DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42071#0116
FORA
102
FORINI
belonged to the Del Fora family. In 1491 Domenico
and Daniele Ghirlandajo,Sandro Botticelli, Gherardo
and his brother Monte were appointed by the
“ Opera ” of the Duomo to carry out the decorations
in mosaic for the chapel of S. Zanobi in that church.
In 1493 commission was given to Gherardo and
his brother to execute a “ spicchio ” (quarter) of
the vault. The work was not proceeded with,
owing probably to the death of Lorenzo il Magnifico
in that year, and of Domenico Ghirlandajo in the
year following \v. Monte di Giovanni],
Gherardo was the first Florentine illuminator of
his day. Among his works may be mentioned the
magnificent missal, executed between 1474 and 1478
for the church of S. Egidio, and preserved at Sta.
Maria Nuova. It contains thirty-four miniatures,
some occupying a double page. In 1482 Gherardo
illuminated with his brother Monte some graduals
for the convent of S. Marco. Between May 17
and Dec. 14, 1492, the two brothers illuminated
four missals for the cathedral of Sta. Maria del
Fiore, of which the first (small folio) is preserved in
the Laurentian Library. This missal was to cost
100 flor. larghi of gold, and not more but less,
according to the estimate of Don Francesco Turri,
librarian and chaplain of the said church of the
Duomo. A “ Ceremoniale dei Vescovi” (ordination
service), commenced for Mathias Corvinus, King
of Hungary, is now in the Vatican. A parchment
copy of Homer, printed in Florence in 1488, which
contains, among other miniatures, a fine portrait
of probably Piero de’ Medici, to whom the work is
dedicated, is preserved in the National Library of
Naples.
Gherardo had studied literature under Politian.
He was an elegant Latin scholar, and the intimate
friend of Ser Bartolommeo Dei, notary of the
commune of Florence and one of the officers of the
university, who had been his fellow-student under
the great scholar. He was also a musician, and for
some years played the organ in the church of
S. Egidio. Until 1480 Gherardo lived as a cleric
with the view of taking orders; an intention,
however, which was not carried out. Gherardo is
said by Vasari to have been so highly pleased with
some prints in the German manner that were brought
to Florence engraved by Martin (Schongauer) and
Albert Durer, that he began to work with the
burin and copied some of them admirably. Else-
where Vasari states that he1 only copied one print
of Christ on the Cross, which was not followed by
others, as he died soon after. The prints selected
by Passavant as belonging to Gherardo are of too
varied a character to have been executed by one
hand, and cannot be ascribed to him on any reliable
authority (v. Fisher, “ History of Engraving in
Italy,” 1886).
Works Florence, Rome, Naples.
(Vasari; Sansoni; Crowe and Cavalcasalle, ? Eng.
ed.; Kugler, Layard’s ed.). Brother of—
39c. Monte di Giovanni di Miniato. Flor.,
v. 1449, d. 1529. MI. MO. P. p. ? of his brother
Gherardo. The contemplated decorations of the
chapel of S. Zanobi in Sta. Maria del Fiore [w. Ghe-
rardo di Giovanni] had been suspended for some
years when, at the end of 1504, the “ Opera ” of
the Duomo determined that they should be put in
hand. Monte and Davide Ghirlandajo were sever-
ally commissioned to execute a head of S. Zanobi in
mosaic, the most successful artist to be entrusted
with the works of the chapel. In June 1505 Pietro
Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi and Giovanni delle
Corniole, who were called in to judge the mosaic
heads, awarded the palm to Monte. No order
having been given within three months to execute
the works, Monte received for the head (which is
still preserved in the Opera of the Duomo) 100 flor.
larghi of gold. It seems, however, that the execu-
tion of the mosaics was not altogether abandoned,
as in 1508-9 there are records of payments having
been made to Monte on this account. In 1510 he
received a further commission to decorate four
“ spigoli ” (? points, comers) at the rate of 6 flor.
per square braccio. The work, for what reason is
not known, was never completed, and no traces
of any portion of it remain, except on the ribs
(costoloni).
As an illuminator Monte displayed remarkable
qualities, and the profusion and wealth of his orna-
mentation were such that by a Deliberation of
Sept. 15,1518, the “ Operai ” of the Duomo notified
to Monte that for any principij (first-page
miniatures) or for any illuminated letters he should
not have more than 3 lire for each, declaring that if
their value were greater it should not be considered
in the payment. After Gherardo’s death, among
other works Monte illuminated, in 1500, an Episto-
larium, and in 1508 a Manuale; between 1516 and
1519 five antiphonaries, all for the cathedral of
St. Maria del Fiore, where the antiphonaries are
still preserved. In the Museo de’ S. Marco there are
also two choral-books executed by Monte for the
Badia of Florence. [In the books of the Servi
there is an entry that Monte di Giovanni received
4 flor. larghi for an Ascension and Spirito Santo in
choral-books.] Monte, in addition, painted some
of the borders to the maps of the codex of the cos-
mography of Ptolemy in the Magliabecchiana. The
maps themselves were drawn by “ Henricus Mar-
tellus Germanus.”
Works :—Florence. Father of—
39e. Giovanni di Monte. Flor., b. -,
d. 1536. MI. v. Badia Book. Lib. Deb. c.
Cred., 1524-1533 c. ? Giovanni’s accounts go to
1533. We know nothing further about him.
(Vasari; San.; id.., Lemonnier; Crowe and
Cavalcasalle, Eng. ed.; Kugler, Layardi ed.)
40. Foeini, Antonio di Tommaso. Flor., b.
15—, d. 16—. P. mat. 1607/8. p. of Benedetto
Veti.
