Capella dei magi di benozzo gozzoli biography

Chapel in the Palazzo House Riccardi, Florence

The Magi Chapel anticipation a chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi of Florence, Italia. Its walls are almost totally covered by a famous circle of frescoes by the Quickening master Benozzo Gozzoli, painted circa 1459 for the Medici kindred, the effective rulers of Town.

Overview

The chapel is on ethics piano nobile of the peel and was one of goodness first rooms to be busy after the completion of glory building, designed by Michelozzo. Small fry its original appearance the house of worship was perfectly symmetrical and abstruse its entrance through the primary door, which today is done.

Inside, the chapel is biramous into two juxtaposed squares: natty large hall and a peer rectangular apse with an sanctuary and two small lateral sacristies. Begun around 1449–50, the church was probably completed around 1459 with the precious ceiling bring into play inlaid wood, painted and abundantly gilded by Pagno di Lapo Portigiano, according to Michelozzo's design.^[1] The latter also designed ethics flooring of marble mosaic business divided by elaborate geometric pattern, which due to the fantastic value of the materials (porphyries, granites, etc.) affirmed the Medicis' desire to emulate the ceremony of the Roman basilicas submit the Florentine Baptistry.

Influence first pictorial element in distinction chapel was the altar fortification bearing Filippo Lippi's Adoration add on the Forest. This painting comment now in Berlin after use sold in the 19th hundred, while a copy by adroit follower of Lippi remains amplify the chapel.

The chapel even-handed famous for the series break into wall paintings by Benozzo Gozzoli, with the Angels in Adoration in the rectangular apse beginning the Journey of the Magi in the large hall.

Blue blood the gentry latter is covered in brace large frescos, each showing influence procession of one of influence Three Magi on their distance to Bethlehem to see honourableness Nativity of Jesus. The inexperienced theme was combined with swell depiction of several members persuade somebody to buy the Medici family, their alliance and some of the mark off figures who arrived in Town for the Council of Town (1438–1439) several decades earlier.

Typical that occasion the Medici could boast to have facilitated rectitude (abortive, as it turned out) reconciliation between the Catholic famous the Eastern Orthodox churches. Blue blood the gentry luxury of the Byzantine dignitaries is manifest, and shows blue blood the gentry impression they would have simulated the time on the Metropolis population.

In the apse, loftiness side walls are painted form a junction with saints and angels in liking, where Gozzoli followed the sound out of his master, Fra Angelico. There are also three put water in vertical fresco sections showing rendering shepherds of the nativity.

Gozzoli's Journey of the Magi

Background

Having in progress the work in the spring-summer of 1459, Benozzo probably fit the work rapidly over excellence space of a few months, with the help of bulldoze least one assistant, under character supervision of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici.

It was maybe Piero who suggested that probity artist should use Gentile tipple Fabriano's Adoration of the Magi as a model for righteousness frescoes. The extraordinary complexity captivated subtlety of the technique interrupt execution, in which true fresco alternated with dry fresco, pardon the painter to work hang together meticulous care, almost as allowing he was engraving, like justness goldsmith he had been breach Ghiberti's workshop.

This sheer workmanship is evident not just undecorated the precious materials of jewellery, fabrics, and harnesses, but collected in the trees laden do business fruit, the meadows spangled skilled flowers, the variegated plumage type the birds, and the multicolour wings of the angels. In the long run, leaves of pure gold were applied generously to shine wear the dark, in the faint light of the candles.

The painting is dedicated to spruce up sacred subject but rich bring off traces of pomp and lay elegance. Hosts of angels vocalize and adore while the excellent procession of the Three Kings approaches Bethlehem, accompanied by their respective entourages as they spoilt brat the scene of a aristocratic hunting party with falcons mount felines along the way.

Character sumptuous and varied costumes narrow their princely finishing make that pictorial series one of excellence most fascinating testimonies of pass and costume of all time.^[2]

The procession

Melchior, the oldest Magus, rides on the west wall important the procession.

Regularly, his features have been announce as those of Joseph, Veteran of Constantinople, who died layer Florence during the Council; on the other hand they could also be those of Sigismund, Holy Roman Chief, who helped end the In case of emergency Schism by convoking the Talking shop parliamen of Constance in 1414. Lack Cosimo, he is shown in that a peacemaker riding on neat as a pin donkey.

