HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The ''Funerary Monument'' (or ''Equestrian Monument'') ''to Sir'' ''John Hawkwood'' is a
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
by
Paolo Uccello Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italians, Italian (Florentine) Florentine painting, painter and mathematician who was notable for his pioneering work on visual Perspective (graphical), perspective in art. ...
, commemorating
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
'' condottiero''
John Hawkwood Sir John Hawkwood ( 1323 – 17 March 1394) was an English soldier who served as a mercenary leader or '' condottiero'' in Italy. As his name was difficult to pronounce for non-English-speaking contemporaries, there are many variations of it in ...
, commissioned in 1436 for
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...
. The fresco is an important example of art commemorating a soldier-for-hire who fought in the Italian peninsula and is a seminal work in the development of perspective. The politics of the commissioning and recommissioning of the fresco have been analyzed and debated by historians. The fresco is often cited as a form of " Florentine propaganda" for its appropriation of a foreign soldier of fortune as a Florentine hero and for its implied promise to other ''condottieri'' of the potential rewards of serving Florence.Caferro, 2006, p. 9. The fresco has also been interpreted as a product of internal political competition between the
Albizzi The Albizzi family () was a Florentine family originally based in Arezzo, who were rivals of the Medici and Alberti families. They were at the centre of Florentine oligarchy from 1382, in the reaction that followed the Ciompi revolt, to the ris ...
and
Medici The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
factions in
Renaissance Florence Florence ( it, Firenze) weathered the decline of the Western Roman Empire to emerge as a financial hub of Europe, home to several banks including that of the politically powerful Medici family. The city's wealth supported the development of a ...
, due to the latter's modification of the work's symbolism and iconography during its recommissioning. The fresco is the oldest extant and authenticated work of Uccello, from a relatively well-known aspect of his career compared to the periods before and after its creation. The fresco has been restored (once in 1524 by
Lorenzo di Credi Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects. He is most famous for having worked in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio at the same time a ...
, who added the frame) and is now detached from the wall; it has been repositioned twice in modern times. It is now on the north wall of the nave, beside a similar depiction of fellow ''condottiero''
Niccolò da Tolentino Niccolò Mauruzzi (or Mauruzi), best known as Niccolò da Tolentino ( – March 20, 1435) was an Italian condottiero. Biography A member of the Mauruzi della Stacciola family of Tolentino, he fled from that city in 1370 after a dispute with his ...
(d.1435) by
Andrea del Castagno Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian painter from Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone. His works include frescoes in Sant'Apollonia in Florence and the painte ...
.


