British School at Rome: Papers of the British School at Rome (9.1920)

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aeneis). He goes on to observe that portraits existed from Boniface VIII.
onwards, and that, if not of the same elegance and perfection as the
later ones, they weie good considering ‘ the condition of the times ’ in
which they were produced. He began his own series which he carried
down to Gregory XIII. (1572-85) with Urban VI., ' because from him
we have a continuous series of papal portraits painted from life.’ 1
In view of this specific statement, and in view of the fact that the
mosaics of the Popes of the Great Schism in St Paul’s resemble for the
most part2 the engravings of Panvinio, it may now be acknowledged
that the said mosaics are authentic likenesses, not merely from Martin V.,
but at least from the days of Urban VI. We may, then, without further
ado pass on to the Avignon Popes.
When Panvinio further asserted that papal portraits existed from
Boniface VIII. onwards, he certainly chose a good starting-point. The
number of portraits in marble, in metal, and in fresco of that outstanding
Pontiff which have come down to us is quite exceptional for that period.
We have of him marble statues by such masters as Andrea Pisano3 and
Arnolfo da Cambio, and frescoes by Giotto and other early masters.
He was the first Pope in the Middle Ages to whom communities erected
statues.4 Plate XXIII., 1, is taken from the half-figure by Arnolfo da
Cambio now in the Crypt of the Vatican. But, speaking broadly, we
are not so well supplied with portraits of his seven successors at Avignon.
One would have thought that these effigies on their tombs, some of
which are so imposing, would have furnished us with speaking likenesses
of the great French Popes who so strikingly impressed themselves on
1 Cf. in the Vatican library, Cod. Barb. Lal. 2738 of the same author.
2 Fig. 14 is a reproduction of one of his plates. It is different from the one in the
Munich collection. See Hartig, l.c., p.' 312. The Munich copperplate of John XXIII. is
after Donatello, lb. p. 313. It cannot be said that the mosaic of John XXIII. in St. Paul’s
resembles Panvinio’s engraving of him. But, as Panvinio’s portrait is that of a younger
man wearing a mitre, he may have taken his likeness from a portrait made before John
became Pope. The portrait of Boniface IX. which we give (Pl. XXIII., 2) from his sepul-
chral monument resembles that in the cloister of St. Paul’s.
3 At any rate Vasari (i. 483-4) states that the statue of him (‘ opera di stil grandioso
e mirabilmente... condotta ’), now unfortunately mutilated, which has after many wander-
ings found its way into the cathedral of Florence, was made by Pisano at the request
of the Florentines. Venturi (Storla d’Arte, iv. 153-4) asserts that, if it was not the work of
Arnolfo, it shows traces of his influence. An engraving of it may be seen (Plate 32) in
L. Cicognara, Storia della scultura, i. Venice, 1813.
4 C. Ricci, Santi ed Artisti, p. 29 f.