Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Gherardo Stamina

by Giorgio Vasari

 

GHERARDO STARNINA, PAINTER, OF FLORENCE.

[born 1354—died 1408.]

It is an established truth, that he who wanders far from his country, dwelling for a certain time in a land of strangers, frequently experiences a beneficial change in his character and disposition; for, being subjected to the influence of different habits, and observing various customs, the man who is even perverse of nature learns to become tractable, gentle, and patient, much more readily than he would have done had he remained in his own country. Nay, it is certain that he who desires to mould and refine men for the life of the world, need seek no more effectual fire, and no better test than this, wherein such as are rude of nature become mild and are softened, while the gentle become still more delicately refined. The Florentine painter, Gherardo di Jacopo Starnina, was of good race, and not of bad disposition, but his manners were exceedingly harsh and rude, a circumstance which injured himself more than others, but from which he would nevertheless have suffered very serious consequences, had he not timely betaken himself to Spain, where he remained for a long period. Here, he learned to be gentle and courteous, his character becoming so greatly ameliorated in those countries that he seemed to have changed his nature, insomuch that when he returned to Florence, he was received with the utmost kindness by many who hated him to the death before his departure, but who continued to estimate him highly ever after his return, to such extent had he rendered himself agreeable and courteous.

Gherardo was born in Florence, in the year 1354, and, giving proof as he grew up of a natural inclination for the art of painting, he was placed with Antonio of Venice, that he might learn the principles of design. In the course of years Gherardo not only acquired the practice of drawing and painting, but having given a specimen of his ability in certain works, executed in a very good manner, he left Antonio, and began to labour in his vocation on his own account. The paintings in the chapel of the Castellani, in the church of Santa Croce, were executed at the cost of Michele di Vanni, an honourable citizen of that family; and here Gherardo Starnina depicted various stories in fresco, from the life of Sant’ Antonio the abbot, with others from that of the bishop San Niccolo.^[1] These works Gherardo completed with so much care, and in so good a manner, that they caused him to become known, as an excellent painter, to certain Spaniards then dwelling in Florence for their affairs, and what was more important, they took him with them into Spain, and presented him to their king. This monarch saw and received Starnina very willingly, and the rather as there was then a considerable dearth of good painters in that land (in quella provincia). Nor was it very difficult to induce Gherardo to quit his country, seeing that after the matter of the Ciompi,^[2] and when Michele di Lando was made Gonfaloniere, he had had sharp words, and was at strife with many in Florence, so that he was, to a certain extent, in danger of his life. Having departed, therefore, to Spain, where he executed numerous works for the king of that country,^[3] he received so large a remuneration for his labours, that he became rich and honoured. Being then desirous to show himself among his relations and friends in that improved condition, he returned to Florence, where he was very amicably received by all his fellow-citizens, who thenceforward showed him great favour. Nor did any long time elapse before Starnina was appointed to paint the chapel of San Girolamo, in the church of the Carmine, where he depicted various stories from the life of that saint; in one of these, that namely wherein San Girolamo appears with Paolo and Eustachio, the figures are dressed in certain vestments worn by the Spaniards of that time, the whole work exhibiting much originality of invention, with infinite grace and animation in the attitudes and expression of the figures. Among other scenes is one representing Girolamo receiving his first lessons; it exhibits a schoolmaster, who has caused one of his scholars to take another on his back, and whips the latter so cruelly with his rod, that the poor boy, kicking with the pain and crying out, seems attempting to bite the ear of the one who holds him; all this Gherardo has expressed with a most life-like truth, as was his custom in all that he painted, however whimsical and eccentric the scenes to be delineated. In like manner and with equal truth Starnina has pourtrayed the circumstances connected with the death-bed of San Girolamo. The saint, who is on the point of death, is dictating his testament; many monks, painted with admirable force and beauty, are around him, some of whom Gherardo represents writing, while others, fixedly regarding and earnestly listening to their master, seem to be storing up all his words with the utmost reverence and affection.^[4] This work, having acquired fame and rank among artists for the painter, while his agreeable manners and character had won him a great reputation, the name of Gherardo became renowned throughout Tuscany, or rather through all Italy. He was consequently invited to Pisa, to paint the chapter-house of San Hiccolo in that city; but, unwilling to leave Florence, he sent Antonio Vite of Pistoja^[5] in his stead: and this Antonio, having studied his art under Starnina himself, had acquired the manner of that master, and executed a picture of the Crucifixion in the aforesaid chapter-house, completing it, after the fashion which we now see, in the year 1403, to the great satisfaction of the Pisans.^[6] Gherardo finished the chapel of the Pugliesi, as we have said, and the stories from the life of San Girolamo, which he executed therein, were highly appreciated by the Florentines; the painters preceding him never having expressed the various affections there displayed, as he had done, nor did the attitudes of earlier masters equal the grace of those there seen. In the year 1406, therefore, when Gabriel Maria, lord of Pisa, sold that city to the Florentines^[7] for 200,000 scudi, (after Giovanni Gambacorta had sustained a siege of thirteen months, and had ultimately been persuaded to consent to the sale), the commune of Florence caused Gherardo Starnina to paint a picture in commemoration of that event. Accordingly, on the façade of the palace belonging to the Guelphic party, Starnina depicted St. Dionysius^[8] the bishop, and two angels, with the city of Pisa—a faithful portrait—beneath. This work the master executed with so much care in every part, more particularly as to the colouring in fresco, that in despite of the air, the rains, and the unfavourable exposure of a northern aspect, that picture remains in good preservation to the present time; it has ever been considered worthy of the highest praise, and is still so considered, because the colours retain their freshness and beauty as perfectly as if but just painted.^[9] By these and other works Gherardo Starnina had attained to the summit of honour, both in his own country and others, when envious death, ever the enemy of great deeds, cut him off in the most successful period of his labours, thereby destroying the confident hope of many still better things, wrhich the world had promised itself from his hand. Gherardo unexpectedly attained the end of his career at the age of forty-nine,^[10] and was buried with most honourable obsequies in the church of San Jacopo-sopra-Arno.^[11] The disciples of Starnina were Masolino da Panicale, who was first an excellent goldsmith and afterwards a painter; and others, of whom we need make no further mention, as they did not distinguish themselves.^[12]

