Ungheria, Visegrád: scoperte sculture italiane rinascimentali di Benedetto da Maiano

8 Luglio

Scavo archeologico in Ungheria. Scoperte sculture italiane rinascimentali di Benedetto da Maiano. La vicenda

Nel terreno del Castello di Visegrád, situato a nord di Budapest, Ungheria, gli archeologi hanno fatto una scoperta straordinaria: una coppia di cherubini in marmo scolpiti dal maestro italiano del primo Rinascimento, Benedetto da Maiano. Questi reperti preziosi sono stati rinvenuti durante gli scavi della chiesa del monastero francescano, che sorgeva accanto al palazzo reale nel complesso del castello.

Descrizione dei Cherubini e contesto storico

I cherubini, originariamente parte di un altare del XV secolo realizzato in pregiato marmo bianco, sono stati scoperti con le teste e le ali relativamente intatte, nonostante alcuni danni superficiali. I dettagli scolpiti mostrano chiaramente i tratti caratteristici della maestria di Benedetto da Maiano: capelli finemente intagliati, piume delicate e volti espressivi che riflettono l’abilità tecnica e artistica dell’artista toscano.

Breve storia di Benedetto da Maiano

Benedetto da Maiano nacque a Maiano, in Toscana, nel 1442, e fu avviato alla scultura e all’intarsio sin da giovane. Iniziò la sua formazione sotto lo zio Giuliano da Maiano e successivamente apprese dalle menti più eminenti del suo tempo, tra cui Antonio Rossellino. Presto, grazie alla sua eccezionale abilità nell’intarsio prospettico, una tecnica che creava effetti tridimensionali usando legni di diversi colori, divenne famoso non solo in Italia ma in tutta Europa. Sotto il profilo artistico egli si rivela abilissimo nello studio della psicologia dei personaggi e delle espressioni, com’è evidente dalla trasognata dolcezza infantile che egli riesce a trasferire a queste due creature angeliche.

Commissioni Prestigiose e Successo Internazionale

La reputazione di Benedetto da Maiano si diffuse rapidamente e presto iniziò a ricevere commissioni da importanti monarchi europei. Fu incaricato dal re Mattia Corvino d’Ungheria per realizzare diversi capolavori, tra cui i ritratti in marmo di Mattia e della sua seconda moglie, Beatrice d’Aragona, celebrando artisticamente il loro matrimonio, avvenuto nel 1476. Questi ritratti, oggi riconosciuti come opere di transizione tra l’intarsio e la scultura in marmo, testimoniano l’evoluzione stilistica di Benedetto da Maiano e la sua capacità di adattarsi alle richieste dei suoi committenti.

Visegrád e il Rinascimento Ungherese

Il Castello di Visegrád, costruito originariamente nel XIII secolo e trasformato in una residenza reale nel XIV e XV secolo, divenne un centro di cultura e potere sotto il regno di Mattia Corvino. Il monastero francescano, dove sono stati scoperti i cherubini di Benedetto, faceva parte di questo complesso, sottolineando l’importanza del mecenatismo reale nel promuovere l’arte rinascimentale italiana in Ungheria.

https://stilearte.it/scavo-archeologico-in-ungheria-scoperte-sculture-italiane-rinascimentali-di-benedetto-da-maiano-la-vicenda/

Cherubs by Italian Renaissance master found at Visegrád Castle

A pair of marble cherubs sculpted by Italian Early Renaissance master Benedetto da Maiano has been discovered on the grounds of Visegrád Castle, north of Budapest, Hungary. The cherub heads and wings were found during the excavation of the church of the Franciscan monastery that stood next to the royal palace in the castle complex.

The cherubs were part of a 15th century altar made of white marble. While the heads have suffered some damage, they are largely intact and display the characteristic features of Benedetto da Maiano’s deft hand in the detailing of the hair, feathers and faces. Fragments of drapery from angel statues were also found. The pieces are almost exact copies of sculptural elements on altars by Benedetto da Maiano in Naples, Florence and San Gimignano.

Born in Maiano, Tuscany, in 1442, Benedetto learned wood and marble carving first from his uncle Giuliano, and later from Antonio Rossellino. He soon eclipsed both in skill and fame. He started out working in perspective intarsia (using different colors of wood inlay to create complex architectural scenes, figures, foliage and geometric patterns with 3D depth), creating the insanely gorgeous studiolo of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, and his reputation spread far and wide.

Biographer Giorgio Vasari recounts that Benedetto da Maiano received commissions from the crowned heads of Europe, including King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary for whom he made a pair of inlaid coffers. King Matthias invited Benedetto to Buda in person to deliver the coffers, but when he presented them before the king and his court full of nobles, he found to his horror that the sea water from the voyage had softened the glue of the inlay and all his work literally fell to pieces before his aghast eyes. He was able to patch it back together to the king’s satisfaction, but he was so humiliated wood’s fragile, from them on, he switched to marble sculpture.

Benedetto was commissioned to make matching marble relief portraits of the king and his second wife Beatrice of Aragon at the time of their wedding in 1476. The portraits are recognized by art historians today as important transitional pieces marking the artist’s shift from intarsia to statuary. Vasari says he made other sculptures in clay and marble for King Matthias Corvinus before he left Hungary and returned to Florence.

First built in the 13th century, Visegrád Castle became an official royal residence in the 14th century and was further enlarged and refurbished in the 15th century. Matthias almost entirely redid the interior of the palace, and he also refounded the Franciscan monastery (started but never completely by Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, around 1400). Mattias finished construction of the monastery and commissioned a grand high altar of white marble in Italian Renaissance style. A document in Florence from 1493 records that Benedetto had received a commission from Matthias for a marble tabernacle for a church sacristy, but the work was interrupted when the king died in 1490. This order suggests Matthias was actively engaging Benedetto da Maiano in work for the church.

Visegrád and the Franciscan monastery suffered heavily in the armed conflicts of the 1540s. In 1540, the Lower Castle was besieged by Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, in a succession conflict that would precipitate a much larger invasion by Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent ostensibly on behalf of the infant who had just inherited the throne of Hungary. Ferdinand’s siege damaged the monastery, and archaeologists found fragments of the altar with pieces of the windows, the window frames and lead rifle bullets, flattened from impact.

The castle was besieged again by the Ottoman Empire in 1544 and suffered heavy damage. Even after Turkish forces were ousted in 1685, the castle was never again used as a royal palace and by the 18th century was completely buried. Today the castle is open to visitors even as it undergoes a new program of excavation and restoration with the ultimate goal of returning the castle and palace complex to its glory days under Matthias Corvinus.

The unearthed artifact is of great significance as it confirms King Matthias’s vision of Hungary as a cultural and artistic hub in 15th-century Europe, where he commissioned works from leading Italian artists. “The chances of finding Renaissance works of art of similar quality and in good condition, but hitherto unknown, are now very slim,” Gergely Buzás concluded. The ongoing excavations hold promise for further significant discoveries, shedding light on Hungary’s rich medieval history.

Modificato 8 Luglio da ARES III