The Cathedral Builders: The Story of a Great Masonic GuildScott, Leader
History
The Cathedral Builders: The Story of a Great Masonic Guild
Scott, Leader
Cathedrals; Church architecture; Guilds
Painters abounded in the guild at this era. There was Tommaso de
Mutina (Modena) whose Madonna painted in 1297 is in the Gallery at
Vienna. There was Margaritone of Arezzo (1216-1293), a great tre-cento
painter of Madonnas and crucifixes, whose works are yet preserved in
Florence, London, Siena, etc. He generally signed them "Margarit . . .
de Aretio pingebat." A portrait of St. Francis, however, in the
Capuchin Convent at Sinigaglia, is inscribed "Margaritonis devotio me
fec. . ." A Madonna enthroned in the church at Monte San Savino is not
only signed but dated 1284. Guido of Siena and Margaritone were the
leaders of that flourishing school at Siena which culminated in
Spinello Aretino and the Lorenzetti, one of whom, Lorenzo Monaco,
rivalled our Fra Angelico.
Various painters are found in Pisa up to the fourteenth century,
artistic descendants from the school of Giunta. Signor Morrona (_Pisa
Illustrata nelle Arti del Disegno_, vol. ii. p. 154) gives a list of
Giunta's scholars. There are Bonaventura and Apparecchiato da Lucca,
Dato Pisano, Vincino da Pistoja, a list which proves the affinity
between all the Tuscan schools. A little later in 1321 we find a
certain Vicino of Pisa as Gaddo Gaddi's scholar in Florence, where he
finished his master's mosaics in the Baptistery. Ciampi has written a
long dissertation to prove that Vicino of Pisa ought to be Vincino of
Pistoja, because he has found the latter name in some documents. But
as his documents refer to paintings done by Vincino of Pistoja in
1290, and the mosaics of Vicino and Gaddi date 1321, it seems more
probable they were really two different men--one, the Pistojan, being
the scholar of Giunta at Pisa mentioned above; the other, the Pisan, a
scholar of Gaddi in Florence somewhat later. In 1302 we find painters
from all the lodges assembled in Pisa. Here are Magister Franciscus,
painter from S. Simone, named as a _Magister_ of the highest rank. He
works with his son Victorius, and his apprentice Sandruccio. Here are
Lapo of Florence, Benozzo Gozzoli,[206] and "Michaelis the painter";
Duccio and Tura of Siena, painters; and Datus Pictor, who might be
that Dato Pisano mentioned as a scholar of Giunta.[207]
The books of the Duomo of Pisa contain among other things an entry
which indicates the use of oil-painting long before the time of
Antonello de Messina. It is nothing less than the payment by the
_Provveditore_ of the _Opera_ for 29 lbs. of turpentine, 104 lbs. of
linseed oil at 28 denari per lb., and 43 lbs. of varnish, all of which
were for the use of the painters of the _operam Magiestatis_. The
entry is dated 1301, and is No. 26 in the books of the _Provveditore_
of the _Opera_ at Pisa in the year MCCCI. "Johannes Orlandi sua sponte
dixit se habuisse ad Operario libras duas den. pis. pro pretio libre
viginti novem trementine operate adoreram Magiestatis.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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