John Hawkwood

Hawkwood had a long military career and a complicated relationship with Florence. He fought for England during the
Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
and then with the " Great Company" which had harassed the
Avignon Papacy The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during which seven successive popes resided in Avignon – at the time within the Kingdom of Burgundy-Arles, Kingdom of Arles, part of the Holy Roman Empire; now part of France – rather than i ...
. After gaining command of the "
White Company The White Company ( it, Compagnia Bianca del Falco) was a 14th-century English mercenary Company of Adventure ( it, Compagnia di ventura), led from its arrival in Italy in 1361 to 1363 by the German Albert Sterz and later by the Englishman John H ...
" from Albert Sterz in the 1360s, Hawkwood led the company across the Alps in 1363 in the employ of
John II, Marquess of Montferrat John II Palaeologus (5 February 1321 – 19 March 1372) was the Margrave of Montferrat from 1338. Career John was the son of Theodore I of Montferrat, with whom he was associated in the government from 1336. He had great fortune in extending ...
, to take part in his war against
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
.Caferro, 2006, pp. 31–61. Hawkwood and the "White Company" remained in Italy, accepting money from many
city-states A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
, both to wage war and to refrain from it. Hawkwood's reputation as one of the ablest ''condottieri'' in the peninsula developed in the ensuing decades, during which he was employed (by both sides) in the
Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
n–Florentine War (1363–1364), notably winning the Battle of Cascina (1364) for Florence, in the wars of
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...
against the Pope (1369), and in the service of
Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he an ...
in his war against a coalition that included Pisa and Florence, and even (in 1372) the Marquis of Monteferrato. Hawkwood then entered the service of
Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI ( la, Gregorius, born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pope ...
in his wars against Milan (1372–1375) and in the
War of the Eight Saints The War of the Eight Saints (1375–1378) was a war between Pope Gregory XI and a coalition of Italian city-states led by Florence that contributed to the end of the Avignon Papacy The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during whic ...
(1375–1378), during which Hawkwood helped put down the Florentine-instigated rebellions in the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
. During the conflict, Hawkwood was paid 130,000 florins—which was extracted from local clergy, bishops, abbots, monasteries, and ecclesiastical institutions—to confine his activities to suppressing the rebellions in the Papal States, rather than directly attacking Florence.Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1200–1575''. Blackwell Publishing. . pp. 151-155. Hawkwood also received a 600 florin annual salary for the next five years and a lifetime annual pension of 1,200 florins. Hawkwood married Donnina, the illegitimate daughter of
Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he an ...
, in 1377.Hudson, 2006, p. 5. In that same year he defected to Florence. Hawkwood's 1377 massacre at
Cesena Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. History Cesena was o ...
during the twilight of his papal employment in the War of the Eight Saints continues to tarnish his legacy.Hudson, 2006, pp. 4–5. Thus, until 1377, Hawkwood had principally served the
Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
of Milan and their allies in Pisa,
Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...
, and
Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
, usually against the interests of Florence, making him an ironic candidate for a monument in the
Duomo of Florence Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally ...
. At the bidding of Pisa, Hawkwood attacked the
Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...
family's Villa Petraia in Castello, burned Florentine subject territories around Incisa after defeating Florentine ''condottiero''
Ranuccio Farnese il Vecchio Ranuccio Farnese (c. 1390 – 2 July 1450) was an Italian nobleman, feudal lord and condottiero. Born in Ischia di Castro, he is considered the founder of the fortunes of the Farnese family. In 1416 Ranuccio succeeded his father as commande ...
, and even taunted Florence from outside the city walls. However, Hawkwood was the de facto commander-in-chief (
Captain-General Captain general (and its literal equivalent in several languages) is a high military rank of general officer grade, and a gubernatorial title. History The term "Captain General" started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of Command ...
) of Florence's military from 1377 until immediately prior to his death in 1394. Hawkwood won many victories for Florence, including his suppression of the
Ciompi revolt The Ciompi Revolt was a rebellion among unrepresented labourers which occurred in the Republic of Florence, from 1378 to 1382.Cohn, Samuel K., Jr. ''Popular Protest in Late Medieval Europe: Italy, France, and Flanders''. Manchester, Manchester UP, ...
in January 1382, but contemporary Florentines would have regarded Hawkwood's successful retreat from Milan late in his career, across three rivers—including the notorious
Oglio The Oglio (; Latin ''Ollius'', or ''Olius''; Lombard ''Òi''; Cremonese ''Ùi'') is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd pla ...
—and across a barren countryside, as his "greatest military feat".Caferro, 2006, p. 20. Hawkwood, now in his seventies, made preparations to return to England, where he had been sending money to acquire land, and set up a
chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...
. Just as he was liquidating his affairs in Italy, he died, on March 17, 1394. In 1395,
Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...
petitioned Florence for the return of Hawkwood's body, as he had done for
Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, KG (16 January 1362 – 22 November 1392) was a favourite and court companion of King Richard II of England. He was the ninth Earl of Oxford and the first and only Duke of Ireland and Marquess of Dublin. H ...
, the local magnate to the Hawkwood family in England, in whose service he had begun his military career.Caferro, 2006, p. 323. Florence acquiesced to Richard II's request in a June 3, 1395 letter:
Our devotion can deny nothing to the eminence of your highness. We will leave nothing undone that is possible to do, so that we may fulfill your good pleasure. So, therefore, although we consider it reflected glory on us and our people to keep the ashes and bones of the late brave and most magnificent captain John Hawkwood, who, as commander of our army, fought most gloriously for us and who at public expense was interred in the principal church of Santa Reparata ... nevertheless, according to the tenor of your request, we freely concede permission that his remains shall return to their native land.
However, it remains an open question whether Hawkwood's remains were ever transferred to England, to the tomb prepared for him at St. Peter's in
Sible Hedingham Sible Hedingham ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the Colne Valley in the Braintree District of Essex, in England. It has a population of 3,994 according to the 2011 census. Sible Hedingham lies in the northern corner of Essex, close to ...
, or whether his remains were reburied in 1405 under the old
choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
of the Duomo, of which record has been lost since it was repaved in the 16th century.Wegener, 1993, p. 132. In any case, the tomb monument would have run into difficulty, as a ban on tombs above floor level in the Cathedral was passed on April 5, 1400.


