Agostino Chigi

Coin with image of Agostino Chigi

Agostino Chigi , called il Magnifico , the Magnificent (born December 1, 1466 in Siena , † April 11, 1520 in Rome ) was one of the richest men of the Renaissance , banker of Popes Alexander VI. , Julius II. And Leo X. , successful entrepreneurs, clients and patrons of famous artists and writers of his time such as Raffael , Perugino , Sebastiano del Piombo , Giovanni da Udine , Giulio Romano and Sodoma , as well as Pietro Aretino and Egidio Gallo . His life is preserved in an extensive collection of sources that his great-nephew Fabio Chigi, who later became Pope Alexander VII , collected to document his family history. This is now in the Vatican Apostolic Library . Important contracts and documents of the Chigi banks are still kept in the Roman State Archives and give an insight into the business world at the beginning of the 16th century.

origin

Coat of arms of Agostino Chigi

Agostino Chigi was born on December 1, 1466 as the son of Mariano Chigi (1439-1504) and Margarita Baldi along with seven other children in Siena . The Chigi family (mostly Chisi in contemporary documents and inscriptions) can be traced back to Siena as traders and bankers since the 13th century. Under Lorenzo Chigi, who was a member of the consistory in 1377 , the family received the title of nobility. His grandfather Agostino di Nanni held leading offices in the Republic of Siena in 1445 and 1448 and served as its ambassador to the Holy See. The rise of the family continued under his father, who was a banker in Rome and a member of the Sienese council under Pope Sixtus IV .

Banker of the Popes, Princes and Doges

Chigi completed his apprenticeship in his father's banks in Siena and Viterbo as well as in the Roman bank Ambrogio Spannocchi. In 1486 his father made him a partner in the Sienese bank Ghinucci. In 1502, Agostino founded their own bank in Rome with his father and the Sienese patrician Matteo Tommasi. The seat of the bank in the Contrada dei Banchi (today part of the Rione Ponte on the Angel's Bridge) comprised five shops. Chigi's house next to the bank, which he rented on a long lease, was his permanent residence, while the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere , built from 1508 onwards, served mainly as a representative location, but also as a place of retreat.

The main focus of business was on the papal court. Initially, Chigi was just one of the many “mercatores Romanam Curiam sequentes” (traders who followed the Roman Curia). By a Pope Alexander VI. offered refined financing of grain deliveries, which prevented a famine in Rome in 1494, he won the trust of this Pope. The business relations of Chigis with Alexander VI. and his son Cesare Borgia then formed themselves closely; For example, he financed their campaigns in northern Italy with a loan of 20,000 ducats.

Although Julius II , whose papal election he had co-financed in 1503, due to his hostility to the Borgia all of Alexander VI. had declared the contracts concluded to be invalid, he left the contracts concluded with Chigi in place. To secure the financing of the Pope's campaigns, all the salt pans of the Papal States were leased to him. Even the papal tiara served as pledge several times. The miter served Pope Paul II for a loan of 40,000 gold ducats. Under Julius II, Chigi consolidated his business successes, became the financially strongest man of his time and obtained a number of honorary positions such as papal treasurer. In 1507 or 1509 the Pope took him and his brother Sigismondo into his Della Rovere family and granted him the right to include the oak (Italian: rovere) in his coat of arms.

He had a close friendship with Leo X , the Medici Pope. Among other things, he financed a good part of the expenses for his papal coronation . The credit was 75,000 ducats. As a pledge he received a precious pectoral set with precious stones from papal property and later a tiara set with diamonds. For the solemn Possessio (occupation of the Lateran Basilica by the newly crowned Pope according to the prescribed ritual) of Leo X. Chigi had a triumphal arch built over the processional street in the Contrada dei Banchi (today Via di Banchi Vecchi). The arch bore an inscription in golden letters that indicated characteristics of Popes Alexander VI, Julius II and Leo X: OLIM HABVIT CYPRIS SVA TEMPORA; TEMPORA MAVORS OLIM HABVIT; SVA NVNC TEMPORA PALLAS HABET (once the goddess of love had her time, the god of war once had her time; now the goddess of wisdom has her time).

In 1497 he granted the Duke of Urbino, Guidobaldo I da Montefeltro , a credit of 111,173 ducats. By granting a loan of 150,000 ducats to the Republic of Venice when it urgently needed funds to fight the League of Cambrai , he was able to secure a monopoly in the alum trade on the Venetian market. He was also given the honorary title "Son of San Marco". The Venetian chronicler Marino Sanudo describes in his Diarii 1511 Chigi's busy business with the Doge of Venice, who pledged him the church treasure of San Marco for 2,000 ducats. A year before his death, he granted the Republic of Venice a loan of 20,000 ducats.

