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JOURNAL OF THE FRIENDS OF THE GALLERY No. 80 - April 2021 Collecting: An Altruistic Passion The most recent donations to the Uffizi Galleries: paintings, drawings and graphic arts testify to the passion of learned collectors and their bonds to the city of

his very sad 2020 left its mark on the TUffizi in a sort of anti-climax of glob- al appreciation, thanks to social networks that made the museum more visited than ever, albeit virtually. At the same time, momentous donations were made to the Galleries. These included the collection of Carlo Del Bravo, introduced by Loren- zo Gnocchi in this same issue, that was listed by the prestigious English periodi- cal, Apollo, as one of the most important “acquisitions of the year”. The joy of celebrating together these gestures of generosity stems from a num- ber of motivations, one of the most mov- ing being the bond created between the donors and their city. For example, Bino Sanminiatelli’s collection of over 250 drawings, left by his daughter Carla to the Department of Prints and Draw- ings, completes the spiritual and mate- rial heritage of the writer-artist within the network of civic institutions that house his testimony (the , the Alessandro Bonsanti Contemporary

Eike D. Schmidt (continue on page 2)

Rosso Fiorentino, Infant Saint John the Baptist, circa 1520, Del Bravo Collection.

IL GIORNALE degli UFFIZI 1 Archive, and the Primo Conti the early Settecento (see the ar- Foundation). These folios re- ticle by Laura Donati in the pre- count half a century of Floren- vious issue of the Journal of the tine intellectual life, together Uffizi, December 2020). Imag- with other testimonies of the ining the research, the passion, artistic ferment of those years. the energy, and the means Pi- And what years they were! They neider dedicated to this effort were the years of Futurism (to over the decades, the donation which Sanminiatelli adhered), of his entire collection to the of the avant-garde, and the Department of Prints and Draw- years of the “return to order” ings assumes a significance that and periodicals like Solaria; reaches the sublime. It is the years in which the city force- material and spiritual offer of fully established itself within the a part of himself, a donation- European political and cultural confession, so to speak (Carlo Drawings by Bino Sanminiatelli, donated to the Uffizi Galleries. debate. If with the Sanminiatelli Pineider, I am sure, will approve donation we share in an his- of this somewhat bold declara- umpteenth gesture of generosi- studies for the frescoes of the torical context fundamental to tion), that opens a window on ty on the part of the Friends of Basilica della Santissima An- the history of Florence, the Pi- the sophisticated intellectual the Uffizi, undertaken with the nunziata by Baldassarre France- neider donation can be consid- interests of an outstanding Flo- usual spontaneous rapidity of schini, also known as “Il Volter- ered the testimony of the love rentine businessman. The fruit our friends from beyond the rano”. These extremely impor- of a “son” for his city, without of these interests are now at the Seas. During their annual re- tant additions to the collection the need to remind our readers disposition of the community union in January, held at the are fundamental tesserae of that the donor’s family founded of specialists on Italian draw- same time as the famous “Mas- Florentine artistic history, as in the famous Florentine brand ings and graphic arts, and not ters Drawings Week” in New the case of Volterrano, and an name of luxury items of writing only. With the process of digi- York that attracts collectors enrichment of the graphic cor- materials and leather goods. talization of the collections un- from around the world, the pus of Foggini, court artist to His gift to the Uffizi, which I derway, Pineider’s efforts will Friends of the Uffizi successfully Cosimo III de’ Medici. Thanks do not hesitate to define as as- soon be accessible on a global bid for and purchased a draw- again to our American friends, tounding in quantity and qual- level and his precious collection ing of a horse by the famous Flo- in the hope that soon they will ity, offers a panorama of early shared universally. rentine Baroque artist, Giovan- be able to come and personally Italian graphic art with as many I would like to conclude this ni Battista Foggini (that once admire their gifts. as 107 drawings and etchings review of the donations made to belonged to Jacqueline Kenne- dating from the Cinquecento to the Galleries in 2020 citing an dy), along with two preparatory Eike D. Schmidt A Gift of Beauty Art historian Carlo Del Bravo’s entire collection has been left to the Uffizi. Sculptures, paintings, drawings, and artisan creations from the age of humanism to contemporary art.