102
FORINI
belonged to the Del Fora family. In 1491 Domenico
and Daniele Ghirlandajo,Sandro Botticelli, Gherardo
and his brother Monte were appointed by the
“ Opera ” of the Duomo to carry out the decorations
in mosaic for the chapel of S. Zanobi in that church.
In 1493 commission was given to Gherardo and
his brother to execute a “ spicchio ” (quarter) of
the vault. The work was not proceeded with,
owing probably to the death of Lorenzo il Magnifico
in that year, and of Domenico Ghirlandajo in the
year following \v. Monte di Giovanni],
Gherardo was the first Florentine illuminator of
his day. Among his works may be mentioned the
magnificent missal, executed between 1474 and 1478
for the church of S. Egidio, and preserved at Sta.
Maria Nuova. It contains thirty-four miniatures,
some occupying a double page. In 1482 Gherardo
illuminated with his brother Monte some graduals
for the convent of S. Marco. Between May 17
and Dec. 14, 1492, the two brothers illuminated
four missals for the cathedral of Sta. Maria del
Fiore, of which the first (small folio) is preserved in
the Laurentian Library. This missal was to cost
100 flor. larghi of gold, and not more but less,
according to the estimate of Don Francesco Turri,
librarian and chaplain of the said church of the
Duomo. A “ Ceremoniale dei Vescovi” (ordination
service), commenced for Mathias Corvinus, King
of Hungary, is now in the Vatican. A parchment
copy of Homer, printed in Florence in 1488, which
contains, among other miniatures, a fine portrait
of probably Piero de’ Medici, to whom the work is
dedicated, is preserved in the National Library of
Naples.
Gherardo had studied literature under Politian.
He was an elegant Latin scholar, and the intimate
friend of Ser Bartolommeo Dei, notary of the
commune of Florence and one of the officers of the
university, who had been his fellow-student under
the great scholar. He was also a musician, and for
some years played the organ in the church of
S. Egidio. Until 1480 Gherardo lived as a cleric
with the view of taking orders; an intention,
however, which was not carried out. Gherardo is
said by Vasari to have been so highly pleased with
some prints in the German manner that were brought
to Florence engraved by Martin (Schongauer) and
Albert Durer, that he began to work with the
burin and copied some of them admirably. Else-
where Vasari states that he1 only copied one print
of Christ on the Cross, which was not followed by
others, as he died soon after. The prints selected
by Passavant as belonging to Gherardo are of too
varied a character to have been executed by one
hand, and cannot be ascribed to him on any reliable
authority (v. Fisher, “ History of Engraving in
Italy,” 1886).
Works Florence, Rome, Naples.
(Vasari; Sansoni; Crowe and Cavalcasalle, ? Eng.
ed.; Kugler, Layard’s ed.). Brother of—
39c. Monte di Giovanni di Miniato. Flor.,
v. 1449, d. 1529. MI. MO. P. p. ? of his brother
Gherardo. The contemplated decorations of the
chapel of S. Zanobi in Sta. Maria del Fiore [w. Ghe-
rardo di Giovanni] had been suspended for some
years when, at the end of 1504, the “ Opera ” of
the Duomo determined that they should be put in
hand. Monte and Davide Ghirlandajo were sever-
ally commissioned to execute a head of S. Zanobi in
mosaic, the most successful artist to be entrusted
with the works of the chapel. In June 1505 Pietro
Perugino, Lorenzo di Credi and Giovanni delle
Corniole, who were called in to judge the mosaic
heads, awarded the palm to Monte. No order
having been given within three months to execute
the works, Monte received for the head (which is
still preserved in the Opera of the Duomo) 100 flor.
larghi of gold. It seems, however, that the execu-
tion of the mosaics was not altogether abandoned,
as in 1508-9 there are records of payments having
been made to Monte on this account. In 1510 he
received a further commission to decorate four
“ spigoli ” (? points, comers) at the rate of 6 flor.
per square braccio. The work, for what reason is
not known, was never completed, and no traces
of any portion of it remain, except on the ribs
(costoloni).
As an illuminator Monte displayed remarkable
qualities, and the profusion and wealth of his orna-
mentation were such that by a Deliberation of
Sept. 15,1518, the “ Operai ” of the Duomo notified
to Monte that for any principij (first-page
miniatures) or for any illuminated letters he should
not have more than 3 lire for each, declaring that if
their value were greater it should not be considered
in the payment. After Gherardo’s death, among
other works Monte illuminated, in 1500, an Episto-
larium, and in 1508 a Manuale; between 1516 and
1519 five antiphonaries, all for the cathedral of
St. Maria del Fiore, where the antiphonaries are
still preserved. In the Museo de’ S. Marco there are
also two choral-books executed by Monte for the
Badia of Florence. [In the books of the Servi
there is an entry that Monte di Giovanni received
4 flor. larghi for an Ascension and Spirito Santo in
choral-books.] Monte, in addition, painted some
of the borders to the maps of the codex of the cos-
mography of Ptolemy in the Magliabecchiana. The
maps themselves were drawn by “ Henricus Mar-
tellus Germanus.”
Works :—Florence. Father of—
39e. Giovanni di Monte. Flor., b. -,
d. 1536. MI. v. Badia Book. Lib. Deb. c.
Cred., 1524-1533 c. ? Giovanni’s accounts go to
1533. We know nothing further about him.
(Vasari; San.; id.., Lemonnier; Crowe and
Cavalcasalle, Eng. ed.; Kugler, Layardi ed.)
40. Foeini, Antonio di Tommaso. Flor., b.
15—, d. 16—. P. mat. 1607/8. p. of Benedetto
Veti.