Context

In the
Quattrocento The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1400 to 1499 are collectively referred to as the Quattrocento (, , ) from the Italian word for the number 400, in turn from , which is Italian for the year 1400. The Quattrocento encom ...
, it was traditional for ''
condottieri ''Condottieri'' (; singular ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian captains in command of mercenary companies during the Middle Ages and of multinational armies during the early modern period. They notably served popes and other Europ ...
'' like Hawkwood to be buried in major public churches, even when their careers had produced mixed results for the city-state in question. The genre of the
equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
was revived during the Quattrocento for the purpose of commemorating ''condottieri''; Donatello's
Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata ''The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata'' is an Italian Renaissance sculpture by Donatello, dating from 1453, today in the Piazza del Santo in Padua, Italy. It portrays the condottiero Erasmo da Narni, known as "Gattamelata", who served mostly u ...
(c. 1447–1453) in
Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
is the first surviving bronze equestrian statue since
Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
("probably with the Hawkwood in mind"). In Venice Tibertino Brandolino was interred at San Francesco; Jacopo de' Cavalli at Santi Giovanni e Paolo; Paolo Savelli at Basilica dei Frari, along with a wooden equestrian statue on a marble sarcophagus, which—along with the bronze horses on the façade of St. Mark—may have inspired Uccello's ''Hawkwood'';Paolieri, 1991, p. 19. and Konrad Aichelberg at a church in Pisa.Caferro, 2006, p. 315. When such burials were not possible, frescoes were an acceptable substitute: Guidoriccio da Fogliano was painted on horseback by
Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a pupil ...
in
Palazzo Pubblico The Palazzo Pubblico (''town hall'') is a palace in Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. Construction began in 1297 to serve as the seat of the Republic of Siena's government, which consisted of the Podestà and Council of Nine, the elected officia ...
in Siena in 1328;
Pietro Farnese Pietro Farnese, also called Piero de Farneto or Petruccio di Cola (c. 1310 – 20 June 1363) was an Italian '' condottiero.'' He was co-lord of Farnese, Canino, Ischia and Cellere, Captain General of the Papal Army and Captain General of the Fl ...
was depicted in a
papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...
equestrian monument atop a sarcophagus in the Florence Cathedral in 1363. Holding ever more lavish funeral ceremonies for fallen ''condottieri'' was only one way in which Italian city-states competed with each other to attract the services of the most skilled mercenaries. Hawkwood's funeral was sandwiched between the funerals in Siena of Giovanni d'Azzo degli Ubaldini—who had been poisoned by the Florentines in the Visconti wars—and Giovanni "Tedesco" da Pietramala. The commissioning of Uccello to repaint the fresco came at the "climax" of a war with Lucca, which had recently begun a monument to honor
Niccolò Piccinino Niccolò Piccinino (1386 – 15 October 1444) was an Italian condottiero. Biography He was born in Perugia, the son of a butcher. Piccinino was introduced in the guild of Perugia's butchers. He was later scornfully called "son of a butcher" by ...
, in contrast to Piccinino's '' defaming portrait'' in the
Palazzo della Signoria A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
in 1428,Caferro, 2006, p. 320. depicting him hanging upside-down in chains,Hudson, 2006, p. 6. which was "depaint d in April 1430.


