London, Botticelli and Mr. Barker

Oohh feel like l haven’t blogged for ages, too bad! Been busy trying to make progress with my PhD but it’s about time I share my thoughts.  I just got back from London where I spent a week reading and researching, researching and reading. It was nice to leave Edinburgh and spend some time in the sunny English capital. Not that I had any time to enjoy the sun! (and anyway, can I call it sun??). Research took me to the British Library (my very first time there!), National Gallery/National Portrait Gallery Archives and (my favourite) National Art Library at the V&A.

The purpose of my study trip was to research Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, today at the National Gallery. I spent a lot of time reading about it in the past few months, what an emotion to see the painting right in front of me at the Gallery! As explained in previous posts some scholars have hypothesised a connection between the panel and the Vespucci: the wasps flying around Mars head have been considered a symbol of the family (Vespucci > vespa > wasp). Although this explanation is fascinating and totally reasonable, the provenance of the panel and the connection with the Vespucci has never been confirmed and this is what I was (am) trying to ascertain.

All is known about the painting refers to the time of its arrival in the UK in the second half on the nineteenth century. A London collector, Alexander Barker, bought it in Florence around 1858-60 and the panel constituted one of the many Botticellis Barker possessed (among the others the four cassoni panels illustrating the Story of Nastagio degli Onesti at the Museo del Prado in Madrid). When Barker died his collection was sold at Christie’s in 1874 and some of his works were purchased by the National Gallery of London.

Unfortunately not much has survived about Barker. He is often described as an obscure collector and very little is known about him, his activity and his travels to Florence. My questions are: where in Florence did he find Venus and Mars? Who sold it to him (private dealer, auction house..)? The British Library has a book published in 1852 called The Lions of Florence. This little book was meant to be used as a guide of Florentine studios, restorers, art dealers and galleries for those (British) amateurs interested in purchasing Old Masters paintings in the Italian city. The author points out some dealers and restorers where good quality pictures could be found “by enquiring and hunting for, in remote places, streets and corners, where an indefatigable picture hunter – if he does not mind running up and down stair-cases, disturbing the proprietors at their meal, or even in bed, and wading through oceans of rubbish – may discover perhaps a gem, and certainly some second rate painting of value, especially of the old Florentine school”. This is great but.. how do I find out more? Where can I find information about those picture dealers and what they owed? The amount of material that could be out there is daunting and the Lions made me realize that the panel could have really been anywhere. The Lions, just like other material consulted in London, gave me more clues than answers. Overall I am still positive, aware that this is just the beginning and a lot of work still has to be done.

The project meets the audience…

The week in Florence ended with a postgraduate symposium held at the Monash University in Prato where I presented my research to a small audience.  The talk was very short but I had enough time to give a general  introduction on my project, outlining its aims and the research methodology.

The feedback was so positive! It was really interesting to get comments and suggestions from the audience (just like it is happening with this blog. A ‘thank you!’ to all the people that have emailed me over the past few months, every single contribution has been really precious). One question addressed to me after the presentation was on the connection Vespucci - religious sphere.  This question reinforced my idea (see previous post) of engaging with research about the family and the Florentine religious orders. Several hints in fact seem to be leading in this direction: the Umiliati active in Ognissanti; family members who were priests themselves; relation of some of the Vespucci with the Dominican order in Florence. Would this be useful to put into context the family patronage? Can't say more than a simple, and perhaps banal, maybe.

Touching the past

One of the most exciting moments of the study trip was entering the Archivio di Stato. How amazing! After the initial confusion where-to-go/what-to-do (my supervisor was with me and having her there made things sooo much easier..) my first archival experience was great (Oh yes, nearly forgot. The archive has hideous lockers, not a pleasant experience mine. Moments of pure terror when I accidentally messed up the combination..)

                                               Archivio di Stato, Florence (Google Images)

Lockers apart, the reading room is terrific. For all those people who think of archives as dusty old places..well, you are wrong! The Archivio di Stato is really modern inside (at least now, no idea how it was in the past) with shiny, new desks and strong desk lights.

