Botticelli, Giuliano de' Medici and two female stories: an extraordinary exhibition at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo

From October 12, 2018, to January 28, 2019, theCarrara Academy in Bergamo is hosting the exhibition Botticelli’s Stories. Between Boston and Bergamo, which, thanks to a collaboration with theIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, reunites two long-separated works by Sandro Botticelli, the History of Virginia and the History of Lucretia, which were certainly divided as early as the nineteenth century because one was acquired in the United States and the other in Italy. This is an extraordinary reunion (which will then have a second stop in Boston for the beginning of 2019), celebrated by the Bergamo museum offers to the public with an important exhibition that aims to be an opportunity for comparison, emotion, and study, capable of telling the story of an artist, an era and a city: Florence.

The undisputed protagonist of the exhibition is Sandro Botticelli (Florence, 1445 - 1510), who painted the stories of Virginia and Lucretia around 1505: a single commission for two sister panels, imagined for a single place, originally inserted in a covering that covered the walls of a room up to shoulder height. The masterpieces are characterized by solemnity and elegance of architectural framing, classical memories, excitement of the episodes, and moments of heartfelt drama, and the theme chosen for the two works is also important: the Renaissance tradition, in fact, brings back to the decoration of rooms at important weddings with scenes of probity and chastity. Thematically, the stories of Virginia and Lucretia often appear in pairs, used as pendants in the decorative cycles of the period, where ancient Rome and Renaissance Florence merge, generating two stages for the sacrifice of two women. The female virtues of modesty and chastity are celebrated by the deaths of Virginia and Lucretia, and popular anti-Tyrannical uprisings are extolled by battle-ready men. And while studies continue on the history of Botticelli’s pre-nineteenth-century panels, it is possible to say that Virginia and Lucretia link the Bergamasque and American institutions by the second half of the nineteenth century. The reunion of the two works gives rise to an extraordinary comparison, allowing for a deeper understanding of the origin, nature, and history of the admirable pair of paintings, first in Bergamo and then in Boston. Thanks to the collaboration between the two museums, the reciprocity of the proposal transforms a long-distance dialogue into two unmissable cultural events. Sandro Botticelli, universally celebrated for his ability to interpret his time spanning the height of the splendor of the Medici court until its crisis and sunset, worked on the two panels at a mature age.

As for the “plot” of the two paintings, Virginia and Lucrezia tell us two stories of female virtue and sacrifice: Virginia was murdered by her father to preserve her honor, Lucrezia chose death to save herself from ignominy. Two stories painted in episodes that tell not only of sacrifice and its unfolding, but also of redemption: for Virginia, the reaction of the plebeians, led by her father, against the injustice of power; for Lucretia, the revolt against the misrule of Rome. The two narratives, in addition to representing examples of virtue, in their allusion to revolt against abuse of power, have a political significance that hints at the bitter power struggles in Florence at the close of the 15th century. Also important is the collecting history of the two works. Virginia arrived in the collection of the Carrara Academy through the bequest of art historian Giovanni Morelli in 1891, while the purchase dates back to 1871; Lucrezia was acquired in 1894 by collector Isabella Stewart Gardner, who bought it from Earl Ashburnham through the mediation of Bernard Berenson.

The exceptional reunion then directed the Carrara Academy to also enhance the value of the other two Botticelli paintings also in Bergamo: the Portrait of Giuliano de’ Medici (c. 1478-1480) and the Vir dolorum (c. 1495-1500), both of which came into the collection thanks to the donation of Giovanni Morelli. The Portrait of Giuliano will be flanked by the marble bust depicting him on loan from the Bargello Museum in Florence and by Paolo Giovio’s text, Elogia virorum bellica virtute illustrium (Basel, 1575), accompanied by the engraving with the young Medici family heir pierced by a dagger, to recall the bloody events of the Pazzi Conspiracy that saw his death. Carrara’s Vir dolorum, formerly paired with a Mater Dolorosa (now untraceable but known through a 1913 image) will be juxtaposed with the Crucifix (c. 1496-1498) from the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Prato.

The exhibition itinerary runs through three rooms. Room 7 is dedicated to Giuliano de’ Medici, younger brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, skilled knight and winner of the 1475 Joust celebrated by Poliziano. The young man was a victim of the Pazzi Conspiracy, and was assassinated in Florence on April 26, 1478: Lorenzo wished to denounce and commemorate his death (’luctus publicus’) with the minting of a medal made by the family sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, which depicted, on both sides, the very violent ambush that took place in Santa Maria del Fiore. The death mask was made into the face of a marble bust, and Sandro Botticelli used it to outline the portrait of Giuliano of which at least three versions are known (in Bergamo, Washington, Berlin). In the 16th century, a dagger appears to pierce Giuliano’s heart in Tobias Stimmer ’s woodcut placed to accompany the eulogy written by Paolo Giovio.