Commissioning


Background

On August 20, 1393—when the
Signoria A signoria () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word signoria comes from ''signore'' , or "lord"; an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government; governing authority; ...
, at the suggestion of Coluccio Salutati, voted to erect a marble statue of Hawkwood in the Duomo, "that brave men may know that the commune of Florence recompenses true service"—Hawkwood was liquidating his Tuscan properties and preparing to return to England.Caferro, 2006, pp. 310–313. It was unprecedented for the Signoria to vote to erect a monument to a living person in the cathedral.Borsi, 1994, p. 302. The ambiguous plans of the Signoria—which likely was aware of Hawkwood's health status—might well have been for a tomb rather than a
cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
; Hawkwood died soon after, on March 17, 1394. The Signoria went to great lengths (unsuccessfully) to entice Donnina to remain in the city—voting to transfer various sums of money to her (in exchange for Hawkwood's Tuscan fortress), despite "thorny legal issues" which required multiple acts of the city council—indicating to some extent the market value of Hawkwood's symbolic capital.Caferro, 2006, pp. 321–322. Hawkwood's March 20 funeral began in the
Piazza della Signoria Piazza della Signoria () is a w-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florentine Republ ...
, continued to the Battistero di San Giovanni, where his body was placed on the baptismal font for public viewing, and culminated in the Cathedral, at a cost of 410 florins, not counting the substantial expenses of the Guilds. The plans for Hawkwood's commemoration were modified on December 2, 1395, when it was decided to also rework the wooden monument of
Pietro Farnese Pietro Farnese, also called Piero de Farneto or Petruccio di Cola (c. 1310 – 20 June 1363) was an Italian '' condottiero.'' He was co-lord of Farnese, Canino, Ischia and Cellere, Captain General of the Papal Army and Captain General of the Fl ...
, the hero of the Pisan war, and to place marble tomb monuments to Farnese and Hawkwood on the north aisle, facing the high altar.Caferro, 2006, p. 317. Painters
Agnolo Gaddi Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi,who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto. Agnolo was a painter and mosaicist, trained ...
and Giuliano Arrighi were selected by a committee to sketch directly onto the Duomo wall models for the Hawkwood and Farnese tombs. Although neither tomb was realized, documentary evidence suggests that a painting of Hawkwood—with a figure of Hawkwood by Gaddi and a sarcophagus by Pesello—was completed by June 16, 1396. Historian
Frances Stonor Saunders Frances Hélène Jeanne Stonor Saunders FRSL (born 14 April 1966) is a British journalist and historian. Early life Frances Stonor Saunders is the daughter of Julia Camoys Stonor and Donald Robin Slomnicki Saunders. Her father, who died in 199 ...
speculates that Uccello may have based his representation of Hawkwood on this early painting and that the earlier painting may have been based on a
death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...
of Hawkwood. The Hawkwood fresco is situated in the third bay of the northern wall, today flanked by paintings of
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
(c. 1455) and a similar fresco monument to fellow mercenary
Niccolò da Tolentino Niccolò Mauruzzi (or Mauruzi), best known as Niccolò da Tolentino ( – March 20, 1435) was an Italian condottiero. Biography A member of the Mauruzi della Stacciola family of Tolentino, he fled from that city in 1370 after a dispute with his ...
(1456, by
Andrea del Castagno Andrea del Castagno () or Andrea di Bartolo di Bargilla (; – 19 August 1457) was an Italian painter from Florence, influenced chiefly by Masaccio and Giotto di Bondone. His works include frescoes in Sant'Apollonia in Florence and the painte ...
); fictive tombs in fresco of two humanist ecclesiasts—Bishop Corsini (c. 1422, probably by Giovanni dal Ponte) and Fra Luigi de' Marsigli (c. 1439 by
Bicci di Lorenzo Bicci di Lorenzo (1373–1452) was an Italian painter and sculptor, active in Florence. He was born in Florence in 1373, the son of the painter, Lorenzo di Bicci, whose workshop he joined. He married in 1418, and in 1424 was registered in the G ...
), an Augustinian monk who founded a literary academy—are much smaller than those of the two ''condottieri''.Caferro, 2006, p. 318. The fresco probably came to replace the tomb (rather than serving as a place marker for it), maybe for reasons of expedience and frugality, although there is little documentary evidence on this regard.


Fresco

The fresco was initially commissioned, decades after Hawkwood's death, in May 1433 by the Albizzi government, just months before the regime's collapse. Perhaps the project was an attempt by the Albizzi to hearken back to a time when the oligarchic elite of Florence had been more aligned with their own conservative interests. On July 13, 1433, design competition notices for the new monument were placed at the Duomo, the Baptistry, and
Orsanmichele Orsanmichele (; "Kitchen Garden of St. Michael", from the Tuscan contraction of the Italian word ''orto'') is a church in the Italian city of Florence. The building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michel ...
.Hudson, 2006, p. 10. The instigators of the renewed project were the grandsons of Guido di Soletto del Pera Baldovinetti, one of the ambassadors who (unsuccessfully) pleaded with Hawkwood to return to Florence's service in 1389, and Donato Velluti, a 14th-century military and political historian. It is almost inconceivable that the commissioners of the monument would not have regarded Hawkwood as a self-interested mercenary, knowing that he often acted against the interests of Florence. After the launching of the design competition, in September 1433, Cosimo and
Averardo de' Medici Averardo de' Medici (1320 – 1363), also known as Everard De Medici or Bicci to disambiguate with his two homonymous ancestors, was the son of Salvestro de' Medici (1300, Florence – 1346, Florence; son of Averardo II de' Medici, 1270–1319 ...
were exiled from Florence, for—among other things—allegedly attempting to embroil Florence in a war with Lucca.


Recommissioning

After Cosimo's triumphant return to Florence, rather than scrapping the project, in May 1436 the Medici regime hired Uccello to replace the Gaddi and Pesello fresco.Borsi, 1994, p. 303. Hugh Hudson suggests that it would have been too risky for the Medici to cancel the Albizzi project, so they instead shrewdly modified it to fit their interests. There is, of course, some weakness to attributing the commissioning and recommissioning of the monument to Albizzi or Medici intrigues, as only two (maybe three) of the eight ''operai'' on July 13, 1433 were members of the Albizzi faction and only one was a Medici when it was resumed on May 18, 1436; yet the influences of both factions doubtlessly did not require blood relation. Around this time, documents attest to multiple repairs of a nearby window, opening the possibility that the original fresco had experienced water damage, and would have needed to be restored in any case. Others have suggested that the recommissioning was part of the "refurbishing" of the cathedral associated with its rededication as
Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...
by
Pope Eugene IV Pope Eugene IV ( la, Eugenius IV; it, Eugenio IV; 1383 – 23 February 1447), born Gabriele Condulmer, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 3 March 1431 to his death in February 1447. Condulmer was a Venetian, and ...
in March 1436. Yet
Franco Borsi Franco Borsi (1925-2008) was an Italian architect and architectural historian. He was professor of history of architecture at the University of Florence, and wrote on Giovanni Michelucci, Leon Battista Alberti, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Donato Bram ...
concludes that "undoubtedly under pressure from the Medici" the ''operai'' discarded their plans for a straightforward restoration of the Gaddi fresco and opted for a completely new monument.