He is preceded unhelpful a page in blue hang together a leopard on his framework - this figure is practised scherzo, a joke embedded go to see a painting, representing Castruccio Castracani, Duca di Lucca, according acquiescent C.F. Young’s “The Medici”, familiarize yourself the leopard being the indicator of the house of Lucca. Giuliano de' Medici is shown riding a white horse, preceded by an African with expert bow.

Bearded Balthasar, the centre Magus, rides a white hack on the south wall. Unwind is portrayed with the identical facial features as Byzantine emperorJohn VIII Palaiologos. It is plainness by some that the two pages behind him represent Piero's daughters, Nannina, Bianca and Part, while others argue that rendering faces of those young cadre are more likely to engrave amongst the rest of influence Medici portraits.

On position east wall, Caspar, the youngest Magus, leads the end all but the procession on a ghastly horse. This figure has oft been taken for an pacific Lorenzo il Magnifico, who was born in 1449 and in this fashion was still a boy in the way that the fresco was completed. Truthfully following Caspar are the modern head of the family, Piero the Gouty on a ghastly horse, and devout family settler developer Cosimo on a humble ass.

Then come Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta and Galeazzo Maria Sforza, each to each lord of Rimini and Pavia. They did not take pinnacle in the Council, but were guests of the Medici arrangement Florence in the time probity frescoes were painted. After them is a procession of famed Florentines, such as the humanists Marsilio Ficino and the Pulci brothers, the members of interpretation Art Guilds and Benozzo actually.

The painter looks out artificial the viewer and can break down recognized for the scroll occupation his red hat, reading Opus Benotii. Little Lorenzo il Magnifico is the boy directly downstairs him with the distinctive give the cold shoulder nose; Lorenzo's younger brother Giuliano is next to him.

Get the gist rich Tuscan landscapes filling honesty rest of the pictorial duration, this fresco was designed regard contemporary tapestries, a new class of courtly art destined be after wealthy patrons.

The fortress, foresee the style of medieval castles, which appears at the chief point of the picture final is the point from which the king's pilgrimage has lower-level out, is similar to ethics Medicis' country seat in Cafaggiolo, which was again designed uncongenial Michelozzo. It is interpreted slightly Jerusalem, where the procession spick and span the magi started.

This was where King Herod had acute the wise men to ferret for the child.

Gozzoli's objector, Piero de' Medici, felt heavygoing of the seraphim were inapposite, and wanted them painted bump into. Although the artist agreed agreement do this, it was not actually done.^{[citation needed]} In 1659, the Riccardi family bought class Palazzo Medici and undertook squat structural changes.

This included, consign 1689, the building of barney exterior flight of stairs dazzling up to the first parquet. For this purpose the entr‚e to the chapel had disregard be moved. During the key in, two sections of wall were cut out of the southmost western corner, in the Run of the Oldest King. Back the stairs were finished, greatness cut out elements were rider on a corner of excellence wall projecting into the space.

During the course of that, the oldest king's horse was cut up and mounted dimness two different segments of grandeur wall.

Gallery

• Interior
• Chapel ceiling

• Chapel floor

• Decorations

• Decorations

• Carved exacting stalls

• Apse and altar
• The original reredos, Lippi's Adoration

• Angels in Adoration (left)

• Angels in Adoration (right)

• Medici and Gozzoli
• Cosimo and Piero

• Nannina, Bianca and Maria.

• Lorenzo and Giuliano

• Gozzoli, self-portrait.

• Gozzoli (centre), self-portrait

• Nature
• Hunting scene

• Falcon and hare

• Birds in flight

• Exotic felid

• Jerusalem/Cafaggiolo

See also

References

• Cardini, Franco (2001).

  The Chapel of the Magi contain Palazzo Medici. Florence: Mandragora.

• Davisson, Darrell D., Secrets of the House Palace and Its Private Chapel: Six Studies in the originally Italian Renaissance, 2014, San Bernardino, Createspace.

External links

43°46′30.49″N11°15′21.18″E / 43.7751361°N 11.2558833°E / 43.7751361; 11.2558833