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THE SIENESE EXHIBITION OF ANCIENT ART

BY F. MASON

OTH in interest and importance, the Exhibition of Ancient Art recently opened in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena far surpasses anything of the kind yet attempted in Italy. Quite apart from its contents, no similar exhibition has enjoyed the advantage of so ideal a setting as that afforded by the noble building-itself an epitome of Siena's early art-which the Sienese have chosen to enshrine temporarily the handiwork of their dead and long-neglected masters. Owing in no small degree to the timely and energetic efforts of Dr. Corrado Ricci, the exhibition may be described as a decided success; and notwithstanding a certain deficiency in matters of detail, it may further be called a very fairly representative exposition of a great school of art. Neither the student nor the art-loving traveller can afford to miss the opportunity of examining the many beautiful objects which, a few weeks hence, will again have returned to their almost inaccessible hiding places.

It is the section devoted to sculpture which will probably appeal most strongly to the majority of visitors. Naturally enough, the great Jacopo della Quercia that most universal of Siena's artists-holds the place of honour. By dint of patient searching, Dr. Ricci has succeeded in gathering together, in the noble loggia of the Palazzo, over two hundred fragments of the original of the famous Fonte Gaia. The result is a partial but careful reconstruction of the beautiful fountain, which it is sincerely to be hoped will be permitted to become a permanency among the wonders of Siena. Side by side with these reunited remnants we may study an unequalled collection of casts from almost all of Jacopo's known works. These are, I believe, to find a permanent home in the Palazzo, a fact upon which Siena is to be congratulated, and for which she has once more to thank the initiative of Dr. Ricci.

No less interesting than the resurrection of Fonte Gaia is the splendid collection of polychrome wooden statues-over thirty in number, and representing a period of three centuries of sculptural development. Earliest among these is a ruined, but singularly impressive, Virgin and Child from S. Sigismondo at Montalcino, by a master still showing the influence of the Pisani. Hardly less grandly effective, though of a later date, is a colossal Annunciation from the church of Corpus Domini in the same town. An early fifteenth-century Annunciation, of a graceful naturalism which vies with the best contemporary sculpture of the north, comes from Chiusuri. By Jacopo della Quercia, again, or attributed to

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him, are several works. Despite the objections of most modern critics, there is little reason to doubt the authenticity of the fine late statues of the Virgin and Saints usually to be seen in S. Martino. Certainly by the master, also, are the noble figures of SS. Anthony and Ambrose,1 accidentally discovered by Dr. Ricci shortly before the opening of the exhibition-works closely recalling those on the façade of S. Petronio at Bologna. One can agree less readily with the catalogue in giving to Jacopo the figure of St. Nicholas from the church of Monagnese. To me this superb statue-certainly one of the most perfect of its kind-appears rather the work of a gifted, but as yet unidentified, follower of the master. Siena's great 'naturalist,' Vecchietta, is represented by a finely modelled figure of the Baptist, spoilt by modern gilding, from the church of Togliano. I should be inclined to give also to Vecchietta another characteristic, and probably earlier, figure of the Precursor, from the seminary of Montalcino. By the master's pupil, Neroccio, we have the beautiful polychrome statue of St. Catherine-a work deserving of far greater fame than it enjoys.

Compared with this formidable array of wooden statues, those in marble and terra-cotta seem few in number. The pseudo-classic Federighi is favourably represented, however, by the energetically conceived Moses, from the old fountain of the Ghetto, and by a characteristically modelled little figure of Bacchus, belonging to Count d'Elci, and ascribed to the Sienese school of the sixteenth century. A pleasing and original relief of the Virgin and Child with a Donor is rightly given to Urbano da Cortona. Giacomo Cozzarelli appears in one of his best works, the admirable terra-cotta figure of the mourning St. John, from the Opera del Duomo-evidently once a part of the well-known Pietà in the sacristy of the Osservanza. But by far the most remarkable object in this particular section is the striking marble bust of St. Catherine, from the Palmieri collectiona work known in the original to few, although its publication in a recent volume on Italian sculpture has led to considerable discussion among connoisseurs. I cannot accept the official attribution of this fine head to Mino da Fiesole; for me it is not only a production of the Sienese school, but an equally obvious creation of that greatest of later Sienese quattrocento sculptors, Neroccio di Landi. In 1 Reproduced on Plate I, page 585.

2 Mr. Berenson was the first to suggest, some years ago, that Neroccio was the author of this bust. The attribution to Mino was, I believe, first put forward by Dr. Bode in his book on the Masterpieces of Tuscan Sculpture.' The reproduction which accompanies Dr. Bode's text was evidently made from a photograph of Sig. Palmieri's marble. Dr. Bode describes the original, however, as existing in the Louvre. There is in that gallery an old copy of this bust, but it is in coloured terra-cotta, not in marble (vide photo by Giraudon).