Uccello

The choice of Paolo Uccello (born in Florence in 1397), who had apprenticed for
Lorenzo Ghiberti Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery ...
from June 1407, busying himself polishing the " Gates of Paradise", may have been an attempt to find a painter knowledgeable in bronze and statuary, which the fresco was to mimic.Paolieri, 1991, p. 12. For centuries, art historians have regarded Uccello as a less-prominent artist at the time of the Hawkwood commission: he is not mentioned in the preface of Alberti's ''De Pictura'', nor in
Domenico Veneziano Domenico Veneziano (c. 1410 – May 15, 1461) was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active mostly in Perugia and Tuscany. Little is known of his birth, though he is thought to have been born in Venice, hence his last name. He then moved ...
's 1438 letter to
Piero di Cosimo de' Medici Piero di Cosimo de' Medici (the Gouty), (Italian: ''Piero "il Gottoso"'') (1416 – 2 December 1469) was the ''de facto'' ruler of Florence from 1464 to 1469, during the Italian Renaissance. Biography Piero was the son of Cosimo de' Medi ...
listing the major contemporary painters; nor have art historians even attempted to speculate that he studied the frescoes at the Brancacci Chapel. One difficulty for art historians attempting to gauge Uccello's reputation at the time of the ''Hawkwoods commissioning is the 10-year blind spot in the reconstruction of Uccello's career between 1415—when Uccello was made a member of the Guild of Doctors and Apothecaries (''Arte dei Medici e Speziali'')—and his trip to Venice in 1425. Similarly, all the works of Uccello's Venetian period are either missing or else of uncertain attribution: Uccello is thought to have made a no-longer-existing mosaic of St. Peter on the façade of St. Mark's Basilica, to have collaborated on the design of architectural structures for the mosaics in the Mascoli Chapel of St. Mark's by
Michele Giambono Michele Taddeo di Giovanni Bono, known as GiambonoAlso known as Michele di Taddeo, Giambono, Zambone, Zambono, Bono, or Michele Giovanni Boni ( 1400 Venice – c. 1462 Venice) was an Italian painter, whose work reflected the International Gothic ...
, and possibly to have made some geometrical pattern decorations for the interior of St. Mark's. Uccello was known to have been in Venice in 1427 and to have returned to Florence by 1431, allowing a second window for historiographical speculation: some say he may have gone to Rome; others say he went directly to Florence. Uccello probably painted the ''Creation of the Animals and Creation of Adam'' (c. 1431) in the upper part of one of the bays of the Chiostro Verde (the "Green Cloister") in
Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The chu ...
, which—like the ''Hawkwood'', as specified in its commission—is in the "terra verde"
grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...
manner. Perhaps Uccello worked on the stories from the life of the
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
and
St. Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...
in the Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption in the
Prato Cathedral Prato Cathedral, or Cathedral of Saint Stephen, ( it, Duomo di Prato; Cattedrale di San Stefano) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Prato, Tuscany, Central Italy, from 1954 the seat of the Bishop of Prato, having been previously, from 1653, a cathe ...
around 1435, although Pope-Hennessy, Pudelko, and Salmi all dispute this attribution. Thus, the
Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral, formally the (; in English Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower), is the cathedral of Florence, Italy ( it, Duomo di Firenze). It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally c ...
is the repository of all the extant works of Uccello whose attribution is firmly rooted in contemporary documents: two murals—the ''Hawkwood'' and the ''Clock Face with Four Heads of Prophets or Evangelists'' (1443)—and two stained glass windows—''Resurrection'' (1443–1444) and ''Nativity'' (1443–1444). The ''Hawkwood'' is Uccello's "earliest dated and fully authenticated extant work".


