Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Figure 1. Detail from the Battle of San Fa­
biano, illustrated in Plate 7a, showing the
center scene where the sketchy underdrawing is
clearly visible. Photograph by E. Buzzegoli,
LAboratorio di Restauro. Courtesy of the UjJ­
izi Gallery, Florence.

50

The actual working areas of the botteghini were situated on the ground floor

in the left wing of the ducal palace in Pesaro. There seems to have been an

internal entrance from the palace (11). The botteghini also opened onto the

street like small shops; indeed, the artists were permitted by the duke to accept

orders from other clients. Some artists had their living quarters above the

workshops; others who had families received money to rent housing else­

where in Pesaro. They also received provisions, candles, and firewood, as can

be read in a ledger (12).

A supervisor was appointed with responsibility fo r the daily organization,

provisions, and the supply of materials. Bills with lists of ordered materials,

including pigments and brushes, are among the many surviving documents

concerning the workshops (see Appendix doc. 2). The duke's commissions

were not given by the duke personally but passed on by intermediaries, mostly

noblemen employed as his secretaries or persons suitable because of their

profession. These intermediaries also acted as the duke's representatives in the

search fo r artists and artisans fo r the workshops. For example, the duke's am­

bassadors were ordered to search in Rome, Venice, and Florence fo r artists of

the highest quality. The proposed artists had to send proof of their capacities

which, according to the documents, was quite often rejected by the duke.

In 1581 the duke asked his ambassador in Rome, Baldo Falcucci, to find him

a miniaturist. From 1582 on, a "miniatore" is mentioned in the lists of work­

shop employees (13). In many instances, the name of the artist is not given

but a "maestro Valerio miniatore" appears from 1603 to 1605. Although em­

ployee lists from 1605 on are missing, Mariani's activities at the court of

Urbino most likely continued.

Mariani's activities can be traced not only in documents but also in many

miniatures. The Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana has three illustrated manu­

scripts attributed to Mariani, in addition to a part of the Purgatorio and all

the miniatures of the famous Dante Urbinate's Paradiso (14). The Galleria

Palatina in Florence owns two series of miniatures, fr amed in black ebony

frames, with scenes from the lives of Christ and Mary, miracles, and martyred

saints. The Uffizi owns the only miniature with Mariani's signature, a battle

scene from the life of Federico da Montefeltro (15) (Plate 7a). This miniature

is of great interest as we can compare the techniques used with those as

described in the treatise, thus comparing practice with theory. The miniature

is kept in a dark cabinet; the colors are, therefore, in extremely good condi­

tion. A study of the miniature using microscopy made clear that the standard

technique of washes was used. Specific comparisons (i.e., the build-up of the

trees, background with the village, bluish mountains and sky, etc.) with chap­

ters in the landscape section of the treatise, show that Mariani is following

the instructions given there. The miniature has a very sketchy underdraw­

ing-which can be seen with the naked eye but is even more clearly apparent

with an infrared camera-that has been traced in some places with a brownish

ink (Fig. 1) (16). A blue-black ink is also used to emphasize contours and

shadows. On the underdrawing, the paint is most often added in transparent

layers using the techniques described in the treatise.

Mariani was known fo r his technical abilities; Lancellotti described him as a

pupil of Boduino who "surpassed his master in patience, and his miniatures

were owned by the most important princes in the world." They both "kept

a secret of how to grind gold in the Persian way fo r miniature painting and

writing, that stayed stable as the antique [gold]" (17).

Although the preceding paragraphs comprise a short resume of the research

results so far, it is clear that we are considering a treatise that can be placed

in an interesting context, offering a unique possibility of comparing the the­

ory of the treatise with the practice as laid down in Mariani's work. The

context of the workshops, and Mariani's obvious technical skills, make it plau­

sible that the treatise was written as a manual to be used in the workshop.

Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice