The Cathedral Builders Part 30

[231] Milanesi, _Op. cit._ vol. iii. p. 77.

[232] All these letters are reproduced in Milanesi's _Doc.u.menti per l' Arte Senese_, vol. ii. pp. 430-452.

[233] "Entro il quale facevasi l'acconciatura delle pietre, el erano le ma.s.serizie e la scuola."--Della Valle, _Il Duomo di Orvieto_.

[234] Milanesi, _Doc. per la storia_, etc., vol. ii. p. 48.

[235] 1459. Uno letto e chapezale di penna di peso libbre 200 die dare lire trenta-una; soldi uno: denari otto. Sono per tanti ne abiamo messi a uscita di Vanni di Ser Giovanni di Bindo Kamarlingho; il quale letto lo tiene al presente Maestro Donatello da Firenze che fa le porti di bronzo. Archivio detto Libro Rosso a carte 162 pergo.

Milanesi, _Doc.u.menti_, etc., vol. ii. p. 298.

CHAPTER III

THE FLORENTINE LODGE

THE FLORENTINE LODGE

----+---------+--------------------------+--------------------------------- 1. 1258 Magister Jacopo Tedes...o...b..ilt castles at Arezzo and da Campione Poppi; and the Bargello at Florence.

1298 } 2. to } M. Arnolfo (his son?) C.M. of the Duomo. Built the 1310 } Palazzo Vecchio.

3. 1340-48 M. Giotto Designed the campanile, and sculptured the first row of reliefs.

4. M. Andrea Pisano Made door of Baptistery.

5. 1349-59 M. Francesco Talenti C.M. of the Duomo.

6. 1350 M. Neri Fieravanti } } 7. M. Niccolaus Beltrami } Four Masters who went to } Carrara to buy marbles for the 8. M. Benozzus Niccolaus, } Campanile, of which they were his son } joint architects.

} 9. M. Albertus Arnoldi } 10. 1355 M. Frate Jacopo Brother of Francesco Talenti; sent to Rome for marbles.

11. " M. Francesco da Siena Carved stalls in Siena (called Francesco del cathedral: sent for to carve the Coro) stalls of the choir of S. Croce.

12. " M. Benci Cione { Father of Orcagna. They were { called in the Council of the 13. " M. Ristoro Cione (a { Opera to consider Francesco relative) { Talenti's design for the { chapels, July 1355.

14. " M. Lapo Ghino Descended from Ghini Ventura di Diotisalvi of Siena.

15. " M. Giovanni di Lapo C.M. with F. Talenti, 1360 to Ghino.[236] 1368.

16. M. Bartolo da S. Ghallo A Lombard from S. Gall, grandfather of the famous Giuliano and Antonio San Gallo.

17. 1356 M. Ambrogio Lenzi Son of Guglielmo da Campione; (Ambroxios da Campione) was C.M. of the Baptistery in 1356; C.M. of the Duomo in 1362.

18. M. Stefano Metti 19. 1357 M. Domenico di Noffo Sent to Siena to buy marbles.

20. " M. Giovanni Belchari { These three were joint C.

{ Maestri for the upper part of 21. M. Vigi Grilli { the Campanile. In 1362 Gio.

{ Belchari was poor and infirm, 22. M. Bancho Falchi { and the guild gave him a { pension.

23. M. Agostino Falchi } (brother of the } Joint Masters for the walls preceding) } and columns of the Duomo.

} 24. M. Niccol Megli } 25. M. Andrea di Cione In council with Frati and (Orcagna) Magistri about the s.p.a.ce between the columns. Later he became famous as painter and sculptor, and made the shrine in Or San Michele.

26. M. Jacopo di Lapo Makes a model of the shaft.

Chavacciani 27. M. Mato di Cenni } These were engaged for the } bases of the columns.

28. M. Jacopo di Polo } 29. 1362 M. Barna Batis Provveditore after Filippo Marsili.

30. M. Davinus Corsi 31. 1363 M. Simone Johannes dal Engaged to carve the twisted Pino columns of red marble in the windows of the Duomo.

32. " M. Ambrosius Ghini A relative of Lapo Ghino.

33. 1364 M. Sandro Macci In council on the domes, with many others named before and after.

34. M. Francesco Neri Sculptured pila and relief in Sellari S. Croce.

35. 1366 M. Simone di Francesco C.M. of Or S. Michele in 1376.

Talenti With Taddeo Ristori in 1366 he made a design for a chapel.

