Niccolo Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano

Niccolo Mauruzi da Tolentino at the Battle of San Romano is one of three series of paintings that depict the events that occurred at the clash of San Romano (1492) in which the Florentine cavalry, commanded by Niccolo Mauruzi, triumphed over the Sienese army that was under the command of Bernardino della Ciarda.

This painting, in particular, shows Niccolo da Tolentino, on his snow-white stallion, leading the assault on the enemy. He is recognizable by the emblem of 'Knot of Solomon' on his flag. The painting is in egg tempera on a wooden panel and measures 182cm by 320 cm. Paolo Uccello is widely known as one of the pioneers of perspective. Giorgio Vasari, in his book Lives of the Artists, alleged that Paolo was addicted to perspective and that it made him solitary, melancholy, impoverished and eccentric.

His use of perspective in this painting is bold and quite complex. In the painting there is one casualty, lying face down on the ground as the battle rages. The dead soldier and the rubble in the battle are set such that the disappearing lines of perspective meet in not less than two fading points. Paolo also pays great attention to detail in this painting as seen in the armors and horses. Many parts of the painting are covered with silver leaf, light royal blue and gold. Originally, the painting was meant to fit underneath gothic vaults and for this reason, it had an arched top.

However, during the fifteenth century, it was made into a rectangular panel. Paolo Uccello's painting was commissioned by Lionardo Bartolini Salimbeni sometime between 1435 and 1460. Today, the painting dwells on the walls of the National Gallery in London. The two remaining paintings in this series reside in the Uffizi Gallery and the Louvre Museum in Paris. Paolo Uccello, once an apprentice to Lorenzo Ghiberti, depicted a heroic image of Niccolo da Tolentino in this painting which contrasts Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of Niccolo Piccinino. Paolo's painting was cherished by the people of Florence and his exceptional work has indeed been a gift to the art world.