On November 5,
1891, Frances Glessner noted in her journal, “Mrs. Hutchinson sent me a
beautiful miniature of Savonarola.” In
this article, we will explore Frances Glessner’s interest in the 15th
century Dominican friar and the story behind the miniature presented to her as
a gift.
GIROLAMO
SAVONAROLA
Savonarola was
born in the Northern Italian city of Ferrara in 1452. He graduated with a master of arts from the
University of Ferrara but in 1475 made the decision to enter the priesthood. He went to Bologna and was admitted into the
Convent of San Domenico, of the Order of Friars Preachers, where he was
ordained in 1476. In 1482, he was sent
to serve as a teacher at the Convent of San Marco in Florence.
He became vocal
about clerical corruption, the exploitation of the poor, and the evils of
secular art and culture. When Charles
VIII of France invaded Florence in 1494, Savonarola pleaded with the king to
spare the city and to take up his divinely appointed role as a reformer of the
Church. A Savonarolan political party,
known as the Frateschi, established a republic, after the Florentines expelled
the ruling Medici family.
Savonarola was
summoned to Rome in 1495 when Florence refused to join Pope Alexander VI’s Holy
League against the French. He defied the
Pope by continuing to preach under a ban, and was ultimately excommunicated in
May 1497. The Pope threatened Florence
if they continued to harbor Savonarola, and he was eventually imprisoned and
tortured. On May 23, 1498, he was hanged
in the Piazza della Signoria. His body
was burned and his ashes scattered in the Arno River to prevent his followers
from searching for relics.
His beliefs in
republican freedom and religious reform lived on not only in Italy, but in
other parts of Europe as well, influencing Martin Luther amongst others. His writings and sermons were later published
and widely circulated and inspired the fight for Italian independence in the
mid-19th century.
A VISIT TO
FLORENCE, ITALY
Museo di San Marco, from the Glessners' copy of Romola
In February
1890, the Glessners set sail for their one and only trip to Europe. In late March they arrived in Florence and
were highly impressed with its beauty and culture. On March 29, 1890, Frances Glessner noted
visiting the Museum of St. Mark (Museo di San Marco) to see the Fra Angelico frescoes
and the Savonarola cells. The Museum was
housed in the former Convent in which Savonarola had lived during his time in
Florence.
It appears
highly likely that while in Florence, the Glessners purchased their copy of
George Eliot’s Romola, a historical
novel in which Savonarola plays an important role. The 1884 edition in the Glessner library,
although published in London, bears a bookseller’s label inside the front cover
indicating it was purchased at the shop of George A. Cole, English Bookseller, 17
Via Tornabuoni, Florence. The
beautifully bound volume, which came in its own slipcase, has twenty
photographs of Florence bound into it, including images of both the Museo di
San Marco and the portrait of Savonarola the Glessners would have seen during
their visit to the museum.
PORTRAIT
Portrait by Fra Bartolomeo,
from the Glessners' copy of Romola
from the Glessners' copy of Romola
The original
portrait of Savonarola was painted about 1498 by Fra Bartolomeo, an Italian
Renaissance painter who lived from 1472 to 1517. In the 1490s, he came under the spell of
Savonarola, which led him to become a Dominican friar in 1500, and he gave up
painting for several years, until instructed to resume painting to the benefit
of his order. His style influenced the
work of Raphael, with whom he maintained a close friendship. His portrait of Savonarola is the most famous
image of him.
In early 1891,
the Glessners’ good friends, Charles and Frances Hutchinson, set sail for an
extended trip of Europe. Charles
Hutchinson, long-time president of the Art Institute of Chicago, made numerous
trips to Europe in search of works to acquire for his museum. In a letter accompanying the gift for Frances
Glessner, Frances Hutchinson wrote:
“My dear Mrs.
Glessner:
When I was in
Paris this Spring, I ordered this head of Savonarola for you and it is just
framed and ready for your approval. Mr.
Hutchinson thought he remembered you expressing a desire for one and I only
hope someone else has not been more expeditious in gratifying you.”
The miniature
portrait is finely detailed, capturing the detailing and coloring of the
original portrait, but with an influence of the late 19th
century. Frances Hutchinson had the
piece framed by Thurber’s Art Galleries, located at 210 Wabash Avenue in
Chicago.
Glessner House library, 1923; the Savonarola portrait
hangs directly beneath the bust of Dante
hangs directly beneath the bust of Dante
Frances Glessner
hung the piece on the bookcases along the west wall of the library. It was returned to Glessner House Museum in
1968 by her granddaughter, Martha Batchelder, and now sits in a small stand on
her desk in the master bedroom.
