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Page 1: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's ArtAuthor(s): Herbert ThurstonSource: The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Vol. 8, No. 31 (Oct., 1905), pp. 37-39+42-43Published by: The Burlington Magazine Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/856518 .

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Page 2: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

The Classification of Oriental Carpets and Damascus, it may be said, were seats of silk manufacture at a very early date.

It is probable that the introduction of silk into oriental carpets was a Mahomedan innovation, possibly it may have been due to Saracenic in- fluence. Sir George Birdwood attributed to the Saracens all or most of the variations in carpet manufacture actually traceable to Mahomedans after their occupation of Bagdad and Damascus. And these variations they spread along the Medi- terranean littoral from the eighth to the eleventh century. He held that although the Saracens had but little taste for artistic design, yet they certainly exercised a distinct influence on the art of decoration. To them is due, in his view, the origin and development which culminated in the Renaissance. In so far as regards oriental carpets, magnificent examples of which are treasured in the churches and cathedrals of Italy, Spain, and Portugal, he is of opinion that only a very small proportion can be attributed to Persia. That Mahomedan designs were modified by Christian influences there can be no doubt. Many compli- cated designs, attributed commonly to Persia, should really be traced to the Saracens and to the Moors, and where Christian emblems were

introduced into them the reason was that the Saracens and Moors worked under Christian masters, probably for the most part monks who were themselves inspired by Saracenic influence. In Riegl's work 'Altorientalische Teppiche' are given two illustrations of an authenticated seven- teenth century Persian carpet in which the design shows indubitably the presence of Christian in- fluences. The main field of the carpet depicts hunting scenes by large bodies of men in Persian dress and on horseback accompanied by hunting lions, leopards, and hounds engaged in the chase of deer and other animals; in among these are scattered innumerable minute flowers of various known kinds. This is, save in the excellence of workmanship, a normal Persian design dominated by Saracenic influences. The bordering of this remarkable work, however, is almost entirely composed of the figures of angels and cherubs, having a distinctly western type of ethereal beauty. It is noteworthy in this regard that in the early seventeenth century, during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, the Portuguese were occupying Hormuz, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, and the English, French, and Dutch Gomerom, or, as it is now called, Bandar Abbas.

(To be continued.)

TWO LOST MASTERPIECES OF THE GOLDSMITH'S ART A BY THE REV. HERBERT THURSTON, S.J. u

S it not Professor Lanciani who has somewhere remarked that he who seeks to shed new light upon the antiquities or arts of Italy must search the libraries of England? Whoever may be the author of the saying, it con- tains a considerable element of

truth. To the many instances in point which might easily be quoted, I venture to add one new illustration.

Some twelve years ago the Print Room of the British Museum acquired-by purchase, if I mis- take not-a volume of coloured drawings, most of them depicting objects of ecclesiastical art used in the pontifical ceremonies at St. Peter's. The sketches were executed by Italian draughtsmen, in particular by F. Bartoli and J. Grisoni, at the instance of an English collector named John Talman. How access was obtained to these treasures, preserved some of them in the castle of St. Angelo and others in 'the Pope's secret sacristy in the Vatican,' it is not easy to conjecture, but there can be no question that the drawings were carefully made from the objects themselves. As regards date it will be sufficient to say that the

collection belongs to the first half of the eighteenth century. Some of the sketches were probably made as early as 1729.

What lends, however, a special interest to this volume is the fact that many of the objects therein depicted are now no longer in existence. After the campaign which Napoleon in the February of 1797 directed against the States of the Church, a treaty was concluded with the Holy See at Tolentino. By the terms of this agreement the Pope, besides various cessions of territory, was compelled to furnish an indemnity of 30,000,000 francs. As the money had to be forthcoming without delay, and a third of the sum by special arrangement was allowed to be paid in diamonds or other valuables, Pius VI, at his wit's end for resources, was compelled to fall back upon his plate and jewellery. A number of precious objects were broken in pieces or melted down, and there can be little doubt that many splendid specimens perished, of which no memory now survives.' For just a few, thanks to such collectors as

1 An account of this act of vandalism will be found in Piot's Cabinet de 'Amateur, 1863, p. 45. M. Piot derived his informa- tion from the papal goldsmith Spagna, who, as a young appren- tice, had taken part in the proceedings.