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its spirit and form we find all the salient characteristics of Neroccio's style-his unmistakable type, his languid and refined grace tempered by the ascetic naturalism inherited from his master Vecchietta, his peculiar technical handling, and all those morphological details which so clearly distinguish his manner from that of his contemporaries. Surely, to give this work to Mino is to advance but slightly on the traditional ascription to Jacopo della Quercia.

As was to be expected, the section dedicated to painting, that most characteristic expression of Siena's artistic genius, is the most extensive of the exhibition. Passing over the more or less archaeological pictures of the pre-Ducciesque period, we find Duccio himself represented by but a single panel. Count Stroganoff's beautiful little Madonna (1,960), however, amply compensates us for what we may miss in the matter of mere numbers. Slightly later than the early little picture of the Virgin and Child adored by Monks, in the Sienese gallery, it still shares with that panel its tenderness of expression, its soft grace of line and colour, and its wonderful miniature-like finish. There are also exhibited a number of panels which go to show how numerous a group of imitators and pupils Duccio had about him. Best known of these is Segna di Bonaventura, of whose manner we may judge by a Madonna (1,698) directly inspired by Duccio, belonging to Sig. Giuggioli, and by another and later panel (737) from the church of Togliano, in which his earlier strict adherence to Duccio's models appears somewhat modified by the influence of Simone and of Pietro Lorenzetti. Very near to Segna, again, is a third Madonna (898), from S. Antonio at Montalcino. Other interesting works by unknown followers of the master are an early Madonna (1,996) belonging to the Pannilini family of S. Giovan d'Asso; a Virgin and Child from Sta. Cecilia at Crevole; and an enthroned Madonna with Saints (1,703) belonging to the Duchess Melzi d'Eril.

Simone Martini, that first and best representative of truly Sienese painters, appears in two different phases: firstly, in the important early polyptych, painted in 1320, from the Opera del Duomo at Orvieto; and again in a damaged, but still lovely, little panel of the Annunciate Virgin, belonging to Count Stroganoff-a creation of the master's later years, in which we find carried to their perfect development those characteristics which place him in the highest rank of decorative painters. Simone's talented pupil and associate, Lippo Memmi, is represented by the beautifully executed Madonna del Popolo, from the church of the Servi; and by that most exquisite of all his panels, the hardly known Virgin and Child with a kneeling Donor, from S. Francesco at Asciano, a work in which he rivals his great master in refine3 Reproduced on Plate II, page 587.

ment of linear design and pure grace of expression. It is fantastically attributed by the catalogue to Sano di Pietro! By Pietro Lorenzetti we have a single panel, the Virgin and Child with Angels, from S. Pietro Ovile, an unusually sedate and tranquil work for this impassioned master. The brilliantly coloured Madonna (74) belonging to Mr. Loeser, although catalogued as by Pietro, is evidently of his school. Pietro's gifted brother, Ambrogio, figures also with but one unquestionable work, the cruelly repainted but still beautiful Virgin and Child from the monastery of S. Eugenio. Noteworthy as a school-piece by a close follower of the master is a Madonna (1644) from the Serre di Rapolano.

More numerously represented than their great predecessors are the minor painters who fill the second half of the trecento with their always interesting though rarely superlative works. A signed and dated Madonna by Jacopo di Mino, from Sarteano, considerably enlarges our acquaintance with this rare master. By Bartolo di Fredi we have a number of paintings, among which are a damaged triptych (10,143) belonging to Sig. Galassi, and two large panels representing the Deposition from the Cross and the Coronation of the Virgin, all three from Montalcino. Andrea Vanni has been denied official admission to the catalogue, but in my opinion figures, notwithstanding, with no less than four works: the beautiful free copy of Simone's famous Annunciation from S. Pietro Ovile; the unmistakable Madonna from the chapel of the SS. Chiodi (persistently attributed to Berna); and two very impressive panels of SS. Peter and Paul (129, 130), belonging to the Griccioli family, and attributed to the Scuola Senese' at large. I am glad, on the other hand, to see the finely decorative polyptych from the chapel of S. Bernardino di Porta Camolliagenerally ascribed to Andrea himself-given back to its real author, Paolo di Giovanni Fei. That transitionary master, Taddeo Bartoli, reveals himself at his best in a very nobly conceived figure of the Baptist, from the church of Ginestrato.

The masters of the fifteenth century make an even more generous, though far less even, display. For instance, Taddeo's rare pupil Domenico di Bartolo cannot lay claim to a single work, whereas no less than four are labelled with the name of his great elder contemporary, Sassetta. Of these the earliest is the altarpiece of the Nativity of the Virgin, from Asciano. Considerably later are the two panels belonging to Monsieur ChalandonSt. Francis before the Sultan and The Saint's Renunciation of his Father-which once formed a part of the great altarpiece at Borgo Sansepolcro. Of about an equal age is the delightful little Adoration of the Magi, from the Saracini collection. To these four works I would add a fifth, a Virgin

