strongly recall this Assumption. It therefore may reasonably be con-
sidered contemporary with the more famous work.
' Archivio detto. Deliberazioni di Balia^ vol. Ixxi. fol. i6. 25 Ott.
1526. Cf. Appendix No. 23.
%>! 'yfyH.!^Ar&^ra.
'.;Z}?r^y> d/^ Q)..yfJY^^a^i/^.
Uyiz^ C).ce/iM-
PORTA PISPINI 20I
the Commune were set apart to defray the expenses.
It is, however, not until September 12th, 1528,^
that the first reference to the Porta S. Viene
occurs ; and then only in connexion with repairs to
the gate in prevision of the impending decoration.
A notice in 1530^ records a sum of 125 florins
entrusted to the hands of Giovanni Palmieri, Ber-
nardino di Filippo Buoninsegni, and Girolamo
Paccinelli, Commissioners of the Office of Works,
towards defraying the cost of the paintings : seem-
ingly an inadequate amount, since another decision,
dated June 13th, 1531,^ proves that the work was
then still far from completion. A resolution of
April 3rd, 1 532, '^ at last records the final settlement ;
through the payment of 10 scudi to the painter,
Giovanni Antonio Bazzi who (says Milanesi) had
commenced his work in 1530. The foregoing reso-
lution also provides money for the construction of
a pent-house to protect the painting from wind and
weather : a precaution which has, alas ! not availed
to save the lower portion of the composition. This
circumstance is the more unfortunate, since thereby
another of the portraits of the painter, noted by
Vasari, as ''an elderly 7nan with a beard,'' is
lost to us, together with a long votive inscription.^
^ Archivio detto. Deliberazioni di Balia^ vol. Ixxviii. fol. 85*- 12
Sett., 1528.
2 Archivio detto. Concistoro Scritture, 1530. Notula.
^ Archivio detto. Deliberazioni di Balia, vol. Ixxxiv. fol. 131. 13
Giugno, 1 53 1.
^ Archivio detto. Deliberazioni di JBalia, vol. Ixxxvii. fol. 122. 3
Aprile, 1532.
^ Vasari, Op. cit., p. 395 and note. According to Vasari's reckoning,
Bazzi would have been 52 at this date, which seems scarcely gid, vecchio.
As a matter of fact he was about two years older.
202 FAME AND FORTUNE
The painter held a brush in his hand, together
with a label, bearing not the word feci, as Vasari
states, hwi fac tu {''Match this if you can'').
The inscription, however, quoted from Pecci by
Milanesi, runs as follows: Deiparae Virgini pro
victoria, libertate et salute hujus urbis, populus
senensis ejus nomini devotus, a.d. MDXXXI.
The composition is a large and striking repre-
sentation of the Nativity, and the remains which
time has spared are extremely beautiful. They
serve only to enhance the sense of our loss. The
attendant choir of angels, poised in the air with
indescribable lightness and grace, bearing aloft a
ribbon scroll with the words Gloria in Excelsis
Deo, is peculiarly felicitous both in grouping and
effect. In the centre of the arch, in the best
preserved part of the composition, we notice under
the pent-house a small putto ; on either side of
which are groups of exceedingly beautiful angels,
whose faces for pure loveliness equal anything
hitherto painted by our artist. The beautiful
fragment of a putto, underneath the right-hand
group, is unsurpassed even by Raphael himself;
whose work it distinctly recalls. Barely a quarter
of a century ago, the greater portion of the lower
half of this fresco, together with the inscription
and several figures, were still visible. Alas ! timely
protective measures,^ which might to some extent
1 According to Delia Valle(6>/. V., p. 2 78), the Grand Duke Cosimo III.
desired to remove this fresco to a place of safety, but was deterred
therefrom by the size and thickness of the wall. He also records on
the same page that, among the collection of drawings belonging to
Abate Ciaccheri, there was a sketch for one of the angels. This sketch
has unfortunately disappeared.
I'lioto : lid>iin7id Houghton.
HEAD OF AN ANGEL.
DETAIL.
POUTA PISI'INI, SIENA.
