BANDINI, Giovanni

Bandini executed the Bacchus for the Grifoni family.

The marble bust of Christ is located in the choir of the nuns in San Vincenzo, Prato.

In Bandini’s existing busts of the Grand Duke, the sitter is dressed all’antica, an emulation of Roman imperial portraiture in keeping with Cosimo’s view of himself as an Augustus reborn, and he is shown as aloof, expressionless and virtually static, with only a hint of movement in the turn of the head.

In Bandini’s existing busts of the Grand Duke, the sitter is dressed all’antica, an emulation of Roman imperial portraiture in keeping with Cosimo’s view of himself as an Augustus reborn, and he is shown as aloof, expressionless and virtually static, with only a hint of movement in the turn of the head.

The present bust was placed over the entrance to the Cathedral Works (Opera del Duomo).

The Medici, who had ruled Florence since the early fifteenth century, fell from power in 1529 following the siege of the city during the French Wars. A decade later, Cosimo I de’ Medici restored security and prosperity to the city, while undertaking a military campaign to unify Tuscany under Medici rule. Grand Duke Cosimo and his successors were active patrons of the arts, enriching Tuscan cities with works of art and architecture, and reestablishing the capital city of Florence as a major cultural centre.

Grand Duke Cosimo commissioned noted artists - the painter Bronzino and sculptors Giambologna and Bandini, among them - to create his official portraits. Giovanni Bandini executed five busts of Cosimo I to be placed above the portals of Florentine palaces as an honour granted to the important families who lived in them. In all examples, Cosimo is portrayed “all’ antica,” wearing a mantle and cuirass in emulation of his ancient Roman Imperial antecedents. This bust epitomizes the dignified formal character of aristocratic portraiture in later sixteenth-century Italy.

The Medici, who had ruled Florence since the early fifteenth century, fell from power in 1529 following the siege of the city during the French Wars. A decade later, Cosimo I de’ Medici restored security and prosperity to the city, while undertaking a military campaign to unify Tuscany under Medici rule. Grand Duke Cosimo and his successors were active patrons of the arts, enriching Tuscan cities with works of art and architecture, and reestablishing the capital city of Florence as a major cultural centre.

Grand Duke Cosimo commissioned noted artists - the painter Bronzino and sculptors Giambologna and Bandini, among them - to create his official portraits. Giovanni Bandini executed five busts of Cosimo I to be placed above the portals of Florentine palaces as an honour granted to the important families who lived in them. In all examples, Cosimo is portrayed “all’ antica,” wearing a mantle and cuirass in emulation of his ancient Roman Imperial antecedents. This bust epitomizes the dignified formal character of aristocratic portraiture in later sixteenth-century Italy.

Bandini’s apprenticeship in Baccio Bandinelli’s Florentine workshop probably began c. 1555. With his master’s death in 1560, he was asked to complete the choir-screen of Florence Cathedral, begun by Bandinelli in 1547; he executed the bas-reliefs on the western side of the screen, completed in 1572 (in situ).

Bandini’s apprenticeship in Baccio Bandinelli’s Florentine workshop probably began c. 1555. With his master’s death in 1560, he was asked to complete the choir-screen of Florence Cathedral, begun by Bandinelli in 1547; he executed the bas-reliefs on the western side of the screen, completed in 1572 (in situ).

The sixteenth-century fountain on the side wall of the garden of Palazzo Budini Gattai (former Palazzo Grifoni), rebuilt in the eighteenth century, is embellished with spongy concretions and the Mannerist statues of Venus and the sea monsters. It was commissioned from Bandini by Ugolino di Jacopo Grifoni, secretary to Cosimo I de’Medici.

The Palazzo Grifoni is located on the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata in Florence, and was constructed in 1563-74 by Giuliano di Baccio d’Agnolo and Bartolomeo Ammanati.

In c. 1573, Bandini was commissioned to make a marble Hercules and the Hydra by Giovanni Niccolini (1544-1611), a diplomat for Francesco I de’ Medici, who had busts by Bandini of Cosimo I and Francesco I at his Florentine palazzo. The statue is installed on the square in front of the Villa Medicea di Camugliano. The villa dominates the surrounding area with its compact cubic structure and the four mighty corner turrets. It is reminiscent of a fortified structure, the square in front was created to collect an arms square on occasion.

