Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Taddeo Gaddi

by Giorgio Vasari

 

TADDEO GADDI, PAINTER, Of FLORENCE.

[born about 1300—was living in 1366.]

To reward talent largely, and to honour those who possess it, wherever they may be found, is, without doubt, an excellent, useful, and praiseworthy action; for there are many minds, which might remain dormant, if left without stimulus, but which, being excited by this allurement, put forth all their efforts, not only for the acquirement of their art, but to attain the utmost excellence therein; whereby they advance themselves to a useful and creditable station, doing honour to their country at the same time, and securing glory to their name, as well as riches and nobility to their descendants, who, from such beginnings,- often rise to the highest and noblest condition, as happened to those of Taddeo Gaddi, in consequence of his works.

This Taddeo, son of Gaddo Gaddi, the Florentine, was the godson of Giotto; and, after the death of his father Gaddo, was the disciple of that master, with whom he continued twenty-four years. This we are told by Cennino di Drea Cennini, a painter of Colie di Valdelsa,^[1] who further relates, that on the death of Giotto, Taddeo Gaddi was considered the first in the art, for judgment, genius, and other artistic qualities, being superior in most of these to all his fellow-disciples. The first works of Taddeo were executed with. a facility, which was received from nature, rather than acquired by art. They were performed in the church of Santa Croce, in Florence, and in the chapel of the sacristy, where, in company with others, (also disciples of the deceased Giotto), he painted stories from the Life of Santa Maria Maddalena; the figures of these works are very fine, and the vestments, after the fashion of those times, are also beautiful and curious.^[2] In the chapel of the Baroncelli and Bandini, for which Giotto had painted a picture in distemper, Taddeo executed certain frescoes, representing stories from the Life of the Virgin; these he did entirely alone, and they were considered extremely beautiful.^[3] He afterwards painted the story of Christ disputing with the Doctors in the Temple, over the door of the same sacristy; but this work was nearly ruined, when Cosmo de’ Medici, the elder, built the noviciate, the chapel and the parlour in front of the sacristy, a stone cornice having then been placed over the door. In the same church Taddeo Gaddi painted the chapel of the Bellacci in fresco, as also that of St. Andrew, which is near to one of the three chapels decorated by Giotto himself. The subjects represented in the chapel of St. Andrew were, Christ calling Peter and Andrew from their Nets, with the Crucifixion of the latter Apostle: a work highly praised at the time, and which has been equally commended in our own days.^[4] Over the side door, and near the burial-place of Carlo Marsupini^[5] of Arezzo, Taddeo executed another fresco, representing a dead Christ, with the Maries; this was also greatly admired, as was a painting of St. Francis, likewise in fresco, placed above the crucifixion of Donato,^[6] and representing the saint at the moment when, appearing in the air, he is performing the miracle of restoring to life a boy, who has been killed by falling from a high terrace. In this painting the artist has introduced the portraits of his master, Giotto, of the poet Dante, of Guido Cavalcanti, and, as some say, of himself.^[7] He executed many other figures, for different parts of the same church, all which are known to painters by their manner. For the confraternity of the church, Taddeo painted a most admirable Deposition from the Cross, in the oratory which stands at the corner of the Via del Crucifisso;^[8] and in the cloister of Santo Spirito he executed two stories in the arches, near the chapter-house. One of. these represents Judas betraying Christ, the other is a Last Supper. Over the door of the refectory, in the same convent, this master painted a Crucifixion, with several Saints; and these figures, compared with those of others who laboured in the same place, make it obvious that Taddeo was a faithful imitator of the manner of Giotto, which he always held in the highest estimation. In the church of San Stefano del Ponte Vecchio, Taddeo painted the high altar and predella, with infinite care.^[9] He also executed a very good work in the oratory of San Michele in Orto, the subject a Dead Christ, mourned over by the Maries, and devoutly placed in the sepulchre by Nicodemus.^[10]In the church of the Servites, he decorated the chapel of San Niccolo, which belongs to the Palagi, with stories from the life of that saint. In one of these he has proved himself well acquainted with the fury of a stormy sea, and the force of tempests, by the judicious and effective manner in which he has depicted a barque tossed on the waves: the mariners are casting forth their merchandise to lighten the ship, while S. Nicholas, appearing in the air, delivers them from their peril. This work having given great satisfaction, and been highly praised,^[11] caused the master to be invited to paint the chapel of the high altar in the same church; he there represented stories in fresco, from the Life of Our Lady; with a picture in distemper, also of the Virgin, surrounded by many Saints, and all painted with infinite animation. In the lower part of the same picture, he represented other stories, from the Life of the Virgin, in small figures, of which I need not make more particular mention, because the whole work was destroyed in the year 1467; when Ludovico, marquis of Mantua, built the tribune, which is still there, with the choir for the monks, both erected after the design of Leon Battista Alberti. The picture was then transferred to the chapter-house of the convent,^[12] in the refectory of which, and immediately over the seats, our artist painted a Last Supper,^[13] with a Crucifixion, and various figures of saints above it.^[14] Having completed this work, the master was summoned to Pisa, where he painted the principal chapel of San Francesco, for Gherardo and Bonaccorso Gambacorti; the subject being, events from the life of the saint, with others from the lives of St. Andrew and St. Nicholas. These paintings were in fresco, and extremely well coloured. On the ceiling and fagade of the same chapel, the confirmation of the Rule of St. Francis, by Pope Honorius, is depicted; and here Taddeo himself is pourtrayed from the life, wearing a sort of hood wrapped round his head. At the foot of the painting are

