Orsanmichele

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Entrance of Orsanmichele
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Entrance of Orsanmichele

Orsanmichele (or "Kitchen Garden of St. Michael", from the contraction in Tuscan dialect of the Italian word orto. The building was constructed on the site of the kitchen garden of the monastery of San Michele, now gone.) is a church in the Italian city of Florence.

Located on the Via Calzaiuoli in Florence, was originally built as a grain market[1] in 1337 by Francesco Talenti, Neri di Fioravante, and Benci di Cione. Between 1380 and 1404 it was converted into a church used as the chapel of Florence's powerful craft and trade guilds. On the ground floor of the square building are the 13th century arches that originally formed the loggia of the grain market. The second floor was devoted to offices, while the third housed one of the city's municipal grain storehouses, maintained to withstand famine or siege.[1] Late in the 14th century, the guilds were charged by the city to commission statues of their patron saints to embellish the facades of the church.[1] The sculptures seen today are copies, the originals having been removed to museums (see below).

Inside the church is Andrea Orcagna's bejeweled Gothic Tabernacle (1355-59) encasing a repainting by Daddi's of an older icon of the 'Madonna and Child'. [2] The facades held 14 architecturally designed external niches, which were filled from 1399 to around 1430 with a treaure of masterpieces, including:

Interior of Orsanmichele
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Interior of Orsanmichele

*Virgin and Child (1399) by Simone di Ferrucci - commissioned by Medici e Speziali (doctors and apothecaries)

  • Quattro Santi Coronati (Four Saints or Four Crowned Martyrs) (1408) by Nanni di Banco[3][4] - commissioned by Maestri di Pietra e Legname (wood and stone workers)
  • St. Luke (1405-10) by Giovanni Bologna (Giambologna)[5] - commissioned by Giudici e Notai (magistrates)
  • Saint Mark (1411) by Donatello[6][7] - commissioned by Linaivoli e Rigattieri (linen-weavers and peddlars)
  • St. Philip (1412-14) by Nanni di Banco[8][9] - commissioned by Calzauoli (shoemakers)
  • St. Louis of Toulouse (1413) by Donatello[10] was replaced by Christ and St. Thomas (1467-83) by Andrea del Verrocchio[11][12] - commissioned by Tribunale di Mercanzia (merchants)
  • St. Eligius (1411-15) by Nanni di Banco - commissioned by Maneschalchi (farriers)
  • St. James (1415) by Lamberti? - commissioned by Pellicciai (furriers)
  • St. Peter (1415) by Ciuffagni - commissioned by Beccai (butchers)
  • Saint John the Baptist (1414-16) by Lorenzo Ghiberti[13] - commissioned by Calimala (wool mechants)
  • St. George (1416) by Donatello[14][15] - commissioned by Corazzai (armourers)
  • St. Matthew (1419-20) by Lorenzo Ghiberti[16][17] - commissioned by Cambio (bankers)
  • St. Stephen (1428) by Lorenzo Ghiberti[18] - commissioned by Lana (wool manufacturers)
  • St. John the Evangelist by Baccio da Montelupo - commissioned by Seta (silk merchants)

The three richest guilds opted to make their figures in the far more costly bronze, which cost approximately ten times the amount of the stone figures.

[edit] Modern assessment

The Orsanmichele's statuary is a relic of the fierce devotion and pride of Florentine trades, and a reminder that great art often inhabits the crevices of warehouses and silos.

Today, all of the original sculptures have been removed and replaced with modern duplicates to protect them from the elements and vandalism.[19] The originals reside in the Bargello or the museum of Orsanmichele.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Zucconi, Guido (1995). Florence: An Architectural Guide. San Giovanni Lupatoto, Vr, Italy: Arsenale Editrice srl. ISBN 88-7743-147-4.
  2. ^ The Orsanmichele Market in Time of Famine. The National Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  3. ^ Nanni Di Banco. The National Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). Four Crowned Saints (or Four Crowned Martyrs) and relief at base of tabernacle, Orsanmichele. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  5. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). St. Luke. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). St. Mark, Orsanmichele. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  7. ^ Kren, Emil; Marx, Daniel (June 22, 2006). St Mark. Web Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  8. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). St. Philip, Orsanmichele. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  9. ^ St. Philip (JPG). Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  10. ^ Kren, Emil; Marx, Daniel (June 22, 2006). St Louis. Web Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). Christ and St. Thomas (or Doubting of Thomas), Orsanmichele. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  12. ^ Verrocchio. The National Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  13. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). St. John the Baptist. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  14. ^ Sullivan, Mary Ann (July 10, 2005). St. George (bronze copy of the original marble) and relief at the base of the tabernacle, Orsanmichele. Orsanmichele. Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of European and North American architecture and sculpture from classical Greek to Post-modern. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  15. ^ Kren, Emil; Marx, Daniel (June 22, 2006). St George. Web Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  16. ^ St. Matthew (JPG). Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  17. ^ Ghiberti. The National Gallery of Art. Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  18. ^ St. Stephen (JPG). Retrieved on July 14, 2006.
  19. ^ Orsanmichele. Foundation For Italian Art and Culture (November 9, 2005). Retrieved on July 14, 2006.

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