Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/89

 I Jan. 26, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 73 CRITICAL NOTES ON GREAT - ITALIAN ARCHITECTS.—II. By J. B. Warne. SOME OF THE EARLIER ARCHITECTS OF THE RENAISSANCE PERIOD, ESPECIALLY MICHELOZZO, OF FLORENCE. Pee oUcE it may be truly said that the traditions of the Roman style were never lost in Italy, yet it would be unjust to pass over the names of some architects who introduced and carried out the details and general character of the Renaissance style in their works, either before the time of Brunel- leschi, or at the same period, and certainly before the formation of Bramante’s style, as seen in his Roman works. The earliest of these are Tommaso de’ Stefani, or the younger Masuccio, who built the lower stage of the tower of Sta. Clara, at Naples, about the year 1330, a work worthy of Brunelleschi himself, though small; Antonio Filarete, of Florence, who designed the great hospital at Milan in 1456, for Francesco Sforza, in which, although the pointed arch is retained, the details are of the best Renais- sance character; Giuliano da Majano, of Florence, who designed (inter alia) the great Palazzo Veneto at Rome, commenced before the year 1464, and the Porta Capuana, at Naples (the ornament probably of a later period); his brother Benedetto, who com- menced the Strozzi Palace in 1483. The beautiful facade, crowned with sculpture in low relief, of the oratory of ‘ La Giustizia,” at Perugia, the work of Agostino della Robbia, in 1461. The magnificent triumphal arch of Alfonzo I., of Aragon, erectedat Naples in 1445 by Pietro di Martino, of Milan. The works of Bernardo Rossellini at Florence and Siena, and of Baccio Pintelli at Rome, especially the Sixtine Chapel, erected in 1473, allinthe Renaissance style, and the beautifully - proportioned Caleagnini Palace at Ferrara, said to have been erected since A.D. 1500 by Ludovico Sforza, of Milan. Besides these should also be named the great sculptors, Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), Donatello (1383-1466), and Luca della Robbia (1400-1480), who all were thoroughly imbued with the spirit of ancient art, and carried out its details in their ornamental works. It would take too long to enumerate the Renaissance architects of Upper Italy. During the fifteenth century their works abound, and are of the highest merit; but we would especially mention the Certosa of Pavia, designed in 1473, by Ambrogio Fos- sano: and the Lombardi family, who executed some of the best works in Venice—e.y., 8. M. de’Miracoli, by Piero Lombardi, 1480. Of one architect, however, who was Brunel- leschi’s pupil, and who certainly gave a marked impress to the style known as Florentine, we propose to give more detailed consideration. Michelozzo di Bartolommeo, or, as he is com- monly called, MicHei0zzo Micue1ozz1, or FLORENCE, Born about the year 1390, was cele- brated both as an architect and sculptor, and had for his masters Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, and Donatello, from whom he could not fail to have obtained great advantages ; and although Vasari does not think he was a ‘ genius,” yet he declares that after Brunelleschi’s death, ‘‘ Michelozzo was con- sidered the most regular architect of his time.” Originally a pupil of the great sculptor Ghiberti, and subsequently for many years an assistant of Donatello, for whom, “ having acquired great practice in the works of marble, as well as in the casting of bronze,” he executed a great part of the monument to Pope John XXIIT. (d. 1419) in the Baptistry of San Giovanni, Florence; a silver statue of the saint; a marble statue of Faith; a bronze statuette of the saint (of great merit), now preserved in the collection of modern bronzes at the Uffizii: and Rumohr (‘ Italian- ische Forschungen” Vol. II. p. 292, 366, &c.) cites documents proving him to have been en- gaged with Luca della Robbia and a certain Maso Bartolomei on the beautiful bronze doors of the Sacristy in the Duomo (4.p. 1440), and, again, in various archives of later date his name occurs with others, always called ‘ in- tagliatore.” It should be added that Maso Bartolomei having died, and Michelozzo being absent, the work was finally placed in charge of Luca della Robbia alone (anno 1464). The employment of Michelozzo by Brunelleschi led no doubt to his more complete attachment to architecture ; and even before the death of his great master in 1444, Michelozzo appears to have been held in high estimation as an architect, and became ‘closely attached to the service of Cosimo de’ Medici,” for whom he designed the celebrated palace, now called Riccardi, in Florence in the year 1430, and this although Brunelleschi had already made adesign for this palace, which Cosimo thought too magnificent, and declined to erect. ‘To quote Vasari, ‘‘ Cosimo considered the model made by Michelozzo satisfactory, and ‘caused the building to be erected under his care, when it was completed in the manner we now see, with all the utility, beauty, and graceful decorations so much admired, and which derive majesty and grandeur from their sim- plicity. Michelozzo deserves all the more credit for this building, since it was the first palace erected in Florence after modern rules.” Vasari then proceeds to describe its general internal arrangement. Now we have already credited Brunelleschi with the merit of being the real founder of the style of archi- tecture peculiar to the Florentine and Tuscan palaces, where he erected the Pitti, Quaratesi, and other mansions, the dates, however, not ascertained, although it is stated that Luca Pitti employed Brunelleschi to design his palace about the year 1435. But whatever merit is due to Michelozzo— and it is surely very great—we must still con- sider that Brunelleschi was the originator inits main featares of that style which particularly distinguishes