Agostino and Agnolo, Sculptors and Architects of Siena.
Among the others who worked in the school of the sculptors Giovanni and Niccola Pisani were Agostino and Agnolo, sculptors of Siena, whose lives we are now writing, and who achieved great success according to the standard of the time. I have discovered that their father and mother were both Sienese, and their antecedents were architects, for the Fontebranda was completed by them in the year 1190, under the government of the three Consols, and in the following year they founded the Custom House and other buildings of Siena, under the same consulship. Indeed it is often seen that where the seeds of talent have existed for a long time they often germinate and put forth shoots so that they afterwards produce greater and better fruit than the first plants had done. Thus Agostino and Agnolo added many improvements to the style of Giovanni and Niccola Pisani, and enriched art with better designs and inventions, as their works clearly show. It is said that when Giovanni Pisano returned to Pisa from Naples in the year 1284, he stopped at Siena to design and found the façade of the Duomo, where the three principal doors are, so that it should be entirely adorned with marble. It was then that Agostino, who was not more than fifteen years of age at the time, associated with him in order to study sculpture, of which he had learned the first principles, being no less attracted by that art than by architecture. Under Giovanni's instruction and by means of unremitting study he surpassed all his fellow-pupils in design, grace and style, so that everyone remarked that he was his master's right eye. And because it is natural to desire for those whom one loves beyond all other gifts of nature, mind or fortune, that quality of worth which alone renders men great and noble in this life and blessed in the next, Agostino took advantage of Giovanni's presence to secure the same advantages for his younger brother Agnolo; nor was if very difficult to do so, for the practice already enjoyed by Agnolo with Agostino and the other sculptors, and the honour and benefits which he perceived could be gained from this art, had so inflamed him with a desire to take up the study of sculpture, that he had already made a few things in secret before the idea had occurred to Agostino. The elder brother was engaged with Giovanni in making the marble reliefs for the high altar of the Vescovado of Arezzo, which has been mentioned above, and he succeeded in securing the co-operation of Agnolo in that work, who did so well, that when it was completed, it was found that he had surpassed Agostino in excellence. When this became known to Giovanni, he employed both brothers in many other works undertaken by him subsequently in Pistoia, Pisa, and other places. And because Agostino practised architecture as well as sculpture, it was not long before he designed a palace in Malborghetto for the Nine who then ruled in Siena, that is to say, in the year 1308. The execution of this work won the brothers such a reputation in their native place, that, when they returned to Siena after the death of Giovanni, they were both appointed architects of the State, so that in the year 1317 the north front of the Duomo was made under their direction, and in 1321 the building of the wall of the porta Romana, then known as the porta S. Martino, was begun from their plans in its present style, being finished in 1326. They restored the Tufi Gate, originally called the Gate of S. Agata all Arco, and in the same year the church and convent of S. Francesco were begun from their design, in the presence of the cardinal of Gaeta, the papal legate. Not long afterwards Agostino and Agnolo were invited by means of some of the Tolomei who were staying in exile at Orvieto, to make some sculptures for the work of S. Maria in that city. Going thither they made in sculpture some prophets which are now on the façade, and are the finest and best proportioned parts of that celebrated work. Now in the year 1326 it chanced that Giotto was summoned to Naples by means of Charles, Duke of Calabria, who was then staying in Florence, to do some things in S. Chiara and other places there for King Robert, as has been related in that master's life. On his way to Naples Giotto stopped at Orvieto to see the work which had been executed there and which was still being carried on by so many men, wishing to examine everything minutely. But the prophets of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena pleased him more than all the other sculptures, from which circumstance it arose that Giotto not only commended them, but counted them among the number of his friends, to their great delight, and further recommended them to Piero Saccone of Pietramala, as the best sculptors of the day, and the best fitted to make the tomb of Guido, the lord and bishop of Arezzo, a matter referred to in the life of Giotto. Thus the fact that Giotto had seen the work of many sculptors at Orvieto and had considered that of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena to be the best, gave rise to their being commissioned to make this tomb after his designs and in accordance with the model which he had sent to Piero Saccone. They finished the tomb in the space of four years, conducting the work with great care, and they set it up in the chapel of the Sacrament in the church of the Vescovado of Arezzo. Above the sarcophagus, which rests on brackets carved in a really admirable manner, is stretched the form of the bishop, in marble, while at the side are some angels drawing curtains, done with considerable skill. Twelve square panels contain scenes of the life and acts of the bishop in an infinite number of small figures carved in half-relief. I do not think it too much trouble to relate the subjects of these scenes, so that it may appear with what labour they were executed, and how these sculptors endeavoured to discover the good style by study.