he entire as- search and comprehension of sculptors active between the Tsembly of works art; in particular, art that corre- two World Wars, and figurative of art that Carlo sponded to his idea of beauty as artists his own contemporaries Del Bravo collected spiritual and good, the same de- who were alien to the destruc- throughout his lifetime, scribed by Plato in the Symposium tive influences of the avant- which he wished to do- where it is held to be the initial garde. It is precisely these three nate in its entirety to a pub- step in a process of ascension categories of art works that lic institution that could towards what Del Bravo called constitute the main axis of the guarantee its unity, is the “that quiet, that liberty”, finali- collection. Despite the great fruit of his immense ties of human existence. variety in technique (sculp- curiosity in the re- It was precisely his search tures, paintings, graphic arts, for these truly humanist forms and artisan creations in wood of art that, from the 1960s on, and alabaster) and chronology Bruno Innocenti, opened the way to the rediscov- (from the age of humanism to Ildebrando Mazzanti, ery of artists forgotten by the contemporary art), the collec- 1934-35, Del Bravo critics: nineteenth century Ital- tion finds itstrait d’union in the Collection. ian and French “academics”, concept of that benign and in-

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The Study of Carlo Del Bravo. spirational beauty mentioned troduction, I will limit myself to with an ensemble of images of by the architect Lorenzo Papi in above. that part of the collection that in both grand and more mitigated his youth and entitled The Sea, To give an idea of the harmo- Del Bravo’s home was kept on his beauty that elevated him to that with its travertine marble top in- ny that the significance of works desk and on the wall facing it in quiet and freedom of thought nec- cised with blue waves in stucco, so diverse creates while staying his study. There, he contemplat- essary for his studies. To begin, invited Del Bravo to expand his within the limits of this brief in- ed and entered into dialogue the large desk/table, designed mind over those allusive spaces.

Jacopo Vignali, A Young Flautist, circa 1650, Del Bravo Collection. Rodolfo Meli, Peter’s Face, 2016, Del Bravo Collection.

IL GIORNALE degli UFFIZI 3 Giovanni Colacicchi, Portrait of Carlo Del Bravo, 1981, Del Bravo Collection.

There he sat with before him, on left, the transparent volumes of Roman Dionysus, the Asclepius by the table top, the powerful and softened geometry of a few ala- Tribolo (dating to the 1540s), beautiful human half of a varia- baster vases by Omero Cerone, and a little fifteenth century tion of Bourdelle’s Centaur from the artisan from Volterra, served angel, interpreted the 1910, made of plaster painted as a serene and well-propor- contemplative status of black, falling back over its beast- tioned contemplative balcony. the gods, all absorbed in ly counterpart, offering itself as Then, atop the low bookshelves tranquil meditation, their the initial step in the ascent to- along the wall in front of him, eyes gazing beyond the con- wards higher thoughts. On the were four marble busts. Three, a tingency. The fourth, Ildebrando

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Mazzanti, dating 1934-35, by and ’93, Primavera (Spring) and Bruno Innocenti, warmed the La piscina (The Swimming Pool). heart with that brisk turn of On the right, was another youth his gaze towards the left, in the with deep black searching eyes guise of the good pupil. With and an athletic nude torso paint- this figure began the sequence ed by the American painter Per- of images on the wall: first, the kins in 1937, early in his career candid beauty of a painted and, on his left, the visage of a study by Carolus-Duran, the virtuous and composed aco- Ecce Homo, the nude torso, lumi- lyte painted by Charles-Camille nous and powerful against the Chazal in 1867. blackened background; then, Amidst all of these figures, portraits of youths, painted by were three paintings of grand, nineteenth century masters like vigorous roses by Renzo Dotti, , Antonio Ciseri, also the author of many nudes Egisto Sarri, Giuseppe Bezzuoli, within the collection and Del Amos Cassioli, many with inter- Bravo’s life-long friend. To con- rogating eyes, desirous to know, clude this review, on the just like the students of the mas- Tribolo, Head ter seated before them. Togeth- of Asclepius er they gathered like a garland Del Bravo Collection. around the visage of their “big brother”, a youth portrayed by Rodolfo Meli, a beauty, larger than life, with eyes raised to the sky, also seen behind him. Meli, a figurative artist whose relations with Del Bravo be- gan in the late 1980s, is the author of many nudes and side wall, (but only in the warm of the two large paintings season – in the winter months it in the study, dating to ’91 was replaced by the Portrait of Del Bravo painted by Colacicchi in 1981), hung the Infant Saint John Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, the Baptist by Rosso, kneeling Centaur, 1910, with his right arm pointing to Del Bravo Collection. the “ecce agnus” written on the banner on high, from where light descends exposing his frail, jittery little body.

