Dating back to the early 14th century, the Renaissance had already begun in Italy, the land of the former Roman Empire, while most of the European countries were still overpowered by religious limitations. Later, its influence stretched towards the northern and southern part of the Alps, including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, and even England, an island outside the European continent. Each area contributed its own cultural influence, creating an extraordinary period of artistic creation.
The three-century-long Renaissance highly valued humanity, individuality, trade, and science. With its deep impact on people's thought and ways of life, great achievements were made in many disciplines, such as the humanities, science, philosophy, politics, and education. Florence was the true focal point of the Renaissance having produced great thinkers, patrons and artists, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarrti, and Raffaello Sanzio are the most celebrated artists of the period.
The Bellini family in Florence has been a distinguished collector and supporter of the arts since the 18th century. Their family museum, the Bellini Museum in Florence, has a strong collection of Italian Renaissance art.
1.No. 1 "Medici Carpet" This is a woolen carpet that was owned by the Medici family during the 16th century. The Medicis were an important banking family in Italy as well as political leaders of Florence. They were the biggest culture and art patron, helping to make Florence the center of the Renaissance. The most well-known of three men in the family was Cosimo de Medici, who was respectively referred to as " the father of the country" for his great influence on Florence. His sons were Piero de Medici and his grandson is the Magnificent Lorenzo De Medici. Many admirable artistic masters were once working under their patronage. At the end of the 15th century, Lorenzo De Medici created the famous "Medici school" where he discovered Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the most prolific and talented artists of the Renaissance. The pattern on this carpet is the clan of the family .it was laid down by the "father of the country" Cosimo de Medici. It's main feature is a large hoop in which many other small hoops are contained. It is called "the holy knight seal" the family name of the Medici family. This symbol possesses a meaning of doctor in Italy. Cosimo de Medici regarded this clan insignia as his own signature used in architecture and the other arts that he patroned. Two holy boys hold up the corolla with the Florence Lilies . Lily was the city flower in Florence and the lion head beneath the crown was also an important symbol of Florence. The combination of all of these patterns suggests the position of leadership that Medici family possessed in Florence.
2. No.5 "Bless Childhood Jesus" The will-known Italian sculptor Domenico Rossellina ,is the author of this 16th century work. This sculpture shows that the young Jesus Christ, with his right hand raised, is blessing people. The posture of raising the right hand with the middle finger and forefinger stuck out, is very common in Christian art and often depicted with Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary and other saints. This sculpture is in the collection of the museum Davanzati（达.瓦恩扎蒂） in Florence. This museum was originally the mansion of a famous family in Italy --the family Davanzati（达.瓦恩扎蒂）in the 15th and 16th century. It was built in the mid 14th century. Its building features combine styles existing at the turning point between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In addition, the luxurious displays within, show the resplendence of this family of brilliance at one time.
3.No.6 "Baptist St.John" This colored ceramic piece represents the famous prophet John the Baptist, the cousin of the Savior, in the < New Testament of the Bible>. He came to this world to teach people to repent and prepare for entering the Kingdom of Heaven. He was self-disciplined, wore the coarse fur of camel, lived on eating honey, devoted himself to the salvation of people. Therefore, he was considered to be the representative of ascetic penance. This sculpture shows St.John (圣约翰) wearing camel fur, looking at the sky, and praying with anxiety for people. It is full of spiritual power, which touches people deeply. The author of this sculpture was a student of Donatello（多纳太罗）, one of the most famous sculptors in the early stages of the Italian Renaissance. Most of his works are full of energy and primitive simplicity without extra decoration. They added freshness into the artistic field which was then dominated by the international Gothic style and greatly contributed to the development of the sculpture during the Renaissance. His students absorbed the essence of their teacher's style. This simple sculpture is of perfect proportion. Only its slender finger and the slightly bending posture suggest that was still under the influence of the international Gothic style.
4. No.7 "The basket girl beholder" This colored ceramic sculpture is by Giovanni della Robbia（乔凡尼·德拉·洛比阿） Giovanni della Robbia, was born into a famous artistic family in Italy at the time of Renaissance---the Robbia family. The brother of his grandfather was the founder of the colored ceramic craft. This type of sculpture was popular in Florence for as long as 150 years and the Robbia family was well known to the world for this gorgeous "colored ceramic sculpture" during most of Robbia's life time. He was working together with his father Andrew Dela Robbia. And because of Andrew's great reputation, many a works that were actually created by Giovanni were regarded as having been done by his father. As a matter of fact, Giovanni ‘s artistic talent was just as good as his father's. This "basket beholder "is a typical colored sculpture with Robbia style .It has a background color of white and its main tone is blue. The color effect is very rich and delicate. Baskets full of flower and fruits often appear in western art. They represent a "rich and fertile valley" symbolizing abundance, fertility , as well as mercy ,peace and luck.
