#medieval florence

[preraphaelitepaintings]

Isabella

Artist: John Melhuish Strudwick (British, 1849-1937)

Date: c. 1886

Date: Oil on board

Collection: Property from a Distinguished Private Collection

Description

The subject of the painting is taken from Keats's well known poem Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil, which in turn borrows its theme from Boccaccio's Decameron. Set in medieval Florence, the story tells how Isabella falls in love with Lorenzo, an employee in her brothers' business. Having hoped she would make a profitable marriage, the brothers are angry and murder Lorenzo, burying his body in the forest and telling Isabella that he has been sent away on urgent affairs. When Lorenzo's ghost appears to Isabella and reveals his true fate, she exhumes the body and cuts of his head, concealing it in a pot beneath a basil plant which she waters with her tears. Eventually the brothers discover and steal it, and Isabella dies of a broken heart.

[lionofchaeronea]

Pentecost, Andrea di Cione (Orcagna), 1362-65

[lostprofile]

MEDIEVAL FLORENCE

The large frescoed image of the Madonna della Misericordia, preserved in the Bigallo museum, contains the oldest known depiction of the city of Florence. Dedicatory inscriptions record the name of the artist, Bernardo Daddi (with workshop assistance), and the date of the building’s completion, 2 September 1342. 

The image of Florence includes accurate, easily recognized representations of the Palazzo della Signoria, duomo, baptistry and Bargello. In general, the image of the walled city barely containing a dense jumble of irregularly-shaped structures is probably a fairly realistic visual transcription of the built environment of a late medieval Italian city state.

[lionofchaeronea]

Virgin and Child with Angels (aka The Madonna and Child in Majesty Surrounded by Angels), Cimabue, between 1290 and 1295

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Descended from Pazzo was Jacopo, known as "del Vaca" or "del Neca", who died heroically as captain of the Guelphs in the battle of Montaperti. After the defeat of Montaperti, his son Pazzino took refuge in Lucca and returned to Florence following Charles of Valois who was the head of the victorious faction of the Blacks, but was assassinated by Paffiera Cavalcanti who wanted to avenge the killings of Corso Donati and Masino de' Cavalcanti.

Never a dull moment with the Cavalcanti. When they're not inciting accidental arson they're assassinating people for reasons of Vengeance.

The economic resources of the Cavalcanti, moreover, were not entirely composed of the proceeds of banking and mercantile activity. Indeed, an excellent source of wealth were their houses in the Mercato Nuovo of Florence. In fact, they owned (together with Lamberti, Chermontesi and Bostichi) almost all the buildings in that area, and therefore could maintain a monopoly on the rents of the warehouses.

Until a tenth of the City was burnt because of them. Also they lost all of this after they came out the worse for wear during the final days of the Guelph v. Ghibelline conflict.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Giovanni Cavalcanti’s ancestors everyone. Accidentally getting 1/10th of their city burned down due to pissing off rival factions

Oops??

[italianrenaissancemaiden]

A day like today, in 1291, Dante's muse, Madonna Beatrice Portinari, dies at the age of 25 years old. Some say from childbirth, others by plague.

My lady looks so gentle and so pure When yielding salutation by the way, That the tongue trembles and has nought to say, And the eyes, which fain would see, may not endure. And still, amid the praise she hears secure, She walks with humbleness for her array; Seeming a creature sent from Heaven to stay On earth, and show a miracle made sure. She is so pleasant in the eyes of men That through the sight the inmost heart doth gain A sweetness which needs proof to know it by: And from between her lips there seems to move A soothing essence that is full of love, Saying for ever to the spirit, “Sigh!

Dante Alighieri, The New Life

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[florentinenewyorker]