Like the portrait busts, the Hercules was a homage to the Medici, who had taken the mythological founder of Florence as their symbol in the 15th century. For his statue Bandini referred to earlier Medicean treatments of Hercules, adopting the figure’s stance from Antonio del Pollaiuolo’s painting of Hercules and the Hydra and the frontal viewpoint and muscularity from Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus.

In c. 1573, Bandini was commissioned to make a marble Hercules and the Hydra by Giovanni Niccolini (1544-1611), a diplomat for Francesco I de’ Medici, who had busts by Bandini of Cosimo I and Francesco I at his Florentine palazzo. The statue is installed on the square in front of the Villa Medicea di Camugliano. The villa dominates the surrounding area with its compact cubic structure and the four mighty corner turrets. It is reminiscent of a fortified structure, the square in front was created to collect an arms square on occasion.

Like the portrait busts, the Hercules was a homage to the Medici, who had taken the mythological founder of Florence as their symbol in the 15th century. For his statue Bandini referred to earlier Medicean treatments of Hercules, adopting the figure’s stance from Antonio del Pollaiuolo’s painting of Hercules and the Hydra and the frontal viewpoint and muscularity from Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus.

The picture shows a corner of the studiolo of Francesco I de’ Medici in the niches with Venus by Vincenzo Danti and Juno by Giovanni Bandini.

During the 1570s Bandini worked for Francesco I and his circle. The most important work of this period is his first commission in bronze, the statuette of Juno, created for the studiolo of Francesco I in the Palazzo Vecchio. The figure, wearing the crescent moon of chastity and accompanied by her traditional peacock (a separate piece apparently not sculpted by Bandini), is orientated frontally, as it was designed for a niche. Her stance and gestures suggest that Bandini was emulating Michelangelo’s David.

Bandini transformed Michelangelo’s Republican hero into a Medicean heroine, a tribute to Francesco I’s mother, Eleonora de’ Medici, who was commonly compared to the chaste Juno.

The classical hero, accompanied by his dogs, takes on the wild boar of Caledonia who was devastating Attica, as told in the well-known Greek mythological tale. This theme often appeared on sarcophagi and ancient sculptures that came to light during the Renaissance, inspiring numerous artists. With this sculptural group, Bandini sought to show the Duke of Urbino his skills with bronze after the latter chose to commission works from Giambologna.

This piece was probably given to the Spanish king Philip II during the final years of his reign as a present from the Duke himself, Francesco Maria II della Rovere.

Bandini continued to work for the Duke of Urbino until 1595, when he was called to Pisa to collaborate on the bronze door of the cathedral. At this time he was also commissioned to execute a monumental statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I for the Piazza Micheli, Livorno.

The Monument of the Four Moors (“Monumento dei quattro mori”) was created by Giovanni Bandini (statue of the Grand Duke, 1595) and Pietro Tacca (statues of the four Moors, 1623). It shows the Grand Duke of Tuscany, wearing the uniform of Grand Master of the knightly Order of Santo Stefano, triumphing above four Turkish (Moorish) prisoners, after building a war fleet for the Order of Santo Stefano to counter attacks from Barbaric pirates.

Three of the four bronze statues of enslaved prisoners chained at the base of the statue of Ferdinando I show physical characteristics representing people of the southern Mediterranean coast while the fourth statue has characteristics of a black African.

Bandini continued to work for the Duke of Urbino until 1595, when he was called to Pisa to collaborate on the bronze door of the cathedral. At this time he was also commissioned to execute a monumental statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I for the Piazza Micheli, Livorno.

In 1583-84 Bandini created the bronze group with Meleager for Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. For this uncharacteristically dynamic grouping he probably drew on antique sculpture, a Hippolytus sarcophagus, and on a Wild Boar in the ducal collection (Palazzo Pitti, Florence). The change in Bandini’s style is evident also in the marble Pietà, generally considered his masterpiece, which was probably influenced by Sebastiano del Piombo’s Pietà (Museo Civico, Viterbo) after Michelangelo’s design, and also by the antique Niobe Group (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence), especially the son of Niobe, excavated the year Bandini began the work.

This group was probably intended for the tomb of Francesco Maria II della Rovere.

All hope that Michelangelo would execute 12 more than life-size statues of Apostles for the Duomo was abandoned in 1508, when he began to work on the Sistine ceiling. For three years the scheme was in abeyance, and then, in the first half of 1511, it was decided to allot to statues separately to such sculptors as were available. In June the first commission, for the St James, was awarded to Jacopo Sansovino. In the second half of 1513, after a vain attempt to induce Andrea Sansovino to undertake two statues, a figure of St John the Evangelist was commissioned from Benedetto da Rovezzano, who completed it in twelve months, and about the same time a St Andrew was commissioned from Andrea Ferrucci.

