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Lot Essay
The entire series of The Story of Paris was only known from documents and believed lost until the early 1960s (D. Heikamp, 'La Manufacture de tapisserie des Médicis', L'Oeil, August - September 1968, fig. 16). The first documents relating to the set are dated to 30 June 1583, when Alessandro Allori invoices the Medici workshops for 120 scudi 3 lire for supplying four designs for the tapestries. Allori then appears to receive a partial payment three days later. The tapestries must have been completed in an extreme rush as Benedetto Squilli delivers the four tapestries to the guardaroba on 4 June 1583, only three months later, and invoices the Medici for 667 scudi 6 lire. Squilli is finally paid for the tapestries along with several series of tapestries on 15 July 1585.
THE COAT-OF-ARMS AND FRANCESCO I DE'MEDICI
The arms of the tapestries are somewhat surprising in suggesting a Medici-Austrian marriage. The tapestries were woven while Francesco I de'Medici (1541 - 1587) was married to Bianca Cappello (1548 - 1587). It is therefore particularly interesting to note that the original coat-of-arms, showing the union between the Medici and Cappello families, are hidden beneath the Medici-Austrian arms.
Francesco I, the son of Cosimo I, succeeded him in 1574 but was less dedicated to statecraft than his father. He gave extensive financial aid to the Emperor and King of Spain which brought him the grand-ducal title in 1576 and the order of the Golden Fleece in 1585. He first married the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I, sister of Emperor Maximilian II and cousin of King Philip II of Spain, Giovanna d'Austria in 1565. The marriage was no success and Francesco introduced his mistress Bianca Cappello to the court in 1568. Bianca, the beautiful daughter of the Venetian nobleman Bartolommeo Cappello, was at that point married to Pietro Bonaventuri. Just two months after Giovanna's death in 1578, he married Bianca in secret and in 1579 in public. Both Francesco and Bianca died within one day of each other of malaria in October 1587, although it was at the time believed that they died in a conspiracy.
After Bianca Cappello's death a veritable damnatio memoriae of anything related to her was inflicted by Francesco I's brother, Ferdinand I, who succeeded him. Her coat-of-arms must have been covered up shortly after her death. D. Heikamp believes that the arms were rewoven upon the marriage of Cosimo II with Maddalena of Austria in 1608 ('La Manufacture de tapisserie des Médicis', L'Oeil, August - September 1968, fig. P. 28). However, L. Meoni suggests in her detailed research that a document of 18 March 1588 recording the replacement of four grand ducal coat-of-arms with those of the Austrian archdukes may refer to these tapestries. Ferdinand I may have replaced the Medici - Cappello arms with those of the previous marriage of Francesco I to Giovanna of Austria. He did after all also replace the Medici - Cappello arms on another tapestry set on 28 September 1588 with those of the Medici, shortly before his own wedding to Cristina di Lorena (Gli arazzi nei musei fiorentini, Livorno, 1998, p. 252).
POGGIO A CAIANO
This Medici villa was originally built by Giuliano da Sangallo for Lorenzo de'Medici between 1485 and 1520. The villa was not only the summer residence of the family but was also where Alessandro, Cosimo I and Francesco I de'Medici celebrated their marriages. All new spouses of the dukes, including Giovanna, held court there before entering the city and it was where Francesco I and his second wife Bianca died in 1587.
The interior was decorated and re-decorated at various times. Alessandro Allori, the designer of the offered lot, is among others recorded working in the 'salone Leone X' from 1578 until 1582, while he also created various other frescoes in the villa.
The house initially passed to the Habsburg archdukes, then to Elisa Baciocchi Buonaparte, who became granduchessa of Tuscany in 1809, and finally to King Vittorio Emanuele II. Each owner undertook mainly internal alterations of the building. The villa was finally given to the state in 1919 and subsequently successively sold to private proprietors.
ALESSANDRO ALLORI
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (d. 1607) worked in the mannerist fashion influenced by Bronzino, Vasari and Michelangelo, and was one of its last proponents. He was the adopted son of Bronzino and studied in Rome during his early years, where he was strongly influenced by Michelangelo. He was one of the most active painters in the late 16th century, while his major works included the preparation of the decoration of Michelangelo's tomb in 1564 and the decoration for the wedding of Francesco de' Medici with Giovanna of Austria in 1565. By 1576 he was the main artist for the Medici tapestry workshop and supplied designs for dozens of tapestry series until his death.
BENEDETTO DI MICHELE SQUILLI
The Medici tapestry workshop was established uniquely to furnish the Medici palazzi. Benedetto di Michele Squilli was named responsible for the workshop in the via de' Servi in 1558 and succeeded in uniting it with the second workshop of the via del Cocomero in the giardino di San Marco in 1568. He ran the workshop until his death in 1591.