Lorenzo Gnocchi

IL GIORNALE degli UFFIZI 5 entire setting without provid- ing any space for the figures. In a second moment, he radi- cally modified the general lay- out, moving the throne and the steps and, consequently, re-modulated the geometry of An Opportunity the pavement. Subsequently, he sketched out the design, in some cases drawing the figures in the nude to better study anatomy and positioning. At times, during this preparatory graphic elaboration, he modi- fied the distribution of the fig- ures, often varying the inclina- for Research tion of the heads, the position of the hands, the feet, and the folds of the draperies. He con- The restoration of brought to light innumerable the end result of an uninter- tinued making more changes the “Saint Ambrose changes made during the com- rupted series of re-elaborations during the application of the Altarpiece” by Botticelli pletion of the work. Through in composition, a procedure painted surface. offered an interesting the reconstruction of the vari- that was not detected in the It is difficult to formulate a ous phases in the creation of technical studies carried out on hypothesis on the reasons Bot- opportunity to study the the altarpiece and the com- other works by the artist. ticelli adopted this method of genesis of the composition parison of technical data from Botticelli adopted a par- procedure; it should be re- other works by the master, we ticular method of procedure membered, however, that the were able to verify whether or in the Saint Ambrose Altarpiece: altarpiece, created in circa not these characteristics were he drew a series of annota- 1470, is the first commission he painting arrived at the particular to this altarpiece or tions and references regard- on a grand scale given to the TRestoration Laboratories common to Botticelli’s modus ing the architectural compo- then young master. of the Opificio delle Pietre operandi in general. sition directly on the panel. Dure from the Uffizi Galler- The research clearly estab- These consisted in numerous Luisa Gusmeroli ies in 2018, due to problems lished that the altarpiece was incised lines delineating the Patrizia Riitano in its state of conservation. The excessive rigidity of the transverse supports had cre- ated tensions in the paneled surface causing the raising and loss of color along some of the seams. On the whole, the painted surface of the al- tarpiece offered a good level of legibility despite the matted varnishes and alterations in some areas of retouching. Af- ter an extensive campaign of non-invasive testing, the resto- ration called for intervention on the support structure with the consequent consolidation of color followed by a surface cleaning of the varnish, stuc- coing and pictorial integration of losses, and corrections in areas of deteriorated repaint- ing. The entire operation was made possible by the generous contribution of Joseph C. Ras- kauskas of the Friends of the Uffizi. The restoration provided an interesting opportunity for research on the artistic proce- dure of Botticelli; the analysis of the painting and test results Sandro Botticelli, Saint Ambrose Altarpiece, circa 1470, Uffizi Galleries, after restoration, sponsored by the Friends of the Uffizi.

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‘Homer’s Riddle’ A rediscovered painting by Bartolomeo Passerotti and an unsolved riddle

