Burdochi, Marchione from Bologna

appears in document 02

The earliest mention of the phrase "chartexele da trionffi" occurs in carta 33, of the "Account of Debits B",(document 01) in volume 4 of the Guardaroba of the Camera Ducale Estense, in the Archivio di Stato di Modena, dated 10 February, 1442. This volume covers the entire calendar year (January - December) of 1442, as edited by Adriano Franceschini in 1993 ("Artisti a Ferrara in etą umanistica e rinascimentale", Corbo, Ferrara-Roma, 1993, no. 841 (pp. 221-222)).

This volume of the Guardaroba accounts also appears to contain the first mention of "Marchione Burdochio da Bologna, merzaro", who appears in carta 5, dated January 2. He is being paid for bringing fabrics (taffetą), to be used by Sagramoro to prepare "standards and banners for the sepulcher" of Niccolo d'Este, who had died a week before.

On March 8 of 1442 (from a different account book, the "Amministrazione dei principi" A, "Regnati" 4, Memoriale; carta 30: Franceschini ibid. no. 482b (p. 223), Marchione is mentioned having supplied fabric for pennants to Sagramoro. No payment is noted.

He seems to have become useful to the court. On July 27 (carta 135 of volume 4 again), he is credited Lire XII, soldi XVIIII, denari VI for bringing more taffetą, this time so that Sagramoro can paint a depiction of the upcoming feast of the Assumption of Our Lady (August 15).

The day after, July 28, he is paid soldi XII denari III for a pack of carte da trionfi, given to the servant Iacomo "the cross-eyed" for the use of the boys Ercole and Sigismondo (this is also recorded on carta 135 of the Guardaroba volume 4, but (no doubt) because Marchione Burdochio is a merchant, not an artist, Franceschini did not include the reference in the 1993 volume. He published it in his 1996 article "Note d'archivio sulle carte ferraresi" in _Ludica_ 2, p. 170).

On September 12 (carta 216 of the same volume), Marchione Burdochio is credited for the "tranza de folexolo", coloured red, green and white, that he was supplying to Sagramoro between March 8 and December 11, for the latter to make around 24 pennants with the arms of the Signore. Giovanni di Pavia is mentioned in connection with him.

On December 20, Sagramoro is paid for the pennants and Burdochio is mentioned in passing, again with "Zuhane de Pavia".

After this year, 1442, Marchione Burdochio appears to drop from the picture.

It is interesting note that the first and second mentions of carte da trionfi are in 1442, the first occurs at the same time Sagramoro was getting materials from Marchione for other projects, and the second concerns a deck Marchione himself supplied to the court. After these entries, there is a lull of 7 years in the Este records, and there appear to be no records of carte da trionfi anywhere else.

Considering how closely Sagramoro and Marchione Burdochio worked at this time, it might be speculated that Marchione had a deck with him, from Bologna or elsewhere. Leonello took a liking to it, and had Sagramoro copy it, for which he was paid February 10. This would also help explain why Marchione was responsible for procuring the cheaper deck on July 28.

On the other hand, if carte da trionfi were well-known, or even known only among the elite, in Bologna earlier than 1442, it is perhaps strange that the first *mention* of them comes only 17 years later from that city.

(Ross Gregory Caldwell)






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