Re: Franco Pratesi's Florentine discoveries

51
It seems relatively clear from my own research, that the person Giovanni di Domenico, known as producer of Trionfi cards in Florence in the years 1449-1453, is the father of Francesco Botticini.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Botticini
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Botticini
Figlio di Giovanni di Domenico, pittore di "naibi" (carte da gioco), fu discepolo di Neri di Bicci, ma nella sua formazione intervennero anche Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Verrocchio, il Pollaiolo e Andrea del Castagno. Secondo la critica i Botticini (sia Francesco che Raffaello) si limitarono ad imitare i grandi maestri dei quali si avverte l'influenza nelle loro opere.
"Son of Giovanni di Domenico, painter of naibi"

As it seems, Giovanni di Domenico had been already active with playing cards in 1430. Botticini (the son) was probably born in 1446.

Snippets of his life are in ...
"Francesco Botticini"
Lisa Venturini
Edifir, 1994 - 246 pages
http://books.google.de/books?id=99_qAAA ... edir_esc=y

Franco Pratesi made this list ("aquired by silk-dealers") from him:

Image

http://trionfi.com/naibi-aquired

Franco notes:
c. Giovanni di Domenico
We only meet Giovanni di Domenico at the end of 1449 and he enters the records in an interesting way. He is at once indicated as dipintore, a painter, and his first supply contains both six packs of trionfi and eight packs of naibi doppi. At least one pack of trionfi had already been sold by the silk-dealers (January 1445)(1), but these seem to be the first packs recorded as acquired. The total price is 4L.18s. and if we assume that the naibi were priced at 4s. as those acquired a few days later, a unit cost of 11s. can be deduced for trionfi, a relatively low price, very similar to the 9s.6d. cost of naibi made by Antonio di Simone.
It seems that the production of Giovanni could substitute, trionfi apart, that of Antonio di Dino, at a similar level of overall quality, but he did not become a frequent supplier, except for a few trionfi. In alternative to Antonio di Dino, whom we find also later on, Matteo Ballerini was apparently preferred, for unknown reasons (maybe just more purchases of silks).
Huck
http://trionfi.com

Re: Franco Pratesi's Florentine discoveries

52
From the page in the book I get that Francesco's Father made/painted/supplied Banners and flags and "ceri' which are those parade and procession stands carried on shoulders by four or more (if bigger )with statues etc. He painted masks and signs. Most interestingly he had moulds for wooden cards of sacred images in 1430 Can't make out if he made the moulds or just had them.(I presume I have read that wrongly- it should be Wooden moulds for cards)
I guess he made Najbi with known Saints.
He made Holy PIctures! A man after my own heart!
Do you think they called Holy Pictures Najbi as well as cards sets?
Wonderful Huck..thank you.
~Lorredan
The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts

Re: Franco Pratesi's Florentine discoveries

53
Lorredan wrote:From the page in the book I get that Francesco's Father made/painted/supplied Banners and flags and "ceri' which are those parade and procession stands carried on shoulders by four or more (if bigger )with statues etc. He painted masks and signs. Most interestingly he had moulds for wooden cards of sacred images in 1430 Can't make out if he made the moulds or just had them.(I presume I have read that wrongly- it should be Wooden moulds for cards)
I guess he made Najbi with known Saints.
He made Holy PIctures! A man after my own heart!
Do you think they called Holy Pictures Najbi as well as cards sets?
Wonderful Huck..thank you.
~Lorredan
I think, he had wooden forms to print Naibi (playing cards) AND wooden forms to print "Santi" (holy men and women), and NOT "wooden cards OF sacred images".
At least this is a common interpretation, as I know it.
Last edited by Huck on 30 May 2012, 00:11, edited 1 time in total.
Huck
http://trionfi.com

Re: Franco Pratesi's Florentine discoveries

55
Giovanni di Domenico, father of Botticini and painter of Trionfi cards (and still the oldest Trionfi card painter of Florence, who is known to us) worked in the silk dealer documents with Trionfi cards in the period 1449-1453 ...
http://trionfi.com/naibi-aquired

In Franco Pratesi's article ...
http://trionfi.com/filippo-di-marco
.. to Filippo di Marco (also a Trionfi card producer 1453-1458) he lists the researches of Hartt and Corti, who didn't recognize, that these notes referred to Trionfi cards.
Between these notes for the year 1455 ...
D [13]. Estranei 267, c. 35, left side
1455
Bartolomeo di Pagholo Seragli de’ dare…
E adì 29 di marzo f. quatro, portò e’ detto, sono per paghare a Filipo di Marcho, per 3 paia di trionfi e 2 paia di charte. f. 4

E [15]. Estranei 267, c. 98, left side
1455
Bartolomeo di Pagholo Seragli de’ dare…
E adì 6 di settembre f. due, per lui a Pipo dipintore, portò Giovanni di Domenicho contanti, per trionfi. f. 2.
….
E adì 20 detto f. uno, per lui a Pipo dipintore, portò Giovanni di Domenicho contanti, per trionfi. f. 1.

E adì 27 detto f. dua larghi, per lui a Pipo di Marcho dipintore, portò Giovanni di Domenicho contanti. f.2 s.6 d.7.
E adì 10 d’otobre f. uno largho, per lui a Filipo di Marcho dipintore, portò contanti, per un paio di trionfi operati. f.2 s.6 d.7.
….
E adì 21 detto, L. trenta, per lui a Filipo di Marcho dipintore, portò contanti: sono per resto di trionfi auti da lui insino a questo dì. f. 7 s.- d.8.
... the name "Giovanni di Domenicho", possibly (likely) the same person as the Giovanni di Domenico, who made Trionfi cards.
The notes, which refer to Giovanni di Domenico, all appear in one month, 6th, 20th and 27th of September 1455. The text is not clear. It speaks twice of "per trionfi" without a number as indication, how much decks were bought. The third entry (27th) doesn't contain the word trionfi, but the note seems to relate to the both passages. It's not clear, what relation exists between Filippo di Marco and Giovanni di Domenico.

Any ideas?
Huck
http://trionfi.com