We have, I think, proved this to be true, and shown that the same organization held good up to the fifteenth century, if not longer. Signor Milanesi's interesting collection of Sienese documents, if studied closely, contains endless indications of the existence of the guild. We find several cases of arbitration, such as when Doctor Filippo Francesconi, and Maestro Lorenzo di Pietro, called Vecchietta, were chosen on September 20, 1471, as arbiters between Maestro Urbano di Pietro of Cortona, sculptor, and Bastiano di Francesco, stone-cutter, his workman, who lodged a complaint against his master on account of unpaid wages and loss of tools. This same Urbano appears to have been frequently in need of arbiters, for on Jan. 27, 1471-72, Bertino di Gherardo was called on to settle a cause between Madonna Caterina, wife of Silvio Piccolomini, and the sculptor Urbano, and decided that the lady must pay the artist 100 lire within the term of four years, the payments to be made quarterly. It was at the lady's option to pay in kind, such as corn or wine, if it suited her better.[234] Then there are frequent meetings of councils for appraising the work of other Masters, and we find the Operaio, or Head of Administration, fixing the salaries of underlings. Precisely the same meetings, arbitrations, appraisings, went on in Florence. Indeed, in the fifteenth century the two lodges of Siena and Florence were so closely intermingled, the Masters appearing now in one city and then in the other, that there can be no doubt a fraternity existed between them. We even find Donatello, who came from Florence to make the bronze doors, sleeping in a feather bed supplied by the camarlengo of the Opera at Siena.[235]
Donatello was more or less in Siena between 1457 and 1461. He was engaged to sculpture the altar of the Madonna of the Duomo there on October 17, 1457. His accounts are much mixed up with those of Urbano di Pietro of Cortona, of whom we have spoken. It seems Urbano bought the metal to cast a half figure of Judith, and one of St. John, both modelled by Donatello. The money, however, was advanced to Urbano by the banker Dalgano di Giacomo Bichi. The books of the camarlengo of the Opera have several entries for expenses of modelling wax, and metal for casting, etc., used by Donatello in the figures on the altar of the Madonna delle Grazie; his assistants and pupils on this occasion were Francesco di Andrea di Ambrogio, of Lombard origin, and Bartolommeo di Giovanni di Ser Vincenzo.
CHAPTER III
THE FLORENTINE LODGE
THE FLORENTINE LODGE
| 1. | 1258 | Magister Jacopo Tedesco da Campione | Built castles at Arezzo andPoppi; and the Bargello atFlorence. | |
| 2. | 1298 to 1310 | M. Arnolfo (his son?) | C.M. of the Duomo. Built the Palazzo Vecchio. | |
| 3. | 1340-48 | M. Giotto | Designed the campanile, andsculptured the first row ofreliefs. | |
| 4. | M. Andrea Pisano | Made door of Baptistery. | ||
| 5. | 1349-59 | M. Francesco Talenti | C.M. of the Duomo. | |
| 6. | 1350 | Neri Fieravanti | Four Masters who went toCarrara to buy marbles for theCampanile, of which they werejoint architects. | |
| 7. | Niccolaus Beltrami | |||
| 8. | Benozzus Niccolaus, his son | |||
| 9. | Albertus Arnoldi | |||
| 10. | 1355 | M. Frate Jacopo | Brother of Francesco Talenti;sent to Rome for marbles. | |
| 11. | " | M. Francesco da Siena (called Francesco del Coro) | Carved stalls in Sienacathedral: sent for to carve thestalls of the choir of S. Croce. | |
| 12. | " | M. Benci Cione | Father of Orcagna. They werecalled in the Council of theOpera to consider FrancescoTalenti's design for thechapels, July 1355. | |
| 13. | " | M. Ristoro Cione (a relative) | ||
| 14. | " | M. Lapo Ghino | Descended from Ghini Venturadi Diotisalvi of Siena. | |
| 15. | " | M. Giovanni di Lapo Ghino. | C.M. with F. Talenti, 1360 to 1368[236] | |
| 16. | M. Bartolo da S. Ghallo | A Lombard from S. Gall,grandfather of the famousGiuliano and Antonio San Gallo. | ||
| 17. | 1356 | M. Ambrogio Lenzi (Ambroxios da Campione) | Son of Guglielmo da Campione;was C.M. of the Baptistery in1356; C.M. of the Duomo in 1362. | |
| 18. | M. Stefano Metti | |||