36. " M. Jacopo Pauli Engaged Aug. 31, 1366, to make capitals for columns in the sacristy.

37. " M. Mato Jacobi } } 38. " M. Aldobrando Jacobi } His three sons who a.s.sisted } him.

39. " M. Corso Jacobi } 40. 1367 M. Bernabe Pieri } Made a contract on Aug. 31, } 1366, to carve some capitals.

41. " M. Manetti Pieri } 42. 1368 M. Francesco Michaeli Advises about Or San Michele with Gio. di Lapo Ghino.

43. M. Mattheo olim Cionis One of the Masters employed in Or San Michele, brother of Orcagna.

44. 1375 M. Giovanni Giuntini 45. M. Francesco Salvetti C.M. in 1375, but resigned later in favour of Giovanni Fetti.

46. 1376 M. Taddeo Ristori One of the Cione family; architect at Or San Michele, and the Loggia de' Lanzi after his uncle Benci Cione.

47. M. Ambrogio di Vanni } } Masters in stone-carving.

48. M. Leonardo olim Masis } 49. 1377 M. Johannes Michaeli, Went to Prato on Oct. 2, 1377, brother of Francesco with Tommaso Mattei to buy (No. 42) marble.

50. M. Tommaso Mattei Son of Matteo di Cione.

51. M. Zen.o.bio Bartholi Was paid 18 florins on Dec.

15, 1377, for a figure of the Angel Michael. He also carved two other figures at 20 florins.

52. " M. Simone Francesci Elected C.M. in 1377. Son of Talenti the C.M. Francesco. He sculptured a figure in 1377, and was paid 13 florins.

53. 1380 M. Jacopo da Scopeto Worked in the choir.

54. M. Pietro Landi of Siena Son of the famous Lando, C.M.

of Siena Lodge.

55. 1381 M. Johannes Fetti Elected C.M. with Guazetta on March 14, 1381. Designed the window under the vault on the north side.

56. M. Johannes Stefani, Was a famous Master in called Guazetta, son of woodwork; he was noted for No. 18. foundations and scaffolding.

57. 1383 M. Laurentius Filippi C.M. of the Loggia dei Lanzi with Benci Cione, who was master builder.

58. 1384 M. Giovanni di Ambrogio Gave his vote at a meeting on da Lenzo (son of April 4, 1384, about the No. 17). pilasters of the tribune. Was chosen C.M. on Feb. 28, 1400.

1386 M. Luca di Giovanni da Carved some angels.

Siena 59. 1388 M. Michael Johannis Lapi Succeeded Lorenzo Filippi Ghini as C.M. on July 15, 1388.

60. 1389 M. Antonio Francisci Elected _Arch Magistrum_, but deposed in 1420 by the council; and Giovanni di Ambrogio of Campione was elected.

61. 1404 M. Niccolao called Pela Sculptured the door of the chapel of the Crucifix from Giovanni d'Ambrogio's design.

62. 1418 M. Baptista Antoni (son Elected C.M. when Giovanni of Antonio, No. 60) d'Ambrogio resigned by reason of old age.

63. M. Piero d'Antonio Nicknamed Fannulla (Do (another son of Antonio, nothing).

No. 60) 64. " *M. Matteo di Leonarda All the masters marked * sent in plans for the Cupola. The 65. *M. Vito da Pisa design of Brunellesco, who I believe not to have been of 66. *M. Piero di Santa Maria the guild, was chosen.

67. *M. Donatello 68. *M. Nanni di Banco 69. *M. Lorenzo Ghiberti _Provisore_ of the Cupola with Baptista Antoni when Brunellesco's plan was chosen.

70. " M. Andrea Berti } Martignoni } } 71. " M. Bonaiuti Pauli } } All these Masters were employed 72. " M. Papi di Andrea } to erect a large model of the } design of Brunellesco for the 73. " M. Aliosso } Cupola, on the Piazza del } Duomo.

74. " M. Cristoforo di Simone } } 75. " M. Giovanni di Tuccio } } 76. " M. Jacobo Rosso } 77. " M. Giovanni dell Abbaco Worked at the Cupola under Brunellesco.

78. M. Antonio di Vercelli M. Gherardo (_tedesco_) } } M. Ghabriella } Three Germans who were paid (_tedesco_) } for models of a cupola.

