Francesco di Giorgio Martini (1439–1501) was an Italian architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer. As a painter, he belonged to the
Sienese School. He was considered a visionary architectural theorist—in
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
's terms: "one of the most interesting
later Quattrocento architects". As a military engineer, he executed architectural designs and sculptural projects and built almost seventy fortifications for the
Federico da Montefeltro, Count (later Duke) of Urbino, building city walls and early examples of
star-shaped fortifications.
Born in
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 centur ...
, he apprenticed as a painter with
Vecchietta
Lorenzo di Pietro (1410 – June 6, 1480), known as Vecchietta, was an Italian Sienese School painter, sculptor, goldsmith, and architect of the Renaissance. He is among the artists profiled in Vasari's ''Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, ...
. In panels painted for ''
cassoni'' he departed from the traditional representations of joyful wedding processions in frieze-like formulas to express visions of ideal, symmetrical, vast and all but empty urban spaces rendered in
perspective.
He composed an architectural treatis
''Trattato di architettura, ingegneria e arte militare'' the third of the Quattrocento, after
Leone Battista Alberti
Leon Battista Alberti (; 14 February 1404 – 25 April 1472) was an Italian Renaissance humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, and cryptographer; he epitomised the nature of those identified now as polymaths. H ...
's and
Filarete
Antonio di Pietro Aver(u)lino (; – ), known as Filarete (; from grc, φιλάρετος, meaning "lover of excellence"), was a Florentine Renaissance architect, sculptor, medallist, and architectural theorist. He is perhaps best remembered for ...
's; he worked on it for decades and finished sometime after 1482; it circulated in manuscript. The treatise was included in several original manuscripts with one copy (i.e., Codex Mediceo Laurenziano 361) belonged to Leonardo da Vinci who had made notes and sketches within. The projects were well in advance of completed projects at the time, but innovations, for example in staircase planning, running in flights and landings round an open center, or dividing at a landing to return symmetrically on each wall, became part of architectural vocabulary in the following century. The third book is preoccupied with the "ideal" city, constrained within star-shaped polygonal geometries reminiscent of the
star fort, whose wedge-shaped
bastions are said to have been his innovation.
Francesco di Giorgio finished his career as architect in charge of the works at the
Duomo di Siena, where his bronze angels are on the high altar and some marble floor mosaics are attributed to his designs. The design of the church of
San Sebastiano in Vallepiatta in Siena is also attributed to him.
Di Giorgio's painting of the "Madonna and Child with 2 Angels" is found at the
Lowe Art Museum
Lowe Art Museum is the art museum of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The museum is located on the campus of the University of Miami and is accessible by Miami Metrorail at University Station.
Lowe Art Museum's comprehensive co ...
in
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248.
Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...
.
Biography
Early life (1439–1470)
Born sometime in 1439 in
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 centur ...
to a poultry dealer, Francesco Maurizio di Giorgio di Martino was
baptized on September 23, 1439. Not much is known about his youth, except that he is assumed to have been a student of
Vecchietta
Lorenzo di Pietro (1410 – June 6, 1480), known as Vecchietta, was an Italian Sienese School painter, sculptor, goldsmith, and architect of the Renaissance. He is among the artists profiled in Vasari's ''Le Vite delle più eccellenti pittori, ...
due to similarities in style between Di Giorgio's early paintings and those of the master. The first record of his work as an artist is from 1464, when at age 25 he was paid 12
lire for a statue of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
.
He was married two times in quick succession when his first wife, Cristofana, died shortly after they were married in 1467. On January 26, 1469 he married Agnese, the daughter of Antonio di Benedetto di Neroccio, and possibly a relative of
Neroccio di Bartolomeo de' Landi, with whom Di Giorgio shared a studio and an artistic partnership during these years.
Early work in Siena (1471–1475)
Di Giorgio's early years as a professional artist, architect, and engineer were full of a variety of projects. On top of various artistic commissions that he completed during this time, he and another engineer were given a contract by
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 centur ...
to work on its
aqueduct and fountain system, with the goal of adding about a third more water to the city's water supply. They were able to enlarge the fountain in the
Piazza del Campo and make other improvements around the city, successfully fulfilling their contract in 1473.
During this period, Di Giorgio was also working with assistants on ''The Coronation of the Virgin'' for the
Santa Maria della Scala (Siena), a large painted
altarpiece.
