The Filippo Strozzi Chapel.

It has been a while since I dedicated some time to one of my favorite subjects which really started this blog out: Renaissance art. For years, I have been willing to write about one of my favorite Renaissance chapels decorated by one of my favorite artists: son of the great master (and friar) Filippo Lippi as well as Sandro Botticelli's favorite pupil: Filippino Lippi. We already covered his great masterpiece in Rome, the Carafa Chapel at Santa Maria soprano Minerva, which is in my opinion the most defining Renaissance work in Rome outside of the Vatican. This time we will go to another Dominican church, this time in Florence, we will explore the glory of Filippo Strozzi's chapel at Santa Maria Novella.

The chapel of Saint John the Evangelist is located in the eastern transept of the basilica church, to the side of the high altar, Ghirlandaio's Tornabuoni Chapel. Florentine master Filippino Lippi, known for his extravagant style, worked on it between 1487 and 1502. The reason why it took him so long is that halfway through the work, he was asked to work at the other chapel in Rome.

The decoration of the chapel was commissioned by Filippo Strozzi the Elder in 1486, about twenty years after his Neapolitan exile as he was trying to re-establish the good name of his family in the city of Firenze. It was at this time that the new family palazzo was being erected which remains to this day one of Florence's most important as well as one of the most renowned examples of Renaissance architecture. That same year, the Florentine banker purchased the chapel's patronage from the Boni family. On April 21, 1487 they signed a contract with Filippino Lippi for an amount of 340 gold florins - the artist came up with his program within the following year. Filippo Strozzi died in 1491 and was therefore not able to follow up works in the chapel which should have been completed by 1490. As it was already mentioned, Filippino Lippi was interrupted halfway through his work by his Roman commission between 1488 and 1493. Although Lippi had been completely paid off by 1498 by Filippo's son Alfonso; his heirs were happy with the artist taking as much time as he liked - which he did, as the chapel was only finished in the year 1502, fifteen years after the contract had been signed! Alfonso is a man we do like as he was one of the greatest opponents of Girolamo Savonarola; the Dominican friar opposed to anything remotely beautiful. Filippino's style was deeply influenced by his Roman stay as so much of the scenes are set in a classical setting, remindful of the monuments he will have seen in Rome. His style is also unique as it takes Botticelli's energy, movement, and frenzy to an apotheosis - some say this is the beginning of Florentine Mannerism, I disagree - it's just very fun and the best quality of High Renaissance art.

The frescoes in the chapel show the stories from the lives of Saint Philip and Saint John the Evangelist, the first being Strozzi's namesake, the other being the chapel's patron saint. The two echoing walls show, as per the contract, a scene of resurrection at the bottom and one of martyrdom on top.

The ceiling shows four patriarchs of the Old Testament: Adam, with Seth and Lilith with the Tree of Knowledge; Noah with the Horn of Abundance, the dove, and the olive tree - sitting on what looks like an ancient river god, such as those representing the Nile or Tiber holding a horn of plenty; Abraham, with the knife from Isaac's sacrifice; and Job, held by angels, holding the inscription: HEC EST DOMUS DEI ET PORTA CŒLI; this is none other than the house of God and the very gate of heaven. Each of them is on a cloud held by monochrome cherubim holding plaques with the names of the patriarchs. The rib vaulting is decorated with grotesques representing the Strozzi arms; in the palm trees and crescents.

On the right wall are the stories from the life of Saint Philip; in the lower section is the saint expelling the dragon from Hierapolis', in the lunette is the Crucifixion of Saint Philip. According to the Golden Legend, Saint Philip is in Scythia, where he is forced by the Pagans to offer a sacrifice to Mars; whose statue is in takes a central position in the scene, together with symbolic animals such as the shewolf and the woodpecker. What is happening in the scene is that while the priest is preparing the fire for the sacrifice, a dragon bursts out of the statue's pedestal and kills the priest's son with his pestilential breath. The dragon's hole is so realistic that Vasari reminds us of an anecdote in which one of Filippino's young aids thought it was real and therefore tried to hide something in it without any success. The saint then banishes the dragon back into its den and brings the boy back to life with a Christian benediction. On the upper part of the fresco are (painted sic.) statues of angels holding a banner that reads: EX H[OC] TRI[UMPHO] M[AXIMO] VICT[ORIA]; this triumph brings victory to God Almighty. It represents Christianity's triumph over Paganism. The shape of the altar is that of an actual example still kept in the Vatican Museums. Although, Mars is only a statue in the scene, he can also be seen throwing his lightnings to the Christian saint who's petting his shewolf and woodpecker, his saintly attributes. Below is a triumph of an extremely realistic series of classical sculpture inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome. The blackamoor on the right is wearing exotic clothing and a turban, he probably was a servant to Filippo, whom he chose to set free before passing away. The man to his left has been thought to be Filippino Lippi himself. There is also another eastern man with a turban, probably inspired by a merchant the artist saw in Venice in 1489. Another figure is holding the Menorah, probably inspired by the scene of the Sack of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans as represented in the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. The theme is once again the clash between Christianity and Paganism. This was also a political theme as at about this time the Strozzi were fighting against the theocratic dictatorship of Girolamo Savonarola. In the upper lunette is the scene of Saint Philip's martyrdom - when he is finally crucified, amidst the ruins of that temple he finally had ordered to be demolished - this scene renders very well Filippino's chaos and frenzy and eeriness. The two scenes are set in a riot of classical ruins, statues, trophies, grotesques, etc. - once again the fruit of his Roman stay. Between the two scenes are two puttis holding torches and the Veronica, as well as a chalice and paten, in remembrance of the death of Jesus Christ.

