The Revolutionary government regarded him as an émigré, seized the contents of his showrooms and his personal belongings.  Following the invasion of Neuwied, his workshops closed and prosperity never returned; he died half ruined at Wiesbaden in 1807; albeit, the craftsmanship of this family of cabinet makers survived, perhaps to inspire a new generation.

Three Mulattoes of Esmereldas, 1599, Andres Sanchez Gallque

“In a fall art season distinguished, so far, largely by a bland, no-brainer diet served up by Manhattan’s major museums, you have to hit the road for grittier fare.”

When an art reviewer begins with the above sentence, it can only mean more to come of a witty, well written article celebrating a new exhibition at the Walters Art Museum, Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe.  Surprising links to ruling dynasties, and long ignored history is the focus of Joaneath Spicer, the museum’s curator of Renaissance and Baroque art.

Alessandro de Medici, 1560, by Agnolo Bronzino

Agnolo Bronzino produced a portrait of Alessandro de Medici, who ruled Florence for seven years before being assassinated in 1537.  He is considered by historians to be the illegitimate child of Giulio de Medici, Pope Clement VII, and a black or biracial woman.  His dark skin was remarked on by contemporaries who nicknamed him Il Moro.

Portrait of Maria Salviate de Medici and Giulia de Medici, 1539

The portrait of Maria Salviati de Medici and Giula de Medici (1539) shows a child of the Italian aristocracy with black facial features, confirming the intermingling of African and European blood in the Medici family.  My own research on the Journey of the Magi fleshed out the story of Carlo di Cosimo de Medici, 1430-1492.  The illegitimate son of Cosimo de Medici and a Circassian slave name Magdelene.

The reviewer of this exhibition has supplied me with the final explanation of why I prefer historical art: “…one of the saving graces of art – what keeps you coming back – is that it isn’t a bottom-line business.  You think you’ve come to an end, a conclusion, and there’s always more: the exception, the extension.”   Like the many drawers in the cabinet, each waiting to be opened, explored, and imagined.  Thank you Holland Cotter, for taking that trip to Baltimore!

Watson and the Shark, 1778, John Singleton Copley

Scuto Divino

A coat of arms and this painting tell another great drama from the time of travel on the high seas.  Painted by John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark depicts Brook Watson, 1735-1807, as the young merchant seaman in great peril.  Watson survived, but lost the power of his right leg in the attack.  He went on to great success in business and politics, even serving as Lord Mayor of London.  When he became a Baronet in 1803, Watson specified that the coat of arms designed to mark the honor must include a visual reference to his ordeal more than half a century earlier.  Thus the upper left of the crest depicts the leg Watson lost to the shark in 1749, and the motto Scuto Divino means “under god’s protection.”

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Allegory on the Defeat of the Duke of Alva at Brielle

The first flowering of images of “the wolf in sheep’s clothing” type occurred in Germany and the Netherlands during the Protestant Reformation.  While the iconography is now difficult to puzzle out, an anonymous engraving dated 1580 from the Netherlands casts the dastardly Spanish invader, the Duke of Alva, and his forces as foxes in clerical garb, and the courageous Dutch nobles as geese.  These humorously be-spectacled fowl routed the Spaniards back out to sea from the recently captured town of Brielle.  This surprise counter attack occurred on April Fool’s Day, 1572.  The town’s name literally translates as spectacles, so afterwards it was often said that the Duke had lost his glasses on April 1.

Thank you for joining me for this week’s Cabinet of  Curiosities!  A short trip to New York, Baltimore, Boston, and Europe, but with so many interesting pieces of art and vignettes of history to experience.  Museum Monday will be coverage of the Chazen Museum and the Uffizi paintings and tapestries.  I look forward to chatting with you!
A late entry sent to me about the upcoming Vincent Van Gogh movie, Loving Vincent.  Take a moment to watch this unique animation telling his story, it will make you thirsty for more!

Cheers,

MJ