At that time his fortune was estimated at 800,000 ducats and his annual income at around 70,000 ducats. He is said to have owned more silver than the entire Roman nobility. Republics, principalities, Christians and pagans, popes and sultans alike tried to obtain his services in money matters and were willing to entrust him with the collection of taxes and duties.

International entrepreneur

Trade connections in Europe and the Ottoman Empire formed one of the most important elements in Agostino Chigi's business. On the one hand, they allowed him to open up additional markets and interests outside the Papal States with substantial and independent profit, and on the other hand, the curia had a great interest in the valuable trade goods. His company had branches in Alexandria, Memphis, Constantinople, London, Paris, Lyon, Antwerp and more than 100 offices in Italy alone. In 1507 the Republic of Siena pledged the port of Porto Ercole to him for forty years , giving him his own port for his merchant fleet, which comprised around a hundred ships. He gained a trading monopoly over three important staple goods: alum, salt and grain. He himself undertook extensive trade trips to deepen relationships with his trading partners and to initiate new business. Sultan Selim I is said to have sent noble horses and dogs to Agostino as gifts. The letters sent by the "Great Turk" to Agostino were addressed to the 'Gran Mercante di Christianità' (to the Great Merchant of Christendom).

alum

In essence, Chigi owed his wealth to him on the part of Alexander VI. and the following popes granted mining and marketing rights to alum , which had been discovered in enormous quantities around 1460 near Tolfa . He did not limit himself to the extraction of the mineral, but built the entire chain of the production process up to the marketing of the end product. Alum was fundamental to the European economy; It was used in tanneries, as a stain in wool dyeing and in wound healing as an astringent . Until then it had been imported from Venice from Asia Minor. By contractually securing the port in Porto Ercole, he was able to build up trade routes throughout Europe and the Orient and thus expand his monopoly in the alum trade to a considerable extent.

salt

In 1492 he received from Pope Alexander VI. transfer the marketing rights for salt. In the salt pans of Ostia, Corneto, Camposalino, Cervia and Manfredonia, it was obtained through natural evaporation of the sea water and distributed according to the number of inhabitants in all cities and villages up to the last hamlet, both in the Papal States and in the Kingdom of Naples. Both the Pope and the Viceroy of Naples provided him with the official lists of residents. The transfer of these rights was an expression of enormous generosity or a sign of great financial dependence.

Agricultural products

From 1494 to 1497 he had signed a treaty with the Apostolic Chamber on customs duties for the agricultural land of the Papal States. With this he dominated the grain trade and was also able to control the movements of all herds of cattle. In this context, he also devoted himself to the fight against highway robbery.

patron

Raffael : Triumph of Galatea , Villa Farnesina, Rome

The numerous artists who have received commissions from Agostino Chigi include Raffael , Giulio Romano , Giovanni da Udine , Gianfrancesco Penni , Lorenzetto , Bernardino da Viterbo, Girolamo Genga , Baldassare Peruzzi , Sebastiano del Piombo and Sodoma . In addition, numerous less well-known artists and craftsmen such as goldsmiths and silversmiths, sculptors, stonemasons, inlay carvers, etc. worked for him. The occasion that made Chigi famous as a great patron of the arts of his time was the construction of his villa, later called Villa della Farnesina , near the Porta Settimiana in Trastevere , which was to surpass all other villas in Rome in splendor. Baltassarre Peruzzi was commissioned with the construction; the splendid decoration with frescoes was mainly done by Peruzzi, Raffael and his students as well as Sebastiano del Piombo and Sodoma, some of whom were even allowed to live in the villa. For Chigi, Sodoma also painted a round picture Allegory of Love (today in the Louvre) and the 'Rape of the Sabine Women' on the front of a chest (today in the Galleria Nazionale d'arte antica in the Palazzo Barberini).

Chigi had a particularly close friendship with Raffael. In the course of his work in the villa on the Tiber, Chigi also allowed the artist to live in the villa. In 1514 he created the fresco The Sibyls on the arch above the Cappella Chigi in the Church of Santa Maria della Pace . The design of the burial chapel for Agostino Chigi in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo is one of the masterpieces that Raphael executed on behalf of the patron from 1513.

Famous humanists and writers also belonged to Agostino Chigi's circle of friends. The most famous among them was the author of the Cortigiana, Pietro Aretino , who came to Rome around 1517 and, through Chigi's mediation, was given access to the court of Pope Leo X. The writers Egidio Gallo and Blosio Palladio glorified the Villa Chigi and its garden, the former in De viridario Augustini Chigii (The Garden of Agostino Chigi), Palladio in Suburbanum Augustini Chisii (The Villa of Agostino Chigi). The antiquarian Giacomo Mazzocchi published the ancient inscriptions collected by Raphael for Chigi ( Epigrammata antiquae urbis - extra portam Septimianam in domo d. Augustini Chisii de Senis ).