To /ace f: 202.
o g
<
H
W
Q
-MADONNA DE' CALZOLARI" 203
have saved for us this priceless work of art, were
not devised until 1899.^
Before concluding this chapter, one more paint-
ing must be mentioned ; the existence, or rather the
memory of which is marked only by a patch on a
wall. This fresco, in a side street off the Piazza
Tolomei, near the church of S. Cristoforo, is a
work that the weather, the smoke of a forge, and
the recent deliberate scraping of the wall at the
hands of the ruthless landlord (under pretence of
restoration), have reduced to an unsightly wreck,
more than half concealed under a wire netting.
This ghost of the Madonna de CalzolarP is de-
scribed as follows : " The Madonna with her Son
in her arms, SS.John, Francis, Roch, and Crispin,
patron of the men of this trade, with a shoe in
^ Since the asseverations made by recent writers concerning the name
of this gate and its origin are so contradictory, a note on its history will
not be out of place here. Called originally Porta Sta. Eugenia, from the
little chapel dedicated to that saint not very far beyond it, it is so
denominated in some of the documents quoted here. When, however,
in 1 1 07 the body of the martyred Ansano was brought to the city from
Dofana, the populace of Siena, awaiting the procession at this gate,
cried out '* il santo vtene " {the saint comes). Hence the name of Porta
del Santo Vtene, or Porta San Viene, which it is, as often as not, still
officially styled. On June 23rd, 1534, however, the Contrada dell'
Abbadia Nuova, wherein the gate is situated, asked leave from the
Signoria (Archivio detto: Balia, Deliberazioni, vol. xci. f. 149'', 150) ;
to beautify the main street by the erection of a fountain, which was
vulgarly called Fonte Pispini. This name was soon applied to the
street leading from thence to the gate, and subsequently to the gate
itself. Cf. also Pecci {Op. cit.), who differs from the usual derivation
of the name San Viene, and adds that above the fresco was the
word Libertas, and on either side the Balzana and the Lion Rampant.
By a fortunate chance the author was able, in January 1899,
to examine the work at close quarters, and was much struck by the
peculiar cross-hatching, designed to produce the effect of shadow on the
angels' faces.
^ Vasari, Op. cit., pp. 390-1, and note i.
204 FAME AND FORTUNE
his handy It was ordered on May 3rd, 1530/ and
Vasari adds that '* as much the heads as the whole
work was very good."^ ** Remembrance of what
has been unreal likenesses of lovely shapes, that
were and are not " is now all that remains to us
of this painting.
^ Arch. Not. Prov. Siena. Maggio 3, 1530. Rogiti di Ser Galgano
Faleri. It is to be noted that, although this document records the
decisions of the Guild with regard to the ordering of this work, there is
no allusion whatsoever to the painter chosen to execute it.
2 Vasari, Op. cit., p. 391 : " nelle teste delle guaii figure e nel resto, si
porto Giovann' Antonio bejiissijno" Delia Valle also praises this fresco ;
but Romagnoli {Op. cit.), in whose day much of it was still to be seen,
says that it was by no means fine and beautiful. Perhaps even then
it had been already injured and repainted.
CHAPTER IX
FINAL PERIOD
The Signoria of Siena, elated, it would seem, by
their victory over the armies of the Pope and the
Florentine Republic at the Battle of Camollia, now
proceeded to plan a number of ambitious projects
incommemorationof their success: projects rendered
nugatory in almost every case, through lack of
means ; and many of which appear to have lain idle
during a decade at least. On November 25th, 1527,
we find among the '' Deliberasioni della Balia ^
a resolution decreeing that the ancient Chapel at the
foot of the Torre del Mangia of the Palazzo Pub-
blico be restored and adorned with a new fresco ;
and the subject chosen was the Virgin and Child
with SS. Ansano, Vittorio, Agostino and Jacopo ;
with God the Father above surrounded by a glory
of Angels.
Work had been carried on here at intervals
extending over a century. The chronicle of Andrea
Dei^ relates, that the chapel was commenced
^ Cf. Appendix No. 24.
^ Cronaca di Andrea Dei continuata da Agnolo di Tura. Muratori,
Rerum Italicorum Scripia, vol. xv. Milanesi MS., P. iii. 53, p. 346.
