Full title | The Story of Griselda, Part III: Reunion |
---|---|
Artist | Master of the Story of Griselda |
Artist dates | active about 1490 - 1500 |
Series | Spalliera Panels with the Story of Patient Griselda |
Date made | about 1494 |
Medium and support | Oil with some tempera on wood |
Dimensions | 61.6 x 154.3 cm |
Acquisition credit | Bought, 1874 |
Inventory number | NG914 |
Location | Not on display |
Collection | Main Collection |
The Decameron, a fourteenth-century collection of stories, tells the tale of Griselda, a peasant woman who was put through a series of tests by her rich husband, the Marquis Gualtieri di Saluzzo. This is the final panel of a series of three; it shows the couple’s reunion after Griselda’s ordeal.
After pretending to annul their marriage, the Marquis tells Griselda he is marrying again and asks her to arrange the wedding feast; we see her at the far left of the painting, sweeping the floor. At the far right, Griselda greets the woman posing as the Marquis' new wife. Eventually, the Marquis reveals his tests and is reunited with Griselda; her loyalty has renewed his love for her, and the celebration becomes their own.
The three panels were commissioned for a room in the Spanocchi family palace in Siena, and were probably made to celebrate two family marriages which took place in January 1494.
This is the third and final panel in a series based on a fourteenth-century story about a peasant girl, Griselda, who was put through a series of tests by her rich husband, the Marquis Gualtieri di Saluzzo. After pretending to annul their marriage and sending Griselda back to her parents‘ house, the Marquis, in his final act of cruelty, tells that he was to marry again, and asks her to arrange the wedding festivities. Remarkably, she obeys: we see her at the far left of the panel, sweeping the floor.
The elaborate wedding procession coming down the hillside includes camels, as well as horses draped in fine fabrics. At the far right of the panel we see Griselda greet a woman with long fair hair and a red gown. Unknown to Griselda, this is her daughter. In a former test, the Marquis had claimed that his and Griselda’s children were killed during infancy; now he pretends that his daughter is to be his wife. Eventually, the Marquis reveals his tests and is reunited with Griselda; her faithfulness has renewed his love for her and the celebration becomes their own. Her loyalty throughout her ordeal earned her fame and respect and she became a model of wifely virtue.
The panels were commissioned for a room in the Spanocchi family palace in Siena; they were probably made to celebrate a marriage which took place in January 1494. It is possible they weren’t all ready at the time of the wedding celebrations but this one – the story’s happy ending – might have been made first, just in time for the festivities. Its style is quite different from the others, especially Exile, the last panel made.
This is most evident if we compare the draperies here, for example of the woman in red to the far left, with those in Exile. The edges of her gown seem to billow up as though blown by a strong breeze, a decorative effect that does not appear in the other panels, where the draperies are simpler and follow the forms of the figures more closely. Here, the figures are also quite stiff, with straight, upright backs; in the panels illustrating the couple’s marriage and Griselda’s exile the bodies appear natural and flexible.
Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.
License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.
License imageThis image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.
Examples of non-commercial use are:
- Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
- Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media
The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.
As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.
You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.
The Story of Griselda, Part III: Reunion
Spalliera Panels with the Story of Patient Griselda
These three long panels illustrate the story of a young peasant woman, Griselda, as told in The Decameron, a fourteenth-century collection of novellas by the Italian author Boccaccio. They were likely destined to decorate the chambers (or camera) of a newly-wed couple, since the tale celebrates a woman’s loyalty and marital fidelity, against the odds.
It is very likely that these panels were commissioned at the time of the marriages of two brothers of the noble Sienese Spannocchi family, which took place in January 1494. Their father, Ambrogio, was the papal banker to Pius II Piccolomini, also from Siena.
Our panels have been connected with two others of a similar shape and size at Longleat House, Wiltshire, which depict ancient leaders Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. They are attributed to the workshop of the Florentine painters Domenico and Davide Ghirlandaio. The picture of Alexander the Great included the Spanocchi coat of arms.
These three long panels tell the story of a young peasant women called Griselda, which was taken from The Decameron, a fourteenth-century collection of novellas by Italian author Boccaccio. Her beauty caught the eye of a local nobleman, the Marquis Gualtieri di Saluzzo. After they married he put her through a series of emotional ordeals, but her steadfastness and loyalty to him throughout earned her his renewed affection, as well as the nickname, ‘patient Griselda’.
The three paintings were likely made to decorate the chamber (or camera) of a newly-wed couple, since the tale celebrates a woman’s loyalty and marital fidelity, against the odds. Furthermore, they are the size and shape of panels known as spalliere, which were inset into the walls at about shoulder height (spalliera is Italian for shoulder). Vertical channels carved into the reverse of all three panels provided space for battens (narrow strips of wood) which would have secured them in place on the wall.
It’s very likely that they were commissioned at the time of the marriages of two brothers of the noble Sienese Spannocchi family. Their father, Ambrogio, was the papal banker to Pius II Piccolomini, also from Siena. Antonio married a Sienese woman called Alessandra Placidi, while his brother Giulio married Giovanna Mellini, from Rome. Accounts of the wedding celebrations, which took place in January 1494, record that it was a lavish affair: there was a performance of another of Boccaccio’s stories, and a large temporary structure resembling a Roman triumphal arch was built for the occasion.
Our panels have been connected with two others of a similar shape and size at Longleat House, Wiltshire; like ours, they were also once owned by the nineteenth-century collector, Alexander Barker. They depict ancient heroes Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, and have been attributed to the workshop of the Florentine artists, Domenico and Davide Ghirlandaio. Vasari, the sixteenth-century biographer of many artists, writes that Domenico, along with Bastiano Mainardi, decorated a room at the Spanocchi Palace with lots of stories inhabited by tiny figures. It seems likely that he was referring to the Longleat pictures, to which both Davide and Bastiano definitely contributed. The subjects, Alexander and Julius Caesar, might relate to Alessandra and Giulio, two of the newly-weds.
The picture of Alexander the Great included the Spanocchi coat of arms, and some of the figures in it wear exactly the same livery (uniform) as the servants in our panels, giving another reasons to connect our panels with those at Longleat, and both to the commission mentioned by Vasari. Despite the wealth of the Spanocchi and the obvious importance of the commission, we do not know the identity of their painter – these panels have given him his name.



More paintings by Master of the Story of Griselda