The story of the resurrection of Drusiana is also taken from the Golden Legend and it tells of Saint John the Evangelist having returned from Ephesus after Domitian's death. The scene is once again set in a beautiful classical setting with a round temple and a triumphal arch, all made the more frenetic by Filippino's unique rendition. He jumped into Drusiana's funeral, the woman who had manifested to her family her desire to get to know the saint; something she had been waiting for very long without success. The artist chooses the moment in which the saint brings her back to life in order to grant her wishes, causing great panic among the crowds. On the building to the right an inscription reads: A.S. MCCCCCII and: PHILIPPINUS DE LIPPIS FACIEBAT, the date and signature. On the columns of the round temple is an inscription reading: ORGIA, an allusion to the Pagans (not a good one). On the right is a group of women from the Strozzi family, including Filippo's widow Selvaggia Gianfligliazzi and his daughters: Alessandra, Lucrezia, and Caterina. Between the two scenes is an open book which reads: IN HOC SIGNO VINCES, in this sign you win, after Constantine's vision of the True Cross at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. The lunette on top shows the torturing of Saint John the Evangelist. To the right, is the emperor giving the order, a similar gesture to that of the Dispute of Simon Magus in the Brancacci Chapel, also by Filippino Lippi. In the center is the saint half submerged in a pot of boiling oil, that will somehow leave him miraculously unharmed. There is no drama in this scene, the saint is an example of stoicism while enduring torture, even though the executioner is keeping away from the thick smoke behind a soldier's shield who's trying to get the fire going. Once again, this fresco also goes back to the classical world; with the trophies, the honorary column, the SPQR banner and the fasces.

Rarely enough for Renaissance Italy, the central wall has a stained glass window. The frescoes surrounding it are an early example of tromp-l'œil and they create a refined illusion that surrounds the beautiful Benedetto da Maiano's sepulchre for Filippo Strozzi, inspired by the Sassetti tombs at Santa Trinita. The background is once again classically Roman with columns and all the details from antiquity, yet it somehow is unique because Filippino is always adding his exuberance to it. Over the arcosolium, two angels are holding a skull and face a false compartment with more bones where an inscription reads: NI HANC DESPEXERIS VIVES; if you shall not reject this skull, you shall live. By the angels are two tall ornate columns, on top of them are personifications of Charity and Faith. Above this scene are more allegories with Pagan and Christian muses, the first with an inscription reading: SACRIS SUPERIS INITIATI CANUNT; the ignited sing to the celestial gods. The latter have an inscription reading: D[EO] M[AXIMO QONDAM NUHC CANIMUS; we shall now sing of you, Almighty God. The pagan muse is treading on a mask, a symbol of earthly things concluding with death; the Christian use is holding a mask in her hands, a symbol of the dead removing their mask in the hope of the resurrection. Once again, the chapel offers a theology of triumph of Christianity over Paganism, while using its own very language and partly claiming its heritage as Italian children of Humanism. The stained glass window is very fine and was designed by the same artist in 1497 and completed in 1503. It represents Our Lady with two angels; the Strozzi coat of arms; and the two patron saints of the chapel: Philip and John the Evangelist. The child Jesus is seemingly blessing Saint Philip, after whom Filippo Strozzi was named. In the top part of the window is a lamb, from the family heraldry, an inscription reads: MITIS ESTO: be gentle. Plenty other details reflect the resurrection message of the chapel such as the little shields reading: GLO/VI/S, standing for si volge, it turns - such as good or bad luck or such as our earthly life here on earth. 

Over the painted trabeation are two couples of colored angels, in symbolic poses representing the Triumph of Fame, with the Strozzi shields, on Judgement Day. It is a humanistic theme derived from Petrarch, one of Filippo Lippi's favorite writers, and probably at the time considered much greater than Dante. The meaning being that fame beats death, over the angels are two clipei bearing an inscription that reads: SI SCIRES / DONUME DEI which alludes to the water of life and that immortality promised to the Samaritan woman by Jesus at the well (John 4:10). Here are also Filippo's heraldic symbols once again: the lamb, the falcon, and the motto: EXPECTO, I am waiting for you - referring to patience in the time of adversity. Finally, the crescent, the most important symbol of this great apotheosis of the Strozzi.

Much like its Roman counterpart, this remains one of the most unique works of Renaissance Italy, it is indeed one of my favorites.