the palatial buildings of Florence, and which is founded on the Medi- wval palaces of Florence, and more especi- ally of Siena, as may still be seen by the Buonsignori, Tolomei and others, yet in good state of repair and unaltered in appearance ; and here we would remark, that if the date usually ascribed to the Tclomei Palace—viz., 1205— is correct, we meet with good Gothic archi- tecture in full bloom at a very early period in Italy. One of the principal additions to the Medizeval system was the cornice which, by Brunelleschi, Michelozzo, and their successors, was now first made to bear a definite propor- tion to the whole height of the wall. Thus, the proportion of the Riccardi cornice is a little over one-tenth of the whole height; the Strozzi, by B. da Majano and Cronaca, 1489 —1533, somewhat over one-thirteenth ; the Spanocchi, Siena, by Francesco di Giorgio, 1475, about one-eleventh ; the Piccolomini Palace, by Bernardo Rosselini, anno 1460, Siena, a little over one-twelfth. The mean height of the Tuscan Palace cornice may, therefore, be taken as about one-twelfth of the whole—as stated by Gwilt—a proportion adopted in contemporary buildings of the same class in various part of Italy, or about the proportion of the cornice of an entabla- ture to the height of the Tuscan column, Although we admit that there may be some guestion as to whom the merit is due of com- pletely developing the style which charac- terises the great palaces of Florence and Siena in the fifteenth century, there can, we think, be no question as to the merit of the style itself. For our own part, it has left an impression on our mind such as never can be effaced. Simplicity, massiveness, strength, harmony, and a judicious degree of decora- tion are its distinguishing features, and to one coming direct from the ornate works of Paris or London, the contrast afforded by these simple and grand masses of architecture is most impressive, being in harmony with sur- rounding monuments, and with the warlike character of the age in which they were built. Other palaces erected from Michelozzo’s designs were the Tornabuoni at Florence (now greatly altered). Caffaggiualo in Mugello (now greatly altered), in the old fortress style; the Villa Careggi, near Flor- ence, and the Medici Palace at Fiesole. Michelozzo accompanied Cosimo de’ Medici to Venice during his short exile there, and erected at his expense a library for the Monastery of San Georgio Maggiore, men- tioned by Sansovino in his ‘ Descrizione di Venezia;” andacrucifix ascribed to Michelozzo is still preserved in the church erected by Palladio. On Cosmo’s return to Florence in 1434 he was engaged in the reconstruction and repairs of the Palazzo Vecchio, and the multangular columns of the Cortile are stated by Vasari to be his design (the stucco orna- ments having been added in the year 1565), besides some important portions of the palace itself, and the improvement and decoration of the chapel. ‘In a word,” says Vasari, ‘““he gave to the whole building that per- fection of completeness which is proper to such a palace. So highly esteemed were his labours indeed, by his fellow citizens, that “he was chosen one of the collegio (or Gonfaloniere and Buonuomo of the people), which magistracy in Florence is esteemed highly honourable.” Michelozzo also rendered the Campanile secure by means of strong iron girders, the building being cracked from the undue dis- tribution of weight in its masonry. In the year 1437 he entirely rebuilt on a grand scale the monastery and church of 8. Marco, Florence, for Cosimo and Lorenzo de’ Medici (now greatly altered). The works of Santo Spirito, left incomplete at Brunelleschi’s death, were continued and completed by Michelozzo, and though now greatly changed, yet the greater part of the monastery remains as executed or designed by him. The buildings of the Noviciate of Santa Croce, the staircase and the door communicating with the church (of great merit). The monastery of the Zocco- lanti, near Caffaggiuolo, praised by Vasari. The villa Caseggi, near Florence, for Cosimo de’ Medici (greatly modernised). For Giovanni, son of Cosimo, ‘‘a magnifi- cent and noble palace, near Fiesole,”’ the favourite palace of Lorenzo the Magnificent, now the villa Mozzi, altered by Paoletti in 1780. The monastery of San Girolamo, nearer Fiesole. An aqueduct and loggia for 8S. M. Degli Angeli, at Assisi with other works in the church and neighbourhood, and a design for the old citadel of Perugia. The marble chapel in the centre of the church at San Miniato, near Florence, erected by Piero, the son of Cosimo. Vasari also describes various works in architecture, sculpture, and orna- ment executed from the designs of Michelozzo, and some by his own hand at Milan, Genoa, and other places. After a life honourably spent in the exercise of his art Michelozzo died at Florence about the year 1470, and was buried in the church of San Marco, 2 monument of his ability as an architect, where also were interred Lorenzo the Magni- ficent ; Poliziano, the scholar ; and Pico della Mirandola, the most learned prince of his time. We have entered thus into detail respecting the life and works of Michelozzo, because we believe that the importance of his labours and the influence of his style, especially on the civic architecture of Tuscany in the fifteenth century, are not usually so well recognised as they deserve, owing in some measure, no doubt, to the greater and justly- overwhelming fame of his master and contem- porary, Brunelleschi. Michelozzo may be said to have been especially the architect of the earliest and greatest members of the Medici family, and cannot fail to have been highly regarded as an authority and model by the art students of his day. He does not appear, however, to have been thoroughly imbued with that love and admiration of old Roman art which characterised Brunelleschi