| 19. | 1357 | M. Domenico di Noffo | Sent to Siena to buy marbles. | |
| 20. | " | M. Giovanni Belchari | These three were joint C.Maestri for the upper part ofthe Campanile. In 1362 Gio.Belchari was poor and infirm,and the guild gave him apension. | |
| 21. | M. Vigi Grilli | |||
| 22. | M. Bancho Falchi | |||
| 23. | Agostino Falchi (brother of the preceding) | Joint Masters for the wallsand columns of the Duomo. | ||
| 24. | Niccolò Megli | |||
| 25. | M. Andrea di Cione (Orcagna) | In council with Frati andMagistri about the spacebetween the columns. Later hebecame famous as painter andsculptor, and made the shrinein Or San Michele. | ||
| 26. | M. Jacopo di Lapo Chavacciani | Makes a model of the shaft. | ||
| 27. | Mato di Cenni | These were engaged for thebases of the columns. | ||
| 28. | Jacopo di Polo | |||
| 29. | 1362 | M. Barna Batis | Provveditore after FilippoMarsili. | |
| 30. | M. Davinus Corsi | |||
| 31. | 1363 | M. Simone Johannes dal Pino | Engaged to carve the twistedcolumns of red marble in thewindows of the Duomo. | |
| 32. | " | M. Ambrosius Ghini | A relative of Lapo Ghino. | |
| 33. | 1364 | M. Sandro Macci | In council on the domes, withmany others named before andafter. | |
| 34. | M. Francesco Neri Sellari | Sculptured pila and relief inS. Croce. | ||
| 35. | 1366 | M. Simone di Francesco Talenti | C.M. of Or S. Michele in 1376.With Taddeo Ristori in 1366 hemade a design for a chapel. | |
| 36. | " | M. Jacopo Pauli | Engaged Aug. 31, 1366, to makecapitals for columns in thesacristy. | |
| 37. | " | Mato Jacobi | His three sons who assisted him. | |
| 38. | " | Aldobrando Jacobi | ||
| 39. | " | Corso Jacobi | ||
| 40. | 1367 | Bernabè Pieri | Made a contract on Aug. 31,1366, to carve some capitals. | |
| 41. | " | M. Manetti Pieri | ||
| 42. | 1368 | M. Francesco Michaeli | Advises about Or San Michelewith Gio. di Lapo Ghino. | |
| 43. | M. Mattheo olim Cionis | One of the Masters employedin Or San Michele, brother ofOrcagna. | ||
| 44. | 1375 | M. Giovanni Giuntini | ||
| 45. | M. Francesco Salvetti | C.M. in 1375, but resigned laterin favour of Giovanni Fetti. | ||
| 46. | 1376 | M. Taddeo Ristori | One of the Cione family;architect at Or San Michele,and the Loggia de' Lanzi afterhis uncle Benci Cione. | |
| 47. | Ambrogio di Vanni | Masters in stone-carving. | ||
| 48. | Leonardo olim Masis | |||
| 49. | 1377 | M. Johannes Michaeli, brother of Francesco (No. 42) | Went to Prato on Oct. 2, 1377,with Tommaso Mattei to buymarble. | |
| 50. | M. Tommaso Mattei | Son of Matteo di Cione. | ||
| 51. | M. Zenobio Bartholi | Was paid 18 florins on Dec. 15,1377, for a figure of the AngelMichael. He also carved twoother figures at 20 florins. | ||
| 52. | " | M. Simone Francesci Talenti | Elected C.M. in 1377. Son of theC.M. Francesco. He sculptured afigure in 1377, and was paid 13florins. | |
| 53. | 1380 | M. Jacopo da Scopeto | Worked in the choir. | |
| 54. | M. Pietro Landi of Siena | Son of the famous Lando, C.M.of Siena Lodge. | ||
| 55. | 1381 | M. Johannes Fetti | Elected C.M. with Guazetta onMarch 14, 1381.window under the vault on thenorth side. | |
| 56. | M. Johannes Stefani, called Guazetta, son of No. 18. | Was a famous Master inwoodwork; he was noted forfoundations and scaffolding. | ||
| 57. | 1383 | M. Laurentius Filippi | C.M. of the Loggia dei Lanziwith Benci Cione, who wasmaster builder. | |
| 58. | 1384 | M. Giovanni di Ambrogio da Lenzo (son of No. 17). | Gave his vote at a meeting onApril 4, 1384, about thepilasters of the tribune. Waschosen C.M. on Feb. 28, 1400. | |
| 1386 | M. Luca di Giovanni da Siena | Carved some angels. | ||
| 59. | 1388 | M. Michael Johannis Lapi Ghini | Succeeded Lorenzo Filippi asC.M. on July 15, 1388. | |
| 60. | 1389 | M. Antonio Francisci | Elected Arch Magistrum, butdeposed in 1420 by the council;and Giovanni di Ambrogio ofCampione was elected. | |
| 61. | 1404 | M. Niccolao called Pela | Sculptured the door of thechapel of the Crucifix fromGiovanni d'Ambrogio's design. | |
| 62. | 1418 | M. Baptista Antoni (son of Antonio, No. 60) | Elected C.M. when Giovannid'Ambrogio resigned by reasonof old age. | |