Modifications

Uccello's ''Hawkwood'' was completed, only to be ordered redone by the ''capo maestro'' of the Opera del Duomo, on June 28, 1436. Uccello was found not to have been at fault on July 6, and paid for both his first and second versions, the latter of which was finished before August 31. Incidentally, the second version—copied from the original, rather than direct observation—is the only true extant testimony to Hawkwood's appearance. The demanded redesign—which was ordered soon after post-Albizzi members secured a majority among the ''operai''—is at the heart of any discussion about the political implications of the fresco. For centuries, art historians have argued that the rejection was rooted in questions of perspective and color, while more recent scholarship suggests it was the content of the fresco to which the ''capo maestro'' objected.Caferro, 2006, p. 321. The specific objections of the ''capo maestro'' are not documented—except that the fresco was "not painted as it should be",Borsi, 1994, p. 28. but it is clear that only the portion containing the horse and rider was to be erased and redone. A preparatory drawing in the
Uffizi The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums ...
with the same static scene is the primary clue to the appearance of the original fresco, in which Hawkwood was apparently more armored, taller, and—along with his horse—in a more militaristic stance. The ''Hawkwood'' thus both participated in and reinforced the Quattrocento trend that every Florentine public monument to a soldier of fortune employ a parade horse rather than a battle charger, in less than complete armor, and at a pace more suited for reviewing troops than charging into battle. A study which subjected the drawing to
ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
rays confirmed that Uccello had originally depicted Hawkwood as "more threatening", with his baton raised and horse "at the ready". The fresco's current appearance is not identical to the version redone by Uccello. The frame with Renaissance grotto-esque
candelabra A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms. Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...
decoration was added by
Lorenzo di Credi Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects. He is most famous for having worked in the studio of Andrea del Verrocchio at the same time a ...
in 1524, when he restored the fresco. In 1688, it was restored again, in refurbishments celebrating the marriage of Ferdinand de' Medici and Violante of Bavaria. The fresco was restored and transferred to canvas in 1842 by Giovanni Rizzoli and moved to the west wall of the Duomo, only to be moved back to the north wall in 1947, after being mounted on a
masonite Masonite is a type of hardboard, a kind of engineered wood, which is made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood fibers in a process patented by William H. Mason. It is also called Quartrboard, Isorel, hernit, karlit, torex, treetex, and pr ...
and aluminum support. It has been argued, based on Uccello's alleged use of Masaccio's eye-point perspective, that the painting was originally five feet higher than it stands today. The fully restored fresco was also briefly taken down in 1953–1954 to be shown in the "Quattro Maestri" ("Four Masters") exhibition in Florence.Borsi, 1994, p. 304.


Style

The reworked fresco has been seen as "classicizing" the image of the ''condottieri'', with the ''terra verde'' technique giving the
conceit An extended metaphor, also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is the use of a single metaphor or analogy at length in a work of literature. It differs from a mere metaphor in its length, and in having more than one single point of contact bet ...
of an equestrian bronze statue. The horse's proportions are based loosely upon those prescribed by Alberti in ''De equo animante'', which in turn is based upon the anonymous ''Sonetto del Cavallo Perfetto''; however, in many ways the horse departs radically from Alberti's ideal of a harmonious and "lithe" creature in the style of Leonello d'Este's monument to
Niccolò III d'Este Niccolò is an Italian male given name, derived from the Greek Nikolaos meaning "Victor of people" or "People's champion". There are several male variations of the name: Nicolò, Niccolò, Nicolas, and Nicola. The female equivalent is Nicole. The f ...
, ''Arco del Cavallo'' in Ferrara.Borsi, 1994, p. 114. Furthermore, Uccello's perspective in the Hawkwood monument openly flouted Alberti's conception of perspective as demarcated in '' De Pictura'' (1435, translated into Italian as ''Della Pittura'' in 1436): the
vanishing point A vanishing point is a point on the image plane of a perspective drawing where the two-dimensional perspective projections of mutually parallel lines in three-dimensional space appear to converge. When the set of parallel lines is perpendicul ...
is at the eye-level of the spectator rather than within the field of the fresco, for example. Alberti's ''De re aedificatoria'' also objected to statues of soldiers and/or lay burials in churches. Although the fresco is often called "monochrome", its background is dark red, the horse and tomb are accented in red, black, white, and orange. The ''
Trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...
'' perspective from the base, the ''
chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...
''
relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
-effect of the horse and the rider, and lighting from the left are similar to Masaccio's ''Holy Trinity''.Paolieri, 1991, p. 21. The connection to Masaccio is so strong (or so often reported) that
Francesco Albertini Francesco Albertini (born in Florence in 1469 - died post 30 August 1510 ) was a canon of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence and a chaplain of Cardinal Fazio Santoro in Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 7 ...
actually attributed the work to Massaccio in 1510. However, Uccello's fresco has two viewpoints: the horse and rider are painted as if on level with the spectator, and the
cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
is seen as if from below. A variety of explanations have been proposed for this split perspective, which has even been suggested by
Frederick Hartt Frederick Hartt (1914–1991) was an Italian Renaissance scholar, author and professor of art history. His books include ''History of Italian Renaissance Art'', '' Art: A History of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture ''(two volumes), ''Miche ...
to have been a
practical joke A practical joke, or prank, is a mischievous trick played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. ...
. Entangled in these questions of perspective is
Vasari Giorgio Vasari (, also , ; 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance Master, who worked as a painter, architect, engineer, writer, and historian, who is best known for his work ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculpt ...
's criticism of the horse's raising both its right legs at the same time, which would likely topple the horse, if accomplished.Hudson, 2006, p. 25. However, it is clear from Uccello's other works that he was not interested in using perspective simply for realism; rather, Uccello "placed in an unnatural, fantastic overall atmosphere, the fruit of this painter's complex and unique imagination". This style has even been cited as an example of synthetic realism in line with the late
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
movement.