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Page 3: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's d4rt Mr. Talman, we are enabled to form some idea of their artistic merits from the drawings made at an earlier date and now occasionally brought to light in out-of-the-way libraries.

Of the works of art which found their way to the melting pot in that holocaust of 1797 the most famous was probably the gold cope-clasp, variously called morse, formale, pectorale, bottone, etc., which had been executed by Benvenuto Cellini for his patron, Clement VII. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that this beauti- ful piece of jeweller's work was the foundation of all the artist's subsequent fortunes. The descrip- tion of his design, with the appreciative comments it elicited, the perils to which it was exposed, and the quarrels which resulted from it, fill many pages in the Autobiography, while in his treatise on the goldsmith's craft (Oreficeria) Benvenuto deals at length with the technical details of the execution of his plan and with the materials and jewels employed.2 Despite, however, the unique position which the morse must hold in any account of Cellini's artistic career, it has been generally believed that all trace of the design had perished.s M. Plon in preparing his magnificent monograph upon Cellini was unable to set before his readers even the roughest outline of the clasp, and the numerous commentators and editors of the Autobiography have been equally at a loss. For this reason it is satisfactory to find among Mr. Talman's drawings in the Museum Print Room three careful sketches of this famous masterpiece,4 which are inscribed as follows:-

I. Obverse of the morse.-' The famous Pectorall of Gold made by Pope Clement ye 7th: adorned wt h Figures in Relievo Basso & Alto-relievo. In y ? middle is a pointed Diamond which they say cost y ~ said Pope 38000 Roman Scudi. It is sett w th 4 very fine Emerauds, 2 exceeding fine & large Saphirs, & 2 very fair Ruby-balasses. It is kept in ye Castle of St: Angelo, wh the Triple Crowns, & is not to be taken thence but when ye Pope sais Solemn Mass. This rare piece is valued at 15000 Sterling. y? workman was Benvenuto Cellini a sculptor and silversmith a Native of Tuscany. F. Bertoli delineavit.'

2. Reverse.-' The back part of the said Pectoral shewing y: Arms & Impresses of Pope Clement, finely embossed on gold.

Fr. Bertoli del:' 3. Rim of the morse.-' The Profile of y

e same Pectoral adorn'd with Figures in Bass-relievo and finely enamell'd.'

The Autobiography is, of course, well known and easily accessible, but I may be pardoned perhaps for reproducing here one or two of the more relevant passages. It was just before Easter 1529 that Pope Clement, as Cellini relates, told him that he destined him for 'a most important piece of work worthy of his best talents.'

' It is a button for my cope (bottone del piviale) which has to be made round like a trencher, and as big as a little trencher, one third of a cubit wide.5 Upon this I want you to represent a God the Father in half-relief, and in the middle to set that magnificent big diamond which you remember, together with several other gems of the greatest value. Caradosso began to make me one, but did not finish it. I want yours to be finished quickly, so that I may enjoy the use of it a little while. Go, then, and make me a fine model.' He had all the jewels shown me, and then I went off like a shot to set myself to work.6

Whether the Pope meant to entrust the work entirely to Cellini is not quite clear, but in any case he yielded to rival solicitations and allowed other designs to be submitted to him. Benvenuto describes graphically enough the result of the competition :-

' After a few days,' he says, ' I finished my model, and took it to the Pope one morning, when Messer Traiano made me wait till he had sent for Micheletto and Pompeo, bidding them make haste and bring their drawings. On their arrival we were introduced, and Micheletto and Pompeo immediately unrolled their papers, which the Pope inspected. The draughtsmen who had been employed were not in the jeweller's trade, and there- fore knew nothing about giving their right place to precious stones; and the jewellers on their side had not shown them how; and so it turned out that all of them had stuck that famous diamond 7 in the middle of the breast of God the Father. The Pope, who had excellent taste, observing the mistake, approved of none of them: and when he had looked at about ten, he flung the rest down, and said to me, who was standing at a distance. -"Now show me your model, Benvenuto, so that I may see if you have made the same mistake as those fellows." I came forward, and opened a little round box; whereupon one would have thought that a light from heaven had struck the Pope's eyes. He cried aloud: "1If you had been in my own body, you could not have caught my idea better; as this proves. Those men there have found the right way to bring shame upon them- selves." '

Clement was impatient for the work to be put in hand at once, and sent for 500 ducats that Benvenuto might take them away with him.

