The Battle of San Romano

Question 1

Date and artist

Answer 1

1438 - 40

Paolo Uccello

Question 2

Depicts what battle

Answer 2

Battle of San Romano: between Florence ad Siena in 1434

Question 3

Commissioned by ?

Answer 3

The Bartolini Salimbeni Family

Question 4

How it is propagandistic and idealistic

Answer 4

Depicts the leader of the Florentines, Nicolò da Tolentino, in a very favourable light - in the centre, white horse, impressively decorated hat, leading his army
idealistic depiction of battle: no blood, limited violence and injury

Question 5

Oranges symbolism

Answer 5

Oranges are a symbol of Florence - associated with trade that brings money to Florence

Question 6

What makes it resemble a tapestry

Answer 6

emphasis on pattern and the decorative: rendered in bright colours
also the way it uses perspective - figures feel somewhat packed in

Question 7

How did perspective fail

Answer 7

Artist’s early experiment in perspective:
Awkwardly foreshortened man in the foreground on the left, diminution of scale not correctly scaled down (figures too tall in comparison to the trees + all background figures are the same size no matter where they are)
also no haze in the distance - makes the pictorial space feel flat rather than giving it depth

Question 8

Influence of the Renaissance

Answer 8

‘knights in shining armour’ was a popular trope in Renaissance art and literature