Inscription

Underscoring the classical elements of the fresco is the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
inscription, added on December 17, 1436 and composed by Bartolomeo Fortini de Orlandini, son of Benedetto di Ser Landi Fortini, former treasurer of Florence and apprentice of Spinello Alberti, one of the chief negotiators of Florence during the
War of the Eight Saints The War of the Eight Saints (1375–1378) was a war between Pope Gregory XI and a coalition of Italian city-states led by Florence that contributed to the end of the Avignon Papacy The Avignon Papacy was the period from 1309 to 1376 during whic ...
—the first such inscription on an antique sarcophagus in a Florentine painting. The inscription reads: ''"Ioannes Acutus'' ''eques brittanicus dux aetatis suae cautissimus et rei militaris peritissimus habitus est"'' (John Hawkwood, British knight, most prudent leader of his age and most expert in the art of war). The epitaph, likely a reference to Hawkwood's aforementioned ''cautissimus'' ("most prudent") retreat across the
Oglio The Oglio (; Latin ''Ollius'', or ''Olius''; Lombard ''Òi''; Cremonese ''Ùi'') is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd pla ...
, is borrowed from the eulogy of Roman general
Fabius Maximus Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator ( 280 – 203 BC), was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was consul five times (233, 228, 215, 214, and 209 BC) and was appointed dictator in 221 and 217 BC. He was ...
, who wore down
Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...
by tactical retreat and avoiding battle. The eulogy of Fabius Maximus agrees so distinctly with Quattrocento humanism that some scholars have even dubbed it a "Renaissance fake".


Interpretation

By classicizing the ''condottieri'', the portrait may have represented an opportunity to—as
Leonardo Bruni Leonardo Bruni (or Leonardo Aretino; c. 1370 – March 9, 1444) was an Italian humanist, historian and statesman, often recognized as the most important humanist historian of the early Renaissance. He has been called the first modern historian. H ...
had advocated—"revive the ancient form of tribute" by choosing a "long-dead and uncontroversial subject". Mallett has interpreted the fresco as a Medicean attempt to exalt "the praiseworthiness of ''condottieri'' to a populace with mixed feelings". In fact, Cosimo may have allowed the former Albizzi project to go through merely to pave the way for a similar honor for
Niccolò da Tolentino Niccolò Mauruzzi (or Mauruzi), best known as Niccolò da Tolentino ( – March 20, 1435) was an Italian condottiero. Biography A member of the Mauruzi della Stacciola family of Tolentino, he fled from that city in 1370 after a dispute with his ...
(died 1435), a ''condottiero'' whom the Medici would have favored over Hawkwood. The Tolentino fresco was commissioned 20 years after the soldier of fortune's death, and was specified in its contract to be painted in "the same manner and form as the Hawkwood". Thus, the recommissioning of the portrait may be read as part of an ongoing debate over the appropriateness of ''condottieri'' for a Republic. Bruni raises this subject in ''De militia'' (1420), arguing for a standing Florentine militia, especially given the close ties between Tolentino and the Medici. Intending to depict Hawkwood as an "obedient captain conducting an inspection of troops", the conceit of Hawkwood patiently reviewing troops is "suggestive of a loyal communal servant". The Medici may have wished to emphasize that point that any ''condottiero'', no matter how hostile or fickle, could be bought off and manipulated to Florentine interests and truly Florentinized. Attempts to claim Hawkwood as Florentine were well underway even before his death; for example,
Pier Paolo Vergerio the Elder Pier Paolo Vergerio (the Elder) (23 July 1370 – 8 July 1444 or 1445) was an Italian humanist, statesman, pedagogist and canon lawyer. Life Vergerio was born at Capodistria, Istria, then in the Republic of Venice. He studied rhetoric at Pad ...
wrote in 1391 that Hawkwood "no longer has any foreign blood ... and has become regenerated more strongly and more healthful in fiber and body under the moderating sky of Italy". Such a viewpoint has even crept into modern scholarship: the 19th-century Italian historian
Ercole Ricotti Ercole Ricotti (12 October 1816 – 24 February 1883) was an Italian politician and historian. Biography He was born at Voghera and in 1833 he moved to Turin, where he frequented the Faculty of Engineering. In 1840 he became a member of the Aca ...
called Hawkwood "the last of the foreign ''condottieri'' or the first of the Italian ones"; his 18th-century biography Domenico Maria Manni called him "general captain of Florentine armies" and virtually ignored two decades of Hawkwood's service to other city-states; even in the 20th century, Friedrich Gaupp attempted to characterize Hawkwood's direct attack on Florence as a "marriage proposal".Caferro, 2006, pp. 24–25.


