Goldsmiths

by Lucio Malvezzo

I wish to submit a treatise as a timely reminder of the verve, the intellectual and artistic energy that was released in Florence and now spreads through all Italy. After generations in which artists and goldsmiths have largely served the church, there is suddenly a pursuit of reality instead of a religious idea. Patronage is no longer ecclesiastical, but largely secular. What I now term as Medieval art had been a flat, stylised depiction of things; artists now go back to the ancient technical skills for creating a harmony based on the reality of anatomy and perspective. It seems that many of the greatest current artists and sculptors were initially apprenticed as goldsmiths.

Even before this unleashing of artistic talent, the gold business in the city states of Florence, Genoa and Venice was already well established; their mints issued gold coins, their banking houses with great names like Medici, Bardi and Peruzzi have a network of agencies throughout Europe - and many of Europe's kings and princes are indebted to them. The bankers and wealthy merchants provided the patronage under which artists, sculptors and goldsmiths can thrive (though it must be stated that they often have great difficulty getting paid).

This commercial prosperity also underwrites an era of discovery, the search for new routes to the east. The Portuguese were pushing down the west coast of Africa by the 1440s, tapping directly gold production from the 'Gold Coast' that had previously come across the Sahara. The Portuguese issued a new crusade coin of African gold in 1457A.D. Sicily was also bringing in African gold in exchange for wheat. By 1488A.D. the Portuguese had rounded the Cape of Good Hope, opening the sea route to India and the Far East. Just four years later Columbus discovered the New World. Thus at the same moment, new sources of supply for gold and silver were found in Central and South America, while direct access was achieved to major markets in the east. Gold coin is minted in Seville in Spain, sovereigns in England and, as usual, the Venice mint is busy with ducats.

Europe's goldsmiths were busy too. The combination of increased supplies and wealthy new patrons brought an enormous expansion of their workshops, not just for gold work but for silver plate and tableware. In this century is a period of dramatic shifts of emphasis in the field of goldsmiths' design which begins with Italy as the centre from which knowledge of and taste for antiquity was diffused throughout Western Europe but the Orient exercised powerful influence, particularly in goldsmiths' designs. Italy leads the way with the best workshops in Florence, Rome, Milan and Venice and most famous goldsmiths who show outstanding mastery of sculpture in precious metals and are equally skilled at engraving them.

The goldsmiths are also mobile, moving from country to country, either to the court of a potential patron or to the workshop of a master goldsmith. Goldsmiths can be flexible because they have only to take their hand tools with them. Italian workshops seem to be full of young German goldsmiths learning their trade, while Italian goldsmiths, are summoned to the French and other courts.

The achievements of goldsmiths in Europe throughout the Renaissance period may be judged from the fact that the treasuries of Kings and Queens are now held primarily in gold and silver plate, rather than coin. And on their peregrinations around their kingdoms they now take much of it with them in their baggage trains. Kings and Queens pride themselves on the goldsmiths who work for their court, for their jewels or plate are items of prestige when they meet other rulers.

This new artistic movement is transforming European culture and society. Over the last 100 years the revolution has been in ideas, in painting and in sculpture, but since the turn of the century, the new flow of gold and silver from the Americas has transformed the goldsmiths' world too.

Their cause has been further advantaged with the advent of the Printing Press which is beginning to allow dissemination of ideas and practice across Europe. I hope to submit a manual of the art of the goldsmith for your approval in the new year. This will require that I spend some time learning the art with both the maestri in this city and in Florence & my home city; Venice.