Sienese records from 1471 describe an episode in which the artist and nine others broke into the
Monastery of the Holy Saviour outside
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 centur ...
and "behaved dishonorably" once inside. They were sentenced to be banished from the city for three months, or to pay a 25
lire fine, which Di Giorgio paid.
Urbino (1475–1484)
During the mid-1470s, Di Giorgio came into the employ of
Federico da Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
, Duke of
Urbino
Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...
. He created multiple artistic works for the Duke, including the bronze
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 th ...
''Deposition from the Cross'' and served as an architect and engineer for the duke during the
Pazzi conspiracy. In the fighting between Italian city-states which followed, Di Giorgio constructed a series of great
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
s for his patron. This source of employment for Di Giorgio continued after
da Montefeltro's death with his son the new duke.
Architectural work also came to Di Giorgio through his employment with the Duke, including what is probably his most famous building,
Santa Maria delle Grazie al Calcinaio in
Cortona. The church was challenging to design due to the steep incline of its location, but Di Giorgio's skill with engineering and architecture allowed him to design a solid building which still stands.
Return to Siena and Later Career (1485–1500)
Letters from 1485 reveal that the
Sienese government wrote to Francesco di Giorgio to request that he return to his native city and embark on the design and construction of public buildings. He did return to the city in 1486 and began receiving an annual salary of 800
florins for his position as official city engineer in which he would inspect all engineering projects throughout
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 centur ...
.
Di Giorgio also completed artistic projects for the city, such as the candle-holding angel sculptures which he contributed to the altar at the
Opera del Duomo.
This time was one of prosperity and popularity for Di Giorgio, whose presence and expertise were fought over by the rulers of several city-states, particularly
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 centur ...
and
Urbino
Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...
. His tax documents from 1488 show material wealth as well as familial wealth in the form of six children.
In 1490 he was commissioned by the government of
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 ...
to produce a model for dome of the
Milan Cathedral. This project led him to journey to the site of the cathedral, where he met
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
who had also been hired to consult on the building. Di Giorgio apparently provided useful advice to the constructors of the cathedral, and was paid 100
florins for his trouble.
His expertise as a war engineer came into play again during the
Italian War of 1494–98
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, when he was in the employ of
Ferdinand II of Naples
Ferdinando Trastámara d'Aragona, of the branch of Naples, known to contemporaries especially with the name of Ferrandino (Naples, 26 June 1467 - Naples, 7 October 1496). Acclaimed "the first among all the Kings and Lords of the World" and univer ...
. He used tunnels and explosives in what is considered the pioneering use of
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
technology for warfare.
In 1499 Di Giorgio was elected the ''capomaestro'' of the
Opera del Duomo.
Death (1501)
Francesco di Giorgio died at the age of 62 outside
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 centur ...
in 1501 or early 1502, having retired to the countryside mid-1501. His widow spent most of the rest of her life embroiled in legal battles related to the late architect's estate.
See also
*
Taccola
Mariano di Jacopo (1382 – c. 1453), called Taccola (" the jackdaw"), was an Italian polymath, administrator, artist and engineer of the early Renaissance. Taccola is known for his technological treatises ''De ingeneis'' and ''De machinis'', wh ...
, Sienese Renaissance engineer
Notes
Further reading
*
Bertrand Gille, 1978. ''Les Ingénieurs de la Renaissance'', Thèse Histoire, Paris, 1960. Seuil, in series ''Points Sciences'')
*
Marc van den Broek, 2018. ''Leonardo da Vincis Erfindungsgeister, Eine Spurensuche'' NA-Verlag Mainz, 2018.
External links
Browsable online archive of digitized imagesat ''Biblioteca Leonardiana'' (e-Leo)
''The Gubbio Studiolo and its conservation, volumes 1 & 2'' from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Francesco di Giorgio (see index)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martini, Francesco di Giorgio
1439 births
1501 deaths
15th-century Italian architects
15th-century Italian painters
15th-century Italian writers
16th-century Italian painters
16th-century Italian writers
16th-century male writers
Italian architecture writers
Italian Renaissance architects
Italian Renaissance painters
Italian male painters
Italian male non-fiction writers
Quattrocento painters
Painters from Siena
Medieval military writers