4 Recently published by Mr. Berenson in THe Burlington MAGAZINE, No. VII, Vol. III, pp. 12 and 18.

The Sienese Exhibition of Ancient Art

figures of the Baptist and St. Bernardine which form the lateral wings of Pietro Lorenzetti's Madonna from the same church. Very fine examples of Matteo's middle period are the Madonnas from the churches of St. Eugenia and the Holy Innocents. A much darkened but striking work of the master, with a background of almost northern detail, is the signed panel of St. Jerome in his Study(107), belonging to Sig. Cecconi, of Florence, painted, if we may trust the injured signature, in 1481. Certainly Matteo's, again, are the fascinating predelle from the Confraternità della Misericordia at Buonconvento, attributed by the committee first to Pacchia and then to Cozzarelli. By Cozzarelli himself we have a number of works, the most attractive among which are an idyllic Baptism of Christ, from Tinalunga, and a charming predella scene of Monks Building a Church (699), lent by Don Carlo Mili.

and Child (486) from the cathedral of Grosseto.5 Despite its damaged condition this delicately executed panel not only possesses every characteristic of Sassetta's handiwork, but remains among the most fascinating of his achievements. The prolific but ever winning Sano di Pietro fills almost an entire room with the products of his facile brush. One of the most pleasing panels is a tabernacle picture of The Madonna and Saints (599), belonging to the Baron Sergardi, to which is attached a charming predella by Neroccio di Landi, quite unnoticed by the catalogue. Still bearing its traditional attribution to Salvanello-an unknown artist of the ducento-is the naïve and decorative panel of St. George and the Dragon, from the church of St. Christopher, a work which I have no hesitation in giving to Sano himself. That bizarre and too little thought-of artist, Giovanni di Paolo, the closest and in some ways the most gifted of Sassetta's pupils, can be studied in a number of works of varying interest and merit, the most attractive of which are a fragment of a Paradise (1,545) and a marvellous little Miracle of St. Dominic (2,634) from the Palmieri collection; and in a not less original and imaginative Expulsion from Paradise (10,110), lent by Monsieur Chalandon. To Giovanni also should be given the fine half-figure of St. Anthony (10,109) belonging to Monsieur Benoit, of Paris. Vecchietta as a painter is conspicuous by his absence. The one picture directly attributed to him by the catalogue-the mysteriously beautiful Madonna from the church of the Rifugio-is clearly not by his hand. Should we trust the catalogue, again, the greatest of Vecchietta's pupils, Neroccio, would be no better represented, that most obvious of all his later panels, The Madonna and Saints from the chapel of the Holy Trinity, being ascribed to his friend and rival Francesco di Giorgio. Two unmistakable works by Francesco -a much 'restored' Virgin and Child (133), from the Monastero, and a winsome little Madonna (788) belonging to Count Mignanelli-are, it would seem from sheer contrariness, labelled as being by Neroccio and his school. Correctly given to the master, however, are two panels (2,084) representing a Sermon and Miracle of St. Bernardine. Apart from the large lunette of St. Catherine returning with the Pope from Avignon, painted in company with his son Girolamo, we have but a single picture by Benvenuto di Giovanni, the pleasant little Madonna from the church of the Holy Innocents. The popular Matteo di Giovanni makes a better show than do his three great contemporaries, for one recognizes his hand in no less than twelve pieces. Earliest in date and to be classed among the master's very earliest productions, revealing, as they do, the dominating influence of Domenico di Bartolo, are the three panels which surmount the Annunciation from S. Pietro Ovile, and the • Reproduced on Plate II, page 587.

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Coming to the semi-eclectic painters of the later quattrocento, we find Girolamo di Benvenuto represented by various panels, none of which show him at his best, although a great altarpiece of the Assumption, from the Osservanza at Montalcino, brings him before us in a very characteristic phase. A little Holy Family from the same town is a later and more attractive though less ambitious work. By Fungai we have several characteristic pieces, one of the most careful and pleasing of whicha Sibyl (72), belonging to Mr. Loeser-is hesitatingly ascribed to the master's 'manner.' Pacchiarotto's work are exhibited at least three very interesting if not important examples: an early polyptych from Buonconvento, clearly demonstrating this artist's indebtedness to Matteo di Giovanni; a finely modelled Madonna and Saints (1548) belonging to the Palmieri family; and an attractive and well-preserved panel of the Holy Family with Angels (1543) in a beautifully spacious landscape, from the same collection. Pietro di Domenico and Andrea di Niccolo are not without their place the former with a number of characteristic panels, including a severe Pietà (attributed to the school of Pacchiarotto) from Grosseto; the latter with what may be considered his masterpiece, a polyptych containing various figures of no inconsiderable charm, from S. Martino at Sarteano. Three decorative panels of the Theological Virtues (73), from Mr. Loeser's collection, are attributed to that vaguely defined personality, Matteo Balducci, but they hardly seem to me from the same hand that painted the large altarpiece of Sto. Spirito, traditionally given to this

master.

The later cinquecento eclectics form another group, composed of fairly characteristic works. I note with pleasure that the catalogue gives back to Pacchia, as his own, a painting which has long been ascribed by the great majority of critics to Pacchiarotto-the large Ascension of Christ, from the church of the Carmine. Surely the

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