inscribed the following words:—

“ Magister Taddeus Gaddus de Florentia pinxit hanc historiam Sancti Francisci, et Sancti Andrese, et Sancti Nicolai, anno Domini mcccxlii,^[15] de mensi Augusti.”

In the cloister of the same convent, Taddeo also painted the Virgin, with the child in her arms—a fresco of admirable colouring^[16]; and in the midst of the church, to the left of the spectator, is the bishop St. Louis, seated, while San Gherardo da Villamagna, who had been a brother of the order of St. Francis, seems recommending a certain Fra Bartolommeo, then guardian of the convent, to his protection. The figures of this work were all drawn from nature;^[17] they are, consequently, full of animation, and very graceful, with a simplicity of manner preferable in many respects to the style of Giotto himself. The expression of entreaty, of gladness, of grief, and other similar emotions, more particularly, were rendered with infinite truth, and the facility of effecting this is one from which great honour redounds to the painter.

Having returned to Florence, Taddeo continued the works of Orsanmickele, for the commune of the city, and refounded the columns of the Loggia: for these he used stone, dressed and hewn, in place of the bricks of which they had previously been formed, but without altering the design, left by Arnolfo, who had directed that spacious magazines should be prepared above the Loggia, with vaults, for storing the reserves of grain laid up by the people and commune of Florence.^[18] And to the end that this work might be completed, the guild of Porta Santa Maria, to whom the charge of the fabric had been entrusted, commanded that the tolls of the corn-market, the tax of the piazza, and other imposts of very little importance, should be made over to the building. But, what was of more consequence, it was further ordained, and with great judgment, that each of the guilds of Florence should construct a column at its own charges, and should furthermore place a statue of its patron saint in a niche of the same. It was, moreover, decreed, that every year, on the festival of each saint, the syndics of the respective guilds should make a collection, standing each by his own column during the whole day, for that purpose, with standard elevated and ensigns displayed. Such offerings as were made to the Virgin herself, however, were still reserved for the relief of the suffering poor.

In the year 1333, a great inundation had destroyed the defences of the Rubaconte bridge, thrown down the castle of Altafronte, greatly injured the old bridge, leaving only two of its piers standing; the same flood totally ruined the bridge of the Trinity, one pier only excepted, and that was miserably shattered. The bridge of Carraja was also much injured, and the flood-gates of Ognissanti broken down.^[19] In this state of things, the inhabitants dwelling beyond the Arno were reduced to the necessity of crossing to their homes in boats.

