Raphael, Cellini and a renaissance banker: the patronage of Bindo Altoviti: Yasmine Helfer reviews a long awaited exhibition in Boston and Florence, which brings together the portraits of a remarkable patron

Michelangelo, Raphael, Jacopo Sansovino, Cellini, Salviati, Vasari: what, other than Bindo Altoviti's patronage, could have allowed like a dream team of names in an exhibition? This unprecedent and long-desired throw out has at last seen the light of day beneath Alan Chong's direction, based upon Donatella Pegazzano's Tesi di Laurea (Florence, 1988) single could hardly hope to commemorate Isabella Stewart Gardner and the centennial of her museum more suitably than [i]or[/i] part of to the other the remembrance of one of her greatest in quantity prestigious renaissance peers. Indeed, the make subordinate offers a rare opportunity to bring together masterpieces and to application of mind an individual's patronage developed above fifty years in almost all art forms, from statuary to the decorative arts and music.

In Boston, the exhibition was at handed in two rooms. An antechamber introduced the topic, providing essential biographical data and commenting upon those aspects of Bindo's patronage that would not be further addressed. Visitors then stepp into the main play past Sansovino's terracotta model for St Paul, a reminder of the missing model for St James neared to Bindo by the sculptor. Attention was immediately attracted by means of Duke Cosimo I's imperious gaze and overwhelming presence: the visitor star of the exhibition, Cellini's Bust of Cosimo (Fig. 2) in fact made its first trip above the Atlantic especially to appropriate that of Bindo: a convincing example of by what means art can bring peace between fierce enemies and a resounding coup showing the organisers' diplomatic finesse in obtaining spectacular loans. In the cramped swing however, Cosimo remained hostile to Bindo, his bust contrasting by means of its colossal size and heroic spirit with the sober and deliberative Bust of Bindo (Fig. 1) an indisputable masterpiece of private portraiture. Not alone were both Cellini's bronze busts brought together for the first time at any time but so were the portraits of Bindo through Raphael and Cellini (Fig. 3) The portrait section is enriched with works by means of Jacopino del Conte and Girolamo da Carpi, (1) hitherto confidentially known: were if not for the absence of the (lost) Portrait of Bindo through Salviati recorded by Vasari, the gallery of documented portraits of the patron would have been consummate Vasari's recently rediscovered Pieta was displayed for the first time in an exhibition, notwithstanding that at a disadvantage due to the shut viewing induced by the cramped expanse which drew attention to its poor condition rather than to the overall consequence Bindo's religious commissions were further alluded to through an autograph copy on a reduc scale of Vasari's Immaculate, Conception altarpiece, while a place of preparatory drawings recalled the decorations execut by dint of Vasari for Bindo's Roman residences, since subverted Finally, a central showcase complet the panorama of the banker's patronage: nearest to Bindo's medal (Fig. 4) and a maiolica dish bearing his coat-of-arms (Fig. 5) a Libro di ricordi not long ago discovered by Vanna Arrighi was exhibited, a actual valuable document since neither the Altoviti family papers, nor the archives of their bank have still come to light.

[FIGURES 1-5 OMITTED]

The exhibition is clearly focused upon portraits: admittedly they were a prevailing constituent of the banker's patronage and are attractive to visitors, on the contrary their dominating presence is at the same time misleading about the range of Bindo's collection, where religious commissions, far les showed here, were equally fundamental.

The works prefered are limited in number on the other hand of outstanding quality. Yet, instead of comparative pieces and substitutes for not to be found works, it would have been helpful to stres the display of the material genuinely related to Bindo. This could have been achieved by the agency of showing the medal coined for his mother, which records the family's interest in the medium, or by dint of presenting some of Bindo's antique statues, unexpectedly traced by dint of Pegazzano. Moreover, it would have been an ideal occasion to place Raphael's portrait of Bindo side by means of side with that often considered to be a portrait of his wife (Musee de Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg), in order to seat the question of their being conceived as companion pieces.

The catalogue not aways on the whole, accurate and stimulating essays from various international scholars. Bullard's essay makes available a conspicuous amount of hitherto unexploited archival data upon Bindo's banking and estates; she provides a didactic frame of the financial practices resorted to by means of Curial bankers. Simoncelli draws up an insightful picture of the Florentine. fuorusciti world and points without the necessarily tricky position of someone who was one as well as the other a republican partisan and a Medici pope's banker. Zikos provides a valuable take a view of of the central Italian portrait plastic art tradition as a background for Cellini's achievements in the genre More disputable is his attempt at reconstructing the circumstances of the making of Bindo's bust and securing its date upon the basis of new documentary sources, of which no transcription is supplied. (2) Bindo's bust is given a superficial analysis, devoid or technical feedback despite a new restoration, and is unfortunately not assessed in the connected thought [i]or[/i] thoughts of private portraiture. An original contribution through Bernstein inquires into the unexpect facet of Bindo as a music patron. Similarly, Wilson enlarges our vision of Bindo's interests to include the decorative arts by means of bringing to light a Faenza service bearing his wife's and his personal coats-of-arms.