With the help of my supervisor I ordered and viewed a document of the Catasto (tax forms) in which we found a document that belonged to the Vespucci (about 1440). It was great to have such an old paper in front of me although I was (and I still am) scared by the difficult handwriting. One of the things I will be doing in the next few months before going back is getting used to that type of handwriting and exercise with similar documents. The short but intense introduction to the Archive was really useful: I am now more confident about working in the building and I feel I will get the most out of it next time I’m there for research.

Two afternoons with the Vespucci

My first two afternoons in Florence last week have been really inspiring. I had the chance to meet  some members of the cultural association called “Comitato Amerigo Vespucci a casa sua” whom I’ve been in touch with by email from the UK. Not only I was invited to the presentation of their book I Quaderni Vespucciani, but one of the members also guided me around Borgo Ognissanti to see the Vespucci places (Ognissanti church and San Giovanni di Dio hospital)

The Comitato Amerigo Vespucci was founded a couple of years ago  by Florentine historians, geographers and amateurs with the purpose of promoting the figure of Amerigo Vespucci with a view to the celebrations of 2012 (500 years from Amerigo’s death). The society is variously involved in organizing conferences and cultural events in order to spread the knowledge of Amerigo, his travels and discoveries. This is also the aim of the Comitato’s publication I Quaderni Vespucciani.

On Tuesday I visited Ognissanti church in order to see the Vespucci chapel in flesh. Once there I also realized that there are numerous family tombs in the building: one is on the floor next to the chapel while the others are located along the transept of the church. They are all clearly recognizable as Vespucci tombs because they display the family coat of arms with golden wasps that appears (twice) also on the sides of the chapel. Just off the square where the church stands there is the 'Spedale San Giovanni di Dio founded in early 1400 by Simone Vespucci. Apparently the house of the early Vespucci became part of the 'Spedale (hospital) although today there is no trace of what the house looked like. We can only gather an idea from the following XIX century drawing that shows the entrance to the structure:

(Google images)

The sites were really interesting although none of the original settings of the house were visible. This confirms that research has to be carried out in archives in order to find out more about the family properties in Borgo Ognissanti. It will also be interesting to investigate the relation Vespucci-religious orders and their patronage in church related environments. Ognissanti church was connected to the order of the Umiliati. What was their relation (if any) with the Vespucci? We know that the family moved to Borgo Ognissanti at the beginning of the XIV century. Is it possible to establish some sort of connection between the family and the religious order since then?

                                  Vespucci tomb, Ognissanti Church (transept) Google images

A week in Florence

Finally in Florence! The city is looking amazing in this time of the year, loads of people around (sales!) and Xmas decorations still on.  I am on a study trip with the University of Edinburgh that has organized an intensive Renaissance course in Florence.  Classes will take place in museums and archives in Florence as well as at the Monash University of Prato where symposiums and lectures have been planned for the week ahead.  You can find more information about the course here.

Classes apart, I will be taking some time to visit a couple of libraries and archives to start off my research. What I aim to do is collecting material related to the lineages of the family and gain an extensive knowledge on its genealogy and history.  

House or palace?

Before considering where the Vespucci art collection was kept and how it was displayed, I need to ask myself the following questions: where did the Vespucci live? Is it possible to locate the family palace in Florence today? Unfortunately these simple questions have no simple answers: apparently the family did not owed just a palace but several houses. This information complicates the research because investigations cannot focus on one site only but have to take into consideration both the palace and the houses. Working on different sites might also complicate the reconstruction of the family collection that, in all probability, was not kept in one place only but spread in the several properties. Ouch!

I managed to find information on the Vespucci houses on Internet. Browsing several websites I came across information relating the palace that used to belong to the Vespucci. The building still stands today in Florence (via dei Servi) and it is commonly known as Palazzo Incontri. The palace was sold to Giovanni Vespucci in 1499 and it appears to be the building in which, according to Vasari, Botticelli and Piero di Cosimo painted two rooms (see previous post, Friday 10 December 2010) The history of the building is well explained on the palace website: http://www.palazzoincontri.com/notiziein.htm. A valuable (although not academic) source is also the brief description available on Wikipedia: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Incontri

                                                   Palazzo Incontri

Online I also came across the transcriptions of some documents of the Florentine Catasto related to the Vespucci family (http://e-prints.unifi.it/archive/00000583/01/Pagine_9-87.pdf) These documents, dated 1451-1515, show that by 1451 the family was living in the Ognissanti area, in the street called Via Nuova (today Via della Porcellana). Apparently the Vespucci family owed houses in that street before acquiring the palace in 1499.