In 1514 Ferrucci was unsuccessfully invited to carve a second statue, a St Peter, and when he refused, this was entrusted, early in 1515, to a young and unproved prot�g� of Giuliano de’Medici, Baccio Bandinelli.

The coloured marble tabernacles in which the statues are shown were designed in 1563-65 by Ammanati. Thereafter four further figures were commissioned, two (St Philip, 1577, St James the Less, 1576) from Giovanni Bandini, and two (St Matthew, 1580, St Thomas, c. 1580) by Vincenzo de’ Rossi.

All hope that Michelangelo would execute 12 more than life-size statues of Apostles for the Duomo was abandoned in 1508, when he began to work on the Sistine ceiling. For three years the scheme was in abeyance, and then, in the first half of 1511, it was decided to allot to statues separately to such sculptors as were available. In June the first commission, for the St James, was awarded to Jacopo Sansovino. In the second half of 1513, after a vain attempt to induce Andrea Sansovino to undertake two statues, a figure of St John the Evangelist was commissioned from Benedetto da Rovezzano, who completed it in twelve months, and about the same time a St Andrew was commissioned from Andrea Ferrucci.

In 1514 Ferrucci was unsuccessfully invited to carve a second statue, a St Peter, and when he refused, this was entrusted, early in 1515, to a young and unproved prot�g� of Giuliano de’Medici, Baccio Bandinelli.

The coloured marble tabernacles in which the statues are shown were designed in 1563-65 by Ammanati. Thereafter four further figures were commissioned, two (St Philip, 1577, St James the Less, 1576) from Giovanni Bandini, and two (St Matthew, 1580, St Thomas, c. 1580) by Vincenzo de’ Rossi.

The tabernacle with the Madonna at the corner of Via Giovanni Boccaccio and Via Franco Sacchetti in Florence is attributed to Giovanni Battista Caccini.

In 1576-77, Bandini executed the reliefs on the tombs of Cardinal Niccolò Gaddi (1499-1552) and Cardinal Taddeo Gaddi (1520-1561), the descendants of the painter Taddeo Gaddi (1300-1366). They were buried in their family chapel in Santa Maria Novella.

The relief on Niccolò’s tomb depicts the Presentation of Mary in the Temple.

The relief on Niccolò’s tomb depicts the Presentation of Mary in the Temple.

In 1576-77, Bandini executed the reliefs on the tombs of Cardinal Niccolò Gaddi (1499-1552) and Cardinal Taddeo Gaddi (1520-1561), the descendants of the painter Taddeo Gaddi (1300-1366). They were buried in their family chapel in Santa Maria Novella.

The relief on Taddeo’s tomb depicts the Marriage of Mary.

Following the solemn funeral of Michelangelo held in the church of San Lorenzo on 14 July 1564, Vasari began his project for the structure of the monument to Michelangelo. The elaborate allegorical decoration for the project was drawn up by Vincenzo Borghini and included contributions by Battista Lorenzi, who sculpted the statue of Painting and the bust of Michelangelo, and Valerio Cioli the statue of Sculpture. The marble personification of Architecture was made by Giovanni Bandini.

Giovanni Bandini (known as Giovanni dell’Opera) achieved recognition early in his career. In 1563 he became a member of the newly established Accademia del Disegno in Florence and the following year was asked to create the personifications of Architecture and the Tiber for the catafalque of Michelangelo. Cosimo I was so impressed with these figures that he commissioned Bandini to execute the marble personification of Architecture for Michelangelo’s tomb. The figure was completed by 1568 but was installed only in 1574. Its solemn grandeur seems to owe much to Michelangelo’s Giuliano de’ Medici (New Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence).

The picture shows the lower part of Michelangelo’s tomb with Painting (left), Sculpture (centre) and Architecture (right).

In 1576-77, Bandini executed the reliefs on the tombs of Cardinal Niccolò Gaddi (1499-1552) and Cardinal Taddeo Gaddi (1520-1561), the descendants of the painter Taddeo Gaddi (1300-1366). They were buried in their family chapel in Santa Maria Novella.

The family chapel contains the tombs of Cardinal Niccolò Gaddi (left) and Cardinal Taddeo Gaddi (right), the altarpiece Raising of the Daughter of Jairus by Bronzino, and the vault fresco by Alessandro Allori depicting stories from the life of St Jerome.