Economic lex artis

The statues of arts in Italy is a reference, certainly less important than others materials of art, as painting, sculpture, architectures, biographies and handbook, above all in Middle Age, instead to biographies is Renaissance, to Giorgio Vasari, the life of painters, sculptors and architects from Cimabue until our days, edited in 1550 and 1568; but the statutes are very scant, thereupon when we have possibility of read and shown some characteristic we can, no certainly must, consider from these boring read some information that can give to us news about the arts and his practice: the first is in Statues men’s of art of painting of Perugia city, translated but original is(ORDINAMENTA HOMINUM ARTIS PICTORUM CIVITATIS PERUSIJ 1366); we can ascertain that this corporation,  is born in 1366, before of Saint Luck academy of Rome, that is native to from 1478, year when are renewed his statues; but we can think that this date is posterior to original foundation, though we don’t what is year; anyway taking the certain date of Roman corporation, 1478, it thinks that the corporation of Perugia, an Italian in center Italy, is specific of painters, because in Florence, for example, the painters could signup alone to corporation of doctors and apothecaries, because one of most important corporations of Florence, even Dante Alighieri, eminent poetry of Italy, was signup to this corporation; anyway the statues of Perugia, indirectly, inform us that the cost of colors, to specific qualities was very relevant, so that is necessary a fine to who cheats, in fact: “So we assert that who promises give to other the ultramarine blue and instead he gives blue from Germany, he is going to give to arts 100 money”, (the Latin text says: “ Item dicimus et ordinam; quod;quicunqe promittet dare alicui auzurum ultramaìnum et dabit auzurum alamanie cotati dee artis nomiè pene .C foldos denari.ibi uere teneatur”. This is nothing that is important certainly but we must consider that the color of blue ultramarine then was very rare and costly because was necessary grind the lapis lazuli that was imported from Afghanistan, hence it was very precious, and the art work that uses this color could be very costly. We can also deduce that this statute is written after the 1366, why? Simple because is ordered that is celebrate the holyday of blessed Hercolaneum, born in Piegaro, near Perugia, to end of 14^th century, thereby 1366 is outstripped. The corporation have to defend the interest of painters but they have to be present, as says an article: “So we say and order that if somebody from this art is ordered or rector, if he come to meeting or with other name. A note about valor of material is both to color, as we have seen, and to parchment; in fact we can read an article of this statue that says: “So we say and order that the chief that now and temporary is liable must restitute the statute and codex of statutes…”; why? It is useless you can write a copy, or not? Certainly but the parchment was very costly, and the statute is a copy alone, thereby the chief have to restitute it and stop. This read certainly much short, can induces us to think that in this statute are present, although no explained, also economic motives and we can consider these rules are tied to frame economic of his time, that include also the economy, today 200 dollars, that today isn’t much, and thereupon we can understand that the job of painter, then, isn’t limited to gain, because the fine is very skarn, we must also consider that during Middle age the art was very short, alone with Giotto and the cycle of Assisi art become narrative and above all decorative.The corporation is also medical assistant because an article says: “So we order that if somebody of this art corporation has brigade both in palace or jail some was detained or illness in body he bears to health life chief and rector have to provide until to necessary quantitate. But health is both of body and the wit, because following article says: “So we say and order that the matters of discordance that are heard among the signup they must give to rector…”, I think that this article wanted avoid that these querrels and with usual beating or died, because in Italy so is normal, also in 14^th century. But this corporation protects also from others signup, because other article says: “So we says that  if somebody of this art takes a commission and this work isn’t satisfy the signup must work this painting until the corporation judgement it satisfying, and thereupon the painter is free of other duties”.Also the secret decisions are saved from this corporation because other article says that: “So we say and order that after said meeting nothing must be seize if no expressed order of chief…”, we can think that the decisions could be confessed to others, after all the secret of corporation could be useless; the justification of this article is following article, this is 29^th that says: “So we say and order that all painters must stay in judgement in front of this art corporation and all signup…” evidently they have to save discretion of all procedures and discretion to every painter. But also the possibility of somebody have will of predominance in the corporation have to be deleted; in fact the chief they must change every six months: “So we say and order that chief of this art is elected every six months…”, so that nobody takes the power, limited certainly, but a power, to make that he want; in fact in article 31th:“So we say and order that  nobody can or must to future make statues or sorting against some order present in this book”. The agreements must be right and clear, in fact the article 36^th says: “So we order that if somebody aided other or works to other every work must be agreed with a contract…”; this article is thought to avoid that somebody doesn’t pay the inscription to this corporation, in fact the following of this article says: “neither of prize of this work”, evidently somebody or much have thought that pay inscription or not make it would be same. In ancient Rome it says usually: “si pacem vis para bellum”, this is if you want the peace prepare the war, so that enemy is deterred to continue the preparations of war to you; this is Latin proverb, in other contest, but we must consider that the statues of art has made better, why? Simple because in 37^th article says: “So that if somebody of this art corporation begins some work without license of this corporation…under fine of 100 florins…”; why? Simple because if the corporation doesn’t given the license it means that the work is going to pay very scant or is suspect that is cheat, thereupon if signup accept it the corporation can’t defender the painter; the fame of corporation could be compromised, and every painters vote against the single painter to exclude him from signup, thereby the painter must authorize before from corporation.This corporation, certainly more better defensive of other that we have seen, in article 10 of this statute says: “About