Caius Volturi, the mysterious nobleman from Volterra, has had a century-long collaborative relationship with the de' Medici family. Several years ago, it was Caius' brother who came to Florence to discuss cooperation with the de' Medici family, causing quite a stir at the time.
At the mere mention of Mr. Volturi, the timidity in Lisa's eyes instantly vanished, her hands cupping her face, a peculiar smile playing on her lips.
Joya, whose emotional experiences spanned two lifetimes, could only understand the peculiarity of this smile to a limited extent. She glanced at it briefly before shifting her gaze to a painting on the side, casually asking, "Caius? That's an old name, it feels more like..."
"Names that only appear in the history books of ancient Rome." Arturo added.
"This is probably also the reason why the name Caius is so memorable at first hearing," Joya sighed.
After living in Italy for over a decade, she truly couldn't count how many Giovannis and Alfonsos she had met. But the name Caius, and its variant Gaius, which is the ancient Roman equivalent of Giovanni, is quite something - if a column from the outer portico were to collapse and hit ten people, around seven of them would likely be called Gaius.
Only a little more than a thousand years of common names placed in the present, have become a clear stream in the overwhelming Giovanni, Joya thought, smiling, feeling that the Renaissance was the revival of ancient Roman civilization by artists and philosophers, and Caius was probably a Renaissance name as well.
According to Lisa, this Mr. Caius Volturi, who has the name of the ancient Roman people, appeared in Florence more than a month ago, presumably to take over for his brother and negotiate business with the de' Medici family. However, since Lorenzo's health has declined significantly, he has entrusted all external affairs to his eldest son Piero, the so-called "young de' Medici", so Piero is responsible for receiving Caius.
If Lorenzo is wholeheartedly devoted to art collecting and the cultivation of artists, then Piero is devoted to enjoying the luxurious and free life of Florence.
And so, he took his business partner Caius on a tour of Florence, and in less than a month, he had successfully captured the hearts of all the women in the city.
Joya agrees with this point very much.
She had just arrived at the Pazzi Chapel, and there were not many visitors at the time. However, it wasn't long before she noticed many elegantly dressed young women in the chapel's courtyard, either moving alone or in small groups, passing by Piero and Caius in a seemingly casual yet intentional manner. Some of the bolder ones even brushed their shoulders against Caius' arms as they walked by. But Caius, as if anticipating their intentions, subtly shifted his body before their limbs could make contact, causing them to miss their mark.
The young lady from the Apennines is always known to have a fiery personality, being passionate and bold. Even after being so heartlessly rejected, she is not the least bit irritated. She walked around the courtyard, preparing to launch a second challenge.
Caius attracted the attention of most of the visitors present, allowing Joya to carefully observe the exhibited works without any disturbance.
Because of the light rain in the morning, those paintings were not placed on the lawn of the courtyard, but were instead opened in the indoor chapel, displayed one by one under the Byzantine dome of the Pazzi Chapel.
In my previous life, I had a poor understanding of art, but under the strict education of Adriana, I have learned some basic art knowledge. Now, I would not ask something as irrelevant as "Why is Venus not wearing clothes?" When the de' Medici family opened their art collection to the public, I decided to go and join the crowd, regardless.
Botticelli created many works for the de' Medici family, the most famous of which in posterity are The Birth of Venus and Spring. These two gems have been watched over casually by my previous generation, and they have long been renowned. However, these two paintings are not placed at the starting point of the exhibition, so Joya is prepared to start from the beginning and view them one by one.
In the Middle Ages, since the common people were mostly uneducated and illiterate, painting became a medium for the church to preach. However, the art style at the time was still Byzantine, and the themes were mostly taken from the Bible, with the characteristics of emphasizing the majesty and grandeur of God, with a magnificent composition and exquisite colors.
Joya had seen some Byzantine-style altar paintings in some small chapels in the Vatican, and she had to say that, from the perspective of her modern aesthetic, the figures, whether in their limbs or expressions, were quite stiff.
Until Saint Francis founded the Franciscan Order, the Franciscans advocated poverty, and the churches were decorated in a simple and plain manner. The church frescoes were also plain and economical, which led to the emergence of a large number of fresco painters at the time.
And among these fresco painters, there was one person who changed the art style of Florence and even the whole of Europe in the following generations, and was later called the Father of the Renaissance.
