FAST ART
T
hese portraits of the Duke and Duchess of
Urbino are amongst the most famous portraits
in 15th century Italian art. Why? Because
they are revolutionary in their depiction and
fascinating in their symbolism. They are
double-sided portraits, finished in the 1470s, and painted
by Piero della Francesca, who was the court painter at
the time for the Urbino court. Today, a 19th-century
frame holds them static; however, the portraits were once
hinged and could be closed. Maybe the duke, Federico
of Montefeltro, had them made in this way so that they
would be portable and he could take them with him when
he moved around his territory.
He was devastated when Battista Sforza (depicted),
his second wife and much younger than he, died shortly
after the birth of their seventh child, a long-desired
first son after six daughters. After her death, in 1472,
he retired from his day job as an extremely successful
mercenary commander, and concentrated solely on his
intellectual pursuits. The duke invested much time and
money in transforming his city and, above all, his palace,
into a Renaissance hub of artistic production and the
exchange of ideas. He completely rebuilt the ducal palace
and filled it with precious artefacts and manuscripts. He
had the money to do this, having received handsome
remuneration over the years for offering his military
talents to others: to the republics of Florence and Venice
and to the Pope, to name but a few of his clients.
The duke and duchess are depicted here in the attire
of nobles: he with his red surcoat and hat; she with
her pearl choker headdress and damask dress. They are
together, symbolically shown by the continuity of the
landscape, beautifully rendered in aerial perspective,
stretching out behind them. They are shown in sharp
profile and similar to how the Ancient Roman emperors
were depicted on their medallions and coins. Maybe the
duke wanted his public to draw the connection between
himself and the great Julius Caesar with his successful
campaigns and great strategy. Normally the heads of
antiquity were shown looking to the right; however the
duke opted for a little poetic licence in representation and
opted to show his best side, rather than being too much
of a stickler for tradition, and he is represented looking
to the left. The vain decision is understandable when you
know that he had lost his right eye in a joust, which also
damaged the bridge of his nose. Furthermore, facing in
this direction means that he looks to his lost love.
These are some of the first portraits since antiquity freed
from a religious environment. This reflects a big change in
society. All elements of the medieval world are gone here.The re-emergence of the portrait in art shows that value
was once more being given to life on earth rather than
exclusively to the heavenly sphere. It reflects the return of
an anthropocentric society. The last time that portraits had
been commonplace was in ancient Rome.
Portraits of patrons who commissioned paintings
began to appear in the religious painting in the mid-The Duke and Duchess
They are double-sided portraits, painted by Piero della
Francesca, who was the court painter at the court of Urbino
68 ITALIA! November 2016The portraits are
hung in the Uffizi
Gallery in FlorenceIT144.FastArt.sg4.indd 68 28/09/2016 14:07pm