The Late Trecento Fresco Decoration of the Palazzo Datini in Prato
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THE LATE TRECENTO FRESCO DECORATION OF THE PALAZZO DATINI IN PRATO by Sara Catharine Ellis A thesis submitted to the Department of Art In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Queen‟s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (October, 2010) Copyright © Sara Catharine Ellis, 2010 Abstract Francesco di Marco Datini (c. 1335-1410) left his native city of Prato, near Florence, in about 1350 to become a successful merchant in Avignon, France. He returned three decades later to decorate his newly built private residence in the historic center of Prato. Under his patronage, frescoes of sacred and secular subject matter were executed in the residence from 1389-95. The artists that have been concretely identified, or suggested, as working in the Palazzo Datini include: Arrigo di Niccolò, from Prato; minor painters Dino di Puccio, Jacopo d‟Agnolo, and Agnolo; Florentine artists Tommaso del Mazza, Bartolomeo di Bertozzo, and Pagolino d‟Ugolino; and the master artists Niccolò di Pietro Gerini and Agnolo Gaddi. Many of the original frescoes were uncovered during renovations of the 1950s. Those in the entry hall and ground floor rooms survive in varied condition. This recovery is significant because the survival of large scale private works of this kind in Italy is rare. Datini‟s legacy also comprises hundreds of ledgers, account books, and thousands of personal and business letters dating from 1363 to 1410. These are now contained in the Archivio Storico di Prato. Using the surviving visual and written material as a reference point, this thesis examines the contexts behind Datini‟s choices as patron. In particular, the influence of predominant values in merchant culture will be considered. The frescoes are explored in comparison with the interior decoration in the palaces of contemporaries. Precedence is given to residences in Florence and other urban centers in Tuscany. Related paintings from Avignon are also considered, as Datini lived there for many years. Visual parallels can also be drawn between the Datini frescoes and manuscript illuminations, among other sources. The murals were influenced by Datini‟s own interests, larger cultural values, and the painters, who derived from the Florentine tradition. This thesis seeks to examine the cultural and artistic environment in late Trecento Prato, Datini‟s contact with the artists, the subject matter and style of the frescoes, and their reception. ii Acknowledgements In producing this thesis, I am indebted to the support of my supervisor, Dr. Cathleen Hoengier. Her extensive knowledge, thoughtful opinions, and enthusiasm for the topic have helped to guide me through the research, writing, and editing processes. I would like to thank Dr. Hoeniger for her constant encouragement and advice, which have been a great benefit to my work. I would also like to thank Lorenzo Lapi, President of the Fondazione Casa Pia dei Ceppi, and Gabriele Ciolini, of the same institution, for their generous support in providing high quality digital images of the interior fresco decoration at the Palazzo Datini. As well, I would like to thank Simonetta Cavaciocchi, at the Fondazione Istituto Internazionale di Storia Economica “F. Datini” Prato, and Dr. Anne Dunlop, Associate Professor at Yale University, for providing advice and recommending articles that have been fundamental to this thesis. My professors and colleagues at Queen‟s University must be recognized for their support. I would like to thank Michelle, Susan, and Andrea in particular for their friendship and for listening, offering advice and providing the perfect distraction, when needed. As well, I would like to thank Dr. Anne Higgins, Associate Professor at Simon Fraser University, for introducing me to Datini and his painted palace. Finally, but most importantly, I would like to thank my family for their support. The unconditional encouragement of my mother, in particular, has been instrumental for me in continuing my studies. I must also thank James for his patience and understanding; for encouraging and challenging me; for offering valuable suggestions; and for knowing how to make me laugh when I needed it the most. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1 Introduction and Literature Review ....................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 The Palazzo Datini: “Una chasa grande, dipinta” An Examination of the Interior Frescoes of the Palazzo Datini ........................................... 74 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 162 Bibliography................................................................................................................................171 iv List of Figures Figure 1 Lapo Martini with Goro di Niccolò, Palazzo Datini, Via Ser Lapo Mazzei and Via Rinaldesca, Prato, c. 1383-92...........................................................2 Figure 2 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini with Ambrogio di Baldese, Alvero di Piero (known as Alvaro Pirez of Evora), Lippo di Andrea, and Scolaio di Giovanni, exterior of the Palazzo Datini, detail of painted imitation marbles, fresco, Palazzo Datini, Prato, after 1410...............................................6 Figure 3 Alvaro Pirez, Scene from the Storia di Francesco Datini, sinopia, exterior, Palazzo Datini, Prato................................................................................7 Figure 4 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, Saint Christopher, fresco, entry hall, Palazzo Datini, Prato, 1391-94....................................................................................8 Figure 5 Tommaso del Mazza, Blessing Christ, fresco, entry hall, Palazzo Datini, Prato, c. 1383-1392.....................................................................................9 Figure 6 Front entry during the restoration of 1954-8, with a view of the Saint Christopher and Blessing Christ, Palazzo Datini, Prato......................................10 Figure 7 Bartolomeo di Bertozzo with Agnolo, Trees with birds and wildlife, fresco, camera delle due letta, Palazzo Datini, 1391...........................................11 Figure 8 Bartolomeo di Bertozzo with Agnolo, Trees with birds and wildlife, detail, fresco, camera delle due letta, Palazzo Datini, 1391................................12 Figure 9 Bartolomeo di Bertozzo with Agnolo, vault, fresco, camera delle due letta, Palazzo Datini, 1391..................................................................................13 Figure 10 Dino di Puccio and Jacopo d‟Agnolo, with Paganino d‟Ugolino, Imitation tapestry with lunettes of hunting scenes, fresco, camera dell‟uno letto, Palazzo Datini, c. 1389-1391.........................................................14 Figure 11 Dino di Puccio and Jacopo d‟Agnolo, with Paganino d‟Ugolino, Imitation tapestry with lunettes of hunting scenes, detail, fresco, camera dell‟uno letto, Palazzo Datini, c. 1389-1391.............................................15 Figure 12 Vault decoration of the Datini and Bandini stemme with male and female heads, camera dell‟uno letto, paper, Palazzo Datini, Prato, c. 1392-1402............................................................................................................16 Figure 13 Photograph of the loggia during the restoration of 1954-8.............................18 Figure 14 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini with designs by Agnolo Gaddi, Hope and Prudence, fresco, Loggia, Palazzo Datini, Prato, c. 1391-95............................18 v Figure 15 Photograph of the courtyard, detail of the Uomini Illustri, fresco, Palazzo Datini, Prato..............................................................................................19 Figure 16 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, Uomini Illustri, fresco, courtyard, Palazzo Datini, Prato, 1391................................................................................................19 Figure 17 Pietro di Miniato, Allegory of Prato with Saints Stephen and John the Baptist and the Benefactors Michele Dagomari and Francesco Datini, with detail of the Prato cityscape, fresco, Palazzo Pretorio, Prato, after 1395..................................................................................................49 Figure 18 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, Tabernacolo del Ceppo, fresco, Museo di Pittura Murale, Prato, 1391................................................................................59 Figure 19 Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, Tabernacolo del Ceppo, detail of the Virgin and Child, fresco, Museo di Pittura Murale, Prato, 1391.......................................59 Figure 20 Tommaso del Mazza, Saint Christopher, detached fresco, Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon, c. 1385-90..................................................................................90 Figure 21 Saint Christopher, fresco, courtyard, Palazzo Davizzi-Davanzati, Florence, fourteenth century...............................................................................................98