DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42071#0167
LIPPI
153
LIPPI
argument in favour of Lucretia’s marriage. Fra
Filippo had naturally ceased to be Chaplain of
Sta. Margherita and probably now lost the temporal
administration of the rectory of S. Quirico, as from
this date he appears to have had to depend entirely
on his own exertions for the support of his family.
In 1465 he finished the frescoes in the Pieve of
Prato, and in the same year his daughter Alessandra
was bom. Between 1467 and 1469 Fra Filippo
was engaged, with Fra Diamante, on the frescoes
(“ Scenes from the life of the Virgin ” [Crowe and
Cavalcaselle, ed. Lemon. V. 210 et seq.J) in the
Duomo of Spoleto, in which city he died in October
of the latter year. In 1488 Lorenzo il Magnifico
erected a marble sepulchre to him in the cathedral,
the citizens of Spoleto having refused to part with
his body for interment in Florence. The monument,
which cost 100 flor. of gold, was designed by the
Frate’s son Filippino, and bears an epitaph written
by Politian. It is placed under the organ over the
sacristy.
Mr. Fisher, in his “ Early History of Engraving
in Italy,” says there is nothing definite connecting
Fra Filippo with the practice of engraving, but
that the fifteen engraved scenes from the life of
the Madonna, ascribed by Passavant to the Master,
are stated to be closely in resemblance with his
frescoes at Prato, and that in the Triumphs of
Petrarch, which are very beautiful specimens of
the skill to which the P. Engraver’s art had been
brought, there are points of drawing and expression
which give strength to the opinion that they were
probably engraved by the Master’s own hand. Of
Fra Filippo’s extant works we cannot attempt to
give a catalogue in this compressed article, in which
we have endeavoured, as far as possible, to repro-
duce the P.’s personality. For these we would
therefore refer the reader to Strutt’s “ Life of Fra
Filippo,” Miss H. Mendelsohn’s “ Fra Filippo
Lippi ” (Berlin, 1909), and to Berenson’s “ Works
of the Florentine Painters,” p. 123. The following
may also be consulted: Morelli (Lermolieff), “ Le
Opere dei Maestri Italiani nelle Gallerie di Monaco
Dresda e Berlino,” id., “ Critical Studies of Italian
Painters.” Father of—
31a. Lippi, Filippo (Filippino) di Fea Filippo.
Flor., b. (in Prato) 1457, d. April 18, 1504. P.A.
S.L. (lib. rosso 1472, 1482, 1503). p. of (i) Fra
Diamante (his guardian), (ii) Sandro Botticelli,
? infl. by Lionardo da Vinci, m. of Raffaello del
Garbo, Niccolo Zoccolo or Cartoni.
The principal events of F.’s life may be briefly
chronicled as follows : he probably received instruc-
tion in the rudiments of art from his father, at the
date of whose death (1469) he was twelve years
old. If he was then at Spoleto he doubtless accom-
panied Fra Diamante, to whose tutelage he was
confided, to Prato, where he possibly remained until
1472, when the Frate proceeded to Florence. Here
F., now fifteen years of age, became the p. of
Botticelli. How long he remained with his master
is unknown, but he must early have established his
artistic reputation, as by 1482, in all probability,
he had executed the altar-piece, “ Vision of S.
Bernard,” for the church della Campore by com-
mission of Piero di Francesco del Pugliese, for which
he was paid 150 ducats, inclusive of the gold and
the curtain [Supino, “ Miscellanea d’Arte,” I. 1— ?].
The panel now stands on an altar in the Florentine
Badia. On Dec. 31 of the same year, F. was
substituted on the same conditions for Perugino in
the commission for painting the wall, where the
windows are, on the side towards the Piazza, of
the “ Sala dei Signori ” in the Palazzo Pubblico,
which had previously been allotted to Perugino
and Biagio Tucci [A.S.F. Ch. VIII, No. 14, Stanza
III, aemas II, “ Delib. degli Operai del Palazzo,”
dal 1478 al 1483]. The order does not, however,
appear to have been carried out or even commenced
[v. Ghirlandajo, Domenico]. Like Perugino, F. was
absent from Florence at the time. If the statement
of Albertini [“ Op. de mirabilibus veteris et novi
urbe Rome,” (?) ed. 1515, p. 85*] is correct that F.
