A Bon Droyt

Rosanne

In a thread I said I had been unable to find a Visconti origin of the Motto A Bon Droyt. Indeed all the books I had on Milan, without exception said it was a Sforza device. Kaplan had said it was a Visconti device, and I went looking- finally deciding to look at the illuminators of the Milan court- voila!
Tomasino Da Vimercate was an Italian illuminator. He was the most prolific artist at work in Milan in the decades either side of 1400, illustrating manuscripts for both secular and ecclesiastical patrons. He was paid in 1409 for illuminating the first volume of the Ambrosianae copied for the Cathedral of Milan. He was also the Master of the Modena hours.
http://www.codicesillustres.com/pdf/Master_Modena_Hours.pdf





GIOVANNI MARIA VISCONTI (1389-1412), duke of Milan. Grant of arms and investiture with the county of Cemmo and Cimbergo to Boccacino and Bartolomeo della Torre, in Latin. MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM ILLUMINATED BY TOMASINO DA VIMERCATE
[Milan, 23 October 1410]
Single sheet, 465x675mm (520x675mm unfolded), 58 lines, written in brown ink in a small rounded gothic bookhand by Giovanni Moroni, notary and scribe to the Duke of Milan; display capitals alternately in red and blue flourished with the constrasting colour. Illuminated border on three sides made up of attenuated, scrolling acanthus leaves of blue, red, green and pink; containing on the left the biscia of the Visconti, an entwined blue dragon swallowing a small red man; in the upper margin the arms of Giovanni Maria Visconti with the biscia quartered with the imperial eagle and the sol cum columba device, a rayed sun containing a white dove and the motto a bon droit. In the centre of the deed a shield with the arms granted to the della Torre brothers: per pale or and gules, a displayed imperial eagle sable and argent. Subscribed by three notaries with their marks (slight rubbing, wear at folds, small hole with loss of text, lacks seal).

The brothers Boccacino and Bartolomeo della Torre de Cemmo were invested with the county of Cemmo and Cimbergo in Val Camonica in the diocese of Brescia and allowed the privilege of displaying their coat of arms. Although this grant was given in the name of the duke, it was actually given on the orders of Domino Facino, count of Blandrate. Facino Cane was effectively the ruler of Milan during this chaotic period. After Giovanni Maria Visconti was assassinated in 1412, the present grant was ratified by his brother and successor Filippo Maria Visconti on 21 January 1413.

The background of some of the pages is so like Milanese Brocaded Velvet with Gold and silk- a red yardage today would be coincidentally called Sforza Fabric. It is very expensive and makes one's Bank Manager cry.

Anyway down the tubes with another theory............I will have to take another Tack as they say :D

~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

What do you mean Huck?
I agree it is a Visconti Device having found the illuminated Grant of Arms.

~Rosanne
 

Rosanne

Phew! That tested my Italian.
So Petrarch coined the phrase for a wedding in Pavia 1360, and the earlier link about the display of swords and armory told us that the motto was still been used by Bembo in the Visconti Cards as blazon wrapped around a Sword. This Motto was for free men of the Sword.(and Saints?) So the cards are within the life of Bembo......we knew that :D As is quoted he was active between 1447 and 1477- which makes the cards retrospective of the wedding of Bianca and Francesco.(Married 1441) From the articles it would seem, if I have read correctly, the motto became usual when free soldiers married. There seems to be the view that the Visconti cards were an expression of Neoplatoism.

Me, I think/speculate, they were a public relations gimmick and an explanation for the Peace of Lodi and the requirements/Virtues for Balance of Power for the rulers that gathered on the Adda.(The Adda river formed the boundary between Venice territories and Sforza's at that time.) So I think the cards are all of the same time created by different workshops to a plan, for a specific event- not a marriage. Most likely the Venice event of the signing of the Italic League- all the players are there in the first 5 Cards- Milan,Florence,Venice, Papal States and the Kingdom of Naples.
It is interesting to note on the Cary Yale Umbrella of the Lovers there is the the colours of Cremona -white cross on red field. It is also the colours of Como where the river Adda rises. The boundary of an alliance.

