Gardners Art through the Ages A Global History

Florence 565

suggested that the local chapter of Franciscan

monks who held meetings in the chapel needed

the expansion. Behind the loggia stands one of the

first independent Renaissance buildings conceived

basically as a central-plan structure. Although the

plan (FIG. 21-34) is rectangular, rather than

square or round, the architect placed all emphasis

on the central dome-covered space. The short

barrel-vaulted sections that brace the dome on

two sides appear to be incidental appendages. The

interior trim (FIG. 21-35) is gray pietra serena

(“serene stone”), which stands out against the

white stuccoed walls and crisply defines the mod-

ular relationships of plan and elevation. As he did

in his design for Santo Spirito, Brunelleschi used a

basic unit that allowed him to construct a bal-

anced, harmonious, and regularly proportioned

space.

Circular medallions, or tondi,in the dome’s

pendentives (see “Pendentives and Squinches,”

Chapter 12, page 315) consist ofglazed terracotta

reliefs representing the four evangelists. The tech-

nique for manufacturing these baked clay reliefs

was of recent invention. Around 1430, Luca

della Robbia(1400–1482) perfected the appli-

cation of vitrified (heat-fused) colored potters’

glazes to sculpture. Inexpensive and durable,

these colorful sculptures became extremely popu-

lar and provided the basis for a flourishing family

business. Luca’s nephew Andrea della Robbia

(1435–1525) and Andrea’s sons, Giovanni della

Robbia (1469–1529) and Girolamo della Robbia

(1488–1566), carried on this tradition well into the 16th century.

Most of the roundelsin the Pazzi Chapel are the work of Luca della

Robbia himself. Together with the images of the 12 apostles on the

pilaster-framed wall panels, they add striking color accents to the

tranquil interior.

PALAZZO MEDICIIt seems curious that Brunelleschi, the

most renowned architect of his time, did not participate in the up-

surge of palace building that Florence experienced in the 1430s and

1440s. This proliferation of palazzi testified to the stability of the

Florentine economy and to the affluence and confidence of the city’s

leading citizens. Brunelleschi, however, confined his efforts in this

field to work on the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa (headquarters of Flo-

rence’s then-ruling “party”) and to a rejected model for a new palace

that Cosimo de’ Medici intended to build. When the Medici re-

turned to Florence in 1434 after their short-lived exile, Cosimo,

aware of the importance of public perception, attempted to main-

tain a lower profile and to wield his power from behind the scenes.

In all probability, this attitude accounted for his rejection of Bru-

nelleschi’s design for the Medici residence, which he evidently found

21-36Michelozzo di Bartolommeo, facade of

the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Florence, Italy, begun

1445.

The Medici palace, with its combination of dressed

and rusticated masonry and classical moldings,

draws heavily on ancient Roman architecture, but

Michelozzo creatively reinterpreted his models.

too imposing and ostentatious to be politically wise. Cosimo eventu-

ally awarded the commission to Michelozzo di Bartolommeo

(1396–1472), a young architect who had collaborated with Dona-

tello in several sculptural enterprises. Although Cosimo passed over

Brunelleschi, his architectural style in fact deeply influenced Miche-

lozzo. To a limited extent, the Palazzo Medici (FIG. 21-36)

reflects Brunelleschian principles.

Later bought by the Riccardi family (hence the name Palazzo

Medici-Riccardi), who almost doubled the facade’s length in the 18th

century, the palace, both in its original and extended form, is a sim-

ple, massive structure. Heavy rustication(rough unfinished masonry)

on the ground floor accentuates its strength. Michelozzo divided the

building block into stories of decreasing height by using long, unbro-

ken stringcourses(horizontal bands), which give it coherence.Dressed

(smooth, finished) masonryon the second level and an even

smoother surface on the top story modify the severity of the ground

floor and make the building appear progressively lighter as the eye

moves upward. The extremely heavy cornice,which Michelozzo re-

lated not to the top story but to the building as a whole, dramatically

reverses this effect. Like the ancient Roman cornices that served as

21-35ALUCA
DELLAROBBIA,
Madonna and
Child,ca.
1455–1460.