The Pavement Masters of Siena (1369-1562) :: THE SCHEME OF THE PAVEMENT

THE SCHEME OF THE PAVEMENT

The various designs on the pavement arranged in their chronological order.	Notes.	Date the work was executed.	Numbers corresponding to those on the plan (p.15).	Names of the Artists.
	Of these eight artists’ work on the Pavement, no recognizable trace now remains.	1369		(1). Antonio di Brunaccio.
		1370		(2). Sano di Marco.
		”		(3). Francesco di Ser Antonio.
		1376		(4). Matteo di Bartolo.
		1380		(5). Nanni di Corsino.
		1398		(6). Sano di Maestro Matteo.
		”		(7). Luca di Cecco.
		1405		(8). Cecco di Giovanni.
Fortune’s Wheel revolving with figures of men clinging to it. In the four corners of the picture are half-length portraits of Euripides, Seneca, Epictetus, and Aristotle. (Milanesi. Documenti. Vol. i., p. 177.)		1372	37
The Arms of the Cities allied and friendly to Siena. (Ditto.)		1373	34
A Wheel, in the middle of which is the Imperial Eagle		1373(?)	35
The Parable of the Mote and the Beam		1374–5	38
Temperance	The frieze of zig-zags and spikes which frames the five figures Nos. 17–21, also dates from 1406.	1380	17
Prudence		”	18
Christian Piety		1406	19
Justice		”	20
Fortitude. (Mil. Doc., vol. i., p. 177)		”	21	(9). Marchesse d’Adamo and the Comacene Masters in stone.
King David the Psalmist. (Siena e il suo Territorio, p. 205.)		1423	53	(10). Domenico di Niccolo del Coro.
Goliath the Giant. (Ditto.)		”	54	”
The Young David with his Sling (Ditto.)	The frieze inclosing all these designs, together with No. 24, was inlaid by (11) Agostino di Niccolo, and (12) Bastiano di Corso da Firenze, and completed in 1423.	”	55	”
Judas Maccabeus		1424	15	”
Joshua and the King of the Amorites. Ditto.)		1426	22	(13) Paolo di Martino.
Samson. (Ditto.)		”	14	”
Moses. (Ditto.)		”	16	”
Joshua. (Ditto.)		”	23	”
A man, giving alms to a woman, carrying a child		1433	39	Domenico di Niccolo del Coro.
The Emperor Sigismund enthroned. (Mil. Doc., vol. ii., p. 261.)		1434	13	Designed by (14) Domenico di Bartolo da Asciano. Executed by (15) Giacomo d’Antonio.
The Story of Absalom. (Siena e il suo Territorio.)		1447	12	Designed by (16) Pietro del Minella.
Solomon		”	24
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican	These three designs are in the doorways of the principal faÇade.	1448	57
A Jar, labelled Fel (Gall)		”	58
A similar Jar, labelled Mel (Honey)		”	59
Three designs before doors of Baptistery. (The Birth, Baptism, and Reception of an Infant Christian.		1450		Designed by (17) Nastagio di Guasparre and executed by (18) Bartolomeo di Mariano, called Il Mandriano, and (21) Antonio Federighi.
Design before the Porta del Perdono Consecration of the Duomo by Pope Alexander III. [Bandinelli] in 1174.)	Now destroyed.	1451		Designed by (19) Guasparre d’Agostino and executed by (20) Corso di Bastiano.
The two Blind men. (Mil. Doc., vol. ii., p. 437.)		1459	40	Executed, after his own design, by Antonio Federighi.
The Relief of Bethulia by Judith.	The frieze of Reels around this design was executed by the said Urbano, (24) Giovanni di Maestro Stefano, (25) Bartolommeo di Domenico Calabrone, and (26) Francesco di Bartolomeo.	1473	25	Designed by (22) Urbano da Cortona(?) or by (23) Matteo di Giovanni Bartoli.(?) Executed by Antonio Federighi.
The Seven Ages of Man	Around it is a frieze of stags, by the same artist.	1475	6	Executed by Antonio Federighi.
The Massacre of the Innocents.		1481	26	Designed by Matteo di Giovanni Bartoli.
The Delphic Sibyl		1482	1	Executed by (27) Giuliano di Biagio and (28) Vito di Marco.
The Cumean Sibyl		”	2	Executed by (29) Luigi di Ruggiero, called L’Armellino, and Vito di Marco.
The Cuman Sibyl		”	3	Giovanni di Maestro Stefano.
The Erythrean Sibyl		”	4	Antonio Federighi.
The Persian Sibyl		”	5	Urbano di Pietro da Cortona.
The Sacrifice o These represent:
On the right:
1. Elisha raises the son of the Shunammite.
2. A Prophet, with an open book before him.
3. Eve kneeling.
4. A Woman, with an open book in her hand.
5. A Woman holding a hand-mirror, who represents “Prudence.”
6. Melchisedec Sacrificing.
7. A seated Woman, with a Child.
On the left:
8. The old Tobit with his Son, and the Angel Raphael. At his feet a dog.
9. A Woman, representing “Charity.”
10. Adam kneeling.
11. A Prophet, looking up to Heaven.
12. A seated Woman, with a book in her hand.
13. Abel Sacrificing.
14. A Woman, in the act of sitting down, with a Child... The large picture and the smaller ones are framed by a frieze of half-length figures, which represent the Hebrew People journeying from Egypt towards the Promised Land.				Designed by Domenico Beccafumi and executed by (45) Pellegrino di Pietro.
Elijah fed by Ravens	These four designs are usually attributed, as is stated in col. 5; but, as I have argued at length in chap. ii., it is not improbable that they were originally designed by (46) Gio. Battista Sozzini, and executed by (47) Niccolo di Girolamo Gori, (48) Domenico di Pier Giovanni, and Bernardino di Jacomo, in 1562.	1780	47	Designed by (49) Carlo Amidei, and executed by (50) Matteo Pini.
Elijah anoints Jehu King of Israel		”	48
Elijah asks bread of the Widow		”	49
Elijah raises the Widow’s son		”	50
Hope	Originally designed in 1780, by Carlo Amidei and Matteo Pini, but removed in 1878.		7
Faith			8
Charity			9	(See below.)
Religion			10