Cappella di Piazza, 1 348. " Et in quest' anno per certo miracolo che
la Nostra Donna Vergine Maria fece, si comincio la Cappella del Campo
sotto la torre," etc. Pecci {Op. cit., p. 118') states that it was dedicated
in honour of the Nativity of the Madonna ; was designed by Duccio, and
the frieze and arch were added by Francesco di Giorgio, He tells us
further that it was adorned with the three shields of the city, and that
205
2o6 FINAL PERIOD
together with a number of other churches and
places of worship in 1348, to commemorate a
miracle performed by the Virgin during the Great
Plague of that year. Neri di Donato/ however,
tells us that the construction was not actually
begun until June 1352 ; and, according to Sig. F.
Donati, the building^ was probably designed by
Domenico d' Agostino, stone-mason and architect,
who at that date was Clerk of the Works to the
Opera del Duomo.^ On June i8th, 1369, the
Consiglio della Campana directed that the Rector
of the Opera should expend from the funds of that
Institution 100 gold florins annually, from July ist
onwards until the building be completed. We
learn also that between July 1352 and April 1376
the walls had been pulled down no less than four
times. ^
the inscription " In honorem B. Marice Virginis Jo. Antonius cognomento
Sodoma Eques cotnesqiie Palatiniis faciebat MDXXXVIII''^ was painted
beneath Bazzi's fresco. We may learn from these statements how far
Pecci valuable though his researches are may be relied upon as a
final authority.
1 Annali Senesi o Cronica di Neri di Donato^ dal 1352 al 1381.
Muratori, Op. cif., vol. cit. Cappella di Piazza. " 1352. La Cappella del
Campo a pie la torre si comincioro e' fondamenti del mese di luglio, e li
Signori Nove missero fiorini due d' oro ne' fondamenti, e quando si fondb,
stbrovi accesi li doppieri, e fu titolata a Madonna S. Maria di Settembre.
1376. Le more della Cappella a pie' della torre del Campo di Siena si
cominciorno a murare, che prima erano state guaste quattro volte in
24 anni che si erano cominciate in piu modi di marmo, e questo fu d'
Aprile."
2 F. Donati, // Palazzo del Comune di Siena (Arte Antica Senese.
Published by the Commissione di Storia Patria. Siena : Sordomuti, 1904).
^ Arch, dell' Opera del Duomo. Pergamene^ No. 874. That the
Chapel already existed in 1354 is proved by the Will of a certain Tofo
del fu Maghinardi Salimbeni, who devised among other legacies quod
residuum convertatur in Cappella noviter facta iuxta palatium in quo
moratur d. Potestas civitatis sen.
* Cf. also Pecci, Op. cit., p. cit.
CAPPELLA DI PIAZZA 207
New walls of Carrara marble were erected in
1376, from designs by Giovanni di Cecco, a stone-
mason, with niches for the statues of the Twelve
Apostles.
The structure was not at first intended to attain
the height of the first floor of the Palazzo, in order
that the view from the windows might be un-
obstructed ; but in 1465 the '' SavV of the Opera
resolved,^ that the building should be completed in
the worthiest possible manner. In 1468, therefore,
the further decoration and raising of the facade,
which thus covered the first and part of the second
window of the first floor, was commenced. It
was, however, not completed until 1470,^ under
the direction of Antonio Federighi, who, according
to Tizio,^ was then ''Rector'' of the Opera.
The interior adornment of the chapel meanwhile
had not been neglected. We know that, in 1392, the
painters Cristoforo di Maestro Bindoccio and Meo
painted jointly a figure of the Saviour ; and in the
^ Archivio detto. Deliberazioni E. ix., c. 20. " Con quello degno
modo li parra."
2 Archivio detto. Libra delle due Rose, cc. 117 and 135. In August
1470 lo lire were paid to Guidoccio Cozzarelli, le quali sonno per set
armidipense alia Cappella del Campo e al davanzale rifece a delta cappella ;
and 14 lire were paid to Maestro Giusto da Foiano per carratura di una
pietra rechh, misesi alia Cappella del Campo in uno dei fianchi dove sono
intagliate le ghirlande.