5. No.7a "The BAPTIST saint John in childhood" This kind of ceramic art was quite hard to make. This work was created by Giovanni della Robbia. （乔凡尼·德拉·洛比阿） His art is on exhibition in many other famous museums in the world such as Florence, Paris and Berlin. This piece is typical of Robbia's other colored ceramic sculpture. It has a background of white and its main color tone is blue. Its color effect is so rich and delicate. Saint John the Baptist was a famous prophet in . He was also the elder cousin of the savior Jesus Christ This prophet, shown during childhood, is dressed in camel fur, symbolizing ascetic practice, he holds up the right hand to express his good wishes. The child ‘s face is so vivid. The icon of the boy Jesus or Saint John the Baptist was so popular at that time in Florence and parents usually set up such sculptures at home as an example for their children to study hard.
6、No.9 "Saint John in the desert" This porcelain piece presents the famous oracle in . According to the Bible, Saint John is the cousin of Jesus Christ. He always wears a rough camel fur, and eats honey. He worked hard and preached everywhere. He also led others to repent in preparation for heaven. As a result, Saint John in Desert became a common theme in the Christian art. This is a 15th century work by Desiderio da Settignano (岱西德里奥•达•塞提涅亚诺). He was a sculptor in Florence during the early renaissance. He was from in a stonemason family. Though influenced by Donatello(多纳太罗), his style was more diaphanous and more elegant.
7、No.10 "Dante Alighieri" No.10 and 11 are glazed, colored ceramic pieces representing the two most important poets in the Italian Renaissance ----Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarca (佛朗切斯特*贝特拉卡). The two sculptures are produced by a famous house in Florence----the Robbias, who were famed for their excellent skill in making ceramic sculptures. This sculpture of Dante Alighieri, has a white base with a blue tone. This technique is a typical style of the Robbias. Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and died in 1321. He has been regarded as the Father of Italian, the greatest poet in Italy and one of the most important people in the world. He was admired for his profound thoughts and his contribution to the promotion of dialectical literature. The masterpiece Divine Comedy, which was spread all over the world since ancient times, has won Dante a reputation that will never fade. But such a great writer couldn't walk a smooth path politically. He was banished from Florence during his youth, and finally died far from home in Ravenna, Italy (拉文纳).
8、No.11 "Francesco Petrarca" No.10 and 11 are glazed, colored ceramic pieces representing the two most important poets in the Italian Renaissance ----Dante Alighieri and Francesco Petrarca (佛朗切斯特*贝特拉卡). The two sculptures are produced by a famous house in Florence----the Robbias, who were famed for their excellent skill in making ceramic sculptures. This sculpture of Francesco Petrarca, has a white base with a blue tone. This technique is a typical style of the Robbias. Francesco Petrarca was a great poet and writer in Italy. He who was admired for rebuilding the calssicals, was on a par with Dante Alighieri. Some of his most representative works were poems created for his idealized love named Laura (劳拉). His poems are typical love tales in a classical style, indicating Petrarca's challenges to the more serious Christian culture. Petrarca was the first to put forward the concept of "the Middle Ages". He believed that it was a dark age compared to the classical period. Based on his theories, he advanced the idea that people should retrieve the classical and more golden age that had passed.
9. No 12 "Dante style chair" This 16th century chair in the style of Dante is embedded with mother-of-pearl. During the Renaissance Period, pursuit of comfort became one of the features of daily life. In the economically-developed Florence, the manufacture of daily furniture was prospering, and designers were conceiving some of the most fashion and comfortable furniture of the time. The chair is formed with a kind of letter "X", its bottom sinks to fit the hip, and above the bottom there is usually a cushion to enhance the softness. Owing to the saying that the great poet Dante loved this kind of chair most, it is called the "Dante chair".