I While we were waiting for the money,' Cellini continues, ' the Pope turned once more to gaze at leisure on the dexterous device I had employed for combining the diamond with the figure of God the Father. I had put the diamond exactly in the centre of the piece, and above it God the Father was shown seated, lean- ing nobly in a sideways attitude, which made a perfect composi- tion, and did not interfere with the stone's effect. Lifting his right hand, he was in the act of giving the benediction. Below the diamond I had placed three children (puttini), who, with their arms upraised, were supporting the jewel. One of them, in the middle, was in full relief, the other two in half relief. All round I set a crowd of cherubs, in divers attitudes, adapted to the other gems. A mantle undulated to the wind around the figure of the Father, from the folds of which cherubs peeped out; and there were other ornaments besides which made a beautiful effect.'

2 See the Vita, Bk. I, caps. Ix, x, xI, and xviii; Oreficeria, caps. vii and xii. In the convenient edition of Rusconi and Valeri (Rome, 19go), pp. io6, 107, 119, 121-123, 129-130, 212, 683, 707- 708.

s Rusconi and Valeri in their notes to the Autobiography, p. 112, note 15, declare that they are not satisfied, as Plon and Piot appear to be, that the cope-clasp itself perished in the general destruction of 1797. No one, however, professes to have seen it since then.

4 See Plates I and II, pages 39 and 42.

S' Grande quanto un taglieretto di un terzo di braccio.' The Museum drawing, which is six inches in diameter, must, I fancy, either be the exact size of the original, or possibly somewhat smaller.

6 Here and elsewhere I have used the admirable translation of the late Mr. J. A. Symonds.

7 'Quel meraviglioso diamante.'

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Page 4: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

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PLATE I. MORSE MADE BY

BENVENUTO CELLINI FOR

CLEMENT VII; FROM WATER- COLOUR DRAWINGS BY FR. BER-

TOLI, IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM

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Page 5: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

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TIARA MADE BY CARADOSSO FOR JULIUS II

PLATE II. FROM WATER-COLOUR

DRAWINGS BY FR. BERTOLI, IN

THE BRITISH MUSEUM

RIM OF MORSF MADE BY BENVENUTO CELLINI FOR CLEMENT VII

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Page 6: Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Art

Two Lost Masterpieces of the Goldsmith's Adrt I must refer the reader to the Oreficeria for the

more technical details about the execution of the work, but it should be noted that the description which Cellini gives of the gems employed exactly corresponds with what we see in Bartoli's coloured sketch. The two big rubies, two big sapphires, and the four emeralds are quite unmistakable, while the diamond in the centre, 'the facets of which were cut starwise to a point,' can hardly suggest a doubt; though strange to say the artist declares that he 'set the stone quite free (scoperto, i.e. al jour) between four claws,' which hardly agrees with what the drawing shows us. As this central stone in Bartoli's sketch is almost slate colour, it is just conceivable that at some financial crisis the great diamond was removed and replaced by an amethyst, the setting being altered at the same time. The diamond, purchased, so Cellini says, by Julius II for 36,000 ducats, was a very famous stone. It was then accounted the second largest in the world, being only a little smaller than that belonging to ' Soliman the Emperor of the Turks' which was 'nearly as big as half a walnut.' 8 It had previously been used in the cope-clasp made for Julius II by the goldsmith Caradosso, and the whole ornament, as a hitherto unnoticed entry in the Regesta of Leo X plainly indicates, had been pledged by that pontiff for no less a sum than 75,000 ducats.9

The name of Caradosso, which has just been mentioned, suggests the inclusion here of another remarkable piece of jeweller's work, our more accurate knowledge of which is again due to the same volume of drawings at the British Museum. This is the famous tiara made by Caradosso for Pope Julius II, a work of which that splendour- loving pontiff was inordinately proud.10 It is true that in this case an engraving of the tiara by George Vertue was already in existence, but M. Eugene Mtintz, while reproducing Vertue's en- graving in his monograph on the tiara,"1 was evi- dently unaware that the coloured sketch from which

the engraving (' Ex Collect. J. Talman ') was made was itself still preserved to us.12 Moreover Vertue's engraving is inaccurate. It represents the tiara as finished off with cords and tassels, whereas Tal- man's volume of sketches preserves a separate picture of the two magnificent lappets which in accordance with a tradition of extreme antiquity hang down from all papal tiaras, in much the same way as the infulae of a bishop's mitre.13

