The Vespucci as art patrons. Part 3.

Part 3. Social interaction.

One of the most illuminating – and rare – passages on the Vespucci’s role as art patrons is Arciniegas’s portrait of the family’s social interaction in Why America? Condensed in slightly more than a page, Arciniegas’ contribution brings up names, dates and issues all worth investigating:

▪ When Giuliano Vespucci was in charge of the works in Santa Maria Novella Alberti worked on the façade of the church. This is confirmed in Baldini’s publication on the Vespucci family.

▪ When Vasari went to study with Michelangelo in Florence, he lodged in the house of Niccolò Vespucci and Niccolò and Vasari became friends. Their friendship seems to be confirmed in the Vasari papers kept at the Beinecke Library (Yale University). In the filza number 34 there are the ‘Fogli attinenti alla famiglia Vespucci’/'Papers related to the Vespucci family' in which Niccolò is variously mentioned. The family was moreover linked to Vasari through to the wedding of one of his daughters with Francesco Vespucci.

▪ Verrocchio lived in a house that belonged to Guido Antonio Vespucci.

▪ Andrea Sansovino was discovered and made known by Simone Vespucci.

▪ The Vespucci had relationships with Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Piero di Cosimo as Vasari remembers in his Vite.

▪ Leonardo was impressed by the virile beauty of Amerigo Vespucci's grandfather and, according to the legend, he followed Amerigo the Elder about the streets of  Florence, fixed his features in his mind and drew a crayon portrait (Vasari, Life of Leonardo da Vinci). Also a recent discovery seems to link Leonardo da Vinci to the Vespucci family. In the Heidelberg Library (Germany) has been lately found a note belonging to  Agostino Vespucci, chancellor of Florence. The note, dating 1503, confirms the presence in that year of the Mona Lisa and it indirectly establishes a relationship between Agostino Vespucci and Leonardo. (Burke, Jill. Agostino Vespucci's marginal note about Leonardo da Vinci in Heidelberg).

▪ The Vespucci were friends of philosophers and poets such as Macchiavelli, Luigi Pulci, Poliziano and Ludovico Ariosto (who was hosted in Niccolò house when he travelled to Florence)

Arciniegas pages are inspiring. Names such as Alberti and Leonardo mentioned in relation to the Vespucci not only contribute to give shape to the family networking but also allow us to consider the quality of these interactions. Together with Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Piero di Cosimo, Alberti and Leonardo were among the most important painters of Florence and this should make us consider the Vespucci’s power in the city and the family’s social status. At this stage, two more artists that can be added to the list: Sebastiano del Piombo and Filippo Lippi.  The former painted a group portrait and for the identification of one of the characters (below, far right) the name of Amerigo has been proposed.

Sebastiano del Piombo, Group portrait (1516)

Inventories of Filippino Lippi’s workshop made upon the artist’s death (1504) offer a hint of his activity as a tondaro. Among the inventories there is a record of ‘uno tom(n)do grande incorniciato, di Giovanni Vespucci’/a large, framed tondo representing Giovanni Vespucci (Carl, D. 1987. ‘Das inventor der werkstatt von Filippino Lippi aus dem jahre 1504, Mitteilungen des Kunsthistorichen Institutes in Florenz XXXI’: 384-89) Lippi’s tondo opens a whole chapter on the family portraits. Several examples survive today like the portrait of Amerigo Vespucci (Uffizi) or those of Simonetta Vespucci variously painted by Botticelli and Piero di Cosimo. Portraiture aspects should be further considered.

It seems about time to decide what period to investigate. As my objective is to  nail down the activity and the commissions of the Vespucci in the Renaissance, investigations can be narrowed down to the years 1460-1520 when the paintings/artists so far mentioned are dated. This is however only a preliminary consideration and the time-frame might change in itinere.