Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna
Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna is carried in procession through the streets of Florence ( Cimabue 's Celebrated Madonna is Carried in Procession through the Streets of Florence ) is a monumental history painting by the English painter Frederic Leighton ( 1830-1896 ). He created it in the years 1853 to 1855 and achieved his artistic breakthrough.
History
The Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) in his book of artist biographies, Le vite de più eccellenti architetti, pittori et Scultori in the section on Cimabue the history of the Rucellai Madonna of Santa Maria Novella, a ladybug image of the type of Maestà in late Gothic style at the threshold the Renaissance. The image was to the 19th century as a work of Cimabue, but is now identified as Duccio di Buoninsegna's work. Vasari's anecdotal narrative reflects the artistic and religious significance that has been attached to this image two and a half centuries after its creation.
" Fece poi nella chiesa di Santa Maria Novella una tavola, dentrovi una Nostra Donna, la quale è posta in alto, fra la Cappella de ' Rucellai e de ' Bardi da Vernia, con alcuni angeli intorno ad essa, i ne quali, ancora che egli Avessé la vecchia maniera greca, tuttavolta si vede che e ' il antenna modo et il lineamento della moderna. Fu quest'opera di tanta Maraviglia ne ' populi di quel tempo, by non essersi veduto Infino allora meglio che di casa sua con le trombe perfino in chiesa fu portata, con solennissima processione, et egli premio straordinario ne rice vette. E dicesi che, mentre Cimabue ditta tavola dipigneva in certi orti Vicin ' a Porta S. Piero, non per altro che per avervi buon buon aere lume e, e per la fuggire frequenzia de gli uomini, passo per la città di Fiorenza il Re Carlo Vecchio di Anjou, Figliuolo di Lodovico il quale andava al possesso della Sicilia chiamatovi because Urbano Pontefice, nimico capital di Manfredi, e che fra le molte accoglienze fattegli as gli uomini di quella città, e ' lo vedere la tavola di condussero a Cimabue, la quale, by ciò ch'ancora non era stata veduta because alcuno, mostrandosi al re, subito gli uomini vi concorsero tutti e tutte le donne di Fiorenza, con grandissima festa e con la maggior calceus del mondo. "
" Then, in the church of Santa Maria Novella he made [ Cimabue ] a panel with a Madonna on which is mounted above between the chapel of the Rucellai and the chapel of the Bardi da Vernia, surrounded by some angels, with you, although he is still the old Greek painting style has, nevertheless sees that he took on the nature and contours of modernity. This work excited such astonishment among his contemporaries, since they had until then never seen anything better that it was worn by his house with trumpet sound to the church in solemn procession up, and he received an extraordinary reward. And it is said that when Cimabue painted this picture in a garden at the Porta S. Piero, there to have good light and good air and to escape the crush of people, King Charles of Anjou, the son of Louis, came through Florence, called by Pope Urban, the main enemy of Manfred, on the way to take possession of Sicily, and that the citizens of the city, and brought him alongside the many receptions, which they prepared him well to the picture of Cimabue. When that which had before seen by man, now the king was shown flocked there once all the men and women of Florence together with the highest and biggest festivity crowd. "
Formation and effect of Leighton's picture
Frederic Leighton, who belonged to the English nobility, was sent as a boy to study art in Italy. In Germany, he came up with the religious art of the Nazarenes in touch. Both made him receptive to the described by Vasari procession scene in which the historical atmosphere of the Renaissance connects to the glorification of the Virgin and the glorification of a work of art.
Leighton began the image as a 23 -year-old in Rome. He worked for three years on a large-scale and highly detailed paintings. 1855 was exhibited in the Royal Academy of Arts, and was enthusiastic recognition. On the first day of the exhibition Queen Victoria bought the work of hitherto unknown artist for 600 guineas, according to her diary at the instigation of her husband Prince Albert. Today it hangs on loan from the British Queen in the entrance hall of the National Gallery in London.
Image description
The oil painting of over five meters in width combined Vasari's narrative procession with the Karl-von -Anjou- episode and makes the scene to an apotheosis of painting. It shows the celebrated picture sideways in a very much shortened perspective on a garland decorated supporting frame with two candlesticks in the Menschenzug, which then moves in front of a gray - white wall and a house with a balcony and spectators from right to left and to the viewer. Behind the wall are a Tuscan countryside and seeing in the distance a church and a Renaissance palazzo, maybe Santa Maria Novella and the Palazzo Vecchio, but without detail. The center of the painting does not take a picture of Mary, but the lorbeerbekränzte Cimabue, by the hand his pupil, the boy Giotto. The rest of the procession participants are men, women and children in noble clothes. Behind the altar with the processional cross, flanked by two flower -scattering girls, follows the bishop with two deacons. Musicians playing drum, zither and violins, but no trumpets. As carriers are the Florentine Duecento artist Arnolfo de Lapo, Gaddo Gaddi, Andrea Tafi, Niccolò Pisano, Buonamico Buffalmacco, Simone Memmi, pictured on the right edge as a spectator of the poet Dante Alighieri. The visible part of the procession decides Charles of Anjou king in costume on a white horse.