^ Tizio, Op. cit., vol. v., p. 61. 1467-8 {Spring; before March) : "hujus
Savini primordio Cappella publico in Foro et plumbeo tecto, ac caeteris
ad earn iam destinatis penitus absoluta est, et sub jeditui dispositione,
ac regimine constituta. Cappellse enim hujus architectus Antonius
Federighius Senensis Vir in arte sculptoria, et in omni architecturse
genere peritissimus, qui hac tempestate operse publicae Templi Senensis
Magister preficiebatur." This is further confirmed by Allegretti in his
Diario (Muratori, xxiii., p. 763), under date 1468 : "/ questo tempo si
scoperse, e levossi il tetto della Cappella del Campo per fare le volte su le
more o vero colonne di mar mo, che vi si sonfatte."
2o8 FAME AND FORTUNE
same year Cristoforo also executed an altar-panel
for the sum of i8 florins.
The restoration and votive embellishment being
now agreed upon, as stated above, it was decided to
raise 30 ducats from the taxes on corn ; and a Com-
mittee of three Giovanni Battista Piccolomini,
Conte di Buonsignori and Niccolo Campana
were elected to superintend the undertaking.^ In
spite, however, of the determination ofttimes ex-
pressed, nothing seems to have been done^ beyond
the passing of further resolutions, providing for up-
keep and general repairs, until March 6th,^ 1536-37,
when Bazzi was formally entrusted with the work
of painting in fresco the wall behind the altar. A
new Committee had been formed meanwhile, con-
sisting of the following persons : Camillo Ascarelli,
Belisario di Guido Bandinelli, Fabio di Girolamo
Garghi, Alfonso di Francesco Acharigi, and Fran-
cesco Tolomei, Rector of the Cathedral works.
These Commissioners covenanted to pay Bazzi
60 scudi in four instalments ; whilst he undertook
to complete the order by the Feast of the Assump-
tion in the same year. This circumstance is fur-
thermore confirmed by an entry in the '' Scritture
Concisforiali" ordering the payment of the first
instalment.'' Nevertheless the painter's heart does
^ Archivio di Stato. Deliberazioni della Balia, November 25th,
1527, a. c. 205. Nuovi Documenti dt.^ p. 471.
2 Archivio detto. Concistoro Scritture, 1530-32, and 1536. NotulcB.
^ Arch. Not. Prov. Siena. 1536-7, 6 Marzo. Rogiti di Ser
Stgisrnondo Trecerchi. Cf. Appendix No. 24.
^ Archivio di Stato. Concistoro Scritture ad annum 1536-7,
Filza 51. "Per parte deli spettabilissimi Quattro cittadini operari
e commessarii dell' lUustrissimo Concistoro dei Magnifici Signori e
Capitano del popolo del inclita cittk di Siena a far dipignere 1' altare
VISIT TO PIOMBINO 209
not seem to have been in his work this time.
Former experiences had perhaps taught him the
difficulties attending the raising of money and the
settlement of debt. Maybe the lavish expenditure
on the Emperor's visit in the previous April had
emptied the Public Treasury, and thus no cash was
forthcoming. He would seem, however, to have
actually set to work before the end of 1537; since
on September 17th of that year, a sum of 3 lire
were paid to *' our Camerlengo Ugo Berti to be
given to Pier Giovanni," the stone-cutter, for
encasing the shell of the arch, inside which the
fresco was painted ; ^ showing that some degree of
preparation had been reached by the autumn of
that year.
Very soon afterwards, however, the artist ap-
pears to have departed to the Court of his patron,
Jacomo v., Prince of Piombino; where, in spite of
the adjurations of the Sienese authorities, he seems
to have stayed until the end of 1538. During this
della cappella de la piazza publica deputati con ampla auttorita. Voi
magnifico Crescentio Turamini banchiere di Siena depositario deli
denari dela detta pittura date e pagate d' essi denari che havete in
deposito al generoso cavaliere missere Giovannantonio Soddoma pittore
deputato a dipengere 1' altare, scudi quindici, cioe scudi 15 quali se li
denno a buon conto e per dar principio alia detta opera, secondo le
convention! fatte con detti operai per una scritta et che cosi facciate
senza vostro preiuditio e danno, hanno li detti operari deliberate e
ordinato ad 14 di Marzo, 1536." Cf. Mil. Doc, p. 185.
