Beginning at the corner of the northern side, facing towards the
Duomo, we have the minor Art of the Butchers represented by
Donatello's St. Peter in marble, an early and not very excellent work
of the master, about 1412 (in a tabernacle of the previous century);
the _tondo_ above containing their arms, a black goat on a gold field,
is modern. Next comes the marble St. Philip, the patron saint of the
minor Art of the Shoemakers, by Nanni di Banco, of 1408, a
beautiful and characteristic work of this too often neglected
sculptor. Then, also by Nanni di Banco, the _Quattro incoronati_, the
"four crowned martyrs," who, being carvers by profession, were put to
death under Diocletian for refusing to make idols, and are the patrons
of the masters in stone and wood, a minor Art which included
sculptors, architects, bricklayers, carpenters, and masons; the
bas-relief under the shrine, also by Nanni, is a priceless masterpiece
of realistic Florentine democratic art, and shows us the mediæval
craftsmen at their work, the every-day life of the men who made
Florence the dream of beauty which she became; above it are the arms
of the Guild, in an ornate and beautiful medallion, by Luca della
Robbia. The following shrine, that of the Art of makers of swords and
armour, had originally Donatello's famous St. George in marble, of
1415, which is now in the Bargello; the present bronze (inappropriate
for a minor Art, according to the precedent of the others) is a modern
copy; the bas-relief below, of St. George slaying the dragon, is still
Donato's. On the western wall, opposite the old tower of the Guild of
Wool, comes first a bronze St. Matthew, made together with its
tabernacle by Ghiberti and Michelozzo for the greater Guild of
Money-changers and Bankers (Arte del Cambio), and finished in 1422.
The Annunciation above is by Niccolò of Arezzo, at the close of the
Trecento. The very beautiful bronze statue of St. Stephen, by
Ghiberti, represents the great Guild of Wool, Arte della Lana;
originally they had a marble St. Stephen, but, seeing what excellent
statues had been made for the Cambio and the Calimala Guilds, they
declared that since the Arte della Lana claimed to be always mistress
of the other Arts, she must excel in this also; so sent their St.
Stephen away to the Cathedral, and assigned the new work to Ghiberti
(1425). Then comes the marble St. Eligius, by Nanni di Banco (1415),
for the minor Art of the Maniscalchi, which included farriers,
iron-smiths, knife-makers, and the like; the bas-relief below, also by
Nanni, represents the Saint (San Lò he is more familiarly called, or
St. Eloy in French) engaged in shoeing a demoniacal horse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account