Sixtus IV

1

Mauro Mussolin

SIXTUS IV AND THE BASSO DELLA ROVERE D’ARAGONA OVERDOOR Architecture and Sculpture in Renaissance Savona A C T O N

C O L L E C T I O N

S E R I E S

Fig. 1

Basso Della Rovere d’Aragona bas-relief, marble, 1479, Acton Collection, Villa La Pietra, Florence.

Fig. 1

Basso Della Rovere d’Aragona bas-relief, marble, 1479, Acton Collection, Villa La Pietra, Florence.

Benedetto da Maiano, basin of the sacristy of San Giovanni, marble, 1481, basilica of the Casa Santa, Loreto.

Fig. 11

Coat-of-arms of Ferdinand I Trastamara of Naples and Aragon, from: “D[omi]nus Ferdinandus de Aragonia”, mid-15th century, Codice di Santa Marta, fol. 15, Museo dell’Archivio di Stato, Naples.

Fig. 12

of Basso Della Rovere); 2nd quarterly, 1st and 4th Or, paly of four Gules (arms of Aragon), 2nd and 3rd tierced per pale (arms of Anjou-Durazzo), 1st Argent barry of five Gules (arms of Hungary), 2nd Azur, semé-de-lys Or (arms of Anjou), 3rd Argent, a cross potent between four plain crosslets Or (arms of Jerusalem).26 As we have already noted, the side shields of the Acton Relief are perfectly facing one another, and what this corresponds to is a common heraldic convention of facing the arms “out of courtesy,” but in this particular case it was taken far beyond the aim of creating simple compositional symmetry. In this arrangement, we can see in both shields that the Basso Della Rovere arms always occupies the two outside partitions, while that of the Royal House of Ara-

gon occupies the inside partitions. This changes the direction for reading the partitions of the shield and thus the arms’ order of precedence, inverting the relationship of power and alliance established between the two families. If this reading is correct, the shield on the heraldic right expresses the fact that the Basso Della Rovere brought the arms of the royal house into their own shield, literally creating space for Caterina when she entered the new family (fig. 5). It is the exact opposite in the shield on the heraldic left. The Aragonese arms of concession, and with it Antonio’s ducal rank, is presented in the first partition in accordance with custom, while that of the Basso Della Rovere is presented in the second partition on the heraldic left in an act of submission (fig. 6).

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23

Benedetto da Maiano, basin of the sacristy of San Giovanni, marble, 1481, basilica of the Casa Santa, Loreto.

Fig. 11

Coat-of-arms of Ferdinand I Trastamara of Naples and Aragon, from: “D[omi]nus Ferdinandus de Aragonia”, mid-15th century, Codice di Santa Marta, fol. 15, Museo dell’Archivio di Stato, Naples.

Fig. 12

of Basso Della Rovere); 2nd quarterly, 1st and 4th Or, paly of four Gules (arms of Aragon), 2nd and 3rd tierced per pale (arms of Anjou-Durazzo), 1st Argent barry of five Gules (arms of Hungary), 2nd Azur, semé-de-lys Or (arms of Anjou), 3rd Argent, a cross potent between four plain crosslets Or (arms of Jerusalem).26 As we have already noted, the side shields of the Acton Relief are perfectly facing one another, and what this corresponds to is a common heraldic convention of facing the arms “out of courtesy,” but in this particular case it was taken far beyond the aim of creating simple compositional symmetry. In this arrangement, we can see in both shields that the Basso Della Rovere arms always occupies the two outside partitions, while that of the Royal House of Ara-

gon occupies the inside partitions. This changes the direction for reading the partitions of the shield and thus the arms’ order of precedence, inverting the relationship of power and alliance established between the two families. If this reading is correct, the shield on the heraldic right expresses the fact that the Basso Della Rovere brought the arms of the royal house into their own shield, literally creating space for Caterina when she entered the new family (fig. 5). It is the exact opposite in the shield on the heraldic left. The Aragonese arms of concession, and with it Antonio’s ducal rank, is presented in the first partition in accordance with custom, while that of the Basso Della Rovere is presented in the second partition on the heraldic left in an act of submission (fig. 6).

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Reconstruction of the Savona city plan at the end of the 15th century.

Fig. 27

Piazza del Brandale, Savona.

opened on the Prìamar Hill in 1500, involving the reconstruction of the bishop’s palace and the creation of a magnificent wooden choir with splendid intarsia stalls for the adjacent cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello (fig. 26).65 And yet, the profound change to the urban face of Savona had already begun with the slow but progressive transformation of individual buildings by a ruling mercantile class that, in spite of the old factions that opposed the noble Guelphs and the popular Ghibellines, was enjoying an economic recovery of sorts and found itself strongly united in the establishment of new trade alliances and ready to overhaul the appearance of their city residences (fig. 27).66 A few important architectural changes were made in the area of Piazza del Brandale, the political and administrative center of the city, as home to the Palazzo del Podestà, which also functioned as a law court, the Palazzo dell’Anzianìa, adjacent to the Loggia dei Popolari, and the residences of the Sansoni and the Riario, who were soon interrelated with the Della Rovere (fig. 28).67 But the greatest transformations were made in the area of Piazza della Maddalena, seat of the wealthy mercantile patriciate and the Loggia dei Nobili, to which the Spinola belonged, and where the Della Rovere family lived, not far from the Vegerio, Basso, and Grosso, 37

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Piazza del Brandale, Savona.

opened on the Prìamar Hill in 1500, involving the reconstruction of the bishop’s palace and the creation of a magnificent wooden choir with splendid intarsia stalls for the adjacent cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello (fig. 26).65 And yet, the profound change to the urban face of Savona had already begun with the slow but progressive transformation of individual buildings by a ruling mercantile class that, in spite of the old factions that opposed the noble Guelphs and the popular Ghibellines, was enjoying an economic recovery of sorts and found itself strongly united in the establishment of new trade alliances and ready to overhaul the appearance of their city residences (fig. 27).66 A few important architectural changes were made in the area of Piazza del Brandale, the political and administrative center of the city, as home to the Palazzo del Podestà, which also functioned as a law court, the Palazzo dell’Anzianìa, adjacent to the Loggia dei Popolari, and the residences of the Sansoni and the Riario, who were soon interrelated with the Della Rovere (fig. 28).67 But the greatest transformations were made in the area of Piazza della Maddalena, seat of the wealthy mercantile patriciate and the Loggia dei Nobili, to which the Spinola belonged, and where the Della Rovere family lived, not far from the Vegerio, Basso, and Grosso, 37