It was, therefore, determined by those wrho then ruled the city, that these evils should be amended; wherefore, they called on Taddeo Gaddi—his master, Giotto, being then at Milan—to prepare a model and design for the bridge, nowcalled the Ponte Vecchio, charging him to construct it with all possible beauty as well as solidity. This, Taddeo at once proceeded to do: he spared no cost and no labour, erecting those mighty piers and those magnificent arches, all of hewn stone, on which now stand the twenty-two shops placed on each side of the bridge. There are forty-four in all. and the commune derives a large revenue from them, their occupants paying 800 florins yearly for rent.^[20] The width of the bridge, from one side to the other, is thirtytwo braccia,^[21] that of the central road sixteen; the shops are eight braccia wide. The cost of this fabric was 72,000 gold florins, and if Taddeo merited and obtained praise for the work in that day, no less does he deserve it in the present, when he has, indeed, been more than ever commended; for, to say nothing of other floods, this bridge was not in the slightest degree affected by that which happened on the 13th of September 1557, when the bridge of Santa Trinita was totally ruined; that of Carraja had two of its arches destroyed, and the Rubaconte bridge was almost entirely washed away, much damage being also sustained by other parts of the city, from the same inundation. No man having judgment in these matters, can fail to be astonished that the Ponte Yecchio should have sustained the whole force of the waters, with that of the heavy beams and other wreck, brought against it by incessant inundations, and yet given no sign of yielding, but remained immoveable through all these assaults. About the same time, the bridge of Santa Trinita was also founded by Taddeo Gaddi, at the cost of 26,000 florins, but not with similar good fortune. This was completed in the year 1346; and I say, not with equal success, because, having been differently constructed from the Ponte Vecchio, it was entirely destroyed in the flood just alluded to, namely that of 1557. The stone wall which strengthens the bank near San Gregorio, was built under the direction of Taddeo, about the same time, and was defended by strong piles; two piers of the bridge being taken to enlarge the platform on the side of the piazza de’ Mozzi, and there this master constructed the mills still to be seen at that place. While all these works were proceeding, after the designs and under the direction of Taddeo, he did not neglect his paintings, and among other works he completed the Tribune of the old Mercanzia,^[22] where he depicted the six figures which represent the principal persons composing that court: they are looking at Truth, who is pourtrayed in the act of tearing out the tongue of Falsehood. The former is covered with a transparent veil, while the latter is wrapped in black vestments; both are females, and the whole work exhibits considerable force of invention. Beneath these figures are

the following lines:—

“ La pura Yerita, per ubbidire
  Alla Santa Giustizia che non tarda,
  Cava la lingua alia falsa bugiarda.”^[23]

And under the picture itself is written as follows:—

“ Taddeo dipinse questo bel rigestro
  Discepol fu di Giotto il buon maestro.”^[24]

Taddeo was also employed at Arezzo, where he received a commission for several works in fresco, which he executed admirably, with the assistance of his pupil Giovanni da Milano. One of these paintings is still to be seen in the church belonging to the confraternity of Spirito Santo; it is on the wall near the high altar, the subject a Crucifixion. This work has been much celebrated for the excellence of the composition and method of treatment. The thieves are seen fastened to their crosses on each side; there are many horses in the picture, with certain figures, in whose countenances the rage of the Jews is most eloquently expressed. Others are drawing down the limbs of the Saviour, with a cord; offering the sponge, or otherwise occupied; as, for example, Longinus, who pierces the side of Jesus with his spear. There are, besides, the soldiers casting lots for the vestments; hope and fear are well expressed in the faces of all, as they watch the throwing of the dice: one awaiting his turn stands armed, and in an attitude of great restraint and uneasiness; but to the inconvenience of this, he is obviously insensible, or disregards it in the excitement of the game. A second, with raised eyebrows and eyes and mouth wide open, looks at the dice as if suspecting fraud, but the expression of his face plainly evinces the eagerness of his desire for victory. The third is about to throw the dice: he has spread out the garment on the ground, and regards it with a smile, as assured of winning, while his lifted arm quivers in the act of casting the lot.^[25] In addition to these paintings, there are others on the walls of the church, representing events from the life of St. John the Evangelist.^[26] Works of Taddeo are also to be found in other buildings of Arezzo, and are at once perceived by good judges to be from his hand. In the episcopal church, moreover, behind the high altar, there are stories from the life of St. John the Baptist,^[27] so admirably done, whether as regards design or execution, that one cannot but regard them with astonishment. In the church of St. Augustine, in the chapel of St. Sebastian, near the sacristy, Taddeo painted the history of that martyr, as also a Disputation of Christ in the Temple; both so finely treated and so exquisitely finished, that none can behold the grace, beauty, and variety of excellence displayed in these works, without extreme admiration and surprise.^[28]