In Tolfa, Chigi had the church of Santa Maria della Sughera built on the spot where citizens had found an image of Mary on a tree and founded the monastery of Madonna della Sughera. However, the final completion of the church took place only after his death in 1524 according to the provisions in his will. No artistic details are known about Chigi's other luxurious properties in Porto Ercole and Naples, which Fabio Chigi reports on.

Famous parties and feasts

The festivals that Chigi hosted were legendary. Theatrical performances often took place on the loggia of the Villa della Farnesina. Scholars, royal ambassadors, princes and cardinals were guests. The most prominent guest was Pope Leo X. Three feasts in the presence of this Pope went down in history because of their sophisticated ideas.

• On Friday, April 30, 1518, the celebrations took place in the stables designed by Raphael. The horses were removed, the walls and the manger were hidden behind gold-interwoven tapestries and silk tapestries from Belgium, and the floor was adorned with mosaics. The guests were offered music by theorbs , shawms, viols, horns and the sweetest voices. The table offered an abundance of food and exquisite fish. In the presence of 14 cardinals and royal ambassadors, the Pope turned to Agostino after the meal: “Indeed, Agostino, I thought I was more familiar with you.” Agostino replied with a smile: “But, Holy Father, you should know that this is a humble place ”, revealing the feeding troughs, showing that the hall was nothing other than its horse stable.
• A few months later, in the summer in the portico on the banks of the Tiber , he organized another feast on the occasion of the baptism of his son Lorenzo Leone, which aroused no less admiration: the valuable table silver was thrown into the Tiber after the meal. The guests should believe that the precious dishes would only be used once. As a precaution, however, Chigi had laid nets in the river and had the silver recovered.
• On Monday, August 28, 1519, a banquet was held in the Perspectives room with the Pope, twelve cardinals and other dignitaries. The silver tableware of each guest was provided with his own engraved coat of arms and each guest was served food according to the style of his homeland.

The last of the traditional banquets took place on August 28, 1519 on the occasion of his wedding.

Marriages, wives and offspring

Agostino Chigi was first married to Margherita Sarracini (or Saraceni), who died in 1508 after having no children. Soon after Margherita's death, his relationship with the most famous courtesan and most beautiful woman in Rome of his time , the Imperia Cognati , should have begun. Agostino Chigi was her most important admirer. Imperia presumably served as a model for the Galatea in the Villa Farnesina by Raffael. He financed their lavish lifestyle; she owned both a house in Rome and a villa outside the city. At the age of 17 she gave birth to a daughter named Lucrezia, whose paternity he had recognized. Imperia made Chigi her executor and asked him to arrange a marriage for her daughter. Imperia tragically ended in suicide. Chigi financed a grand burial and a grave monument for them in the church of San Gregorio al Celio.

A marital relationship he sought with Margherita Gonzaga, which would have included him in the ranks of the families of the high aristocracy of Italy, failed in 1512 due to Margherita's rejection.

During his stay in Venice in 1511 he met Francesca Ordeaschi, stole her from her parents' house and brought her to Rome. With her he had five children: Lorenzo Leone, Alessandro Giovanni, Margherita and Camilla; the last son Agostino was not born until after his death. Chigi married Francesca after seven years of life together on August 28, 1519, his name day, after long pressure from Pope Leo X, who carried out the marriage himself.

Death and burial

Santa Maria del Popolo: Tomb of Agostino Chigi

Agostino Chigi died on April 10 or 11, 1520 in Rome at the age of 55, only seven months after his wedding and four days after Raphael's death. He has not reached the 63rd year of life predicted by astrologers.

The following day the funeral procession to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo took place. The remains were placed on a carpeted catafalque . The funeral procession consisted of 37 bishops, many religious and world priests, a large number of cardinals and 86 bodies. The funeral ceremony, worthy of a prince, was celebrated in the basilica. He was laid out in the chapel of Santa Maria di Loreto (today Cappella Chigi ), which he had designated as a place of rest for himself and his family. In 1507 Pope Julius II issued a bull in which he allowed his banker Chigi to rededicate this chapel as a burial chapel for himself and his relatives.

Santa Maria del Popolo: Cappella Chigi

testament

On August 28, 1519, Chigi made his will after the marriage, the feast and the consummation of the marriage. In addition to the Pope, twelve cardinals, four bishops, the ambassador of the King of Poland Sigismund I and other dignitaries were present as witnesses .