The portrait of Gherardo is in the above-described story of San Girolamo, in one of the figures standing around the saint when he died, a profile, the head wrapped in a hood, and wearing a cloak, fastened at the throat. There are certain drawings, done with the pen on parchment, by Starnina, in my book, which are not without merit.

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1. Of the paintings executed in this chapel, those of the ceiling only remain. — Ed. Flor. 1846.
2. This occurred in 1378. See the Cronache of that period, with the Storie of Machiavelli, book iii.—Ed. Flor. 1832 and 1846.
3. he author of the work entitled Les Arts Italiens in Espagne (Rome, 1825, quarto), informs us, that the Camerino of the Escurial has an oratory, painted by Gherardo. The picture is a large composition, representing the Adoration of the Magi, and is the only work of this master now to be found in Spain.— Ed. Flor. 1846-48.
4. This work has now been for some time entirely obliterated. — Ed. Flor. 1832 -38.
5. Lanzi remarks that, among all the painters of repute, Antonio Vite was he who adhered the longest to the manner of Giotto. — Ibid. 1846.
6. Now destroyed.
7. Gabbriello Maria Visconti. See Muratori, Annali d'Italia, ix, 36, and Sismondi, Hist, del Rep. Ital. vol. viii, p. 141.
8. Because the acquisition of Pisa by Florence was made on the festival of that saint—that is, on the 9th of October. — Ed. Flor. 1832-38.
9. Some vestiges of this work still remain.—Ibid. 1846 -49.
10. Baldinucci also declares Gherardo to have died at this age, assigning 1403 as the year of his death; but in that case he could not have painted the pictures which took their origin from the occurrence of 1406. Kicha and Bottari suspect that, instead of “aged forty-nine”, it should be fifty-nine. In the first edition of Yasari, the death of Starnina is placed in 1408.— Ibid. 1832 -38.
11. In Vasari’s first edition, appears the following epitaph on Gherardo, but it would seem to be a composition of even more modern times than some of those previously cited as written on other masters. The Roman, Sienese, and other editions of Yasari, declare this epitaph supposititious:—
    “Gerardo Starninæ Florentino summæ inventioni et elegantiæ pictori. Hujus pulcherrimis operibus Hispaniæ maximum decus et dignitatem adeptæ viventem maximis honoribus et ornamentis auxerunt et fatis functum egregiis verisque laudibus merito semper concelebrarunt.”— Bottari, Della Valle, etc.
12. The life of Masolino will be found in the second part of the present work.