In the church of the Sasso della Yernia, in Casentino, Taddeo Gaddi painted the chapel, in which St. Francis received the stigmata;^[29] he was assisted in the minor details of the picture by Jacopo di Casentino, who became the disciple of Taddeo, in consequence of that master’s visit to Casentino, on the occasion here alluded to. Having completed this undertaking, Taddeo, accompanied by Giovanni, the Milanese, returned to Florence, in which city and its neighbourhood he executed many works of importance; and in process of time his gains became so large, that as he constantly accumulated these sums, and was a man of prudent and regular life, he laid the foundation of the wealth and high position afterwards enjoyed by his family.

The chapter-house of Santa Maria Novella was also painted by Taddeo Gaddi, who received the commission for this work from the prior, by whom he is said to have been furnished with the composition of the picture likewise. It is true, that as the work was very large, and as the chapterhouse of Santo Spirito had just been finished and given to public view, by Simon Memmi, who had painted it to his great glory, at the time when the bridges were built; the prior conceived a wish to entrust Simon with one-half of the undertaking, whereupon he consulted Taddeo respecting the whole affair. He found the latter perfectly willing to accede to this arrangement, Taddeo having a great love for Simon, who had been his fellow-disciple under Giotto, and had ever continued his valued friend and affectionate companion. Oh! truly noble spirits! Ye, who without envious emulation or ambition, did indeed regard each other with brotherly affection, rejoicing each in the honour and advantage of his friend, as in his own! The work, then, was thereupon divided—three of the walls being given to Simon, as we have related in his life; the fourth,^[30] with the vaulted ceiling, being reserved for Taddeo, who divided the latter into four compartments, or sections, in accordance with the form of the ceiling. In the first of these divisions w^as represented the Resurrection of Christ, and in this painting the artist seems to have attempted to produce an emission of light from the splendour of the glorified body itself; this we perceive by the effects visible on a town and certain masses of rock, which form part of the accessories. But Taddeo did not pursue the idea with respect to the figures and other portions of the pictures, warned, perhaps, by the difficulties which he anticipated, and doubtful of his ability to conduct this project to a successful conclusion. In the second compartment, he represented Jesus delivering St. Peter from shipwreck: the apostles, who manage the boat in this picture, are certainly very beautiful; and among other things may be remarked, a figure standing on the shore and fishing with a line (a subject previously treated by Giotto in the Navicella of St. Peter’s), in which there is extraordinary force and animation. In the third section of the ceiling is the Ascension of Christ, and the fourth represents the descent of the Holy Spirit: in this picture are certain Jews, seeking to press through the doorway, who exhibit much beauty and variety of attitude. On the wall beneath, the master has depicted the seven sciences, with their names, and an appropriate figure, or group of figures, under each. Grammar is pourtrayed in the form of a woman instructing a child, the writer Donatus being seated at her feet. After Grammar follows Rhetoric, and at her feet is a figure, which places two hands on different books, while it draws a third hand from beneath its mantle, and applies it to its mouth. Logic has a serpent, under a veil, in the hand, with Zeno Eleates, seated, reading at the feet. Arithmetic holds the tables of the Abbacus; Abraham, the inventor of which, is seated at her feet. Music has the appropriate instruments around her, with Tubalcain seated below; he is striking an anvil, with two hammers, and is listening intently to the sounds he is producing. Geometry has the square and compass, with Euclid beneath; and Astronomy, bearing the celestial globe in her hand, has Atlas under her feet. The remainder of the space is occupied by seven theological sciences, the figure beneath each representing that condition of men considered most appropriate—the pope, the emperor, kings, cardinals, dukes, bishops, marquises, and others. The face of the pope in this series is the portrait of Clement Y. In the middle and highest place is St. Thomas Aquinas, who had been devoted to the study of all these sciences; he has certain heretics lying beneath his feet, as, for example, Arius, Sabellius, and Averroes; while around him are, Moses, Paul, John the Evangelist, and other figures; above whom are the three theological and four cardinal virtues, with many other figures and innumerable accessories, to all of which Taddeo^[31] has given infinite grace and truth of expression. The whole work, indeed, may be considered the best, as to composition, that Taddeo has left us, and is in better preservation also than any other.