} M. Averardo ("_magistro } teutonico_") } ----+---------+--------------------------+-------------------------------

Art is like a flower. If the seeds are sown in favourable soil the plant grows, develops, and bears beautiful blossoms, which in their turn leave seed for future generations. If the soil be not favourable, the plant may perhaps reach its flowering season, but it is weak, and the seeds lack the power of reproduction.

Thus in small cities like Modena, Parma, Orvieto, etc., the artistic atmosphere and soil were wanting. The lodges of those cities never became firmly rooted. The Lombard Masters placed there did their work, and then moved to other cities, but the natives remained uninfluenced.

In Pisa, art first took root. The Pisans, whose artistic faculties had been awakened by the cla.s.sic spoils they had gathered together in their conquests, found a practical outlet for them in the teaching of the _laborerium_ set up in their midst by Buschetto and his a.s.sistants and followers. Pisans joined the lodge, and from it great teachers arose. Siena was the next lodge that took root, and drew native artists into it; then followed Venice and Florence; and through them all, distinct as they became in later times, the seed was always sown by the Comacines or Lombard Masters. The Campionese and Buoni families are at the bottom of all the Tuscan schools, and every one of these cradles of art was of the self-same form, _i.e._ composed of the school, the _laborerium_, and the _Opera_ of the Comacine Masters.

And what connection had Arnolfo, the first designing architect of the Florentine cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio, with this Masonic company?

He had much to do with it, inasmuch as he was an hereditary member, in fact one of the aristocracy of the guild, and he had a most complete training in it. The first trace we get of Arnolfo is his instruction in the school of Magister Niccol Pisano. The proof of this is a deed drawn up in Siena on May 11, 1266, in which these words occur--"requisivit Magistrum Nicholam Petri de Apulia quod ipse faceret et curaret ita; quod Arnolfus discipulus suus statim veniret Senas ad laborandum in dicto opere, c.u.m ipso magistro Nichola." Here we have Niccol di Pisa as Master in the guild, and his disciple Arnolfo not yet having graduated.

Another paper relating to Niccol's work on the pulpit at Siena says--"Sec.u.m ducat Senas Arnolphum et Lapum, suos discipulos."

By 1277 Arnolfo seems to have graduated, for when Niccol and Giovanni di Pisa were at work on the beautiful fountain at Perugia in that year, Fra Bevignate, the _soprastante_ of the work, sent to call Magister Arnolfo from Florence to a.s.sist in the sculpture of the fountain. Arnolfo, however, declared in a letter dated Aug. 27, 1277, that he could not go to Perugia, or undertake any work there without the consent of King Charles of Anjou (King of Naples and Sicily) or of Hugo, his vicar in Rome. King Charles was applied to, and on Sept. 10 of that year he wrote conceding permission to Arnolfo to go and a.s.sist his old master--then 74 years of age--and also to take the marbles necessary.[237]

These doc.u.ments are very valuable apart from the fact they chronicle.

They show how the guild was not only privileged by the reigning monarch, but that he was the active president of it. It explains all those queer words on Longobardic inscriptions, beginning--"In tempore Dominus Honorius Episcopus," "In tempore praesule Paschalis, etc.,"

showing that they point out the reigning king, pope, or patron bishop who was at the time president of the Great Guild. The name of this highest magnate is usually followed in these inscriptions by the Grand Master, _soprastante_ or _operaio_ of the special lodge. The universality of the guild is also shown; its president, the king, being at Naples, his "vice" at Rome.

The next place in which we see Arnolfo is in Rome, where he worked with his _socio_ (fellow Freemason), Pietro, at the tabernacle of San Paolo fuori le mura. Here, with this ancestor of the Cosmati, Arnolfo learned his love of polychrome sculpture, which he afterwards adapted to the larger uses of architecture; for his grand Florentine Dome seems only a magnified inlaid casket. There is a beautiful piece of inlaid work in the Opera del Duomo which I believe to have been the _pluteus_ or parapet of the tribune in Arnolfo's time. It is in the Cosmatesque work which Arnolfo often executed. That he was as apt a pupil of the Cosmatesque revival of the _opus Alexandrinum_ as he had been of Niccol's figure sculpture, and his father Jacopo's architecture, is evident by his tomb of Cardinal de Braye at Orvieto, where we next find him working in 1285.[238] The tomb is a beautiful mixture of Cosmatesque ornamentation with the legitimate sculpture which he had learned from Niccol. The capitals of the spiral inlaid columns of the sarcophagus are of the true old Romano-Lombard form. In the simple grace of the rec.u.mbent figure we descry a forerunner of Donatello and Desiderio.