The Battle of San Romano Flashcards
subject?
The first of three panels depicting the battle that took place between Florentine and Sienese forces in 1432.
Arched top?
It is believed that it was originally larger but the arched top was removed (hence no sky) so as to fit it within its new location in the Palazzo Medici.
The central figure?
Niccolo da Tolentino (the Florentine leader) wears an elaborate headdress and cloak. His horse’s harness is decorated with ornate golden medallions. His face is clearly seen so that he could be identified by a contemporary viewer.
Additional horsemen?
The melee (confusion) of battle can be sensed in the close packed figures.
The weapons?
The artist uses the broken lances, which extend beyond the picture plane, to draw the viewer into the image.
Perspectival impression?
He creates a sense of deep space by using the lances, bodies and foreshortened horses, yet there is no recession in the background landscape.
The background?
The highly decorated trees, fields and figures rising straight upwards creating a tapestry-like effect. This sense of artifice allied with naturalism creates a tension within the composition.
Three panels?
The three panels were intended to be hung in a row telling the story of the battle. The first panel depicts the beginning of the battle (dawn), the second (midday) and the third (dusk).
Stylised elements vs naturalistic elements?
The highly decorated trees, fields and figures rising straight upwards contrast with the cleaner lines and moulding of the figures at the front - reflecting the overlaps in style and shift in taste from the stylised International Gothic to Renaissance realism.
Celebrating Florentine victory?
No blood and gore mark the dead bodies on the ground and the broken lances, helmets and armour that lay on the ground form a decorative pattern rather than creating an impression of military turmoil. This is a not a religious work but one that expresses civic pride. Pride in a great victory, but also pride in Florentine artistic (supremacy).
Niccolo da Tollentino?
Florentine military general responsible for their victory. At a key moment in the battle, Tollentino took advantage of a dispute between the enemy generals and called for reinforcements who arrived just in time to secure victory.
Condottiere?
City states often employed condottiere like Niccolo da Tolentino to fight their battles. These condottiere often brought with them their own professional companies of soldiers. Successful condottiere wielded enormous power and were rewarded with great wealth and opportunities.
The battle?
Battle of San Romano was part of a larger campaign fought between the Tuscan city states of Florence and Siena (in alliance with Lucca & Milan).
Quattrocento Italy?
Made up of a collection of city states - some were republics (Florence) and others were princely courts (Milan). They jostled for power, position and trade.
Brunelleschi linear perspective 1415?
Filippo Brunelleschi developed the principles of single-point perspective, eliminating the multiple viewpoints seen in medieval art, creating an illusion of space from a single viewpoint. This suggests a renewed focus on the individual viewer, emphasising the importance of individualism to Renaissance Humanism.