In 1875–78, the scenes in the four lozenges, Nos. 47–50, by Carlo Amidei, being considered unsatisfactory, and the ancient scenes 38, 39, 40, being much dilapidated, (51) Professor Alessandro Franchi prepared four new designs of the same subjects for the lozenges, and three more subjects from the same story, for the three hexagons.

Namely:

(a) Elijah predicts the manner of Ahab’s death. No. 39.1
(b) Ahab mortally wounded, No. 40.
(c) Elijah carried to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire, No. 38.

These designs were executed by (52) Prof. Leopoldo Maccari, with the assistance of the sculptors (53) Antonio and (54) Giuseppe Radicchi.

The same artists also, at the same date, designed and executed, respectively, the figures of the four Theological Virtues (Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10), as we now see them.

LOMBARDI PHOTO.]

I. GENERAL VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF SIENA CATHEDRAL, SHOWING THE PAVEMENT

* * * * *

... “Cast down thine eyes;
’Twere well for thee, to alleviate the way,
To look upon the bed beneath thy feet.

* * * * *

So saw I there, but of a better semblance
In point of artifice, with figures covered
Whate’er as pathway from the mount projects.

* * * * *

Who e’er of pencil master was or stile,
That could portray the shades and traits which there
Would cause each subtile genius to admire?
Dead seemed the dead, the living seemed alive;
Better than I saw not who saw the truth,
All that I trod upon while bowed I went.

“La Divina Commedia” of Dante Alighieri,
translated by H.W. Longfellow.

* * * * *

... Volgi gli occhi in giue;
Buon ti sarÀ, per alleggiar la via,
Veder lo letto delle piante tue.

* * * * *

Si vid’ io li, ma di miglior sembianza
Secondo l’ artificio, figurato
Quanto per via di fuor dal monte avanza.

* * * * *

Qual di pennel fu maestro o di stile,
Che ritraesse l’ombre e i tratti, ch’ ivi
Mirar farieno ogn’ ingegno sottile?
Morti li morti, e i vivi parean vivi.
Non vede me’ di me chi vide il vero,
Quant’ io calcai fin che chinato givi.

“La Divina Commedia” di Dante Alighieri,
Il Purgatorio, Canto xii.
L. 13–15, 22–24, 64–69.

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