^ Archivio dell' Opera del Duomo. Lib. Giallo detto deir Assunta,
<" 369,
" Christo MDXXXVII.
" Spese si faranno e facionsi a la capella di piazza per dipegnerla de
dare a di XVII di Settembre lire tre che se li fan buoni a Ugo Berti
nostro camarlengo, che li pago a Pier Giovanni scarpelino per ropare
{sic) el archo del nichio, sono a uscita del detto Ugo, f. 116 .. .
lire iij."
14
210 FINAL PERIOD
time, a lengthy correspondence continued between
the Signoria of Siena, the painter, and the Prince.^
The Signoria on April i6th, 1538, requested Bazzi
to return at once and finish the painting. But on
May 2nd, at the Prince's request, permission was
granted to the artist to prolong his visit through-
out that month. More letters followed on June 1 7th,
addressed both to painter and Prince, seemingly
without effect. On July 3rd the exasperated Sig-
noria wrote once more to Jacomo V. ; but the truant
did not apparently return to Siena until the end
of the year.^
Several notices ^ among the resolutions of the
Concistoro during this period refer to the work ;
one of which records the ordering of a curtain
adorned with the Communal Arms, to hang before
the fresco.
On February 21st and 29th and March 19th,''
1539 (st. sen.), we find the Signoria and Bazzi
agreeing to the appointment of experts to value the
work ; and once more, Bartolomeo di David and
Domenico Beccafumi (styled here Mecuccid) are
chosen arbitrators. On April 2nd the final pay-
^ Archivio di Stato di Siena, Copia Lettere, 1538, vol. 1748.
See Appendix No. 25. Cf. Mil. Doc.^ vol. iii. pp. 130-134. Gaye,
Op cit.^ vol. ii. pp. 266-9, 274-5.
2 An original letter dated August x^th, i539> from the Prince, taking
upon himself the whole blame for Bazzi's delay, is still in existence. (Arch.
detto. Balia, Lettere, 1539, vol. 168, No. 49.) It will be observed that
an interval of five months separates the completion of the transaction and
the Prince's apology.
^ Archivio detto. Concistoro Deliberazioni., vol. T034. 1538 (st. sen,),
5 Gennaio, f. 4*-; 26 Gennaio, f. 17 ; 2 Febbraio, f. 25*-26; 5 Febbraio,
f. 28.
* Archivio detto. Concistoro Deliberazioni, vol. 1034, 21 e 29
Febbraio, f. 43* -44; vol. J035, 19 Marzo f, 6'
COUNT PALATINE(?) 211
ment is recorded ^ in the books of the Opera del
Duomo.^
We can no longer form an opinion with regard
to the merits or defects of this painting ; for the
weather first; next "improvement" at the hands of
Liborio Guerrini in 1800;^ and lastly the weather
once more, have left little of the original work
discernible at the present day.
The building and decoration of the Cappella di
Piazza leads naturally to the open question con-
cerning the tradition that reports Bazzi to have
received the title of Count Palatine from the
Emperor Charles V., whose visit to Siena in 1536
the year prior to the commission for the painting
had aroused such unbounded enthusiasm in the
breasts of the Sienese populace. The crux of the
evidence in favour of this tradition rests upon
the accuracy, or conversely, of the inscription given
below. Delia Valle ^ quotes the version of one of
Monsignor Bottari's correspondents as follows : In
honor em Beatae Mariae Virginis lo : Antonius
cognomento Sodoma Senensis eques, et Comes
^ Archivio dell' Opera del Duomo. Libro Giallo detto delV
Assunta^ f. 369.
"Christo MDXXXVII.
" E a dl ij d' aprile 1539 lire cinquantasei se li fan buoni a Ugo Berti,
camarlengo che li pagb a missere Giovantonio Sodoma dipetore, per resto
de la dipegnitura de la cappella di piaza, sono a sua uscita, f. 146. . . .
lire Ivj."
^ A red chalk drawing for this work is preserved in the Library of the
Academy in Siena.
^ Romagnoli {Op. cit.) tells us that this was done at the expense of the
market folk ; and that after such restoration little trace of Bazzi's original
work was discernible. He also adds that it was badly injured before the
earthquake of 1798; and that the figures of Saints at the sides were by
Ansel mi, which is obviously impossible.
