Giorgio Vasari, (Arezzo 1511-Firenze 1574)Alessandro de’ Medici, 1534
Oil on panel
Uffizi Gallery, Firenze
Anon, but possibly Jacopo Pontormo (b. 1494, Pontormo, d. 1557, Firenze)Alessandro de' Medici 1525
Oil on panel 46.5 x 31.2cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Jacopo Pontormo (b. 1494, Pontormo, d. 1557, Firenze)Alessandro de' Medici
1534-35
Oil on panel, 100 x 81 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Possibly by Domenico de' Vetri (about 1480-1547)Cameo, with a portrait of Alessandro de' Medici
1532-7
Plasma (green chalcedony) in gold setting
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Cristofano Di Papi dell Altissimo 1530 - 1605Alessandro de' Medici 1511-1537
Oil on lime panel
The Uffizi Gallery, Firenze
After Jacopo da Pontormo (1494-1556)Portrait of Alessandro de' Medici
About 1550
Oil on lime panel
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The first hereditary Duke of Florence was not a very nice man.
Alessandro de' Medici (July 22, 1510 – January 6, 1537) called "il Moro" ("the Moor"), Duke of Penne and also Duke of Florence (from 1532), ruler of Florence from 1530 until 1537 was the last member of the "senior" branch of the Medici to rule Florence
He was illegitemate.
He was recognized as the illegitimate son of Lorenzo II de' Medici (grandson of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent)
Historians now believe that he was in fact the illegitimate son of Giulio de' Medici (later Pope Clement VII)- nephew of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent
His mother was a black or moor slave-woman in the Medici household, identified in documents as Simonetta da Collavechio, Contemporary references to Alessandro's dark skin, curly hair, wide nose and thick lips, as well as visual evidence from surviving portraits, suggest that he was indeed of mixed heritage.
His appearance and mixed heritage led him to being nicknamed "Il Moro" - "the Moor".
Alessandro's descendants married into eminent houses all over Europe.
His mixed heritage has led to a renewed interest into his life and rule.
His racial forebears did not prevent him from governance. However Florentine contemporary exiles regarded him as tyrannical. He was assassinated. He was succeeded by Cosimo I.
For more about his racial origins and new studies into his rule , see The Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the PBS website.
Two artists who were in his Court and knew him were Pontormo (1494-1556) and Vasari (Arezzo 1511-Firenze 1574). They were Court artists. They painted his portraits. These were Court portraits. These portraits had significance in a political sense.
In his Lives of the Artists, Vasari describes the painting of the portrait by Pontormo (now in Philadelphia) thus:
"Jacopo [Pontormo], having executed ... the portrait from life of Amerigo Antinori ... and that portrait being much extolled by everyone, Duke Alessandro had him informed that he wished to have his portrait taken by him in a large picture. And Jacopo, for the sake of convenience, executed his portrait in the time being in a little picture of the size of a sheet of half-folio, and with such diligence and care ... From that little picture, which is now in the guardaroba of Duke Cosimo, Jacopo afterwards made a portrait of the same duke in a large picture, with a style in the hand, drawing the head of a woman; which larger portrait Duke Alessandro afterwards presented to Signora Taddea Malaspina .."
From this passage it has been assumed that the portrait was meant to be a private painting, that is not for public consumption or viewing. It was meant as a gift for Alessandros mistress.
However the painting was widely known and copied.
During Alessandro`s life it was in public display in Alessandro`s house: the Palazzo Pazzi, the Lady’s home, which had become the duke’s “unofficial court.”
The date of the portrait has been placed sometime between late 1534 and 1535: early in the Duke`s reign. He had been placed in power in 1531 by collusion of Pope Clement VII de’ Medici (his father) and the Emperor Charles V . Pope Clement VII de’ Medici died on 25 September 1534. The Duke is dressed in black, mourning for the late Pope.
Black clothing may also have been interpreted as a reference to Charles V, whose preference for black garments was well known, and by whose power Alessandro had been invested with the principate.
The duke is depicted in the act of drawing.
In Castiglione`s The Book of the Courtier (trans. Charles S. Singleton (New York 1959)) [the sixteenth century`s guide for princes and their court] it is stated:
"“... another matter which I consider to be of great importance and which I think must therefore in no way be neglected by our courtier: and this is a knowledge of how to draw,” which, “besides from being most noble and worthy in itself, proves useful in many ways, and especially in warfare.”
The concept of disegno, or drawing, was central to artistic theory of the Renaissance: the art of disegno became a pure symbol, an attribute evidencing the intellect of the ruler. This concept would cause contemporary viewers to bring to mind Lorenzo the Magnificent, well known as a patron of the arts, an admirer of beauty, and a poet in his own right, who also considered himself an artist.
