Fashioning the “Order of Saint Clare”. A rule illuminated by Neri da Rimini : Princeton University Library MS 83 in context

Peer reviewe

The discovery of the Trecento in the long nineteenth century

Developed out of the research programme of the IESA MA in the History and Business of Art and Collecting, which was validated by the University of Warwick, and through discussions with John Law, the steering committee for the conference included Adriana Turpin, Academic Director of the programme; Susanna Avery Quash, Senior Research Curator (History of Collecting) at the National Gallery, London; Susan Bracken, co-ordinator of the Seminar on Collecting and Display at the Institute of Historical Research; and John Law, Honorary Research Fellow, College of Arts and Humanities, Swansea Universit

Aspects of Franciscan patronage of the arts in the Veneto during the later Middle Ages

Religious life in the later middle ages was increasingly dominated by the mendicant Orders, notably the Franciscans. Their dominance also extended to the artistic life of the day. The initial artistic campaigns of the Franciscans centred on the native province of the founder, most notably in the Upper and Lower churches of S. Francesco in Assisi. With the expansion of the Order and the death and canonization of the second Franciscan saint, Anthony of Padua, his adopted province, the Veneto, became an important centre for theological and artistic activity. The Basilica del Santo, built to enshrine the new saint's relics, rivalled the mother church at Assisi in both scale and lavishness of decoration. The fourteenth century in particular was marked by a succession of decorative programmes, a large part of which has survived. Soon the other Franciscan churches in the Veneto were similarly patronized. Unlike Umbria and Tuscany, areas where Franciscan churches are ridden with problems of dating and attribution, the Order' churches in the Veneto are probably the best documented of Italy. They provided a unique opportunity to set up a control of Franciscan patronage of the arts during the later middle ages. This thesis touches on all types of Franciscan patronage: conventual, and lay, communal and ecclesiastical. This research relied on a newly published Franciscan archive of over 27,000 documents, and is the first extensive survey of its kind for the Franciscan Order. It is hoped that this contribution has filled some gaps in our knowledge of artistic patronage. Firstly it has thrown light on the role played by the Order of friars minor in artistic projects, from the initial planning stages to the commissioning, execution and supervision of works. It has been shown that Franciscans were not always involved in artistic projects; at times they cooperated with individuals, or families, and at other times they played no part at all. Whether actively involved or more inactive, the friars were open to all sorts of artistic experiments, which means that the Franciscan church was an ideal environment for creativity

'Master' plans of devotion or daily pragmatism? The dedication and use of chapels and conventual spaces by the friars and the laity at the Santo 1263-1310

Based on a reappraisal of the documentation, this essay explores aspects of space and function in both the church and convent of Saint Anthony from c. 1263 until 1310. It seeks to understand who had jurisdiction and access over certain areas such as chapels, altars and conventual spaces, paying particular attention to the access of women. In una rilettura della documentazione esistente, il contributo analizza gli aspetti spaziali e funzionali della chiesa e del convento di Sant'Antonio tra gli anni 1263 e 1310. Indaga sulle competenze giurisdizionali e il diritto di accesso in alcune aree e zone basilicali, quali le cappelle, gli altari e gli spazi conventuali, ponendo particolare attenzione alla possibilità di accesso delle donne a queste aree

Cut-out stencils in fourteenth-century painting : Giotto and his workshop in the arena chapel

The use of cut-out stencils (templates/patroni) by Giotto in the making of the Arena chapel frescoes has not been systematically investigated. Following a review of the literature, I argue that paper cut-out stencils were utilised quite extensively by Giotto’s workshop in the Arena chapel, at least for the heads, opening avenues for further research

Altichiero's 'anchona' for Margareta Lupi : a context for a lost painting

The Veronese painter Altichiero (documented 1369-84) has long been associated with the Lupi di Soragna family. Originally from Parma, but exiled for their Guelph associations, several branches of Lupi settled in Padua in the 1360s. Bonifacio Lupi is well documented as a condottiere and as the patron both of the hospital on the Via S. Gallo, Florence, and of the chapel of S. Giacomo in the Santo, Padua, frescoed by Altichiero. His uncle, Raimondino, commissioned the oratory of S. Giorgio on the Piazza del Santo, also decorated by Altichiero.' We know less about the myriad of everyday commissions Altichiero is likely to have undertaken, especially since there is no extant panel signed or dated by him. The purpose of this note is to publish in full documentary evidence about the context and patronage of one domestic painting by the artist, which has unfortunately not survived. The recipient of the work was Margareta, the daughter of Corradino Lupi, a kinsman and trusted agent of Bonifacio. The panel formed part of her trousseau on the occasion of her first marriage with the Paduan apothecary Giacomo da Bragazo, and was paid for in 1384.2 Since Margareta's father had died on 15th September 1383, it was Bonifacio Lupi who, as executor, carried out Corradino's wishes and kept a meticulous record