An Italian Workshop at the Avignon Court: Matteo Giovannetti, Painter to Pope Clement VI (1342–1352)

The artist Matteo Giovannetti, originally from Viterbo, arrived at the papal court of Avignon in the early 1340s. During the reign of pope Clement VI (1342–1352), he succeeded in organizing a court-based workshop of an unprecedented size, which has left numerous traces in the papal administrative ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales : English Edition Sciences Sociales : English Edition, 2017-09, Vol.72 (3), p.453-488
Main Author: Anheim, Étienne
Format: Article
Language:eng ; fre
Subjects:
13th century
14th century
Accounting
Accounting records
Archives & records
Art history
Artists
Creativity
Documentation
Martini, Simone (1284?-1344)
Painters
Papal documents
Popes
Social history
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Summary:The artist Matteo Giovannetti, originally from Viterbo, arrived at the papal court of Avignon in the early 1340s. During the reign of pope Clement VI (1342–1352), he succeeded in organizing a court-based workshop of an unprecedented size, which has left numerous traces in the papal administrative archives. This exceptional documentation makes it possible to reconstruct the administrative, financial, material, and technical phases of this workshop’s development, corresponding to the increasing affirmation of Matteo’s artistic position. As well as his mastery of the new Italian visual culture, Matteo drew on innovative techniques in fresco production, project management, and bookkeeping. Studying his workshop thus shines a light on the figure of the artist, at once craftsman, courtier, and entrepreneur. It also reveals the collective and material dimension of creative labor in fourteenth-century Europe.
ISSN:2398-5682
2268-3763
DOI:10.1017/ahsse.2020.5