Battle of san romano

Silver has represented the devious actions of Judas and gleaming armour that’s now rusted. Kelly Grovier looks at the complex history of a shade that can bedazzle as well as tarnish.

Paolo Uccello, The Battle of San Romano (detail), c. 1438-40, London NG

he decorative cycle was commissioned by Lionardo Bartolini Salimbeni, leading light in Florentine political life from the early 15th century, for his palace in Florence, just a few years after the epic feat itself. The heirs of Lionardo Bartolini then sold the paintings to Lorenzo il Magnifico, who had them placed in his palace.

The Battle of San Romano was fought on June 1, 1432, some 30 miles outside Florence, between the troops of Florence, commanded by Niccolò da Tolentino, and Siena, under Francesco Piccinino. The outcome is generally considered favourable to the Florentines. As the 1430s began Florence had found itself in conflict with the rival city state of Lucca, and her allies, Siena and Milan. The Florentine deployed about 4,000 horse and 2,000 infantry. The clash, which lasted for some six or seven…

battle of Crecy Painting of Graham Turner. The Battle of Crécy (1346), also called Battle of Cressy, was an important English victory during the Edwardian phase of the Hundred Years' War. Coupled with the later battles of Poitiers (also fought during the Edwardian phase) and Agincourt, it was the first of three major English successes during the conflict. The battle was fought on 26 August 1346 near Crécy, in northern France.

The Counterattack of Michelotto da Cotignola at the Battle of San Romano (about 1455), wood panel, 182 × 317 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Niccolò da Tolentino Leads the Florentine Troops (detail) 1450s Tempera on wood | Paolo Uccello | The Battle of San Romano | NG583 | National Gallery, London

Whenever you have to deal with mass in a drawing, cross contour lines are a potential approach. Sculptors in particular have to deal with mass and therefore have often developed a cross contour approach to drawing. Working in this way, is not about developing a cross contour style, (always beware of stylisation) it’s about recognising when and where to place marks so that they indicate the mass that they relate to. Time spent making this sort of drawing helps to develop the eye’s ability to…

he decorative cycle was commissioned by Lionardo Bartolini Salimbeni, leading light in Florentine political life from the early 15th century, for his palace in Florence, just a few years after the epic feat itself. The heirs of Lionardo Bartolini then sold the paintings to Lorenzo il Magnifico, who had them placed in his palace.

Paolo Uccello, Niccolò Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano, c. 1438-40, egg tempera with walnut and linseed oil on poplar, 182 x 320 cm (National Gallery, London) Learn More on Smarthistory