omer’s Riddle, is the title of Hthe painting by Bartolo- meo Passerotti (Bologna, 1529- 1592), recently purchased by the Uffizi Galleries and the ob- ject of a publication issued last February. All trace of the work had been completely lost, de- spite the persistence of its fame ensured by early accounts, be- ginning with Raffaello Borghini (1584), and by a pair of Passe- rotti’s own drawings, one a pre- paratory study and the other an autograph replica, now found respectively in the British Mu- seum and the Louvre. The re- cent publication not only inves- tigates the work from multiple points of view, from the patron, a Florentine man of letters, Bartolomeo Passerotti, Homer’s Riddle, circa 1570-1575. Giovan Battista Deti, to the ar- tistic characteristics, the theme, The most famous poet of antiq- ular scenes that were, in actuality, erlessness in face of the political and the work’s genesis from a uity, unable to solve the riddle highly learned. The riddle of the and religious transformations technical standpoint, but also with which a few fishermen re- lice that proved fatal for Homer underway in the sixteenth cen- analyzes the artistic context in spond to his question inquiring remains, however, a truly singular tury. Blind was the Seer on the which the painter operated at on their catch of the day (What choice within his production. island of Ìos where he met with the time of Pope Gregory XIII, we caught, we threw away, what Once extrapolated from its clas- the fishermen and blind were the Ugo Boncompagni, from Bo- we didn’t catch, we kept), conse- sical context and transposed to artists in Passerotti’s time, stum- logna. It provides a detailed quently, dies of desperation. that of the painter working in bling in the dark as they witnessed review of the corpus of draw- The legend assumed multiple post-Tridentine Bologna, pro- the submission of their expressive ings by Passerotti (or held to be meanings depending on the foundly conditioned by the au- freedom to the restrictions and such) within the Uffizi Depart- source utilized. thoritative presence of cardinal norms imposed on them by the ment of Prints and Drawings But let’s imagine its signifi- Paleotti, the theme possibly may Church. It is within this vaguely and poses questions of method cance from the point of view of acquire a double meaning: on mysterious coexistence of multiple regarding collectors’ predilec- an artist and his patron active in the one hand, the vindication of meanings that the eternal fascina- tion for folios executed in pen the early 1570s, at the time of the the dignity and wisdom of the tion of classicism resides, every with a more highly finished painting’s creation. Perhaps Deti, humble (already underscored by time a work of art measures itself technique, contextualizing the a prominent member of the Ac- the theologian Gregorio Nazian- against it. phenomenon as specifically Eu- cademia della Crusca, had his zo in the IV century A.D.); on the ropean. Finally, the study exam- own interpretation of the tale by other, a humanist’s sense of pow- Marzia Faietti ines the tale from its classical Plutarch (in reality, Pseudo) and origins, the first mention being that the painter shared in it with that of Heraclitus at the turn him. Passerotti was not, in fact, The Painter, the Poet and the Lice. Bartolomeo of the VI to V centuries B.C. unprepared in that sense. A col- whose account was based on lector and artist held in favor by Passerotti and the ”Homer” of Giovan Battista Deti preceding legends, to the Quat- the learned Dominican order, by Edited by: Marzia Faietti trocento and the Cinquecento. jurists and professors of the Studio This paradoxical tale of the in Bologna, and closely tied to with essays by: Roberto Bellucci, Federico Condello, death of Homer is recounted the scientist and naturalist Ulisse Marzia Faietti, Vera Fortunati, Donatella Fratini, in numerous sources includ- Aldrovandi, Passerotti was used Angela Ghirardi, Eike D. Schmidt ing Plutarch, as the inscription to measuring himself against painted on the boat attests (in erudite themes, allegorical sub- Catalog: Sillabe Editions, Livorno, 2021 truth, it was Pseudo-Plutarch). ject matter, and apparently pop-

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Life at the Uffizi ASSOCIAZIONE

President Board of Directors n “To Rebehold site https://www.uffizi.it/en/ the Stars” online-exhibitions. Contessa Maria Vittoria Colonna Rimbotti President Vice-President - Emanuele Guerra Contessa Maria Vittoria Colonna Rimbotti The seventh centenary of Vice-Presidents - Michael J. Bracci, the death of Dante Alighieri is n Work on Vasari’s Executive Directors - Patrizia Asproni, Emanuele Guerra Ginevra Cerrina Feroni, Andrea Del Re, being celebrated all over Corridor Fabrizio Guidi Bruscoli, Executive Director - Lisa Marie Browne (see the article in the previous Mario Marinesi (Treasurer), issue of the Journal) and, in Work has begun for the Elisabetta Puccioni (Secretary), Legal Counsel - Howard J. Freedman Oliva Scaramuzzi, Eike D. Schmidt, particular, at the exhibit un- reopening of Vasari’s Corri- Catterina Seia Treasurer - Bruce Crawford derway at the Museums of San dor, the famous passageway Auditors- Francesco Corsi, Secretary - Barbara Chamberlain Domenico in Forlì (in which that joins the Uffizi to Palaz- Enrico Fazzini, Corrado Galli Directors - Diana M. Bell, Susan D. McGregor, the Uffizi plays a primary zo Pitti, passing over Ponte Madeleine Parker, Diann G. Scaravilli role, in primis with the most Vecchio (the Old Bridge), Alternate Auditors - Alberto Conti, famous portrait of Dante, the with an estimated cost of ap- Valerio Pandolfi Honorary Members Veronica Atkins Secretariat - Tania Dyer, Bruna Robbiani Eike D. Schmidt, Uffizi Galleries Director c/o UnipolSai, via L.Magnifico 1, 50129 Firenze. Tel. +39 055 4794422 - Fax +39 055 4792005 [email protected] Advisory Board