This person is Giotto.
When Adriana was teaching art classes to the children of the Boggie family, she emphasized Giotto, who was the first painter to incorporate the principles of perspective in his paintings. Compared to the rigid and formulaic altar paintings of the Middle Ages, the Virgin and Jesus in Giotto's works appeared more human. During the class, Juan whispered to Joya "her breasts look even bigger now", which was overheard by Lucrezia sitting behind him. Lucrezia promptly told Adriana, and Rodrigo, who happened to be visiting the Orsini Palace at the time, gave Juan a severe beating.
In summary, from Giotto's use of the principle of perspective to depict the chests of figures, to Botticelli's painting of a nude Venus, a century or two had passed. Botticelli's vibrant colors were also much more realistic and gentle compared to the elaborate colorings of medieval altar paintings, and even the face of the Virgin Mary had expression.
The first painting at the entrance to the chapel is a biblical theme. Joya's first glance sees the calm and gentle expression of the Virgin Mary holding the newborn Jesus, and the troubled expression of the carpenter Joseph with his hand to his forehead.
"What is this?" Joya blinked.
"This is a work by Mr. Botticelli from over a decade ago," said Arturo, who currently holds Botticelli in high regard. "It was an order placed by a merchant named Rama at the time, which he had commissioned for the Lord."
"Is this the story of 'The Adoration of the Magi'?" Joya asked.
Arturo nodded: "Yes."
The story of "The Three Wise Men" comes from the Gospel of Matthew. The wise men from the East observed the stars at night and learned that the new ruler of the Jews was about to be born, so they hurried to Jerusalem to pay homage. Finally, they found the Holy Mother Maria with the newborn holy infant Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. The wise men presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and other offerings to express their reverence for the mother and child.
This story is a fairly common subject matter, and Joya has also seen other works with the same subject matter, but Botticelli's painting somehow struck her as something being off. She stood in front of this painting of "The Adoration of the Magi" for quite a while, with her left hand supporting her right hand, which in turn supported her chin, squinting her eyes as her gaze moved from the Virgin and the carpenter Joseph at the top of the painting downward, to the group of pilgrims gathered next to the stable.
Every "The Adoration of the Magi" painting features a crowd of onlookers, old and young, fat and thin, with diverse physiques, faces, and expressions.
The people observing in this Botticelli painting mostly have dark curly hair and prominent noses, and even their haughty expressions seem to have been carved from the same mold.
"Doesn't Mr. Botticelli have any models?" Joya said, furrowing her brows, "Why do all the people coming to worship in the painting look so alike?"
"The moment she spoke, a young man's voice with a hint of laughter came from behind her: 'Because all these people are family.'"
She turned around and saw a young man of medium build with dark brown hair, with features similar to the person in the painting, but he had a gentle smile on his face, without the slightest trace of arrogance, and Arturo, Ciro, and Lisa, who had previously stood behind her, had all stepped aside, slightly bowing their heads, in an extremely respectful and humble posture.
This young man was the one she had seen before, the eldest son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the current heir of the de' Medici family, Piero de' Medici.
And since Piero was standing behind her, then......
She glanced behind Piero, and sure enough, she immediately saw Caius, who was even slightly taller than Piero. His face was still pale, his brows slightly furrowed, and the color of his eyes seemed even deeper than before.
Joya just glanced at it and immediately diverted her gaze, taking a step back to give way to Piero, who then stepped forward and looked at the painting, saying with a smile: "This was an order placed by Rama more than ten years ago with my father's favorite painter, Botticelli. It depicts the 'Adoration of the Magi', and most of the pilgrims in the painting are members of my family." He pointed to the old man holding the holy infant's feet: "This is my great-grandfather." He then pointed to the one in the red cloak: "This is my grandfather," and to the one holding a sword on the far left: "This is my father."
"..."
Well, it seems that the history of fan-made creative works has a long tradition.
She followed Piero's pointing, and from a painting on a biblical theme, she recognized the members of the de' Medici family one by one. Then, when it came to the figure on the far right of the painting, she pointed to a young blond man wearing a cloak and looking sideways out of the painting, and asked, "Well, who is this?"
"Oh, this one here." Piero smiled and looked at her, "This is the author of this painting, Mr. Botticelli."
"....."
Alright, it seems Botticelli's commissioned fan art also has a personal touch.
