Indepth Arts News:
"The Flowering of Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici"
2002-03-03 until 2002-05-27
National Gallery of Art
Washington, DC,
USA
The Medici family's passion for the arts and fascination with the natural
sciences, from the 15th century to the end of the dynasty in the 18th century, is beautifully
illustrated in The Flowering of Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici, at the National
Gallery of Art's East Building. Sixty-eight exquisite examples
of botanical art, many never before shown in the United States, include paintings, works on
vellum and paper, pietre dure (mosaics of semiprecious stones), manuscripts, printed books,
and sumptuous textiles. The exhibition focuses on the work of three remarkable artists in
Florence who dedicated themselves to depicting nature--Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1626),
Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670), and Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729).
The masterly technique of these remarkable artists, combined with freshness and originality
of style, has had a lasting influence on the art of naturalistic painting, said Earl A. Powell III,
director, National Gallery of Art. We are indebted to the institutions and collectors, most
based in Italy, who generously lent works of art to the exhibition.
The Exhibition
Early Nature Studies: The exhibition begins with an introductory section on nature studies
from the late 1400s and early 1500s. Plants abound in mid-15th-century art, but portrayals
were generally idealized and often conveyed allegorical or symbolic meanings. Domenico
Veneziano's (c. 1410-1461) Madonna and Child, c. 1445, depicts a rosebush with red and
white blossoms symbolizing the Christ Child's future sacrifice and Mary's purity. Other works
show the continued development of botanical illustration in the later 15th century, including
Leonardo da Vinci's (1452-1519) pen-and-ink drawing, Studies of Flowers, c. 1483, and
Perugino's (c. 1450-1523) The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Jerome, and
Saint Mary Magdalene, c. 1482-1484.
Jacopo Ligozzi: The second grand duke of Tuscany, Francesco I (1541-1587), invited
Jacopo Ligozzi (1547-1626) to join his court. Seventeen of Ligozzi's works are displayed, the
largest number ever seen outside of Italy. Among them are the first known drawing of a
pineapple from South America, the American Century Plant newly brought from Mexico,
and Mourning Iris and Spanish Iris. Also included is a masterpiece of botanical and
zoological art, Ligozzi's Fig Branch with Exotic Finches, which shows a common fig branch
on which are perched three exotic birds.
Giusto Utens Lunettes: Flemish artist Giusto Utens (mid-16th century -1609) was
commissioned by Cosimo di Medici's son, the third grand duke Ferdinando I (1549-1649), to
depict the Medici villas in a series of fourteen large lunettes. This unique collection of
paintings, created between 1598 and 1599, provides a good sense of what the villas and their
surrounding gardens must have looked like during the 16th century. Three lunettes, The
Belvedere with Palazzo Pitti, Villa L'Ambrogiana, and Villa Poggio, can be seen in the
exhibition.
Daniel Froeschl: Ferdinando I had a passion for gardens and sent botanists on expeditions
throughout Europe. He commissioned artists to illustrate the plants in his care, which he
collected in large florilegia. The exhibition includes one such commission, that of the German
artist Daniel Froeschl (1563-1613), who painted Sunflower, a plant that was introduced to
Tuscany from Peru in the 16th century. Froeschl renders the sunflower twice, first in a
conventional front view and then, perhaps for the first time in botanical illustration, from the
back.
Pietre Dure: In the early years of the 17th century, Florence became famous for semiprecious
mosaic inlays, or pietre dure. A selection of these colorful mosaics is presented in the
exhibition, including Sunflower (1664) by Gerolamo della Valle (17th century) and a small
panel by an unknown artist, Parrot in a Pear Tree (17th century). These mosaic panels were
used to decorate the fronts of elaborate cabinets, and larger panels became tabletops. Examples
of both are represented in the exhibition.
Flowers of Silk: The art of embroidery blossomed in 15th-century Florence and continued to
flourish for several centuries. Botanical themes were uniquely suited to the decoration of rich
fabrics used for ceremonial occasions. Several 17th-century examples of botanical embroidery
can be seen in the exhibition, including a Chalice Veil, a Baptismal Cover, and a Chasuble
for the Feast of Santa Reparata.
Giovanna Garzoni: Under the rule of Ferdinando II (1610-1670), still-life painting grew
very popular. Giovanna Garzoni (1600-1670)--one of the most important female artists in the
history of Italian art--gained great fame for her naturalistic paintings. Sixteen of Garzoni's
works can be seen in the exhibition including two of her many still lifes depicting extravagant
bouquets of cultivated flowers, both titled Glass Vase with Flowers. Also on view are several
still lifes of fruits and vegetables, such as Chinese Plate with Cherries and Bean Pods, c.
1620, a favorite subject of Garzoni. Three Lemons with a Bumblebee, which portrays two
lemon branches bearing fruit and an animated bumblebee hovering above, is another delightful
example of Garzoni's work. Several of the Garzoni paintings have never before been exhibited
in public.
Bartolomeo Bimbi: Cosimo III (1642-1723), the sixth grand duke, continuing the Medici
tradition of patronage for the arts and sciences, lent considerable support to the painter
Bartolomeo Bimbi (1648-1729). Bimbi specialized in portraits from nature, often large-scale
scenes of monstrous and odd specimens of fruits and vegetables that grew in the gardens of
the Medici villas. The exhibition includes Bimbi's Citrus Fruits, which depicts 34 varieties of
citrus, and Pears, 1699, which shows 115 different types of pears. Both are examples of
inventories painted for Cosimo III. Among the horticultural monstrosities painted by
Bimbi are a Monstrous Cauliflower and Horseradish, 1706, and a life-size
Sunflower,1721.
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