| 63. | M. Piero d'Antonio (another son of Antonio, No. 60) | Nicknamed Fannulla (Do nothing). | ||
| 64. | " | *M. Matteo di Leonarda | All the masters marked * sentin plans for the Cupola. Thedesign of Brunellesco, who Ibelieve not to have been of theguild, was chosen. | |
| 65. | *M. Vito da Pisa | |||
| 66. | *M. Piero di Santa Maria | |||
| 67. | *M. Donatello | |||
| 68. | *M. Nanni di Banco | |||
| 69. | *M. Lorenzo Ghiberti | Provisore of the Cupola withBaptista Antoni whenBrunellesco's plan was chosen. | ||
| 70. | " | M. Andrea Berti Martignoni | All these Masters were employedto erect a large model of thedesign of Brunellesco for theCupola, on the Piazza delDuomo. | |
| 71. | " | Bonaiuti Pauli | ||
| 72. | " | Papi di Andrea | ||
| 73. | " | Aliosso | ||
| 74. | " | Cristoforo di Simone | ||
| 75. | " | Giovanni di Tuccio | ||
| 76. | " | Jacobo Rosso | ||
| 77. | " | M. Giovanni dell Abbaco | Worked at the Cupola underBrunellesco. | |
| 78. | M. Antonio di Vercelli | |||
| M. Gherardo (tedesco) | Three Germans who were paidfor models of a cupola. | |||
| M. Ghabriella (tedesco) | ||||
| M. Averardo ("magistro teutonico") | ||||
Art is like a flower. If the seeds are sown in favourable soil the plant grows, develops, and bears beautiful blossoms, which in their turn leave seed for future generations. If the soil be not favourable, the plant may perhaps reach its flowering season, but it is weak, and the seeds lack the power of reproduction.
Thus in small cities like Modena, Parma, Orvieto, etc., the artistic atmosphere and soil were wanting. The lodges of those cities never became firmly rooted. The Lombard Masters placed there did their work, and then moved to other cities, but the natives remained uninfluenced. In Pisa, art first took root. The Pisans, whose artistic faculties had been awakened by the classic spoils they had gathered together in their conquests, found a practical outlet for them in the teaching of the laborerium set up in their midst by Buschetto and his assistants and followers. Pisans joined the lodge, and from it great teachers arose. Siena was the next lodge that took root, and drew native artists into it; then followed Venice and Florence; and through them all, distinct as they became in later times, the seed was always sown by the Comacines or Lombard Masters. The Campionese and Buoni families are at the bottom of all the Tuscan schools, and every one of these cradles of art was of the self-same form, i.e. composed of the school, the laborerium, and the Opera of the Comacine Masters.
And what connection had Arnolfo, the first designing architect of the Florentine cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio, with this Masonic company? He had much to do with it, inasmuch as he was an hereditary member, in fact one of the aristocracy of the guild, and he had a most complete training in it. The first trace we get of Arnolfo is his instruction in the school of Magister Niccolò Pisano. The proof of this is a deed drawn up in Siena on May 11, 1266, in which these words occur—"requisivit Magistrum Nicholam Petri de Apulia quod ipse faceret et curaret ita; quod Arnolfus discipulus suus statim veniret Senas ad laborandum in dicto opere, cum ipso magistro Nichola." Here we have Niccolò di Pisa as Master in the guild, and his disciple Arnolfo not yet having graduated.
Another paper relating to Niccolò's work on the pulpit at Siena says—"Secum ducat Senas Arnolphum et Lapum, suos discipulos."
By 1277 Arnolfo seems to have graduated, for when Niccolò and Giovanni di Pisa were at work on the beautiful fountain at Perugia in that year, Fra Bevignate, the soprastante of the work, sent to call Magister Arnolfo from Florence to assist in the sculpture of the fountain. Arnolfo, however, declared in a letter dated Aug. 27, 1277, that he could not go to Perugia, or undertake any work there without the consent of King Charles of Anjou (King of Naples and Sicily) or of Hugo, his vicar in Rome. King Charles was applied to, and on Sept. 10 of that year he wrote conceding permission to Arnolfo to go and assist his old master—then 74 years of age—and also to take the marbles necessary.[237]