Gozzoli and the Cappella dei Magi V
3. The fresco cycle and the altarpiece
3.2. The walls
The castle on the east wall, where the journey begins, resembles the Villa Cafaggiolo (Wikipedia), designed by Michelozzo in 1451 at the behest of Cosimo. The caravan then descends, winding its way down. Most of the portraits can be found on this wall. Gozzoli devoted eleven giornati to the portraits.
On the opposite wall, near the old king, only five day parts were devoted to known figures. Near a narrow ravine next to an orange tree, in the lower left corner of the image, a large group of travelers arrives. Here, a whopping forty portraits are painted. The space in which the figures are placed is not very credible and reminiscent of Gentile da Fabriano’s altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi.
In the background, we see hunting scenes. There are many sources from the fifteenth century describing extensive hunting expeditions in the hills surrounding Florence. The deer was considered one of the noblest prey.
Deer hunting Hunter on a horse Deer
South wall Brigata and the King Landscape
The birds in the sky (south wall, such as the falcon with its prey in its claws (west wall), indicate the popular falconry of that time. The transition from the east to the adjacent south wall is made by three horseback riders. Three young knights are just taking the turn and continuing their journey across the plain. In the background, we see a landscape with winding roads, castles, and settlements.
The middle king looks slightly upwards. Is he seeing the shining star that guided the company? Even the donkey on the narrow right wall seems to be looking at the star on the opposite wall in the fresco. Unfortunately, part of the wall is missing, so it’s not certain whether Gozzoli actually painted the usual star here.
In the southwest corner near the door, Jacopo Chiavistelli painted a landscape after the construction of the staircase, closely resembling the landscape with the old king. The donkey on which the old king sits has been divided into two by the movement of a part of the east wall. Only a leg of one of the pages remains.
West and New wall
Gozzoli part west wall in situ Chiavistelli new wall in situ
Part west wall moved forward Part west wall remained in place
During that time, an ass was considered more suitable for an old man due to its slow pace than a horse. In the stream just before the old king, the reflection can be seen of the page on horseback with a gift in his hand. Also on the western wall, in the background, similar to the opposite wall, hunting scenes are painted. A leopard leaps at a bull’s throat, while to the right of this, a deer is being chased. At the top, to the right in the image, a dog hunts a hare. Near the ass with a melancholic-looking monkey on its back, the procession makes a sharp turn to the left.
Part of the Westwall Reflection in the water Cheetahs Falcon
Here too, there are many portraits, including the two self-portraits of the painter mentioned earlier. The man raising his right hand and clearly showing his fingers is Benozzo Gozzoli.
He turns around and looks at the wall with the young king where he also portrayed himself. Perhaps the hand gesture is a farewell gesture, or does the artist want to convey with his raised hand that he personally painted the frescoes? Just as Benozzo did by painting the words “OPVS BENOTHII D [E?]” or “work of Benozzo” on the headgear of his other self-portrait? Behind Gozzoli’s self-portrait, the procession leaves the plain. Part of the winding procession even disappears entirely from the picture plane.
Giuliano de Medici Portrait Cheetah
The journey goes up into the mountains. On the steep path upward, there is a fairy-tale atmosphere: two dark figures on the backs of camels, donkeys loaded with gifts, and judging by their clothing and beards, many Eastern figures. A drawing from 1459 by Benozzo Gozzoli, now in the British Museum, closely resembles the man with the dog in the fresco.
Journey into the mountains Man with a dog Study of the man with a dog
For the horses, the artist used prints of antique sculptures and bronzes, among other things. Gozzoli himself made study drawings of animals, including a dog chasing a hare (National Gallery of Art Washington, D.C.) and one of the classical horses (British museum) at the Quirinal in Rome.
Shepards (left) In situ Shepards (right) In situ
On the narrow walls next to the Corinthian pilasters, the shepherds are depicted. On the right, the donkey looks out from the fresco, and on the left, the ox looks back at the caravan approaching. The landscape seamlessly matches that of the other walls.
The posture of the two animals is completely in line with the usual iconography. In Isaiah 1:3, it is written: “The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger.” The ox was seen as a clean and faithful animal and usually depicted next to Christ. The donkey, on the other hand, was considered unclean and a representative of the heathens. It is usually placed next to the manger. The shepherds do not yet know that the Child is born; they stare at the ground, lost in thought.
Continuation Florence day 6: Gozzoli and the Cappella dei Magi VI