10.No.15 "Caesar Augustan" & No.15a"Fabio Massimo " These are two decorative furniture pieces from the 15th century. They were painted by one of the most excellent painters in the early Renaissance—Paolo Uccello. They were initially located on the wedge of a drawer. Paolo·Uccello was a Florentine. He had studied with the famous painter Masaccio (马萨乔). He learned the ability of foreshortening figures from his teacher. It is said that Uccello especially respected his profession, seen through his studies of foreshortened figures and working in the studio very hard. He insisted on using a scientific technique in painting. He created figures, animals, and scenery with a fine pencil using exact scale and perspective. Perhaps his attention to the details of perspective causes his work to lack liveliness or energy. One of his best known works is << The Battle of San Romano >>. Like other writers and artists during the Renaissance, Uccello liked utilizing historical subject matter for his work, as depicted in these two decorative drawer panel paintings. One shows the first king of the Kingdom of Old Rome-- Caesar Augustan, the other, Work 15a, depicts the former General of Old Rome, Fabio Massimo. On the small panel, Uccello arranged two portraits. The character and the horse have are in exact proportion, the front legs and the back legs of the horse are suitably foreshortened, even the shadow is extremely accurate, causing them to appear stiff and unnatural.
11.No.17 "The Rich Horn" This white marble displays a famous symbol in Eastern art—the Rich Horn, which means abundance, and the woman compared with the river. In the myth of the ancient Greece, the Rich Horn is one horn of the goat Amarteya (阿玛尔特亚). When Zeus (宙斯) was young, Amarteya feed him with her milk. In return, Zeus gave her a magical horn with which she could get anything she wanted. In the art occidental, the Rich Horn stands for richness and fertility. There are often flowers, fruit and grains in the horn. The one who often appears with the Rich Horn is the Roman Goddess of Fortune (佛图讷). She takes the Rich Horn in her hands as a symbole of peace, benevolence and luck. The author of this sculpture is Nicklo Telipolo (尼可洛.特里波洛), famous Italian sculptor and engineer during the Renaissance. His most famous work is a fountain for the country villa of the Medici family (美第奇) near the Florence (佛罗伦萨). From then on, sculptural detail and decorations on fountains became one of the principal forms of sculpture.
12. No.18 "Monna Davanzati" (蒙娜.达.瓦恩扎蒂) Monna Davanzati was a member of the rich family—Davanzati—in Florence in the 15th and the 16th century. One of the members of this family—Blando Davanzati (泊纳多. 达.瓦恩扎蒂)—was a man of honor in the history of literature during the Italian Renaissance. It's said that when he was living, his reputation was the same as Dante (但丁). This museum was originally the mansion of the Davanzati family in Italy during the 15th and 16th century. It was built in the mid 14th century. Its building features combine styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The grand display within shows the glory of this family. This wooden sculpture is the portrait of this great woman. With its good workmanship and its fine color, it is a rare example of multicolored sculpture.
13. No.19 Sacred altar "Virgin Mary and Christ" This is a sculpture of the sacred altar, made of ceramics and enamel. It shows the moment of Christ's birth when the Virgin Mary kneeled before him with her palms closed in prayer. On this calm night, God was happy. Many small angels gather around him incarnated as a pigeon who has flow from heaven to see the young Christ child. Anderea della Robbia (安德烈亚.德拉.洛比阿), a member of the famous sculptural family in 15th century Florence, created this piece. This family is famous for their mastery of multi-colored ceramics sculpture. This style, which was developed by the older Luca della Robbia (卢卡. 德拉.洛比阿), spread throughout Florence for about spread in the Florence city for about 150 years of the Renaissance. Anderea is Luca's nephew and main heir. He took advantage of his familiarity with the technique to improve on it. This sacred altar is a typical work of the Robbia style. Its main colors are white and the blue, and the addition of other colors makes the figures more vivid.
14. No.21 Tapestry "Judith and Holofernes"(朱迪斯与霍诺芬尼) This tapestry depicts a well-known story from the Old Testament.. According to the Old Testament, Judith was a beautiful Jewish widow. Jewish people were forced to live a difficult life during her time. The people of her town had suffered both threat and persecution from the Assyrians who had taken control. Holofernes, the Assyrian General adopted harsh policies for the Jewish people. In this critical moment, everyone in the city was in a panic. Some suggested fighting against the policies and others suggested making a compromise. Judith, was elegant and beautiful and loved by all the citizens. She bitterly criticized the ones who wanted to compromise with the enemy, and she decided to go into the heart of the enemy. With her attractive appearance and wisdom, she gained the trust and love of Holofernes. At a banquet one night, she made seduced Holofernes and then cut off his head. Eventually escaping to her Jewish city. She had killed the enemy's commander, upsetting their strategy and cause. This tapestry expresses the moment when Judith was preparing to flee to the Kingdom of Judah after she cut off Holoferne's head and asked the maid to take it. The depiction of characters is so true to life. It manifests that the craft of brocading in the period of Renaissance had reached a high level of artistic status.