While the Vespucci palace still stands today (although greatly modified by later construction works), less is known about the house(s) in Via della Porcellana. Are they still visible? It is known that in 1380 Simone di Piero Vespucci, who was living in that street, decided to open a hospital for the citizens and his house became part of the hospital today known as Spedale San Giovanni di Dio. Visiting the hospital in Florence would be a good starting point for my research.

Questions that come to mind are: how many houses did the Vespucci owed in Via delle Porcellane? How were they connected to the ‘Spedale? Did the family continue to live there after Giovanni Vespucci bought the palace? How were the family’s lineages grouped in the houses? Further research will hopefully shed light on these issues.

Botticelli’s Venus and Mars: a controversial panel

I feel that my research on the Vespucci collection needs a precise starting point as, so far, a lot of artists and pictures were mentioned but nothing ‘seriously’ considered. I have therefore decided to focus on Botticelli’s Venus and Mars panel (National Gallery of London) that seems to me one of the most fascinating pieces probably belonged to the Vespucci. To make things clearer (to myself first!) I shall divide this part into several sections in order to provide a general overview on the meaning, nature, provenance of the panel and the problems that it raises when related to the Vespucci patronage

                                                Botticelli, Venus and Mars (London)

Meaning.  Mars and Venus, respectively God of War and Goddess of Love (and once lovers) are represented facing each other. Venus is watching Mars sleeping while three infant satyrs play with Mars’ armour, and a fourth is resting under the God’s arm. The presence of an alert Venus and of an asleep and unarmed Mars brought scholars to consider the painting a symbol of love conquering war.

Occasion and characters. The panel has been often linked to the wedding of the Genoese Simonetta Cattaneo and the Florentine Marco Vespucci (cousin of Amerigo the explorer) celebrated in 1468. Simonetta was renowned for being the most beautiful woman of the time in the city of Florence. She became the muse of painters such as Piero di Cosimo and Botticelli and source of inspiration for poets such as Poliziano and his Giostra. Literature sources rmoreover remember that after Simonetta arrived in Florence every gentlemen fell in love with her. Among the others there was Giuliano de Medici. Botticelli seems to have been particularly keen on the Genoese lady as – according to academia – she was the subject of several of his paintings such as the Birth of Venus, the Primavera and – apparently - Venus and Mars (all these pictures in fact seem to depict the same lady). Moreover two Botticelli’s portraits of Simonetta are today in Berlin (Gemäldegalerie ) and Frankfurt (Städelsches Kunstinstitut).

                                                  Botticelli, Simonetta Vespucci (Berlin)

                                                 Botticelli, Simonetta Vespucci (Frankfurt)

                               Piero di Cosimo, Simonetta Vespucci (Musée Condé, Chantilli)

Function and provenance. The panel is considered a piece of bedroom furniture, perhaps a bedhead or piece of wainscoting (the famous 'spalliera' ) or backboard from a chest (‘cassone’) that adorned Florentine houses. The panel is considered a Vespucci commission because of the wasps flying around Mars’ head at the top right of the picture. They suggest a link with the Vespucci family, though they could have been simply a symbol of the stings of love (love comes with pain). If the picture belonged to the Vespucci and if it was part of a bedroom furniture, it is possible to think that it was displayed in one of the bedrooms of the Vespucci palace. However, before making any assumptions, it is necessary to point out the problems related to the Vespucci palace (object of my next post).

Botticelli. Venus and Mars. detail (wasps top right)

Problems. The panel raises several issues that my research will try to tackle. First of all the occasion in which the panel was painted. It seems unlikely that the picture was commissioned for the wedding of Simonetta and Marco. While the wedding took place in 1468-9 Botticelli’s work is dated around 1485. Another problem is the function of the picture. Academia still debates whether it was part of a wedding chest (cassone) or a spalliera. Hopefully archival material in Florence will help to cast light on this issue. Finally the provenance: was the panel kept in the Vespucci palace? Before investigating this aspect I shall introduce the Vespucci palace in the next post.