RELATED TAPESTRIES
Believed lost until recently, parts of the series and some related drawings have been rediscovered in the last decades. The only other panel known to survive from this set, depicting The Triumph of Venus, is in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Related to that is its preparatory drawing, which remains in the Gabinetto Nazionale, Rome. The Palazzo Pitti also retains the two left borders of the other two panels of the series, while the designs for the lost panels are in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Gabinetto Nazionale, Rome, respectively (Meoni, op. cit., 1998, pp. 254 - 259).
THE COAT-OF-ARMS AND FRANCESCO I DE'MEDICI
The arms of the tapestries are somewhat surprising in suggesting a Medici-Austrian marriage. The tapestries were woven while Francesco I de'Medici (1541 - 1587) was married to Bianca Cappello (1548 - 1587). It is therefore particularly interesting to note that the original coat-of-arms, showing the union between the Medici and Cappello families, are hidden beneath the Medici-Austrian arms.
Francesco I, the son of Cosimo I, succeeded him in 1574 but was less dedicated to statecraft than his father. He gave extensive financial aid to the Emperor and King of Spain which brought him the grand-ducal title in 1576 and the order of the Golden Fleece in 1585. He first married the daughter of Emperor Ferdinand I, sister of Emperor Maximilian II and cousin of King Philip II of Spain, Giovanna d'Austria in 1565. The marriage was no success and Francesco introduced his mistress Bianca Cappello to the court in 1568. Bianca, the beautiful daughter of the Venetian nobleman Bartolommeo Cappello, was at that point married to Pietro Bonaventuri. Just two months after Giovanna's death in 1578, he married Bianca in secret and in 1579 in public. Both Francesco and Bianca died within one day of each other of malaria in October 1587, although it was at the time believed that they died in a conspiracy.
After Bianca Cappello's death a veritable damnatio memoriae of anything related to her was inflicted by Francesco I's brother, Ferdinand I, who succeeded him. Her coat-of-arms must have been covered up shortly after her death. D. Heikamp believes that the arms were rewoven upon the marriage of Cosimo II with Maddalena of Austria in 1608 ('La Manufacture de tapisserie des Médicis', L'Oeil, August - September 1968, fig. P. 28). However, L. Meoni suggests in her detailed research that a document of 18 March 1588 recording the replacement of four grand ducal coat-of-arms with those of the Austrian archdukes may refer to these tapestries. Ferdinand I may have replaced the Medici - Cappello arms with those of the previous marriage of Francesco I to Giovanna of Austria. He did after all also replace the Medici - Cappello arms on another tapestry set on 28 September 1588 with those of the Medici, shortly before his own wedding to Cristina di Lorena (Gli arazzi nei musei fiorentini, Livorno, 1998, p. 252).
POGGIO A CAIANO
This Medici villa was originally built by Giuliano da Sangallo for Lorenzo de'Medici between 1485 and 1520. The villa was not only the summer residence of the family but was also where Alessandro, Cosimo I and Francesco I de'Medici celebrated their marriages. All new spouses of the dukes, including Giovanna, held court there before entering the city and it was where Francesco I and his second wife Bianca died in 1587.
The interior was decorated and re-decorated at various times. Alessandro Allori, the designer of the offered lot, is among others recorded working in the 'salone Leone X' from 1578 until 1582, while he also created various other frescoes in the villa.
The house initially passed to the Habsburg archdukes, then to Elisa Baciocchi Buonaparte, who became granduchessa of Tuscany in 1809, and finally to King Vittorio Emanuele II. Each owner undertook mainly internal alterations of the building. The villa was finally given to the state in 1919 and subsequently successively sold to private proprietors.
ALESSANDRO ALLORI
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (d. 1607) worked in the mannerist fashion influenced by Bronzino, Vasari and Michelangelo, and was one of its last proponents. He was the adopted son of Bronzino and studied in Rome during his early years, where he was strongly influenced by Michelangelo. He was one of the most active painters in the late 16th century, while his major works included the preparation of the decoration of Michelangelo's tomb in 1564 and the decoration for the wedding of Francesco de' Medici with Giovanna of Austria in 1565. By 1576 he was the main artist for the Medici tapestry workshop and supplied designs for dozens of tapestry series until his death.
BENEDETTO DI MICHELE SQUILLI
The Medici tapestry workshop was established uniquely to furnish the Medici palazzi. Benedetto di Michele Squilli was named responsible for the workshop in the via de' Servi in 1558 and succeeded in uniting it with the second workshop of the via del Cocomero in the giardino di San Marco in 1568. He ran the workshop until his death in 1591.
RELATED TAPESTRIES
Believed lost until recently, parts of the series and some related drawings have been rediscovered in the last decades. The only other panel known to survive from this set, depicting The Triumph of Venus, is in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence. Related to that is its preparatory drawing, which remains in the Gabinetto Nazionale, Rome. The Palazzo Pitti also retains the two left borders of the other two panels of the series, while the designs for the lost panels are in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, and the Gabinetto Nazionale, Rome, respectively (Meoni, op. cit., 1998, pp. 254 - 259).