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DOI Artikel:Miziołek, Jerzy: The story of Lucretia on an Early-Renaissance "Cassone" at the National Museum in Warsaw
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18943#0050
the second is in the Hearst Collection in California (Fig. 14)27, the third is in the
Ashmolean Museum at Oxford28, while the fourth belongs to the Musee Jacquemart
Andre in Paris.29 Three of these cassoni, of which the passing of time has left only the
frontal side, were 'mounted' during the 1 9th eentury in new chests.30 In spite of the
damage and obviously multiple repainting, detailed analysis of the figurative scenes
together with architectural motifs leave very little doubt that each of the scenes was
designed by the same artist. Among two cassoni depicting early episodes, the one
reproduced in Fig. 1 2 was most probably carried out at the very beginning of the 1 5th
eentury, while the second one i.e. from the Czartoryski Collection, of higher artistic
merits, could be assumed to datę from around 141 0. These scenes depict successively:
the feast at the encampment by Ardea and the expedition to Romę and Collatium. One
additional scene is presented on one of these cassoni; namely the stealing of Tarquin
into Lucretia's chamber.31 It is with this scene that the narration on the four
above-mentioned cassoni begins, creating the second part of the story of Lucretia.
Following on from this scene are: Lucretia writing a letter requesting the presence of
father and husband in the company of numerous other people, Lucretia's death and
Tarquin's banishment from Romę. In contrast to the cassoni from Castello Vincigliata
(Fig. 10), in which barely a dozen figures were depicted, the frontal sides of these
cassoni portray whole crowds of witnesses, especially in the finał two episodes.
Comparing the scenes from Lucretia's death encourages the assumption that in the
case of the Vincigliata cassone the artist had drawn most probably upon the texts of
Livy and Boccaccio, sińce only four people in a smali chamber are presented. In the
case of the four other cassoni Lucretia's death has the character of a public event, as
described in the Gęsta romanorum. Another factor suggesting this source had been
referred to is that among the cavaliers a king present at Lucretia's summoning
— undoubtedly Tarquin the Proud.32 It is worth emphasising that in the case of the
four cassoni the artist repeated very accurately, in virtually every detail, not only the
same scenes, but also the same background and architectural details (only in the case
of the Paris cassone, which would appearto have been executed slightly laterthan the
other three, the artist failed to depict the scene of Tarquin's banishment, expanding in
its place the heroine's death scene). This is a peculiar event in comparison to all
cassoni which have been preserved till the present day, apparently also bearing
witness to the great popularity of this particular scene and the artistic expression.33
A detailed study of the cassoni discussed here reveals an additional important
observation; that their anonymous author, known as Master of Ladislas of Durazzo,
could have been one of the collaborators of Spinello Aretino (died in 1411), or even
his son, Parri di Spinello (active in Siena and Florence from c. 1407 to c. 1420 and
thereafter at Arezzo).34 Indications for the making of such a hypothesis include the
similarity of elements applied in rendering the people, horses and architecture to those
which are to be found in many of works in the Spinello workshop, in such cities as
Florence, Pisa, Siena, and Arezzo.35 Setting aside a detailed discussion concerning the
question of depicting the story of Lucretia by the Master of Ladislas of Durazzo in
another article, it now would seem most fitting to indicate those cassonisharing the
same theme to the Warsaw cassone and decorated with gilt gesso.
In the second edition of the Corpus of cassoni, Paul Schubring published the front
of a cassone decorated with the pastiglia dorata belonging at that time to Drey's
antique shop in Munich (the present whereabouts of this cassone are unknown)
27. The Holford Collection, Dorchester House, vol. II, Oxford, 1927, pl. CLXXIV, no. 207: B.B. Fredericksen,
Handbook ofthe Paintings in the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, Malibu, 1977, no. 10,
where it is defined as the work of an anonymous Florentine artist from the first half of the 1 5th eentury.
Cf. Boskovits, Maestro., op. cit., p. 47.
44
Ashmolean Museum at Oxford28, while the fourth belongs to the Musee Jacquemart
Andre in Paris.29 Three of these cassoni, of which the passing of time has left only the
frontal side, were 'mounted' during the 1 9th eentury in new chests.30 In spite of the
damage and obviously multiple repainting, detailed analysis of the figurative scenes
together with architectural motifs leave very little doubt that each of the scenes was
designed by the same artist. Among two cassoni depicting early episodes, the one
reproduced in Fig. 1 2 was most probably carried out at the very beginning of the 1 5th
eentury, while the second one i.e. from the Czartoryski Collection, of higher artistic
merits, could be assumed to datę from around 141 0. These scenes depict successively:
the feast at the encampment by Ardea and the expedition to Romę and Collatium. One
additional scene is presented on one of these cassoni; namely the stealing of Tarquin
into Lucretia's chamber.31 It is with this scene that the narration on the four
above-mentioned cassoni begins, creating the second part of the story of Lucretia.
Following on from this scene are: Lucretia writing a letter requesting the presence of
father and husband in the company of numerous other people, Lucretia's death and
Tarquin's banishment from Romę. In contrast to the cassoni from Castello Vincigliata
(Fig. 10), in which barely a dozen figures were depicted, the frontal sides of these
cassoni portray whole crowds of witnesses, especially in the finał two episodes.
Comparing the scenes from Lucretia's death encourages the assumption that in the
case of the Vincigliata cassone the artist had drawn most probably upon the texts of
Livy and Boccaccio, sińce only four people in a smali chamber are presented. In the
case of the four other cassoni Lucretia's death has the character of a public event, as
described in the Gęsta romanorum. Another factor suggesting this source had been
referred to is that among the cavaliers a king present at Lucretia's summoning
— undoubtedly Tarquin the Proud.32 It is worth emphasising that in the case of the
four cassoni the artist repeated very accurately, in virtually every detail, not only the
same scenes, but also the same background and architectural details (only in the case
of the Paris cassone, which would appearto have been executed slightly laterthan the
other three, the artist failed to depict the scene of Tarquin's banishment, expanding in
its place the heroine's death scene). This is a peculiar event in comparison to all
cassoni which have been preserved till the present day, apparently also bearing
witness to the great popularity of this particular scene and the artistic expression.33
A detailed study of the cassoni discussed here reveals an additional important
observation; that their anonymous author, known as Master of Ladislas of Durazzo,
could have been one of the collaborators of Spinello Aretino (died in 1411), or even
his son, Parri di Spinello (active in Siena and Florence from c. 1407 to c. 1420 and
thereafter at Arezzo).34 Indications for the making of such a hypothesis include the
similarity of elements applied in rendering the people, horses and architecture to those
which are to be found in many of works in the Spinello workshop, in such cities as
Florence, Pisa, Siena, and Arezzo.35 Setting aside a detailed discussion concerning the
question of depicting the story of Lucretia by the Master of Ladislas of Durazzo in
another article, it now would seem most fitting to indicate those cassonisharing the
same theme to the Warsaw cassone and decorated with gilt gesso.
In the second edition of the Corpus of cassoni, Paul Schubring published the front
of a cassone decorated with the pastiglia dorata belonging at that time to Drey's
antique shop in Munich (the present whereabouts of this cassone are unknown)
27. The Holford Collection, Dorchester House, vol. II, Oxford, 1927, pl. CLXXIV, no. 207: B.B. Fredericksen,
Handbook ofthe Paintings in the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, Malibu, 1977, no. 10,
where it is defined as the work of an anonymous Florentine artist from the first half of the 1 5th eentury.
Cf. Boskovits, Maestro., op. cit., p. 47.
44