He initially ordered the dedication and completion of the chapels in the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Pace and the completion of the church of Santa Maria della Sughera in Tolfa. In addition to the houses in Rome, Naples and Porto Ercole, he left his sons Alessandro Giovanni and Lorenzo Leone numerous properties, manors, villas, lands, the riding stables, the herds of cattle and a number of offices at the curia. The valuable art collection of paintings, antique sculptures and precious objects was also awarded to the sons. The daughters received considerable sums of money as dowries, the wife and guardian of the children received extensive rights to use the property. Should the sons die without male descendants, the sons of his brothers Sigismondo and Francesco were appointed as heirs by Fideikommiss . He was particularly interested in the villa on the Tiber, which he bequeathed to his sons on the condition that they never pawn or sell them. His name should forever be associated with this extraordinary architectural work of art. His will was not fulfilled, as early as 1579 the descendants sold the villa to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, whose family had long had a great interest in the property adjacent to their Vigna.

The bank was to be wound up and closed six months after his death. His heirs did not implement this will either, which led to the bankruptcy of the once legendary bank after a few years.

literature

• Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico. In: Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria. II (1879), pp. 37-83 archive.org
• Giuseppe Cugnoni: Note al Commentario di Alessandro VII sulla vita di Agostino Chigi. In: Archivio della Società Romana di Storia Patria. II, III, IV, VI.
• Francesco Dante:  CHIGI, Agostino. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 24:  Cerreto – Chini. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1980.
• Christoph Luitpold Frommel : The architecture of the Renaissance in Italy. CH Beck, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-406-58142-7 .
• Felix Gilbert: Venice, the Pope and his banker. Fischer Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1997, ISBN 3-596-12613-4 .
• Monica Kurzel-Runtscheiner: Daughters of Venus. dtv-Verlag, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-406-39757-3 .
• Rodolfo Lanciani: The Golden Days of the Renaissance in Rome. Riverside Press, 1906, pp. 279 ff. Archive.org
• Reclam's Art Guide: Italy Volume V: Rome and Lazio. Ph. Reclam, Stuttgart 1962.
• Volker Reinhardt (Ed.): The great families of Italy (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 485). Kröner, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-520-48501-X .
• Claudio Rendina: Cardinali e Cortigiane. Newton Compton Editori, 2007, ISBN 978-88-541-0864-6 .
• Marino Sanudo : Diarii. Edited by Fulin, Stefani, Barozzi, Berchet, Allegri. 56 volumes, Venice 1879–1902.
• Bette Talvacchia: Raphael. Phaidon-Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-0-7148-9723-3 .
• Giorgio Vasari: Le vite de 'piú eccellenti architetti, pittori, et scultori italiani, da Cimabue, insino a' tempi nostri. 2 vols., Giulio Einaudi, Torino 1991, ISBN 978-88-06-17755-3 .
• Kia Vahland: Sebastiano del Piombo. A Venetian in Rome . Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern 2008, ISBN 978-3-7757-2144-8 .

Web links

Commons : Agostino Chigi  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Agostino Chigi in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Commentario di Alessandro VII sulla vita di Agostino Chigi ( archive.org )
2. ↑ Volker Reinhardt: The great families of Italy. P. 165.
3. ^ Francesco Dante in Treccani - L'Enciclopedia Italiana p. 3.
4. ^ Francesco Dante in Treccani - L'Enciclopedia Italiana p. 6.
5. ↑ Ch. L. Frommel: The Farnesina and Peruzzi's early architectural work. P. 2.
6. ^ Rodolfo Lanciani: The Golden Days of the Renaissance in Rome. P. 294.
7. ^ Francesco Dante in Treccani - L'Enciclopedia Italiana.
8. ^ Rodolfo Lanciani: The Golden Days of the Renaissance in Rome. P. 275.
9. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico.
10. ^ Rodolfo Lanciani: The Golden Days of the Renaissance in Rome. P. 280.
11. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico.
12. ^ Francesco Dante in Treccani - L'Enciclopedia Italiana p. 12.
13. ^ Giorgio Vasari: Vite. Ed. Torrentiniana, Vol 4, p. 30 ff.
14. ↑ La Madonna della Sughera - Pubblicazioni del Circolo di Cultura di Tolfa.
15. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico.
16. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico.
17. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico.
18. ↑ Giuseppe Cugnoni: Agostino Chigi il Magnifico
19. ↑ Gaia Servadio: Renaissance Woman.
20. ^ Claudio Rendina - Cardinali e Cortigiane.
21. ↑ Commentarii: ... peractumque matrimonium suo in cubiculo domus testamentum condidit Augustinus ...
22. ↑ Commentarii: ... ac tales tantosque adhibuit testes, quales nemo alius, vel Rex, vel Imperator, ab orbe condito ad nostrum usque aetatem. Siquidem interfuere Leo X. Pont. Opt. Maxim.