In other words, Alessandro is trying to depict himself as the new Lorenzo the Magnificent, the benevolent and intellectual despot, the founder of a new Golden Age.
Vasari`s portrait of Alessndro is less subtle.
Vasari`s portrait is the first of a Medici in armour.It is generally read as a first attempt at the development of an imagery appropriate to the new Medici regime, an imagery focused on military might and the ostentatious display of power.
In a letter to Ottaviano de’Medici, Vasari explained the iconography of the painting. He wanted to to create a visual manifesto of Medici power and dynastic continuity
Of the stool upon which the duke sits, supported by the figures of the armless, legless Florentines who represented the duke’s subjects without a will of their own, Vasari wrote:
“they are his people, who guided by the will of he who is above them and commands them, have neither arms nor legs.”
The pose of the figure, seated and holding the bastone del dominio, recalled most pointedly that of Michelangelo’s Giuliano de’ Medici, Duke of Nemours, in the New Sacristy at San Lorenzo. Vasari’s included the broncone, the dead laurel trunk from which a new branch springs forth, beside the seated duke. The laurel, was used by Lorenzo the Magnificent as a device, and adopted by Lorenzo, duke of Urbino. The aim of such symbols was to stress the link of Alessandro to Lorenzo the Magnificent and the other great figures of the Medici leadership.
The pictures illustrate the service of art in the upholding of an absolutist regime. Art has its wrong uses as well as its right uses.
This summation of this story is very interesting. The writer doesn't hesitate to install his own personal feelings into the article. Much like American History.
ReplyDeleteThere are some issues I must address, however. In the Duke's portraits, it is not shown that he has a wide nose. In fact, his nose is very European, not wide but elongated. His skin tone is common place for mediterraneans of the time. His hair was curly, but not that different from many Greeks, and his mouth was pouty, not thick. His suit of armour showed pride in his coat of arms, that many statesmen wore during that era. Ostentacious is when you are dressed in gold and diamonds from head to toe, as many monarchs did to show status. (much of which were pillaged from the dark continent). He did none of that in any of his portraits. In fact, his clothing was very understated.
As for his power - well, every royal showed off his power - it was their right and privilege. He was liked and disliked, as many monarchs were and still are. There were many cruel rulers (Henry VII) to name one (and he wasn't of royal blood either). I'm sure, at that time, being a black monarch in a mostly white environment created much animosity. So, what else is new?
I give much credit to his father - whoever he was, because he was obviously proud of his son and the mother, because he saw to it that he took his rightful place in the heirarchy, and gave her recognition also. That is unheard of with children born out of wedlock, and mixed at that.
The fact is that he was one many mixed royals that existed, and the fact that blacks lived throughout Europe before North American slavery (many in high positions and status). This is not told in the American History books, but it's time!
Despite the anonymous contribution, I included the above comment as it does make a number of important points.
ReplyDeleteAlessandro de' Medici is a fascinating historical figure.
Slavery existed in Europe before North American slavery. Alessandro`s mother was a liberated slave.
His racial origins did not affect his position. He ascended to power and ruled notwithstanding his racial origin.
He did not lose power due to his racial origins.
He lost power by assasination because:
1. He was a despot. His rule was not beneficent. He seemed to relish being a despot as can be seen from the Vasari portrait. Previous Medici rulers had never been as blunt in their outward signs. They always operated behind the Republican facade of government
2. Florence always had a strong Republican tradition. The de`Medicis in history often lost their hold on Florence. He was not the first in the family to lose his life through violent means
3. His main prop to power was his father, the Pope. In those days the Pope was an important temporal ruler especialy on the peninsula of Italy. Once he died the major support for his power was lost
4. The Medici family was not united. It was a putsch by one part of the family against another.With the death of Alessandro, the senior branch of the family died out. It was replaced by a cadet branch. Cosimo, his successor, was one of the greatest rulers. In stature, he was like Lorenzo the Magnificent. There can be no comparison between Cosimo and Alessandro.
The Medici had a tradition of bringing their illegitimate offspring into their legitimate family. Lorenzo il Magnifico grew up with an illegitimate brother. If Alessandro was indeed the illegitimate son of Giulio de' Medici, he would have been the son of the illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici - twice illegitimate in fact. And that would also account for that nose: both Giuliano and Giulio had razor sharp beaks. Anyway, 'moro' in medieval usage could refer to Arab or Berber Africans as much as to black Africans.
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