Uffizi: Sienese School of painting 14th Century II
Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi ‘Annunciation’ 1333 Zoom in
Given that Simone Martini had to contend with the impressive main altar by Duccio, he showcases some remarkable features that leave every connoisseur in awe.
Thumb between a just-closed book Wooden inlay
For instance, Simone Martini has meticulously detailed the wooden inlay of the throne on which Mary sits. The marble floor is painted with great realism. Martini, who often painted marble in his work, was known as a true master in this field. Gabriel’s wings are also an impressive display of craftsmanship. Another notable detail is Mary’s thumb, which she holds between the just-closed book, with the text still readable.
Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi ‘Annunciation’
Gabriel’s precious mantle must have been familiar to the believer standing before the altarpiece. Such costly garments could only be afforded by the high clergy during the time this was painted. To paint the fabric of the mantle, a layer of gold leaf was first applied over a ground layer of red bolus (a highly clayey hematite type, commonly used as a base layer in gilding). Then, a layer of paint in the color of the mantle was applied. Finally, most of the paint was scraped off to reveal the gold patterns. Simone Martini used more gold than paint. Records show that Lippo Memmi received money to purchase gold leaf. More than half of the total costs for the altarpiece went through his hands.
The two saints on the side panels are depicted life-sized. The manner in which Saint Ansanus is portrayed, standing on a pedestal, resembles a statue. Martini had also done this in his panel of Ladislaus I of Hungary. The altar in the chapel of Saint Ansanus, where Martini’s Annunciation hung, did not have relics of this saint. In 1409, sculptors were commissioned to create statues of the saints of Siena. These saints were seated and held a chest on their lap containing the relics of the respective saint. The statue of Ansanus has disappeared. The statues with their relics were placed at the altar on the saint’s feast day so that the saint was also ‘truly present.’ In Siena, the painted version of the saint takes over the role of the sculpture.
The Presentation in the Temple by Ambrogio Lorenzetti
Ambrogio Lorenzetti ‘Presentation in the Temple’ Zoom in
Lorenzetti’s altarpiece in room three of the Uffizi also comes from the cathedral of Siena. It hung in the chapel of San Crescenzio near the chapel with Martini’s Annunciation. It was painted nine years after Martini’s altarpiece. Lorenzetti depicts the presentation in the temple. Ambrogio illustrates the moment described by the evangelist Luke in 2: 22-39. Ambrogio connects two stories: The presentation of Jesus in the temple thirty days after his birth and the purification of Mary forty days after her delivery. Ambrogio includes the prophecy of Simeon and the prophetess Anna. He shows the solemn moment when Simeon and Anna are about to utter their prophecy.
The Priest, pigeons and the Child
The pigeons seem impressed by this significant event; they sit motionless. The priest wants to circumcise the child Jesus, the tip of the knife is heated by the fire. The old Simeon looks fragile while the child has his fingers in his mouth. The painter makes it clear in this way that Jesus is the son of God, but also a human. Hannah, who points to Jesus with her right hand, holds a scroll with the text.
ET HAEC IPSA HORA SUPERVENIES CONFITEBATUR DOMINO ET LOQUEBATUR DE ILLO OMNIBUS QUI EXPECTABANT REDEMPTIONEM ISRAEL
She also came up to them at that moment; she began to speak about the child, thanking God. All the people who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem heard it.
Behold, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1
A Comparison Between the Annunciation and the Presentation in the Temple
When comparing the two panels in this room of the Uffizi, there is a striking difference. The golden abstract background of Simone becomes the interior of a church in Ambrogio’s work. The believer kneeling before the altar can virtually enter the painterly space in the Presentation, but he himself remains in his own world. Meanwhile, Martini pushes the angel Gabriel and Mary into the viewer’s space, as it were. Thus, it seems easier for the viewer to identify with the significant religious event unfolding before his eyes. The words from the angel’s mouth in the golden background urge the believer to complete the first lines of the Hail Mary with the words:
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
If you take naturalism as the standard for good art, as Vasari does in his ‘Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects,’ then Lorenzetti’s Presentation is clearly better than Simone Martini’s Annunciation. Martini’s Annunciation was very popular among the faithful and would remain so for many centuries, which is not the case for Lorenzetti’s panel. The art historian Henk van Os describes the unique history of the Mary depicted by Simone Martini in his Annunciation. The painter Bartolo di Fredi replicated Martini’s Mary in a panel measuring 46 x 30 cm, probably not long after the completion of Martini’s Annunciation. It became a true icon for the personal devotion of the faithful. To this day, such reproductions can be found in religious goods stores and in many homes. A panel in the Musée du Petit Palais in Avignon was found to have a remarkable history upon investigation. The Mary had been overpainted in the nineteenth century. Beneath the paint, a second painting of a Mary from the mid-fifteenth century by Giovanni di Paolo emerged. The use of X-rays revealed that the original by Bartolo di Fredi from the 14th century was still intact. The panel has now been restored to its original condition. In his Annunciation, Bartolo di Fredi also utilized Martini’s Mary.
Bartolo di Fredi ‘Annunciation Mary’ 14th century