vacancy in religious holyday and about the secret guards. We order that nobody painter can’t works during the religious holyday ordered from Church, and holyday is ordered from consuls of this corporation. We  order that the rector must enroll secret guards that must accuse whom works during these holyday, and the rector must swear to them that the must not accuse somebody to hate or wickedness…”, this is normal today but then was normal that some that accused a guy was also determined by wickedness and envy; rightly we can know today what was the wit of that time; in fact we can hypothesize it, but in this article is considered this eventuality, thereupon this case was possible and frequent. In fact to avoid this event the article 9th establishes the fine to accuser that must pay a sum, both he is right or not. The economic need of this corporation is evident in article 11^th, because everybody is foreigner, because not resident in Siena, must pay a tax to this corporation; and safeguard of local painters is in same article because the rector must order to chief of laboratory of art that they can’t take a pupil that is foreign, if they haven’t paid a tax; this article could seems very unjust, but we must think that the pupils of laboratory of painters were very much, thereupon a chief of laboratory could pay a tax to a foreign pupil, may save this tax and learn art to a local pupil. The wit of this corporation is evident in article 12^th because it established that: “If somebody protest to a painter the same corporation give guarantee of painter, hence: “We order that anyone extern to corporation protests to a painter is allowed that the corporation asks a guarantee to this guy that protest…”, evidently protests to painters, then, were much, and the corporation has defended itself with this article. The article 13^th orders the sums necessary to survive of this corporation, and in box where money is also the book to gain and expenses. The painters must be defend but they must work rightly, in fact the article 14^th order to signup that: “The painters don’t use a poor gold or poor color, and he must use different colors from his promise…”, and follows the list of these colors; it is necessary because the corporation, to somebody that protests, it must guarantee to painter, that have to make a right work. To view point stylistic and chronological, we could hypothesize the date of this statute because it says about gold, very used to painting during Middle age. Beyond the secret guards the secret every signup must keep, today in policy is same, in fact the article 15^th says: “About of don’t reveal something of meeting”, the discretion of every painters were necessary to survive of every painters, because if somebody has cheated the corporation must defend painter but the reputation could be compromised. Other note we can think, what is? Simple that the sessions and the dialogues of these meeting aren’t; we can consider that these meeting were secret or is other motive? The motive is elementary and merely material; alone the important documents were written on parchment, material to write more diffused in Middle age, but alone when it were important and the meetings of a corporation were nothing, and after this article confess the material reality because  it said: “About of don’t reveal something of meeting”, but reveal is oral action and no written; thereupon somebody could not show out the verbal of meeting because it weren’t. Hence we can understand the time of handwriting of this document through the attentive read of this document. The nepotism, typical in Italy, is a ancient defect, because the article 16^th says: “Nobody can elect the rector that is kinsman…everybody that are going to vote the rector they can’t elect somebody that is kinsman, as carnal brother or cousin or colleague to labor art…”, this article wanted save unjust preference to familiar gain, it is evident, but two notes are important and twice regard costume of Middle age: the first is that this article mentioned the carnal brother, why? Because brother could be also from other women different from mother, then it is normal, and the second is that the cousin brother; today it is impossible, a cousin is so and stop, not certainly a brother, why this name? It is heredity of ancient Rome, where the family enclosed also the waiters and employees of house, thereupon in Middle age the cousin were also brother. The article 21th forbids that a chief can’t condemn or absolves somebody; it is normal in this time and in an institution, but we turn to article 16th, where is forbid the election of kinsman, because a chief could absolve the kinsman or other alone to proximity. Same motive of article 21th that establishs that nobody can’t contradict the rector…”, thereby it is motive principal of article 16^th because neither the kinsman could contradict him. To article 28^th we can understand because the rector is so important, in fact it says: “The rector can and must justify and protect signup to corporation of art”. We order that the rector or lord of this art can justify every sign up and every subject and know about every work that a painter has made…”, it is necessary to defend the painters of corporation; a note I think important; the name of  rector is lord, in custom of Medieval language that identify the lord with chief of a feud, that often has had absolutely power. It isn’t the case, first because the corporation is a feud and second because the following article this is 29^th says: “Every official must justify his lordship. We order that every official of this corporation justify his administration and to his lordship, and everything that he has made…”, thereupon he must give valid motives of his task. A contradiction is evident in article 34^th because after that very much articles have promoted the brotherhood in this article we find that every sign up can  denounces every painter that has transgressed the statute, thereupon the wit of fraternity is secondary and useless, apparently but we must think that the protection of corporation was the first condition, because it protect the community of painters and no the single.That I have said to Dante Alighieri, this is that he was si9gn up to corporation of Doctors and Apothecaries it seems valid to artisans in Florence; the statute of freshmen keeps name of artisans that nothing tides to painting, but why? Evidently this corporation, above all during 15^th century in Florence has took importance and consequently the corporation has become important, hence much artisans sign up they signed up. The statute of Florence is in years 1386, and we can find artisans different as: “Agnolo di Lippo che fa i vetri 1350”, a glassmaker in 1350, “Andrea di Domenicho forzerinaio 1421” a worker with specialization on coffer; an “Andrea di Piero sarto 1424” tailor; a baker “Antonio di Domenico fornaio 1424”, a maker of cheese, “Antonio di Bartolomeo formagiaio”, an embroiderer, “ Galiano di Michele richamatore 1450”

 Alessandro Lusana