The Renaissance Model: Working in the Shadow of a Master

Filippino Lippi (c. 1457 – 1504) was one of the most accomplished Florentine painters and draftsman of the late fifteenth century. Son to the artist Fra Filippo Lippi and apprentice to Sandro Botticelli, Filippino developed his style in the shadow of his two masters. Fra Filippo and Botticelli were likely in the same workshop during their training as young artists. Some historians have stated that Botticelli actually reworked some of Fra Filippo’s compositions. Quickly, Fra Filippo and Botticelli gained a steady and loyal following. It is evident that the dual success of Filippino’s masters placed him beneath their reputation in regard to contemporary historical reflection, especially in non-Italian speaking circles. Works referencing Filippino in the English language tend to list Filippino as a side note to his father or merely as a follower of Botticelli. Like Fra Filippo and Botticelli, Filippino spent his days painting altarpieces and commissioned works for churches and chapels. Marilyn Bradshaw, author for Oxford Art Online, attributes much of Lippi’s success to his ability to, “absorb, without slavishly following, the most popular trends in contemporary painting.” It is clear that Lippi’s paintings are a part of the conversation surrounding religiously themed artworks in the Early Italian Renaissance, but how have his stylistic decisions strengthened or hindered his popularity since the fifteenth century? Although Filippino Lippi brings some originality to his painting of Madonna and Child with the use of social and political symbolism, many of his artistic decisions mirror works done by his more reputable masters, thus depreciating the impact of his own efforts.

Madonna and Child by Filippino Lippi 

c. 1483-84 | tempera, oil, and gold on wood 

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
No. 49.7.10 

          Filippino Lippi’s Madonna and Child is consistent with themes among other religious artworks during the Early Italian Renaissance, however its heavy use of symbolism makes the piece unique by referencing personal, social, and political events relevant to Lippi’s life. Common Christian symbolism, such as fruit, Mary’s attire, and the nude Christ child make this artwork seem unoriginal in its content. Further research into Lippi’s life as an artist under the guidance of Fra Filippo Lippi and Sandro Botticelli suggests that Filippino’s pieces were heavily influenced by culture as well as his own dealings with powerful political people such as the Strozzi and Medici families. Details such as the golden edge on Mary’s robe, the pomegranate, the red tint on the child’s halo, and the composition of the painting prove to be strikingly similar to works of Fra Filippo and Botticelli. Other notable symbols depicted here include the Strozzi coat of arms, neighboring African slaves, and Mary’s hand placement in regard to the child’s genitalia.

The Annunciation by Fra Filippo Lippi 

c. 1435-40 | tempera on panel

National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC
No. 1943.4.35

            Fra Filippo Lippi painted this piece roughly fifty years prior to Filippino’s Madonna and Child. This work is supplied with religious symbolism through the dove and the lilies held by the angel. Like Filippino’s Madonna and Child, Mary is pictured with a golden halo, a red shirt, a blue robe. Interestingly, there is an orange book with a latch in the back right corner of the room which is also present in Filippino’s piece. This painting is the earliest depiction of the golden edge on Mary’s robe within the group of painters in Florence. Perhaps Fra Filippo cultivated the inspiration that prompted Italian and Florentine painters like Filippino and Botticelli to follow suit for the rest of the fifteenth century.

Madonna with the Child and Scenes from the Life of St. Anne by Fra Filippo Lippi

c. 1452-53 | tempera on wood

Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
Inventory Palatina, No. 343

             This piece, also by Fra Filippo Lippi, is an innovative composition capturing Mary and the Christ child in the foreground with snapshots of the life of St. Anne, Mary’s mother, in the background. On the right, St. Anne is shown with Mary’s father ascending the stairs. On the left, St. Anne is sitting in a bed as women holding baby Mary surround her. The matured Mary is again painted with a red dress covered by a blue robe with golden edges. These golden edges are identical to those in The Annunciation. As in Filippino’s Madonna and Child, the child is holding a pomegranate, Mary wears an emblem around her neck, and Mary’s hand placement draws subtle attention to the child’s private parts.

Madonna of the Book by Sandro Botticelli

c. 1480-81 | tempera on panel

Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan
No. 443

             Still preceding it by a couple of years, Botticelli’s composition holds a striking resemblance to Filippino’s Madonna and Child. Mary and her son are seated in a room with a blank wall and a window sharing a glimpse of the exterior. The two are bent over in a similar position as Jesus reaches for the book pages before him. The book is also placed on top of a tasseled pillow and table in the lower left corner of the frame. Mary is wearing a red dress and a blue robe with a golden symbol on the shoulder. Mary’s hand is situated directly above the child’s genitalia. Finally, Jesus’ halo has a faint red tint, perhaps drawing attention to the bowl of fruit beside him.

The Virgin and Child with a Pomegranate by Sandro Botticelli

c. 1480 | tempera on wood

The National Gallery in London
No. NG2906

             This painting is very similar in content and style to Madonna by the Book. This work solidifies any suspicion that these Florentine painters were reusing ideas repeatedly. Although some elements from Madonna by the Book have been omitted and the composition has been altered slightly, most of the fundamental details remain the same. The back wall has a window showing off the neighboring community, Mary has on her typical attire with the golden edge and symbol on her shoulder, Jesus is holding a pomegranate, and Mary’s hand placement draws attention to the child’s private parts. Again, Jesus’ halo has a red tint, making a visual and symbolic connection to the fruit. Because the red tint was not present in the works of Fra Filippo, it seems that this element copied by Filippino Lippi began with Botticelli.

Cestello Annunciation by Sandro Botticelli

c. 1489-90 | tempera on wood

Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
Inventory 1890, No. 1608

            This composition by Botticelli is fairly typical to his style with a flat wall in the background and a large window. One cannot help but compare this piece to Fra Filippo’s take on The Annunciation (c. 1435). Again, the angel is kneeling and holding a long lily stalk. As in Fra Filippo’s work, Mary and the angel have golden details on the edges of their gowns. This painting is best described as an update to Lippi’s piece made fifty years prior. If Botticelli actually did rework some of Fra Filippo’s paintings, as historians have suggested, this may be a good candidate for evidence. The figures seem slightly more realistic and the angel is depicted in a more spiritual manner with the translucent wings. 

The Nativity by Jacopo del Sellaio

c. 1480-1490 | tempera and gold on wood

Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
No. 41.100.10

             Jacopo del Sellaio was a pupil of Fra Filippo Lippi. In his depiction of The Nativity, we see many stylistic elements comparable to Lippi’s Madonna and Child. Religious symbolism is present throughout the painting as the child is holding a tiny dove in his hand. Mary is shown wearing the infamous blue and gold robe, and for the fourth time we see the symbolic star on her shoulder being mirrored by a faint star in the top left region of the sky. In a subtler way, the child’s genitalia is being referenced by the delicate translucent drapery of Mary’s attire. Because many of these elements show up in del Sallaio’s work, it can safely be concluded that these Florentine artists were either collaborating, sharing ideas, or working off of one another. If more originality had been put into to the works of Filippino Lippi or del Sellaio, these two artists may have had a chance to outshine their masters as time has pressed forward.

Ashley Parker