The Artistic Patronage of the
Humiliati in Florence
The Humiliati were a group of lay Italians,
who formed a religious order in the late
11th century, which was later eclipsed by
the Franciscans. New book explores the
order’s artistic patronage and considers
the major works by artists such as Giotto,
Donatello, Botticelli, and Ghirlandaio
From Giotto to Botticelli. The Artistic Patronage of the Humiliati in Florence
Julia I. Miller and Laurie Taylor-Mitchell
Yale University Press 2015
ISBN: 978-0-271-06503-8
ABSTRACTS:
In From Giotto to Botticelli, Julia Miller and Laurie TaylorMitchell explore the three-hundred-year rise and fall of the
Humiliati (“Humbled Ones”), a religious order infamous for
its attempt to assassinate Saint Carlo Borromeo and
ultimately suppressed, by papal bull, in 1571. This book
focuses on the order’s artistic patronage and considers the
major works by artists such as Giotto, Donatello, Botticelli,
and Ghirlandaio that the Humiliati commissioned for the
Church of the Ognissanti in Florence. Miller and TaylorMitchell reveal how the Humiliati promoted their public
image through the visual arts and examine the themes and
ideas in these works. The Humiliati have received
remarkably little scholarly attention to date, in part
because of their suppression and eradication by the
Church. This is one of the first comprehensive historical
studies of this important religious order and the central
role the Humiliati played in the history of Italian art. From Giotto to Botticelli will appeal not only to art
historians but also to scholars of history, religion, and cultural studies, as well as to members of the
general public.
Julia I. Miller is Professor of Art History at the California State University, Long Beach.
Laurie Taylor-Mitchell was Associate Professor of Art History at Hood College. She is currently an
engaged activist for public education in Baltimore County.
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Origins of the Humiliati and Their Early History in Florence
The Beginnings of Humiliati Art in Florence: Giotto and His Shop at
Ognissanti
Giovanni da Milano’s Ognissanti Polyptych and Humiliati Art in the Later
Trecento
The Early Quattrocento at Ognissanti: Donatello and the Cult of Saint
Rossore
Ghirlandaio and Botticelli in Ognissanti
Decline and Disgrace
Epilogue: A Damnatio Memoriae: The Afterlife of the Humiliati
Appendix: Humiliati Churches by City and Dedication
Notes
Bibliography
Index
READ ALSO:
The Early Humiliati
by Frances Andrews
Series: Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series
Cambridge University Press 2006
ISBN-10: 0521027144
ISBN-13: 978-0521027144
FEATURED PHOTO:
Giovanni da Milano: Choir of Virgins in the Choir of Martyrs from the so-called Ognissanti Polyptych.
Source: Wikipedia