The Battle of San Romano

Question 1

subject?

Answer 1

The first of three panels depicting the battle that took place between Florentine and Sienese forces in 1432.

Question 2

Arched top?

Answer 2

It is believed that it was originally larger but the arched top was removed (hence no sky) so as to fit it within its new location in the Palazzo Medici.

Question 3

The central figure?

Answer 3

Niccolo da Tolentino (the Florentine leader) wears an elaborate headdress and cloak. His horse’s harness is decorated with ornate golden medallions. His face is clearly seen so that he could be identified by a contemporary viewer.

Question 4

Additional horsemen?

Answer 4

The melee (confusion) of battle can be sensed in the close packed figures.

Question 5

The weapons?

Answer 5

The artist uses the broken lances, which extend beyond the picture plane, to draw the viewer into the image.

Question 6

Perspectival impression?

Answer 6

He creates a sense of deep space by using the lances, bodies and foreshortened horses, yet there is no recession in the background landscape.

Question 7

The background?

Answer 7

The highly decorated trees, fields and figures rising straight upwards creating a tapestry-like effect. This sense of artifice allied with naturalism creates a tension within the composition.

Question 8

Three panels?

Answer 8

The three panels were intended to be hung in a row telling the story of the battle. The first panel depicts the beginning of the battle (dawn), the second (midday) and the third (dusk).

Question 9

Stylised elements vs naturalistic elements?

Answer 9

The highly decorated trees, fields and figures rising straight upwards contrast with the cleaner lines and moulding of the figures at the front - reflecting the overlaps in style and shift in taste from the stylised International Gothic to Renaissance realism.

Question 10

Celebrating Florentine victory?

Answer 10

No blood and gore mark the dead bodies on the ground and the broken lances, helmets and armour that lay on the ground form a decorative pattern rather than creating an impression of military turmoil. This is a not a religious work but one that expresses civic pride. Pride in a great victory, but also pride in Florentine artistic (supremacy).

Question 11

Niccolo da Tollentino?

Answer 11

Florentine military general responsible for their victory. At a key moment in the battle, Tollentino took advantage of a dispute between the enemy generals and called for reinforcements who arrived just in time to secure victory.

Question 12

Condottiere?

Answer 12

City states often employed condottiere like Niccolo da Tolentino to fight their battles. These condottiere often brought with them their own professional companies of soldiers. Successful condottiere wielded enormous power and were rewarded with great wealth and opportunities.

Question 13

The battle?

Answer 13

Battle of San Romano was part of a larger campaign fought between the Tuscan city states of Florence and Siena (in alliance with Lucca & Milan).

Question 14

Quattrocento Italy?

Answer 14

Made up of a collection of city states - some were republics (Florence) and others were princely courts (Milan). They jostled for power, position and trade.

Question 15

Brunelleschi linear perspective 1415?

Answer 15

Filippo Brunelleschi developed the principles of single-point perspective, eliminating the multiple viewpoints seen in medieval art, creating an illusion of space from a single viewpoint. This suggests a renewed focus on the individual viewer, emphasising the importance of individualism to Renaissance Humanism.

Question 16

Uccello?

Answer 16

Uccello was one of the first painters to use single-point perspective to create a sense of depth in his paintings. Uccello’s work also retained the stylised, decorative elements of the Late Gothic.

Question 17

Patron and motivations?

Answer 17

Commissioned by a wealthy Florentine nobleman. After his death Bartolini the paintings were bequeathed to his two sons. Lorenzo de Medici - the de facto ruler of Florence - was one of the executors of Leonardo’s will, and allegedly coveted the paintings. Lorenzo arranged for the house to be broken into, and the paintings stolen. Once Lorenzo had the three paintings he cut the arched tops off and displayed them at the Palazzo Medici in Florence.

Question 18

Perspectival techniques?

Answer 18

Uccello clearly experimenting: using lines to create an impression of three-dimensional space within a painting – which was a relatively recent discovery.The broken lances in the foreground make a formal grid-like pattern, and scattered pieces of armour are shown at various angles.

Question 19

Tempera painting on wood panel?

Answer 19

Consisting of coloured pigments mixed with water and egg yolk. The wood is coated in gesso to create a smooth surface. The initial cartoon (sketch) is pounced onto the surface. The tempera paint is applied in thin glazes. Burnished clay is applied to bind the gold leaf which is added to highlight certain decorative features such as the horses harnesses.

Question 20

Influence of International gothic?

Answer 20

Stylised trees, fields and figures forming a decorative background demonstrate the International Gothic style.

Question 21

Shift towards early renaissance style?

Answer 21

Seen here in Uccello’s experimentation with perspective and emphasis on Tolentino’s victory, highlighting the shift from the Christian subject matter of Medieval art to a more individualised, secular narrative – demonstrating the influence of Humanism.