In the same church of Santa Maria Novella, this artist painted St. Jerome robed in the vestments of a cardinal, he having an especial devotion to that saint, and having chosen him for the protector of his house. Accordingly, at a later period, Agnolo, son of Taddeo, after the death of his father, caused a tomb to be constructed for their common descendants beneath this painting; the covering of the tomb was of marble, with the arms of the Gaddi family. And for these descendants, St. Jerome the Cardinal, moved by the excellence of Taddeo, and by the merits of his posterity, has obtained from God the most honourable offices in the Church, such as bishoprics, cardinalates, and deaneries; they have besides been frequently clerks of the pontifical chamber, and received the most honoured orders of knighthood. All which descendants of Taddeo, of whatever degree, have constantly esteemed and favoured the followers of the fine arts, more particularly those devoted to sculpture and painting, whom they have ever protected and aided to the utmost of their power.

At the age of fifty Taddeo was attacked by violent fever, and departed from this life in the year 1350,^[32] leaving two sons, Agnolo and Giovanni, who both devoted themselves to painting, and whom he recommended to the care of Jacopo of Casentino and Giovanni of Milan, entreating the first to guard their morals and manners, but requiring the last to instruct them in matters of art. This Giovanni executed many works after the death of Taddeo, among others a picture which was placed in the church of Santa Croce, on the altar of San Gherardo da Villamagna, fourteen years after the death of Taddeo. The painting on the high altar of Ognissanti, where the brotherhood of the Umiliati have their seat, is likewise by his hand,^[33] and was considered extremely fine; in Assisi also, Giovanni da Milano painted a picture for the tribune of the high altar, a crucifix namely, with the Virgin and Santa Clara. On the front and side walls of the apsis he painted stories from the life of Our Lady. He afterwards repaired to Milan, in which city he produced many works both in distemper and fresco, and where he ultimately died.

Of Taddeo, then, it may be observed that he constantly adhered to the manner of Giotto, but we cannot affirm that he greatly improved that manner, except in the colouring, to which he gave more freshness and animation than had been exhibited by Giotto; the latter had so diligently laboured to overcome the difficulties and ameliorate the methods of proceeding in other departments of the art, that although he gave some attention to this also, yet the grace of attaining what he sought was not granted to him; while Taddeo Gaddi, having seen by what means Giotto had been facilitated on one point or impeded on another, had profited by these instructions, and had afterwards found time to proceed in the way pointed out to him, and in some degree to ameliorate the practice of colouring.^[34]

Taddeo was buried by his sons Agnolo and Giovanni in the first cloister of the church of Santa Croce, and in the sepulchre which he had himself prepared for his father Gaddo; he was honoured by many copies of verse written to his praise by the virtuosi of the time, and his memory was held in esteem as that of a man whose life had been highly meritorious, and who, to say nothing of his paintings, had conducted many useful buildings and other works of various kinds to a successful conclusion, to the great advantage and convenience of his native city. Among these works may be appropriately mentioned the campanile of Santa Maria del Fiore, which he constructed with infinite care and diligence, after the design left by his master Giotto. The masonry of this tower was so well executed, that better workmanship could not possibly be performed, nor would it be easy to construct a tower more nobly, whether as regards design, ornament, or cost. The epitaph inscribed to the memory of Taddeo was as follows.