^ Delia Valle, Op. cit., p. 251.
212 FINAL PERIOD
Palatums faciebat MDXXXVIIL, and then
pointing out that the work is a fresco, not a
panel as this writer asserts, proceeds to correct
the reading thus : Ad honoreni Virginis Mariae
lo : Antonius . . . Sodona eques et Comes Pala-
tinus faciebat MDXXXVIII.
We would observe that all these versions^ differ
from each other considerably in detail ; and, since
the inscription was doubtless already more than
half obliterated in Pecci's day, and has vanished
altogether now, grave doubt may well arise,
whether all these excellent folk have not built
their house upon very insecure foundations.
Not a single contemporary writer, or document,
corroborates the story. Indeed, evidence of a
negative kind is strong, in view of the regular and
persistent use of the title Cavaliere only, in notices,
agreements, deeds, the Piombino correspondence,^
etc.; a circumstance which would certainly be
unusual had Bazzi been really honoured with a
higher distinction and more exalted rank.^ In
^ Romagnoli {Op. cit.) copies Bottari's version, but states that he read
the inscription before Guerrini's restoration of the painting, and found
therein the word Senensis, which he complains that Delia Valle has
omitted in his corrected version. But we should also note that this
said correspondent commences his information thus: ^^ Fu Gio. Antonio
figlio di Giacomo Razzi da Vergelle, villa distante 15 miglia da Siena, non
da Vercelli di Fiimonte," which shows how far his accuracy may be
trusted.
^ The varied spelling of this name throughout these documents is
worthy of note. In all the letters, except the last from the Prince
(wherein he is called Sogdona), Sodone or Sodona seems to have been
the favourite variant.
^ An accidental discovery communicated by the finder, Signor
Alfredo Liberati of Siena brought to light the following piece of
evidence, which certainly supports our contention : Archivio di Stato
DI Siena. Libro dei Battezzatti delP anno 1538. Biccherna No. 10235.
FURTHER COMMISSIONS 213
the Buoninsegni letter likewise, recording the
painter's death where, surely, the title, had it
existed, would have found place Bazzi is merely
styled // Cavalier e Sodoma}
We may as well, before proceeding further in
the narrative, examine the remaining transactions
between our painter and the authorities, concluded
within this period. In January 1536-37 two
entries should be noted ;^ one in the Deliberazioni
della Balia, and the other in ih^Archivio deir Opera
del Duomo\ both of which refer to the ** writing off
on account of his high merits'' (attentis virtutibus)
of certain sums of money owed by Bazzi to the
*' Comune' of Siena. The first entry also records a
somewhat remarkable permission : viz., to fashion at
his own expense a lath-and-plaster model of a horse
to be set up in the city, wherever the authorities
" Camilla Maria Romola, figlia di Giovanbattista di Girolamo legrittiere
si battezzo a li xj di Novembre, compari Ferrando di Valentia, Hispano,
et il Sodoma cavaliere et dipentore" This proves that so late as the
nth November in 1538 our artist was still known as Cavaliere zxixon^
his friends and acquaintances.
1 Cf. post, p. 237.
2 Archivio di Stato di Siena. Deliberazioni della Balia, 1536-37,
p. 12'- 5 di Gennaio. " Et attentis virtutibus domini ]oa.xm\s Aniomx
. . . alias Soddoma, pidoris, deliberaverunt soleuiniter quod ei relaxetur
debitum quod habet cum Comimi Senensi occasione prestantiarum usque
ad sumviam librarum XXV. denariorum et mandavimus preditis exactori-
bus pr<zstantiarum quare dictis debitis cancellente et omni meliori modo,
etc. . . . Ac etiam solemniter concesserunt licentiam prefato domino . . .
conficiendi equm, prout designavit, ponendum postea in aliquo loco civitatis,
prout videbitur collegio, sumptibus omnibus dicti domini." (In the margin
of this entry is written ''pro Sogdoma pittore.")
Archivio dell' Opera del Duomo. Libro dell' Assunta., p. 135.
10 di Gennaio, 1536-37. ^' Sbatterebe e cancellarebe tuto il debito che il
Cav. M, Gio. Antonio detto Soddoma dipentore ha sopra di cotesto mem-