54
BEATRICE PORTINARI (1265-1290) The muse who guided the journey into Paradise
THE SPACE A heavenly painted ceiling dominates this elegant suite with a scene from Greek mythology “Allegory of Night.” The woman covered in the marian blue flying veil is the personification of “Night.” She gently cradles two babies, representing “Sleep” and “Death.” Twinkling stars against a royal azure sky are painted below her as a hint of her identity while the rest of the ceiling is illuminated with heavenly pastels and flying angels. There is a French window at the end of the suite, perfectly designed for the youthful Lady Beatrice. Inside this charming space, there is an interesting interplay between the real pane glass windows looking onto the Florentine street of Via dello Studio, juxtaposed with painted French window depicting scenes from an imaginary countryside. The window ceiling is rendered in the style of a garden house protected by a stained glass roof decorated with greenery and the Ricciardi-Serguidi coat of arms. Surely one of the most elaborately adorned suites in Palazzo Portinari Salviati, it is dedicated to Beatrice Portinari, the muse of Dante Alighieri, and his symbol of divine love. THE STORY No mention of Dante Alghileri, the great Italian poet, is complete without including the name Beatrice Portinari. In his works La Vita Nova (“The New Life”) and the epic La Divina Commedia (“The Divine Comedy”), Beatrice was alluded to
CEILING PAINTING OF THE ALLEGORY OF NIGHT
A heavenly painted ceiling with a scene from Greek mythology “Allegory of Night” The woman covered in the marian blue flying veil is the personification of “Night,” the goddess Nyx. She is the mother of the twins, “Sleep” (Hypnos) and “Death” (Thanatos).