Chairman - Diann G. Scaravilli Welcome Desk - Giuliana Dini Galleria delle Statue e delle Pitture degli Vice Chairman - Daniela Di Lorenzo Uffizi,Entrance 2 - Tel. +39 055 285610 [email protected] Advisors - Linda Civerchia Balent, Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig, triannual publication Scott Diament, Bradley van Hoek, of the Amici degli Uffizi Gordon A. Lewis Jr., Laney Lewis, Irvin M. Lippman, Editor-in-chief Ellen Stirn Mavec, Meredith A. Townsend, Maria Vittoria Colonna Rimbotti Linda J. Tufo Editorial board Honorary Members H.R.H Princess Maria Pia di Savoia President de Bourbon-Parma, Eike D. Schmidt Contessa Chiara Miari Fulcis Ferragamo Uffizi Coordinator Friends of the Uffizi Gallery Andrea Acampa 205 Worth Avenue Suite 201 Federico Zuccari, Inferno, Canto I, The Dark Wood. Palm Beach, Florida 33480 Managing Editor Tel.: 561.289.4090 detached fresco by Andrea del proximately 10 million euro. Maria Novella Batini Fax: 561.391.1597 Castagno, restored by the Opi- The project entails the resto- Contributors for this issue [email protected] ficio delle Pietre Dure of Flor- ration, adaptation and imple- Marzia Faietti, Lorenzo Gnocchi ence thanks to our American mentation of security mea- Luisa Gusmeroli, Patrizia Riitano, Eike D. Schmidt HOW TO JOIN Friends). The Uffizi Galleries sures along the “tunnel” that THE FRIENDS OF THE have also dedicated an on line subsequently will be refur- Translator UFFIZI GALLERY exhibit to the extraordinary bished and finally reopened Josephine Rogers Mariotti collection of drawings illus- to the public. Director Eike Assistant Editor Membership dues are integral trating the Divine Comedy by Schmidt hopes that the works Bruna Robbiani to the mission of Friends Federico Zuccari: eighty-eight will be concluded (and the of the Uffizi Gallery and Graphic design and layout folios, dating between 1586 Corridor inaugurated) by Leonardo Libri srl because the organization and 1588, now housed in the May 27, 2022, the anniversary Via Livorno, 8/32 is a 501(c)(3) they are tax Uffizi Department of Prints of the Georgofili bombing 50142 Firenze - Tel. 055 73787­­­­ deductible. and Drawings, created by that in 1993 gravely damaged Print: Polistampa Firenze srl For any questions about Zuccari during his sojourn in the initial tract of the corri- memberships, donations, Spain. The entire collection, dor, along with hundreds of corporate sponsorships, Sponsor of the Association partially placed on public view paintings within the Uffizi. Amici degli Uffizi with their planned giving or in-kind only twice and now digitalized “The undertaking to restore contribution: donations, please call at in high definition, entered the Corridor’s functionality 561-289-4090 the Uffizi in 1738, thanks to and safety is a warning to ev- UnipolSai or email the donation of the Electress ery form of aggression against Assicurazioni S.p.a. Bologna [email protected] Palatine Anna Maria Luisa de’ humanity and our cultural or visit Medici. patrimony and, at the same https://www.friendsoftheuffizi The virtual exhibit, “To time, a clear sign of hope af- gallery.org/memberships/ Rebehold the Stars” can be ter this long period of closure ‘visited’ on the Uffizi web- due to the pandemic”.

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