Portraits of Agnolo Doni and his wife Maddalena Strozzi
Two years ago and again last year the Director Eike Schmidt “invited” married couples from all over Italy to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Agnolo Doni and Maddelena Strozzi, “La Festa dei Doni”, on January 31 by visiting the Uffizi at half price. Last year 1,192 couples attended the celebration, which included dance and musical performances with the museums closing late at 9 PM.
This year, because of the necessity for social distancing and the fact the museums must still remain closed on the weekends, such a celebration was not possible. Nonetheless, since January 31 fell on a Sunday, on Tuesday February 2 couples paid half price and the occasion was named the “Giornata dell’Amore”. Because of Co-Vid’s restrictions forbidding inter-regional travel are still in effect, only couples in Tuscany could attend.
Actually, the Uffizi’s celebration started three days earlier, on January 29, when on Facebook the Museums posted “The Doni Spouses” narrated by the retired head art historian at the Uffizi, Marzia Faietti. Here she recounts that Agnolo, a very successful fabric merchant, who I too briefly mention in my article “Uffizi da Mangiare”, was one of the richest men in the Florence of his time. He invested his wealth in gems, ancient art and paintings by his favorites Fra Bartolomeo and Michelangelo as well as by Raphael for his own pleasure, but also to bring glory of his beloved Florence.
Agnolo commissioned the “Doni Spouses”, once a diptych, for his bedroom in his home on Corso de’ Tintori to celebrate his wedding to Maddalena Strozzi on January 31 in 1503 or 1504 (scholars cite both years). Thanks to x-rays we know that Raphael painted Maddelena’s portrait first, Faietti tells us, because he made some changes to its background. Previously it had been an interior overlooking a landscape. Her portrait seems to show the influence of Leonardo da Vinci also working in Florence at the time: Maddalena’s half-bust presentation, her posture, her clothing, and her enigmatic expression can be compared to the “Mona Lisa”. In addition, although more severe and painted a year later, Raphael’s portrait of “La Muta” is also not unlike Maddalena’s, except that she lacks Maddalena’s opulent pendant of a ruby, emerald, sapphire ending with a large pearl in a gold unicorn-shaped mount, certainly a wedding present from Agnolo. The pearl was the symbol of Maddalena’s prenuptial purity and future marital fidelity.
Instead, Agnolo’s portrait was inserted into an already painted landscape similar to the one in Maddalena’s portrait, but it shows the influence of portraits by Perugino, Raphael’s teacher, especially the one of Francesco delle Opere. The landscapes of both Doni portraits are similar to those of Fra Bartolomeo’s.
Flood of the Gods
Faietti also describes the reverse sides of each canvas—monochrome paintings by the little known “Maestro Serumido”-of both Doni portraits. They would have been visible when they were two parts of a folding diptych. They depict scenes from Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, allegories to wish fertility to the marriage. Behind Agnolo is “The Flood of the Gods” when Zeus decided to destroy humanity. Instead, behind Maddalena are Deucalion and Pyrrha. When the flood ended, Deucalion and Pyrrha, an elderly childless couple, were the only survivors, so Zeus ordered them to throw stones over their shoulders. Deucalion’s stones turned into men, while Phyrrha’s into women so the world was repopulated again.
Stone Throwing
Debora Massari
As for Massari’s three-part sweet, “crema di biancamangiare”, presented as the third video on January 31 of “Uffizi da Mangiare” it’s a work of art in itself. However, only an expert pastry chef like Massari could possibly skillfully combine its arm-long list of ingredients, which include: pumpkin pulp and marmalade, lemon marmalade, lemon peel, vanilla, gelatin, almonds, whipped cream, chocolate, sugar, much less follow its numerous creative steps. In short, a visual and culinary masterpiece, but not for an amateur cook!
Massari began her presentation by comparing her father’s pastry shop in Brescia, where she and her brother Nicola learned the tricks of the trade and she still collaborates, to Raphael’s Roman bottega of disciples. (The Massaris have additional shops in Milano, Torino and Verona. For further information about their products, click on www.igininomassari.it). Debora went on to say that her sweet had an Arab origin and came to mainland Italy via Sicily. Then she explained how she meticulously carved out of marzipan a circular frame, less elaborate but reminiscent of that enclosing Michelangelo’s “Doni Tondo”. She then sprayed this the base of her dessert with gold leaf. Her final touch was carefully placing two shortcrust pastry disks topped with a gelatin ring filled with pumpkin pulp and more, one glazed with lemon icing, the other with chocolate icing, on the marzipan base so that they formed an infinity.
The Doni couple will also be the subject of a third Uffizi video, which will be voiced over by one of six love sonnets written by Raphael.
During these next two weeks, between January 31 and St. Valentine’s Day, on the Uffizi’s social networks “will flower” additional posts with a love themes. They will be dedicated to all forms of love (purely sexual, marital, filial, brotherly etc.). Their poets will span from ancient times to the present: Saffo, Ovid, Tasso, Shakespeare, D’Annunzio, Emily Dickinson, Hermann Hesse, Walt Whitman, Aida Merini, Sylvia Plath, and Baudelaire.
Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza
The Uffizi is also home to two other portraits (this time profiles) of another cultured Renaissance married couple, Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, condottiero, renowned intellectual humanist (1422-1482) and his wife Battista Sforza (1446-1472). They were painted by Piero dell Francesca between 1467-1472, and Battista’s is possibly posthumous.
Like the Doni portraits, they too were originally diptychs also painted on the canvas’s back. Here Federico and his wife are portrayed on two allegorical antique wagons accompanied by the Virtues. Appropriately the Duke is wearing his armor and is being crowned by Victory. Temperance, Fortitude, Justice and Prudence accompany him. His wagon is pulled by white horses. Instead, the Duchess is accompanied by Chastity and Modesty, with Charity and Faith sitting in the front of her wagon pulled by brown unicorns.
The Duke was a bibliophile and built up the largest library of manuscripts with its own scriptorium in Italy after the Vatican’s. At the time of his death the library contained more than 900 volumes: 600 in Latin or Vernacular, 168 in Greek, 82 in Hebrew, and 2 in Arabic. The Duke’s prize possession was his magnificently illuminated Bible. In 1657 Pope Alexander VII (r. 1655-1667) demanded the transfer of the library’s contents from Urbino to the Vatican.
When it is possible to travel to Florence again and visit the Uffizi to see the four portraits and Michelangelo’s “Doni Tondo” of the Holy Family, be sure to enjoy special sweets at the elegant pastry shop Caffè Gilli on Piazza della Repubblica. For a special meal head straight for Fabio Picchi’s, narrator of the first video of “Uffizi da Mangiare”, Cibrèo, or if you understand Italian, to his Teatro del Sale. Be aware that in both locations the menus change daily so are explained vocally; that Tuscan soups and never pasta are served; and that you sit at tables with other diners, which is a Florentine custom. Both are friendly and delicious experiences not to be missed!
Fabio Picchi
If you want to take Fabio home with you, his book, Florence. Walking through food and culture. Guide into the heart of Florence, was translated into English by Faith Heller Willinger, an American foodie who has lived in Florence for many years and has written many books of her own about Italian food. My favorite is Adventures of an Italian Food Lover. Also in English, another essential addition to your library is newly-published Dolce Firenze & Toscana. The sweet side of our country by Veronica Triolo, who accompanies you to Tuscany’s best pastry and chocolate shops and gelaterie . 