Thursday, December 14, 2017

Adoration of the Magi - Giovanni di Paolo

Salvete Omnes,
keeping up spirit of Holidays and with the subject of Adoration of the Magi -
so today and at this time Giovanni di Paolo, a Sienese master of the XV century trained by Thaddeo di Bartolo and influenced by Sasseta et Gentile da Fabriano . You can read about his art and paintings in The Italian paintings Sienese and Central Italian Schools  (archive or  MET ) page 19 onwards; or in Early Sienese paintings in Hungarian collections : 1420-1520 by Dóra Sallay - p. 174 onwards, also color  images 9.1 onwards.

The following paintings containing horses that exhibit similar traits to Bartolo di Fredi's horses, however due to the small size of the photos perhaps only the Cleveland piece can offer  some interesting insights. All horses appear to have been powerful animals, with wide nostrils, large eyes, short ears, wide foreheads, powerful necks with abundant mane.

Cleveland Museum of Art -

three-quarter view of the foreground grey horse with powerful chest and neck


spurs
Magi's horses - rather spirited and powerful, thus perhaps stallions -   white , bay and roan dextrarius  behind the calmer grey that is a palfrey? Double reins on the grey, and very sumptuous saddle with a long saddle cover or shabraque.


Kroller-Muller Museum - unfortunately no larger size to study the horses and their tack



Met - crica AD 1460


interesting bridle on the grey horse, perhaps a curb-bit on the bay one.. not much else


Unknown -



Valete!

1 comment:

Dario T. W. said...

Sasseta https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sassetta#/media/File:Burning-of-a-heretic--_Sassetta--Melburn_museum.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Borgo_Sansepolcro_Polyptych_of_San_Francesco#/media/File:Sassetta._Procession_to_Calvary_1437-1444_Detroit,_Institute_of_Arts.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cathedral_%28Siena%29_-_Floors/Stories_of_Joshua#/media/File:Pavimento_di_siena,_Giosu%C3%A8_che_vince_gli_Amorrei_01.jpg