The first shows how the bishop, aided by the Ghibelline party of Milan, who sent him 400 masons and money, entirely rebuilt the wall of Arezzo, lengthening it more than it had previously been so that it took the shape of a galley. The second is the taking of Lucignano di Valdichiana; the third, that of Chiusi; the fourth, that of Fronzoli, a strong castle of that time above Poppi, held by the sons of the count of Battifolle. The fifth contains the final surrender to the bishop of the castle of Rondine, after it had been besieged by the Aretines for many months. The sixth is the capture of the castle del Bucine in Valdarno. The seventh contains the storming of the Rocca di Caprese, which belonged to the Count of Romena, after it had been besieged for several months. In the eighth the bishop is dismantling the castle of Laterino, and causing the hill which rises above it to be cut in form of a cross, so that it should not be possible to make another fortress there. The ninth represents the destruction and burning of Monte Sansavino and the driving out of all the inhabitants. The eleventh contains the bishop's coronation, with a number of richly dressed soldiers, both horse and foot, and of other people. The twelfth and last represents the bishop being carried by his men from Montenero, where he fell sick, to Massa, and thence, after his death, to Arezzo. In many places about the tomb are the Ghibelline insignia and the bishop's arms, which are six-squared stones or on a field azure, following the same arrangements as the six balls in the arms of the Medici. These arms of the bishop's house were described by friar Guittone, knight and poet of Arezzo, when he wrote of the site of the castle of Pietramala, whence the family derived its origin, in the lines:
Dove si scontra il Giglion con la Chiassa
Ivi furon i miei antecessori,
Che in campo azzurro d'or portan sei sassa.
Agnolo and Agostino displayed more art, invention, and diligence in this work than had ever been employed on anything before their time. And indeed they deserve the highest praise, having introduced into it so many figures, such a variety of landscapes, places, towns, horses, men, and other things, that it is a veritable marvel. And although the tomb has been almost entirely destroyed by the French of the Duke of Anjou, who sacked the greater part of the city in revenge for some injuries received by them from their enemies, yet it is still clear that it was executed with the most excellent judgment by Agostino and Agnolo, who carved on it in rather large letters: Hoc opus fecit magister Augustinus et magister Angelus de Senis. In 1329 they did a marble bas-relief for the church of S. Francesco at Bologna, which is in a very fair manner, and besides the carved ornamentation, which is very fine, they introduced figures a braccia and a half high, of Christ crowning Our Lady, with three similar figures on either side, St Francis, St James, St Domenic, St Anthony of Padua, St Petronio, and St John the Evangelist, and under each of these figures is carved in bas-relief a scene from the life of the saint above. All these scenes contain a great number of half-length figures, which make a rich and beautiful ornamentation after the manner of those times. It is very apparent that Agostino and Agnolo threw an immense amount of labour into this work, and that they applied all their care and knowledge to make it worthy of praise, as it truly was, and even now when it is half destroyed, it is possible to read their names and the date, by means of which and of a knowledge of the time when they began it, one may see that they spent eight whole years upon it, although it is true that at the same time they made many other small things in different places for various persons.
Now while they were at work at Bologna, that city gave itself freely to the Church, through the mediation of the papal legate, and the Pope in return promised that he and his court would go to live at Bologna, but that for his security he wished to build a castle or fortress there. This was granted by the Bolognese, and the castle was quickly built under the direction and from the design of Agostino and Agnolo; but it had a very short life, for when the Bolognese discovered that all the promises made by the Pope were vain, they dismantled and destroyed it much more quickly than it had been made.
It is said that while these two sculptors were staying at Bologna, the Po impetuously burst its banks, doing incredible damage to the territories of Mantua and Ferrara, causing the death of more than ten thousand persons, and wasting the country for miles around. Being clever and worthy men, the assistance of Agostino and Agnolo was requested, and they succeeded in finding means of reducing that terrible river to its bed, and of confining it there with ditches and other effective remedies. This brought them much praise and benefit, for besides the fame which they acquired thereby, their services were acknowledged by the lords of Mantua and by the house of Este with most liberal rewards.