Now I await the sound of cannon fire and I arm myself with a Bon Droyt Sword. :D



~Rosanne
 

Huck

Once I got a book in my hands in a library , in which Petrarca's documentary notes about his own journey to Paris were presented, where he arranged the marriage. It's long ago, I don't remember, if I read anything about the motto. I remember, that Petrarca had an oratio about Fortune (his recent work had been about this theme) ánd was astonished, how sensible the French public reacted on it (France had a longer time "bad luck" then, the lost battle Crecy in 1346, the Plague happened and their king John was captured in another battle).
Anyway, the journey was reported with some detail.
It seems plausible, that between this material somewhere was a Petrarca note to his own motto invention.
Well, I didn't note the name of this book. "Petrarca journey Paris 1360" possibly brings something up.
 

Cerulean

I am not certain if you are looking for this...second link has the legend

1. The Paris and Petrach (Skip this to check the A Bon Droyt link in 2 first...)

http://books.google.com/books?id=6g...d=0CBoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=a bon droyt&f=false

..Petrach set out for Paris when these rejoicings were over, as ambassador of Galeas Viscomti, to compliment King John on the return to, and recovery of, his kingdom...

p. 208 - 220 gives more of Petrach and the visit to the King of France, even hints at work regarding Fortune Petrach was supposed to write...but not certain it has anything to do with the motto search!

2. The second link has the legend of A Bon Droyt:

http://books.google.com/books?id=dt...&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false


This introductory canzone describes the emblem and motto created by Petrach for Giangaleazzo on the occasion of his marriage to Isabelle of france: a white turtledove within a sun emanating golden rays and the French motto "A bon droyt (with good reason; by right). Books commissioned by Giaongaleazzo would often incorporate these hallmarks...

for example, on the page reproduced...large initial letter "E," while the motto (partially Italiaized) is spelled out around the perimeter: beginning on the upper left side and continuing down and along the bottom sides are the letters for "a buon," while the top and right sides provide the letters for "droyt." The motto also appears in a circular patter in the left margin,and again with the body of the "E" on its left side. The minature itself is a musical scene: thus we have an example where emblem, motto and music are brought together for the illustration of a book. These same three elements are even more tightly and functionally grouped in a comtempary musical composition with the following descriptive French text:

Le ra au soleyl qui dret son karmeye
en soy bracant la douce tortelle...
A bon droyt semble que en toy perfect regne. (41)"

The works of Johanes Ciconta, ed Margarent Bent and Anne Hallmark, in Polyphonse Music of the Fourteenth Century, vol. 24 (Monaco 1985), pp 177-178.

Music in the castle: troubadours, books and orators in Italian courts..."
F. Alberto Gallo, Anna Herklotz, Kathryn Krug..."

Cerulean
 

Huck

It's a French language motto and so it appears, as if the choice of motto had something to do with Petrarca's visit to Paris ... and naturally also something with the French bride and with all the money, that the Visconti paid for the honor to get this girl to Milan.
This orientation towards France also seems to have some indirect relationship to the circumstance, that Charles IV, German Emperor, had some open war with the Visconti in 1367 during his visit in Italy.
 

Cerulean

The invasions of French rulers through Italy seemed to affect

I haven't gone through the historical maps of battles and invasions, but from the 1300s through the 1800s, when I was going to lectures where France invaded Italy, if the conquerors controlled the region of "Milan," this seemed to be a very pivotal and symbolic....from French kings to Napoleon...

So my fondness at looking at patterns for Milanese decks in the historic realm seem to see beautiful and fascinating patterns and crossovers...although my preference are those with the "Latin" pips.

Anyway, hope the Bon Droyt and Petrarch links were helpful.

Cerulean
 

foolish

Ahh, bondroit!

the banner, "a bon droit", found on several of the visconti-sforza cards, means "by good right". this could very well refer to the fact that the visconti family claimed the right to rule the city of milan after purchasing the title and imperial shield from the holy roman emperor. their position of power was constantly threatened by the pope, who desired his own superiority in the area.