A Plaster cast of a portrait sculpture of Enrico Scrovegni, by Marco Romano, 1317-1320, in the sacristy of the Scrovegnii Chapel / Arena Chapel, Padua |
Exterior of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy |
Enrico's father, Reginaldo Scrovegni had started the family business. He apparently had quite a reputation. In Dante's Divine Comedy poem Inferno, Dante says that he saw Reginaldo in the inner ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell, where the violent are eternally punished.Usurers are considered violent because, usurers sin against Art, and Art is the Grandchild of God.
Interior of Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy |
Of the Life of Christ fresco cycle, probably the most famous panels are the Lamentation (left) and Christ's Entry into Jerusalem (right) Either of these were probably in your Art History textbook.
Scrovegni's Padua Chapel was sited next to Enrico's palace, where he intended it to serve as his burial chapel.It is thought that the building of this chapel was part of a campaign to seek absolution for his own and his father's sins. It was conceived at least in part as penance. A rich man trying to buy his way into heaven.
In the Last Judgement fresco at the end of the Chapel, Giotto has painted his patron Enrico Scrovegni positioned precariously between heaven on the left and hell on the right...
carrying the entire chapel ( world? ) on his shoulder. Forgive me, Enrico, but I can't help but think of this....
Enrico's bid to buy himself into heaven, eventually came to naught. In 1320 he fled the wars and civil strife that plagued Padua at the time and settled in Venice. In 1328 he was formally banned from Padua.He died in Venice eight years later, in 1336.
Nice! Patrons are an interesting lot. All artists have stories of their relationships with people who want to commission a work. I think art historians may slide into the patron category a little…
ReplyDeleteFor your reading pleasure:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/01/22/heiress-and-art-critic/9pcbRDKgvQu3VFhz0P1XEK/story.html
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2014/10/11/the-boston-raphael-belinda-rathbone/liG7dFkMqIcp0NnQIn3rEO/story.html