Fah337 Lecture 3 Images

Front 1

Back 1

Castagno,
Last Supper,
1450

Hint 1

Rivalry between Castagno and Veneziano; possibly killed jhim according to Visari

Front 2

Back 2

Veneziano,
St. Lucy Altarpiece,
1447

Front 3

Back 3

Botticelli,
Calumny of Apelles,
1498

Hint 3

1. Small painting,but full detailed
2. Recreation of a lost picture from antiquity, that was created by Apelles who took Calumny, Slander, as his subject. Only exists through verbal descriptions, carried out by well known authors like Lucian
3. Botticelli was illiterate; someone would have told him the story and he would illustrate it
4. Why did he make this? not sure if he made it for anyone, might have been a personal challenge.
5. setting: Background full of inset architectures, all of which are seen around florence

Front 4

Calumny of Apelles Imagery

Back 4

1. Ruler, generic figure of authority sits on the right, his head being filled with foolishness by the woman beside him: shown through his donkey ears
2. Ruler talks to a poorly dressed man who is the personification of Envy; he is consumed by a disease and is being eaten inside out
3. Woman in white, is the personification of Calumny/slander, and has a man by the hair who is begging for freedom; the victim of slander; unjust punishment
4. Other two women who are accompanying slander; Fraud and decete/conspiracy. they are braiding beautiful ornaments into Calumny's hair to make her look beautiful; the beauty of rhetoric can really mask ugly motifs
5. Behind this figure we have this androgynous personification of repentance; covering her face in shame towards final character
6. Final naked female, pointing up towards sky is the personification of truth; truth will reign supreme
7. This image speaks on two levels: the personification of spoken rhetoric and the seductivity of images

Front 5

Back 5

Bartolomeo della Fonte,
Calumny of Apelles,
1470

Hint 5

1. Copy of Lucians text by Fonte, included illustrations of the Calumny
2. Was available to Botticelli; large influence on the imagery the artist later used.

Front 6

Back 6

Mantegna,
Calumny of Apelles,
1504

Hint 6

1. Same characters of the two previous images of Apelles
2. Very likely that he never saw Botticelli's version due to substantial differences in how he sees the characters.
3. Similarities: personification of Truth are similar, through the pointing upwards motion. Fraud and Deceit both are ornamental figures that can lead our thoughts astray through beauty
4. Differences: Truth is more classic represntation, loral arround head, clothed. Shows the victim of Slander as a child, innocence. Botticelli diverts from this

Front 7

Back 7

Mocetto,
Calumny of Apelles,
1506

Hint 7

1. Pretty much a copy of Mantegna's drawing
2. changes setting to venice (can see Verrocchio's equestrian monument to bartholomeo Calleoni)

Front 8

Back 8

Raphael,
Calumny of Apelles,
1508

Hint 8

1. In some ways followinh Botticelli's ideas; theme of envy
2. similarities: truth is similar, pointing and naked;
3. Might have been interested in envy and rivalry because of his rivalry with Michelangelo

Front 9

Back 9

Mantegna,
Battle of the Sea Monsters,
1475

Hint 9

1. Unusual subject matter; not very many sources for this imagery
2. possibly drawn from tales of greek mythology of Telchines, mythical sea monsters who were famous artists known for their spiteful, rancorous fighting amongst one another; gods are annoyed and they are cast into the swamps, to live amongst monsters. they continue to fight
2. reference in the background to neptune or poseidon, who is turned away from them in disgust of their envy and jealousy
3. Speaking of the jealousy among artists of hist time.

Front 10

Back 10

Mantagna,
the triumphs of Caesar,
1500

Hint 10

1. one of a series of canvases that focuesed on the triumphs of caesar
2. opportunity to recreate an a visual format a verbal recount of ancient roman history

Front 11

Back 11

School of Mantegna,
Virtue in Flames and Deserted Virtue,
1500

Hint 11

1. Woman surrounded by different personifications of evil, leading her into temptation, where she is about to be pushed into a sestpool of other souls who were led astray by these ignorances; only those who realize the position they've found themselves in (young man on right bottom) can be saved

Front 12

Comparison:
Botticelli, Calumny of Apelles

and

Mentagna, the Sea Monsters

Back 12

1. Botticelli: referred to one source
2. Mentagna: reference to a whole bunch of different, relatively unknown sources
3. Both critiquing artists during this time period