Notes


References

*Bergstein, Mary. 2002. "Donatello's 'Gattamelata' and Its Humanist Audience." ''Renaissance Quarterly'' 55: 833–868. * Borsi, Franco. Translator Elfreda Powell. 1994. ''Paolo Uccello''. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers. *Caferro, William. 2006. ''John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in Fourteenth Century Italy''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. *Covi, Dario A. 1963. "Lettering in Fifteenth Century Florentine Painting." ''The Art Bulletin'' 45: 1–17. *D'Ancona, Paolo. Translator Elizabeth Andrews. 1960. ''Paolo Uccello''. New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, Inc. *Dempsey, Charles. 1972. "Massaccio's Trinity: Altarpiece or Tomb?" ''The Art Bulletin'' 54: 279–281. *Griffiths, Gordon. 1978. "The Political Significance of Uccello's Battle of San Romano." ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' 41: 313–316. * Hartt, Frederick. 1969 (Sixth Edition 2006). ''History of Italian Renaissance Art''. Englewood Cliffs and New York. *Hatfield, Rab. 1965. "Five Early Renaissance Portraits." ''The Art Bulletin'' 47: 315–334. *Hudson, Hugh. 2006. "The Politics of War: Paolo Uccello's Equestrian Monument for Sir John Hawkwood in the Cathedral of Florence." ''Parergon'' 23: 1–33. *Kubovy, Michael. 1988. ''The Psychology of Perspective and Renaissance Art''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *Mallett, Michael Edward. 1974. ''Mercenaries and their masters; warfare in Renaissance Italy''. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield. *Meiss, Millard. 1970. "The Original Position of Uccello's John Hawkwood." ''The Art Bulletin'' 52: 231. *Mode, Robert L. 1972. "Masolino, Uccello and the Orsini 'Uomini Famosi.'" ''The Burlington Magazine'' 114: 368–378. *Paolieri, Annarita. Translator Lisa Pelletti. 1991. ''Paolo Uccello, Domenico Veneziano, Adrea del Castagno''. Florence: Scala/Riverside. *Pudelko, Georg. 1934. "The Early Works of Paolo Uccello." ''The Art Bulletin'' 16: 230–259. *
Saunders, Frances Stonor Frances Hélène Jeanne Stonor Saunders Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (born 14 April 1966) is a British journalist and historian. Early life Frances Stonor Saunders is the daughter of Julia Camoys Stonor and Donald Robin Slomni ...
. 2004. ''Hawkwood: The Diabolical Englishman''. Fontana, . (US edition: 2005. ''The Devil's Broker: Seeking Gold, God, and Glory in 14th century Italy''.) *Salmi, Mario. 1936. ''Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, Domenico Veneziano''. Rome. *Saxl, F. 1940–1941. "The Classical Inscription in Renaissance Art and Politics: Bartholomaeus Fontius: Liber monumentorum Romanae urbis et aliorum locorum." ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes'' 4: 19–46. *Starn, Randolph, and Partridge, Loren. 1984. "Representing War in the Renaissance: The Shield of Paolo Uccello." ''Representations'' 5: 32–64. *Wegener, Wendy J. 1993. "'That the practice of arms is most excellent declare the statues of valiant men': the Luccan War and Florentine Political ideology in paintings by Uccello and Castagno." ''Renaissance Studies'' 7(2): 129–167. {{DEFAULTSORT:Funerary Monument To Sir John Hawkwood Florence Cathedral Funerary art Church frescos in Florence Paintings by Paolo Uccello 1430s paintings 15th century in the Republic of Florence Equestrian statues in Italy Monuments and memorials in Florence Renaissance paintings 1436 in Europe