The impression left by the colours of the stones with which the whole structure is encrusted is one of almost barbaric richness. Besides three big diamonds and a number of smaller ones, there were 24 large balas rubies, 24 emeralds, and 22 oriental sapphires of extraordinary size. The groundwork was of pearls, and some pear-shaped pearls and other stones were left to hang loose. The three crowns (a feature introduced by Boni- face VIII or his successor at the beginning of the fourteenth century) are only represented here by three zones of X-shaped ornament of gold and enamel. The magnificent emerald at the apex was added to the tiara by Gregory XIII, and dis- plays his name and arms. An entry in the Regesta of Pope Leo X, which has escaped the notice of M. Miintz, lets us know that the dia- monds forming the inscription at the base were supplied by a Genoese jeweller, and that the ribbon containing it was originally supported by two angels.'4 It is curious that this remarkable work of art, after surviving the sack of Rome through the accident of its being in pawn, was deliberately broken up and refashioned by the order of Pius VI. The stones no doubt went to Paris a few years later like those of Cellini's cope- clasp, but the big emerald at the summit was eventually restored by Napoleon, and now sur- mounts another papal tiara of more modern con- struction.

8 'Poco men de una mezza noce.' See the Pirotechnia of Vanoccio Biringuccio (Venice 1540), fol. 40o. There can be little doubt that the same diamond is referred to by Theseo Ambrogio (Albonesi), Introductio ad Chaldaicam Linguanm, p. 182. 'Ante summi antlstitis pectus, tanquam lucidissimum coeli astrum, tyramidalis adamantis illiusforma lucentes in oculos contuentium radios emittit.'

9 Regesta Leonis Papae X. ed. -HIergenr6ther, No. 3954, dated August 4, 1513. 'Andreae de Bellantibus . . . qui mutuavit sibi 75,000 duc.

.... pro eius et sociorum indemnitate et securitate

(Papa) pignorat et consignat Pectorale Pontificale cum petra adamantina magna et aliis gemmis in eodem existentibus.'

10 This is probably the papal crown of which Luther was told that all the princes of Germany could not pay the price of it. See Elze, Luthers Reise nach Rom, p. 49.

n1 Miintz, La Tiare Pontificale, p. 73. M. Miintz has collected almost all the known references to Caradosso's tiara. Julius II told his master of ceremonies, Paris de Grassis, that the work had cost him 200,000 ducats. This sum M. Miintz considers to be the equivalent of io million francs ([400,000) in modern money.

12 See Plate II, p. 42. 18 See Jelic in the R6mische Quartalschrift for 1892, pp. 83-94, and compare in the same periodical the article by E. Wiischer Becchi, 'Ursprung der pipstlichen Tiara und der bischbflichen Mitra,' 1899, pp. 77-10o8.

14 Leonis X Regesta, ed. Hergenr6ther, No. 9787. As in 1514, i.e. at least five years afterwards, there was still no money to pay this jeweller, he was made warden (mareschallus) of the Marches of Ancona.

'Laurentio Grosso joellerio Januensi, mareschallo prov. An- conitan. et fam. suo.

'Gum itaque, sicut accepimus, tu occasione literarum adamanti- narum in diademate seu mitra papali, regno nuncupata, verba illa, videlicet JULIUs LIGUR PAPA SECUNDUS ANNO SEPTIMO, con- stituentium, et ceterorum rubinorum, smaradorum (sic), et spi- nellarum, quorum singuli singulas dicti versus dictiones sua interpositione a sequentibus distinguunt, necnon duarum ange- lorum imaginum miro artificio fabricatarum, quae frisium, in quo verba predicta collocata sunt, sustinere videntur, fel. rec. Julio PP. II praedec. nostro, receptis ab eo duntaxat 500 duc. auri largis in partem solutionis traditis et consignatis, adhuc in duc. 15oo00 auri similibus .... noster et Ap. Sedis creditor existas, Nos tibi . . . . satisfacere volentes marescallatum seu officium marescalli prov. nostrae Marchia Anconit. tibi quoad vixeris in dicti crediti solutionem

. . concedimus.' The document is

dated June 18, 1514.

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