TADDEO BARTOLI,* PAINTER, OF SIENA. [BORN 1363-DIED 1422.] ARTISTS who have endured heavy labours in the hope of acquiring fame from the art of painting, deserve that their works should be placed, not in a dark unfavourable position, for which the works themselves receive blame from those whose judgment extends no farther; but rather in situations of honour, and where the advantages of light and air permit them to be properly seen, and duly appreciated; as have been and still continue to be, the works of Taddeo Bartoli, a Sienese master, painted for the chapel of the palace of the Signory in Siena. Taddeo was the son of Bartolo di Maestro Fredi,† who was a painter of mediocre reputation in his day, and who decorated one entire wall of the capitular church of San Gimignano (on the left hand of the entrance) with stories from the Old Testament. On this work—which, to say the truth, is not a very good one-we may still read the following epitaph: Ann. Dom. 1356, Bartolus Magistri Fredi de Senis me pinxit." At this time Bartolo must have been very young, since, in another picture, executed in the same place, also by him, but in the year 1388, we perceive that he had acquired a much better manner, both in design and colouring. This work is in the church of Sant' Agostino, on the left hand as you enter the church by the principal door; the subject is the Crucifixion of Our Lord, with certain saints. Some of the heads are tolerably good, but the feet of the figures are in the old manner. Many other works from the hand of Bartolo are to be seen in the same district.‡ But to return to Taddeo: having been appointed, as we Lave said, to paint the chapel in the palace of the Signory,§ in his native city of Siena, as the best master of his time, the * For many valuable observations respecting this artist and his works, the reader is referred to Rumohr, Italienische Forschungen, vol. ii, p. 218. †The various questions raised with regard to the name, etc., of this painter, are discussed in the Lettere Sanesi of Della Valle, vol. ii, p. 197, et seq. Few remains of this work now exist. The paintings in this chapel are still in good preservation; as, to the honour of the Sienese people, are many others of much older masters. See Della Valle Pumohr, etc. work was executed by him with so much care, and was held in such esteem on account of the place it occupied, that Taddeo was not only largely remunerated by the signoria, but greatly increased his fame and glory thereby. As a further consequence of this success, he was appointed to paint numerous pictures in his own country, to his infinite honour and profit. He was, moreover, invited with great favour by Francesco da Carrara, signor of Padua, to perform certain works in that most noble city: Francesco having requested the presence and aid of the artist from the Signoria of Siena. Taddeo repaired to Padua accordingly, where he executed various pictures and other works, more particularly in the Arena and the Santo,* all which he completed very carefully, to his own honour and the satisfaction of Francesco, as well as that of the whole city.† Having then returned to Tuscany, he painted a picture in distemper in San Gimignano, and this work is very much in the manner of Ugolino Sanese; it is now behind the high altar of the capitular church, and faces the choir of the priests. Taddeo afterwards proceeded to Siena, but did not remain there long, having been invited to Pisa by one of the Lanfranchi family, who was then warden of the Duomo; he consequently proceeded thither, and painted a fresco in the chapel of the Annunciation, wherein he depicted the Virgin ascending the steps of the temple; the priest, in robes of ceremony, awaits her at the summit. This work is very gracefully done, and in the head of the priest our artist has given the portrait of the aforesaid warden, with his own likeness in the figure standing near him.§ Having completed this picture, Taddeo was commissioned by the same warden to paint a Coronation of the Virgin, over the chapel of the Campo Santo.|| Numerous angels are round the throne, in beautiful attitudes, and the colouring of the whole is very fine. *The church of Sant' Antonio. †The Marchese Selvatico informs us that he has not been able to find any work in Padua, that could be confidently attributed to the Sienese artist.-Ed. Flor. 1846. There are two pictures by Taddeo in the capitular church of San Gimignano, one of which bears his name.-Ibid. § These paintings are no longer in existence.-Montani. It is over the door of the Aulla chapel. The intonaco of this picture having fallen away, there remain only some of the angels' heads. but the whole composition of the story, drawn in outline with cinnabar on the plaster beneath, may still be distinguished. For the chapel of the sacristy in the church of San Francesco, at Pisa, this master likewise painted a picture in distemper, the subject of which is Our Lady with certain saints. On this work he inscribed his name. and the year when it was painted, namely 1394.* About the same time, Taddeo Bartoli executed some pictures in distemper at Volterra,† with one at Monte Oliveto, where he also painted an Inferno in fresco: in this he availed himself of the inventions of Dante, in so far as relates to the separation of the condemned, and the modes of their punishment; but as respects the place of torment itself, he either could not or would not imitate the descriptions of the poet.