In Room 8, the protagonist is the Vir Dolorum: although the centrality of the figure of Christ in the doctrine and preaching of Gerolamo Savonarola is well known, images such as the Vir Dolorum and its different variants (in diptych with the figure of the Madonna, as the Redeemer or with the instruments of the passion) have been present in Florence, Italy and Europe since the Middle Ages. Similarly, the carved or painted crucified Christ is a central typology in liturgical practices. In particular, the typology of the cross shaped and painted on both sides is linked in the 15th century to devotional practices common among the ’Compagnie’ of the faithful who made it the centerpiece of ritual processions. The images of Christ, placed in chapels, oratories, cells or domestic settings, had the function of evoking the sufferings of Jesus, inviting the faithful to identification, contemplation, and prayer. Finally, Room 9 is dedicated to Virginia and Lucretia, the two espalier paintings (similar to those that decorated coffers and chests, and which were inserted within the covering, wooden or of other materials) of the walls of the ’room’) great protagonists of the exhibition.

“The Accademia Carrara’s strong collaboration with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston,” says Maria Cristina Rodeschini, director of the Accademia Carrara and co-curator of the exhibition, “is vigorously underscored by this exhibition. The deep and active cultural dialogue between the two museums, which began in 2015, finds in the exhibition The Botticelli Stories. Between Boston and Bergamo, an important landing point. The two paintings featuring the Carrara’s History of Virginia and the Gardner’s History of Lucretia, painted by the Florentine master at the height of his maturity, confirm his greatness and highlight the relevance of women’s role in society. The two stories are interpreted by Botticelli not only as examples of high civil morality, but as detonators of radical political change. Fascinating is the message to which the Renaissance world gives voice: the private sphere turns into collective interest. Yesterday as today?”

“In the three sections of the exhibition,” stresses Patrizia Zambrano, co-curator of the exhibition and professor at the University of Eastern Piedmont, “every single work by Botticelli in the collection of the Accademia Carrara is placed in relation to paintings, sculptures, and texts with which a dialogue is established, in a chronological progression, from the oldest works up to those painted in the very early years of the sixteenth century, shortly before the artist’s death (1510). This treatment stems from the idea of confrontation and interlocution between works of the Carrara and ’guest’ works in the exhibition and intends to enhance the collection by demonstrating that what is housed in the museum is not dead matter but instead living material that continually poses questions to which scholars as well as the public are called upon to answer. Visitors will therefore be confronted with three different aspects of Sandro Botticelli’s activity: the painter of portraits, the painter of the sacred theme, and the painter of stories, particularly episodes from Roman history.”

The exhibition opens daily (except Tuesdays, closing day), from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ticket office closes at 4:45 p.m.). Special evening openings (until 10 p.m., last admission at 9 p.m.) on Oct. 26, Nov. 30, Dec. 28 and Jan. 11. Tickets for Accademia Carrara: full price 12 euros, concessions and groups 10 euros. For info and reservations: 035 0514356, or visit www.lacarrara.it.

The exhibition project is accompanied by proposals designed by the Carrara Academy’s Educational Services for different audiences: children, families, educational institutions. Storytelling, collecting, and artistic techniques are the themes of workshop activities reserved for schools of all levels, where students can enjoy interdisciplinary experiences. Also, every weekend, for the duration of the exhibition, appointments dedicated to families and adults. Ad hoc proposals for young adolescents as well, through Alternanza Scuola - Lavoro projects and the collaboration with Bergamo Film Meeting. Also by the Educational Services is the development of the audio guide dedicated to children aged 7 to 12: young visitors are accompanied through the exhibition by an exceptional guide, Giovanni Morelli, who challenges them to observe the works like real art historians, leading them to discover Botticelli, the Renaissance and its protagonists. Catalog published by Officina Libraria with texts by: Francesco Caglioti, Ilaria Ciseri, Ana Debenedetti, Andrea Di Lorenzo, Elsa Filosa, Peggy Fogelman, Rossella Lari, Angelo Loda, Gianfranco Pocobene, M. Cristina Rodeschini, Paolo Sachet, Nathaniel Silver, Patrizia Zambrano. Official hashtags: #CarraraBotticelli #BotticelliBergamo #lestoriediBotticelli.

Pictured: the Story of Virginia and the Story of Lucretia combined.

Botticelli, Giuliano de' Medici and two female stories: an extraordinary exhibition at the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo

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