#pius ii

[hoeratius]

Popes these days don't even write smut anymore smh

[lostprofile]

LIBRERIA PICCOLOMINI

Cardinal and Archbishop of Siena Federico Todeschini founded the Libreria Piccolomini in 1502 in a large vaulted chamber accessed from the transept of the cathedral of Siena. The library was intended to serve as a repository for the large collection of manuscripts assembled by his uncle, the humanist scholar, diplomat and cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who served as Pope Pius II from 1458/64. Pius II made Todeschini a cardinal in 1460 at the age of 21. Throughout his career, Todeschini sought underscore his relationship to Pius II and the creation of the library restated that connection in the months leading up to his own accession to the papacy as Pius III in 1503.

The aged Pius III died 26 days after his election. Nevertheless, the decoration of the library proceeded. The wall frescoes depicting episodes from the varied career of Pius II were painted between 1503/08 by Bernardino di Betto, or il Pinturicchio, who had recently finished painting the Borgia Apartments in the Apostolic Palace. According to Vasari, Pinturicchio invited the young Raphael (his fellow student in Perugino’s workshop) to contribute designs for several of the frescoes. Raphael’s drawings for the scenes depicting Enea Silvio Piccolomini departing for the Council of Basel and Piccolomini introducing Frederick III to Eleanora of Portugal survive and show that Pinturicchio faithfully executed his friend’s ideas. Raphael assisted in the painting of the frescoes as well and both artists included self-portraits in the cycle. Pinturicchio daringly gave his features to the foppishly-attired figure of Enea Silvio Piccolomini on horseback in the first scene; Raphael holds a candle at the canonization of Catherine of Siena.

Despite the completion of the frescoes in 1508, Pius II’s books were never transferred to the library. The choirbooks currently displayed on late-15th wooden shelves in the library space were commissioned by the cathedral chapter after the death of Pius II. They contain some of the finest examples of northern Italian book illumination by Liberale da Verona and Girolamo da Cremona, but have no connection to either Piccolomini pope.

[italianartsociety]

Pienza & “The Medici”

Season 2, “The Magnificent,” of “The Medici” series can now be streamed on Netflix. The 8 episodes comprising this season focus on Lorenzo de’Medici. Viewers of the series will have noticed that the Tuscan town of Pienza features prominently.

At the heart of Pienza is a small trapezoidal piazza framed by the Duomo, the Bishop’s Palace, the Palazzo Comunale, and the Palazzo Piccolomini. Between 1459 and 1464 the fabric of town was re-imagined by Pope Pius II who hoped to leave a lasting legacy in his birthplace. In June of 1462, Corsignano was renamed for its papal son.

Architectural historians note that Leon Battista Alberti and contemporary Renaissance urban planning ideals likely influenced the design executed by Florentine architect. Bernardo Rossellino.

Anchoring the central piazza, the white marble facade of the Duomo includes the Piccolomini crest which fills the pediment and is visible both from outside of town and from the upper-windows of the facing government building. The classically-inspired facade contrasts with the interior which draws more heavily from Pope Pius II’s experiences in Gothic churches.

Next to the Cathedral is the Palazzo Piccolomini. This building combines the traditions of the urban palazzo with suburban villas. The rear of the building includes open loggias, a hanging garden, and view into the countryside.

One hint of pre-Renaissance Corsignano can be found outside the town walls today; Santi Vito e Modesto is an Romanesque Church and includes a number of carved relief panels.

References: Thomas, Anabel. “Pienza.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press; Mack, Charles R. Pienza: The Creation of a Renaissance City. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1987; “Filming and Production” Medici (TV Series)

Image credits:

Trailer, Medici: The Magnificence.

Duomo, exterior and interior (1459-64)

Palazzo Piccolomini, exterior and courtyard (1459-64)

Santi Vito e Modesto (12th C)

Photo credit: Jennifer D. Webb

Further Reading: Caspar Pearson. Humanism and the Urban World: Leon Battista Alberti and the Renaissance City. University Park PA: Penn State University Press, 2011; Pius II. Commentaries. Vol.1. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 2004.

Posted by Jennifer D. Webb

[koredzas]

Pinturicchio - Pope Pius II at the Congress of Mantua. 1502 - 1508

[ducavalentinos]

Pius had an eye for everyone and everything within his orbit and, with his itch to record what he saw and felt, he snatched time from the endless pressure of affairs to keep that voluminous, lively diary of his. It is only through this diary that posterity is able to catch a glimpse of the young Spanish cardinal, as cautiously, discreetly, he worked himself into Roman society. […]Pius saw Borgia as a hardworking, good-humored man who made friends easily, enjoyed life enormously but usually took care to conform to the relatively puritanical standards established by the pope. He seemed, like his uncle before him, to have little interest in the speculative ferment of his day. Highly intelligent, he was essentially a pragmatist, using his intellectual abilities for strictly practical ends. But he delighted in display and possessed a talent for organizing those flamboyant religious spectacles, such as the Corpus Christi pageants, that were becoming increasingly part of social life.

E.R Chamberlin - The Fall of the House of Borgia

[koredzas]

Pinturicchio - Pope Pius II at the Congress of Mantua. Detail. 1502 - 1508

[ducavalentinos]

Chamberlin’s writing is confusing because at times it reads as fiction and sometimes like now it reads like a biography. also he has this really annoying habit of stating his opinions as facts. other than that though, it’s interesting to read a little bit more about Rodrigo’s days as a cardinal.    

[treasuresfromthearchives]

Pope Pius II

Attributed to Andrea Guazzalotti Italian

1460