‡ Taddeo likewise sent a picture to Arezzo, where it may be seen in the church of Sant' Agostino; in this he depicted the portrait of Pope Gregory XI, by whom the pontifical court, after having been held for so many decades of years in Avignon, was reestablished in Italy. When he had finished these works, the master returned to Siena, but did not make a long stay there, being invited to Perugia, to work in the church of San Domenico, where he painted the chapel of Santa Caterina in fresco, representing the whole life of that saint. In San Francesco also, near the door of the sacristy, he painted some figures of which there is now but little to be discerned; but they can nevertheless be recognized as a work of Taddeo's, seeing that he always painted in the same manner. death of Biroldo, § lord of Perugia, who was killed in the year 1398, occurring soon after these pictures were completed, Taddeo returned to Siena, where, perpetually labouring, he devoted himself so earnestly to the studies connected with his art, and made such well-sustained efforts to render himself an efficient painter, that if the result did not fulfill his expectations, we may safely affirm that this arose from no The * This picture was seen by Da Morrona, but was afterwards lost sight of. It has now been happily recovered, and is in the hands of Signor M. Supino of Pisa.-Ed. Flor. 1846-49. Taddeo was in Volterra in 1411, but what he did there cannot now be ascertained, nor whether the works which he executed in the church of San Francesco yet remain ; but in the sacristy of the Oratory of Sant' Antonio is a picture with various saints by his hand, and bearing his name. -Ibid. These pictures have perished.-Ibid. Ammirato, in the sixteenth book of his Storie, calls this Captain of Free Companies, Biordo de' Michelotti. See lib. xvi, p. 871. defect or negligence in the duties of his vocation, but proceeded from the frequent indispositions brought on by a painful complaint, which afflicted him so grievously, that he could not fully attain to the ends he had proposed to himself. Taddeo died at the age of fifty-nine, after having taught the art to a nephew, called Domenico. His works date about the year of our salvation 1410. This Domenico Bartoli, nephew and disciple, as we have said, of Taddeo, devoted himself earnestly to his art, and painted with more facility than his uncle had done, he also displayed a richer fertility of invention in his stories, which he varied more extensively than had been usual with Taddeo. In the hall of the pilgrims in the great hospital of Siena are two large historical pic tures, in fresco, by Domenico Bartoli,* who has managed the perspective, and treated all the accessories and ornaments with very great ability. This painter is said to have been singularly modest and amiable; his manners were gentle and his disposition remarkable for the most liberal kindness, all which brought no less honour to his name than did his proficiency in the art of painting. The works of this master were performed about the year of our Lord 1436, and the last which he executed were, a picture in the church of Santa Trinità, in Florence, of which the subject is the Annunciation; and the altar-piece for the high altar of the church of the Carmine.t It was at the same time that Alvaro di Pierot of Portugal * The stories here alluded to are six, and are all in existence, with the exception of the last. The fate of the works executed in Santa Trinità is unknown. The picture painted for the Carmine, probably perished in the year 1771, when the church was burnt. None of the commentators on Vasari have been able to enlighten us materially on the subject of this Portuguese painter. Count Raczynski, in his book called Les Arts en Portugal (Paris, 1846), says no more than that he saw one picture by this master in the "Hotel Borba", and that it is mentioned by Taborda, in his Regole dell' Arte della Pittura, Lisbon, 1815. Nor could the Viscount di Juromenha communicate to Raczynski any intelligence, beyond the assertion that " Alvaro Pires was painter to the King Don Emanuele." But if this painter were contemporary with the Bartoli and his manner proves him to belong to the first half of the fifteenth century-how could he be painter to Emanuel of Portugal, whose reign dates from 1495 to 1521? Whatever may be the fact as regards this incongruous history, we are happy to have some account to offer of a precious picture by Alvaro, which we have lately seen in a chapel of the church of Santa Croce in Fossabanda, distant half a mile flourished; his manner closely resembled that of the abovenamed painters, but his colouring was more brilliant and his figures less majestic. Alvaro painted many pictures in Volterra, and there is one by his hand in Sant' Antonio of Pisa, with others in other places, but as they are of no great excellence we need say nothing more of them. In our book there is a drawing by Taddeo Bartoli, which represents Christ with two Angels, and is done with the practised hand of a master.* LORENZO DI BICCI, PAINTER, OF FLORENCE. WHEN men who distinguish themselves in any honour- A "ALVARO. PIRES.D. EVORA. PINTOR." very fine work of Taddeo Bartoli, unmentioned by the writers of his life, still to be seen over the central door of the cathedral at Montepulciano. is a large triptych, and the following inscription may still be deciphered: “THADEUS BARTOLI DE SENIS DEPIN [XIT] QUESTA OPERA AL .... TEMPO DI MESSER..... * A picture by Taddeo was taken to Paris in 1812, and still remains in the Louvre. It represents the Virgin, he Infant Jesus, and four Saints, on a gold ground. U |