“ Hoc uno dici poterat Florentia felix
  Vivente: at certa est non potuisse mori.”

The drawings of this master evince great boldness, as may be seen in our book, where we have the story which he painted for the chapel of Sant’ Andrea in the church of Santa Croce at Florence, drawn by his hand.

---

1. Cennino, son of Andrea Cennini, of whose treatise on painting (the oldest extant) Vasari speaks further in the Life of Agnolo Gaddi. Three manuscripts of this work are known to the reading world. One is in the Laurentian Library in Florence, a second in the Riccardiana, in the same city; and a third, apparently only a modern copy of the Laurentian, in the Vatican. The work of Cennini was translated into English, some years since, by Mrs. Merrifield.
2. For a description of the frescoes here ascribed to Taddeo Gaddi see Rumohr, Ital. Forsch. vol. ii, p. 80.
3. These frescoes still exist. See Rumohr, ut supra, p. 79.
4. None of those works remain. The chapel of the Bellacci was encrusted with marbles, when the frescoes of Taddeo were destroyed.
5. The celebrated secretary of the republic.
6. Probably that criticised by Brunellesco, now in the chapel of the Bardi, in Santa Croce.
7. This picture has perished.
8. This oratory has been demolished.
9. All these works have perished.
10. Now the oratory of San Carlo. The painting is in the Florentine Academy.
11. This painting also has been destrojmd by time.
12. The fate of this picture is not known.
13. The Last Supper and Crucifixion have both been replaced by other paintings.
14. These works also have been replaced, first by Santi di Tito, and afterwards by Gio. Ferretti.
15. These works have been whitewashed, those of the ceiling excepted. The latter represent the first founders of the religious orders, in figures of great majesty and beauty.
16. In the chapel of the Ammanati, in the Campo Santo of Pisa, there is a gigantic head of the Virgin, which Grassi, in his Descrizione Storica e Artisticu, declares to be a fragment of the work here described by Vasari.
17. The church and convent being suppressed, these paintings are most probably destroyed. —Montani.
18. This large building is now the Record and State-Paper Office. — Bottari. See also Gaye, Carteggio Inedito.
19. See-Villani, lib. ii, cap. i.
20. These shops still remain. They are occupied almost entirely by the workers in gold and silver; and above them is carried the corridor, built by Vasari, to connect the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti.
21. The braccio varies in length, not only in different parts of Italy, but also according to the thing measured. In Parma, for example, the braccio for measuring silk is twenty-three inches, that for woollen or cotton is twenty-live and a fraction, while that by which the roads are measured is twenty-one only; in Siena, the braccio for cloth is fourteen inches only, while in Milan it is thirty-nine. The Florentine braccio, which is that here alluded to, is twenty three inches, English measure. —E. F.
22. These paintings no longer exist.
23. 
    “ Here doth pure Truth—obedient to the est
    Of sacred Justice—swift to follow crime,
    Tear forth the tongue of Falsehood.”
    
24. 
    “ By Taddeo’s hand was this fair space adorned;
    Disciple he of the good master Giotto.”
    
25. These paintings are destroyed.
26. These pictures of the Spirito Santo are also lost.
27. The stories from the life of St. John the Baptist still remain, but in very bad condition.
28. This work, also, has unhappily perished.
29. See page 100.
30. That towards the west, namely; which, as well as the ceiling and the north and east sides, is in much better preservation than the south side, which has suffered greatly.
31. Rumohr questions the justice of ascribing these works to Taddeo. See Italienische Forschuvgen, vol. ii. See also Waagen’s German Catalogue of the Royal Gallery of Berlin.
32. Rumohr cites a document which proves him to have been still living in 1366.
33. The opinions of Rumohr as to this painter, and the accuracy of that commentator’s judgment respecting the works of Giovanni, have been much questioned. For an extended dissertation on this subject, see Italienische Forschungen, vol. ii, pp. 81-3.
34. There are six small paintings by Taddeo Gaddi in the Gallery of the Florentine Academy. For many luminous observations relative to these works, see Rumohr, vol. ii, p. 216.