was among the Florentine P.’s who decorated the
Sistine Chapel, he would have been in Rome, pro-
bably working with Fra Diamante. The date at
which F. commenced the completion of the series of
frescoes in the Brancacci chapel of the Carmine
cannot be fixed with precision. It was probably be-
tween 1483 and 1485, and the work may have ex-
tended over some years. The subjects executed by
him are : S. Peter in prison visited by S. Paul; a
portion of the Resurrection of the King’s son, left
unfinished by Masaccio; the Crucifixion of S. Peter;
SS. Peter and Paul before the Proconsul; and S.
Peter liberated from prison [Milanesi, Vasari, San.
II. 303-25; III. 479-89]. His great panel of the
Madonna and Saints for the chapel of the “ Sala
degli Otto di Pratica ” in the Palazzo Pubblico
(now in the Uffizi, No. 1268), was finished on Feb.
20, 1485/6. He was paid, on June 7, i486, 1200
lire for the work. For the frame Clemente di
Domenico del Sasso received 500 lire. It appears
that the commission for this altar-piece was given
originally to Piero Pollaiuolo, for whom Lionardo
da Vinci was substituted on Jan. 1, 1478/9. Lion-
ardo only carried out the cartoon. His design is
believed to have been followed by F. in painting
the picture [Vasari, San. III. 474 and n. 2; IV.
27, n. 3]. On April 21, 1487, F. received the com-
mission to paint the Strozzi chapel in Sta. Maria
Novella for the inclusive price of 300 flor. di suggello
[Bigazzi, “ Vita di Filippo Strozzi scritta da Lorenzo
suo figlio,” Doc. B.]. The work does not appear to
have been commenced at the time, and was further
delayed by the P.’s engagements in Rome and by
his undertaking other commissions in Florence.
By Nov. 27, 1500, a part had been finished, and F.
had still to receive 143.2.6. flor. for the remainder.
The frescoes were completed in 1502 [Vasari, San.
153
LIPPI
argument in favour of Lucretia’s marriage. Fra
Filippo had naturally ceased to be Chaplain of
Sta. Margherita and probably now lost the temporal
administration of the rectory of S. Quirico, as from
this date he appears to have had to depend entirely
on his own exertions for the support of his family.
In 1465 he finished the frescoes in the Pieve of
Prato, and in the same year his daughter Alessandra
was bom. Between 1467 and 1469 Fra Filippo
was engaged, with Fra Diamante, on the frescoes
(“ Scenes from the life of the Virgin ” [Crowe and
Cavalcaselle, ed. Lemon. V. 210 et seq.J) in the
Duomo of Spoleto, in which city he died in October
of the latter year. In 1488 Lorenzo il Magnifico
erected a marble sepulchre to him in the cathedral,
the citizens of Spoleto having refused to part with
his body for interment in Florence. The monument,
which cost 100 flor. of gold, was designed by the
Frate’s son Filippino, and bears an epitaph written
by Politian. It is placed under the organ over the
sacristy.
Mr. Fisher, in his “ Early History of Engraving
in Italy,” says there is nothing definite connecting
Fra Filippo with the practice of engraving, but
that the fifteen engraved scenes from the life of
the Madonna, ascribed by Passavant to the Master,
are stated to be closely in resemblance with his
frescoes at Prato, and that in the Triumphs of
Petrarch, which are very beautiful specimens of
the skill to which the P. Engraver’s art had been
brought, there are points of drawing and expression
which give strength to the opinion that they were
probably engraved by the Master’s own hand. Of
Fra Filippo’s extant works we cannot attempt to
give a catalogue in this compressed article, in which
we have endeavoured, as far as possible, to repro-
duce the P.’s personality. For these we would
therefore refer the reader to Strutt’s “ Life of Fra
Filippo,” Miss H. Mendelsohn’s “ Fra Filippo
Lippi ” (Berlin, 1909), and to Berenson’s “ Works
of the Florentine Painters,” p. 123. The following
may also be consulted: Morelli (Lermolieff), “ Le
Opere dei Maestri Italiani nelle Gallerie di Monaco
Dresda e Berlino,” id., “ Critical Studies of Italian
Painters.” Father of—
31a. Lippi, Filippo (Filippino) di Fea Filippo.
