The real battle of Anghiari happened in June 1440. This is just ALSO a critical time in the Trionfi development, as this finished the running war between Milan and Florence/Venice for some time. Although this war was reopened in spring 1441 for a , somehow the battle of Anghiari finished the direct confrontations between Milan and Florence for more than 50 years (a smaller hostile activity between both followed in 1443, some other hostile relationship was given with the situation of 1494 again).
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The commission:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle ... ainting%29
The Battle of Anghiari (1505) is a lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci at times referred to as "The Lost Leonardo", which some commentators believe to be still hidden beneath later frescoes in the Hall of Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento) in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Its central scene depicted three men riding raging war-horses engaged in a battle for possession of a standard.
Many preparatory studies by Leonardo still exist. The composition of the central section is best known through a drawing by Peter Paul Rubens in the Louvre, Paris.
....
In 1504 Leonardo da Vinci was given the commission by gonfaloniere Piero Soderini, a contract signed by no less than Niccolò Machiavelli, to decorate the Hall of Five Hundred. At the same time his rival Michelangelo Buonarroti, who had just finished his David, was designated the opposite wall. This was the only time that Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo worked together on the same project. The painting of Michelangelo depicted an episode from the Battle of Cascina, when a group of bathing soldiers was surprised by the enemy. However Michelangelo did not stay in Florence long enough to complete the project. He was able to finish his cartoon, but only began the painting. He was invited back to Rome in 1505 by the newly appointed Pope Julius II and was commissioned to build the Pope's tomb.
That's the Rubens version ... the description adds: "Allegedly from left to right is Francesco Piccinino; Niccolò Piccinino; Ludovico Trevisan; Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini." ... it seems to have been only the central scene.
Michelangelo's version of the battle of Cascina (just a part of some preparatory studies of Michelangelo).
Both paintings once were intended to build a pair, both likely following a specific political desire of Florentian citizens in the moment of 1504. The meaning of the "Battle of Cascina" is easily understood.
Battle of Cascina in 1364 ...
Fiorentini: 4000 cavalli, 11000 fanti, 400 balestrieri genovesi. Pisani: 4000 cavalli (di cui 800 inglesi), 6000 fanti, 600 balestrieri. Durata: 3 ore. Attacco pisano contro una posizione fortificata. Scontro deciso dai fanti del Casentino, dai fanti aretini e dai balestrieri genovesi che, uscendo dai serragli, riescono a respingere l’assalto portato dalla cavalleria inglese. Per il Villani fra i pisani vi sono 1000 morti e 2000 prigionieri; per il Morelli, 1500 uomini fra morti e prigionieri; per il Sardo, 30 inglesi e 500 pisani uccisi, 200/300 soldati e 600 popolani fatti prigionieri.
http://www.condottieridiventura.it/tabe ... a/1361.htm
... with general history of Pisa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisa
Florence had lost Pisa in 1494 ... and anyway, it has fallen into crisis in this year. The radical Savonarola period ended in chaos and the republic had to find a positive self image again ... in the struggle of different political parties. The Savonarolists still were existing in the Florentian underground. The Medici still their adherents. Between these both extremes there were others around Soderini, for the moment the majority, who attempted to keep up a new more republican way ... in face of a lot dangers. The Medici claim seemed successful overcome overcome in 1504 as Piero de' Medici (15 February 1472 – 28 December 1503), just had died. Another danger still was active in the person of Cesare Borgia, who, although his father had died in August 1503, still played intrigues and attempted to attack Florence. Though ...The decline began on 6 August 1284, when the numerically superior fleet of Pisa, under the command of Albertino Morosini, was defeated by the brilliant tactics of the Genoese fleet, under the command of Benedetto Zaccaria and Oberto Doria, in the dramatic naval Battle of Meloria. This defeat ended the maritime power of Pisa and the town never fully recovered: in 1290 the Genoese destroyed forever the Porto Pisano (Pisa's Port), and covered with salt. The region around Pisa did not permit the city to recover from the loss of thousands of sailors from the Meloria, while Liguria guaranteed enough sailors to Genoa. Goods continued to be traded, albeit in reduced quantity, but the end came when the River Arno started to change course, preventing the galleys from reaching the city's port up the river. It seems also that nearby area became infested with malaria. Within 1324 also Sardinia was entirely lost in favour of the Aragonese.
Always Ghibelline, Pisa tried to build up its power in the course of the 14th century and even managed to defeat Florence in the Battle of Montecatini (1315), under the command of Uguccione della Faggiuola. Eventually, however, divided by internal struggles and weakened by the loss of its mercantile strength, Pisa was conquered by Florence in 1406. In 1409 Pisa was the seat of a council trying to set the question of the Great Schism. Furthermore in the 15th century, access to the sea became more and more difficult, as the port was silting up and was cut off from the sea. When in 1494 Charles VIII of France invaded the Italian states to claim the Kingdom of Naples, Pisa grabbed the opportunity to reclaim its independence as the Second Pisan Republic.
But the new freedom did not last long. After fifteen years of battles and sieges, Pisa was reconquered in 1509 by the Florentine troops led by Antonio da Filicaja, Averardo Salviati and Niccolò Capponi. Its role of major port of Tuscany went to Livorno.
Both problems were solved in 1504 and likely gave some security to the momentary Florentian leaders to give the commission.On the night of May 26 [1504], as Cesare was leaving Gonzalo's quarters, where
he had supped, an officer stepped forward to demand his sword. He was
under arrest.
...
On August 20, 1504, Cesare Borgia took ship for Spain--a prisoner bound for a
Spanish dungeon. Thus, at the early age of twenty-nine, he passed from
Italy and the deeds that well might have filled a lifetime.
Well, the Pisa picture clearly has the political Florentian message: "We wish to have Pisa back under Florentian control" ... this desire was fulfilled 1509.
The reason for the Anghiari picture isn't so easy to read, but ..
Piero di Tommaso Soderini (May 18, 1450 – June 13, 1522[1]), also known as Pier Soderini, was an Italian statesman of the Republic of Florence.
Soderini was born at Florence to an old family who had become famous in medicine. His brother was the statesman and supporter of Savonarola, Paolo Antonio Soderini. Their third brother was Cardinal Francesco Soderini, bishop of Volterra.
In 1481 he was Prior of the city, and later became a favourite of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici, receiving from him, in 1493, the honour of being the Ambassador to the Kingdom of France.
He was elected gonfaloniere for life in 1502 by the Florentines, who wished to give greater stability to their republican institutions, which had been restored after the expulsion of Piero de' Medici and the execution of Savonarola.
His rule proved moderate and wise, although he had not the qualities of a great statesman. He introduced a system of national militia in the place of foreign mercenaries, and during his government the long war with Pisa was brought to a close with the capture of that city by the Florentines in 1509. Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, served under him as second chancellor and as ambassador to Cesare Borgia, Rome and France. Although Macchiavelli initially had much respect for Soderinio, his attitude was changed by the events that led to Soderini's fall.
Grateful to France, who had assisted him, he always took the French side in Italian politics. But in 1512 the Medici with the help of a Papal army returned to Florence, deposed Soderini and drove him into exile.
He took refuge at Orašac (near Dubrovnik) in Dalmatia, where he remained until the election of Pope Leo X, who summoned him to Rome and conferred many favours on him. Soderini lived in Rome, working for the good of Florence, to which he was never allowed to return until his death.
He died at Rome in 1522.
Well ... perhaps the picture means: "We were already in 1440 against Milan (and somehow always again Milan) ..." and such giving a sign of solidarity with the new French reign in Milan (which promised to be a solution for long time then).