15.No.23 "The Queen Of Love(Venus)" This is a multicolor engraving on wood that decorates the top of a box. The image represents the queen of beauty and love----Venus, leaning against a pillow, hold a rose Wreath in her hand. The figure standing before her is likely her son---- Kewpie. They stand in a field, there are floating clouds. This type of Venus, became increasingly popular during the Renaissance. An example is the famous work of the Venetian painter Giogione's《Deeply Sleeping Venus》 The artist, Paolo Schiavo, was a famous painter in 15th century Florence. He joined the Medici School"美第奇学supported by Lorenzo De`Medici(洛伦佐·德·美第奇)。Schiavo's works include << Christ's lifetime>> altar hidden in The Philadelphia Museum Of Art and the <> The Altenburger Museum Of Art (阿尔腾堡)。 Schiavo's art is similar to book illustrations from the Middle Ages. Just like the wings of Kewpie in this paint, it isn't the current actual method of Florence, it is the classical colored method of the hand-copied book.
16. No.24 "Virgin Mary and Christ sitting on the throne" Virgin Mary and Christ sitting on the throne" is one of the most typical subjects in Christian art. It was often depicted in altars or niches. They are usually shown with the Virgin Mary sitting in the throne with the Christ child, who raises his right hand to bless the people, in her arms. This inlaid engraving is a work of the early renaissance in Tuscany. The Christ child here isn't raising his right hand, instead, he hides in the bosom of the Virgin Mary, just like a normal child. This trait is quite different of the Middle Ages. It emphasizes the human aspects of the Virgin and Christ, which is easier for people to identify with. After this, Christian art develops in this direction.
Please, look at this group of paintings. They show us the half-length portraits of noble Italian youth during the Renaissance. They're painted on board with colours which are mixed with egg and water. This kind of paint is called "tempera". Before the invention of oil painting by the northern Europeans, this kind of painting is the most commonly seen in the latter part of the Middle Ages or the early Renaissance. They could be taken along conveniently, and moreover, they were able to be widely used on the altars of cathedrals. They became very popular in Europe. This group of paintings is painted by a famous Langobardic artist Vicenzo Foppa(温琴佐.福巴). Langobardic refers to people of Germanic descent who had invaded Italy several centuries before. Vicenzo Foppa was born in 1427, a son of a tailor. Before Leonardo da Vinci's coming to Milan in 1481, he was regarded as a leader of Langobardic painting world. As many great artists during the Renaissance, Vicenzo studied painting. The figures in his paintings, are all in the exact proportion. This had quite an effect on the painting circles in the north of Italy. In 1489, he returned to his home place till his death 26 years later. These 4 half-length portraits are put onto two boards as decoration for the family's private collection. They might have once been set in the ceiling or on the lintel. Though they aren't too large, the drawings are smooth and precise, which fully show us the painter's profound skills.
18. No.27 " Christ's Descent from the Cross" This small sculpture is a disputed work that depicts Christ's descent from the Cross. A frame of the same age makes this colorful sculpture more precious and remarkable. The painter is the disputed creator is greatest artist in the Italian Renaissance—Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in Florence. He came to Rome alone when he was just over twenty years old, and finished his first masterpiece < The Pieta >. This masterpiece has a unique and stable structure, a solid and powerful mold-making, a profound description of feelings, which made this young artist a famous master when he returned to his home town in 1501 and obtained the honor of creating the sculpture for Florence. This work before us is one of the most familiar sculptural themes in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It represents the moment that Christ's family, friends and supporters take him from the cross, just after he has died. He will then be placed in the tomb. Michelangelo, a man full of religious sentiment, represented time after time this kind of scene in his art. Though it's just a small sculpture, we can all see why it is considered one of Michelangelo's works through the powerful composition and the intense movement.
19. No.28 "Glass-window pictures" These stained glass windows represent "the whole life and the sufferings of Jesus". It describes the history of the whole life of Jesus from the : his birth, his propagation of religion, his sufferings and finally his sacrifice on the crucifix. "The whole life and the sufferings of Jesus"<基督生平与受难> are always among the subjects which are most commonly seen in colorful glass-window pictures. These histories, painted on the glass windows of the church, just as an opened textbook, give sincere instructions to the believers who are coming for the sacred ceremony of Catholic Mass. This type of glass-window began appearing in churches built during the Gothic period. Those created in the Gothic style had a delicate style. The glass window pictures here, from the Renaissance, are more mature and colorful. These pictures were painted by Antonio da Pandino，a famous master of Lombardi. He was active in the last ten years of the fifteenth century as a master of stained glass designs.