Flor., b. (in Prato) 1457, d. April 18, 1504. P.A.
S.L. (lib. rosso 1472, 1482, 1503). p. of (i) Fra
Diamante (his guardian), (ii) Sandro Botticelli,
? infl. by Lionardo da Vinci, m. of Raffaello del
Garbo, Niccolo Zoccolo or Cartoni.
The principal events of F.’s life may be briefly
chronicled as follows : he probably received instruc-
tion in the rudiments of art from his father, at the
date of whose death (1469) he was twelve years
old. If he was then at Spoleto he doubtless accom-
panied Fra Diamante, to whose tutelage he was
confided, to Prato, where he possibly remained until
1472, when the Frate proceeded to Florence. Here
F., now fifteen years of age, became the p. of
Botticelli. How long he remained with his master
is unknown, but he must early have established his
artistic reputation, as by 1482, in all probability,
he had executed the altar-piece, “ Vision of S.
Bernard,” for the church della Campore by com-
mission of Piero di Francesco del Pugliese, for which
he was paid 150 ducats, inclusive of the gold and
the curtain [Supino, “ Miscellanea d’Arte,” I. 1— ?].
The panel now stands on an altar in the Florentine
Badia. On Dec. 31 of the same year, F. was
substituted on the same conditions for Perugino in
the commission for painting the wall, where the
windows are, on the side towards the Piazza, of
the “ Sala dei Signori ” in the Palazzo Pubblico,
which had previously been allotted to Perugino
and Biagio Tucci [A.S.F. Ch. VIII, No. 14, Stanza
III, aemas II, “ Delib. degli Operai del Palazzo,”
dal 1478 al 1483]. The order does not, however,
appear to have been carried out or even commenced
[v. Ghirlandajo, Domenico]. Like Perugino, F. was
absent from Florence at the time. If the statement
of Albertini [“ Op. de mirabilibus veteris et novi
urbe Rome,” (?) ed. 1515, p. 85*] is correct that F.
was among the Florentine P.’s who decorated the
Sistine Chapel, he would have been in Rome, pro-
bably working with Fra Diamante. The date at
which F. commenced the completion of the series of
frescoes in the Brancacci chapel of the Carmine
cannot be fixed with precision. It was probably be-
tween 1483 and 1485, and the work may have ex-
tended over some years. The subjects executed by
him are : S. Peter in prison visited by S. Paul; a
portion of the Resurrection of the King’s son, left
unfinished by Masaccio; the Crucifixion of S. Peter;
SS. Peter and Paul before the Proconsul; and S.
Peter liberated from prison [Milanesi, Vasari, San.
II. 303-25; III. 479-89]. His great panel of the
Madonna and Saints for the chapel of the “ Sala
degli Otto di Pratica ” in the Palazzo Pubblico
(now in the Uffizi, No. 1268), was finished on Feb.
20, 1485/6. He was paid, on June 7, i486, 1200
lire for the work. For the frame Clemente di
Domenico del Sasso received 500 lire. It appears
that the commission for this altar-piece was given
originally to Piero Pollaiuolo, for whom Lionardo
da Vinci was substituted on Jan. 1, 1478/9. Lion-
ardo only carried out the cartoon. His design is
believed to have been followed by F. in painting
the picture [Vasari, San. III. 474 and n. 2; IV.
27, n. 3]. On April 21, 1487, F. received the com-
mission to paint the Strozzi chapel in Sta. Maria
Novella for the inclusive price of 300 flor. di suggello
[Bigazzi, “ Vita di Filippo Strozzi scritta da Lorenzo
suo figlio,” Doc. B.]. The work does not appear to
have been commenced at the time, and was further
delayed by the P.’s engagements in Rome and by
his undertaking other commissions in Florence.
By Nov. 27, 1500, a part had been finished, and F.
had still to receive 143.2.6. flor. for the remainder.
The frescoes were completed in 1502 [Vasari, San.