When they next returned to Siena in the year 1338, the new church of S. Maria, near the old Duomo, towards the piazza Manetti, was made under their direction from their design, and not long after, the Sienese, who were greatly pleased with all the works which they executed for them, decided to seize this excellent opportunity of carrying into effect a plan which they had long discussed, but till then without any result, namely, the erection of a public fountain on the principal piazza opposite the palace of the Signoria. The charge of this undertaking was entrusted to Agostino and Agnolo, and although it was a matter of great difficulty they brought water to the fountain by pipes made of lead and earth, and the first jet of water was thrown up on 1st June 1343, to the great delight and contentment of all the city, which on this account was under a great obligation to the talent of these two citizens. At the same time the hall of the greater council was made in the Palazzo del Pubblico, and the same artists directed and designed the building of the tower of that palace, which they completed in the year 1344, hanging two great bells on it, one of which came from Grosseto, while the other was made at Siena. In the course of time Agnolo arrived at Assisi, where he made a chapel in the lower church of S. Francesco, and a marble tomb for a brother of Napoleone Orsini, a cardinal and a Franciscan friar, who had died in that place. Agostino, who had remained at Siena in the service of the State, died while he was engaged upon the designs for the ornamentation of the piazza fountain, mentioned above, and was buried in the Duomo with honour. I have not been able to discover how or when Agnolo died, so that I can say nothing about it, nor do I know of any other works of importance by his hand, and so this is the end of their lives. It would, however, be an error, as I am following a Chronological order, not to make mention of some, who, although they have not done things which would justify a narration of their whole life, have nevertheless in some measure added things of utility and beauty to art and to the world. Therefore in connection with the mention made above of the Vescovado and Pieve of Arezzo, let me here relate that Pietro and Paolo, goldsmiths of Arezzo, who learned design from Agnolo and Agostino of Siena, were the first who executed great works of any excellence with the chisel; for they made for the head priest of the Pieve of Arezzo a silver head of life-size, in which was put the head of St Donato, bishop and protector of that city, a work which was certainly praiseworthy, if only because they introduced into it some figures in enamel, which were, as I have said, among the first things executed with the chisel.
About the same time, or shortly before, the art of the Calimara at Florence, entrusted to Master Cione, an excellent goldsmith, the greater part, if not the whole, of the silver altar of S. Giovanni Batista, which contains many scenes from the life of that saint, engraved in a very creditable manner on a silver plate. This work, on account of its dimensions, and the novelty of its execution, was considered marvellous by everyone who saw it. The same Master Cione, in 1330, when the body of St Zenobius was found under the vaults of St Reparata, placed in a silver head of life-size, the piece of the head of that saint which is still preserved therein, and is carried in procession. This head was considered a most beautiful thing at the time, and brought much reputation to the artist, who died soon after, a wealthy man, and held in high esteem.
Master Cione left many pupils, and among others, Forzore di Spinello of Arezzo, who did all manner of engraving excellently, but was especially good in making scenes in enamel on silver, such as may be seen in the Vescovado at Arezzo, for which he made a mitre with a beautiful border of enamel, and a fine pastoral staff in silver. He also executed many things in silver for the Cardinal Galeotto da Pietramala, who bequeathed them to the friars of la Vernia, where he wished to be buried, and where, besides the wall, which the Count Orlando, lord of Chiusi, a small castle below la Vernia, had caused to be set up, he built the church and many rooms in the convent, and all this without leaving any notice or other memorial of himself in any part of that place. Another pupil of Master Cione was Lionardo di Ser Giovanni of Florence, who executed a number of works with the chisel and with solder, with a better design than those who preceded him, especially the altar and silver bas-reliefs of S. Jacopo at Pistoia, where, beside a large number of subjects, the half-length figure of St James, more than a braccia high, is much admired. It is in full relief, and finished with such elaboration, that it seems to have been cast rather than engraved. The figure is placed in the midst of the scenes of the altar table, about which runs a legend in letters of enamel: