Art of the Calzolai – Wikipedia

L’ Art of the shoemakers It was one of the minor arts of the corporations of arts and crafts of Florence.

This corporation was formed in 1273 and from 1288 he obtained to exhibit the wrapped patch of silver and black as his own banner, already used as a banner of some groups of infantrymen in the battle of Montaperti of 1260; In 1293, with the entry into force of the systems of justice, the art of the Calzolai was temporarily admitted among the major arts, certainly for the large number of members, which according to some sources reached up to 4500, including those who exercised their own Activities in the city and had many a shop in Oltrarno and those who lived in the countryside.
The art of art was in Chiasso Baroncelli, behind the loggia of the lordship and bordering that of the stone and timber masters.

In the sixteenth century Cosimo I de ‘Medici ordered to incorporate the art of the shoemakers with that of the Galigai and I corrected, creating the University of leather masters ; In 1561 the major art of the vaiai and fur was also merged with this “university”, which changed its name to masters vaiai and leather and maintained this denomination until 1770, when the Grand Duke Pietro Lepoldo of Lorena deleted all the ancient corporations e he established the Chamber of Commerce.

All those who practiced the profession of shoemaker, a slut, belt, a piano and collector, in the city or in the countryside, belonged to this corporation.

The medieval footwear were different from today’s and only starting from the thirteenth century did there be a growing diffusion of leather and leather boots and boots, however intended for wealthiest customers.

There are no statutes prior to 1355 and moreover the existing ones are in a bad state of conservation; However, from their analysis it is possible to ascertain how severe the rules that regulated the activity of the members, in defense of their own interests and the prestige of art were.
The corporation was lined with six consuls and a conspicuous number of directors; From the beginning of the sixteenth century, those who were backward with the payment of taxes were excluded from the offices, those who already held another important charge, the illiterate, the non -Florentines of birth, the illegitimate children and those who did not enjoy electoral rights based on Provisions of the Municipality. Similar restrictions were already present in medieval statutes, but over time the eligibility criteria became even more rigid; Since the fourteenth century, however, they prescribed to bring the maximum compared to the consuls and residence of the corporation, so no one could access barefoot or without hood or in shirt sleeves or with an apron on and with the cap on their heads.
During the meetings, a decent demeanor was also requested, which imposed silence and refraining from harassing noises or by pronouncing insults.

The apprenticeship period of a shoemaker was shorter than that of the members of other corporations and lasted 3 years; The relationship between masters and disciples was regulated by a special contract entered into by the notary of art and each new serial number could opened a shop on its own, as long as it was not less than 1000 arms (about 600 meters) from that of the master .
Admission to art could also take place through a wedding, the acceptance of a son -in -law as a member of the corporation necessarily passed through the favorable vote of a special commission and if this was already used as a gay or apprentice in the Suocero shop , was exempted from the payment of the registration fee, as it happened for the children of the masters, provided that they were born in Florence.

In addition to its internal functioning, the statutes contained the provisions relating to the exercise of the activity, with particular attention to the raw materials used during production:

• The corporation established the quality of the leather to be used for the various types of footwear and it was forbidden to sell packaged items with leather of quality different from the expected one or “mix” different qualities of leather;
• The shoemakers could only use the tanned leather for at least 8 months and perfectly dry;
• Baratto was forbidden and working in places hidden from the public;
• The operators had to avoid dirtying the city streets with the sewage and waste of their processes;
• The shoemakers’ shops had to remain open on Sunday morning to allow those who were busy during the week to go to order or buy footwear, but only up to the sound of the bells that announced the solemn mass.

The shoes and the pianneli [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The Florentine shoes worked for hours sitting in front of the Bishetti , their typical tables in which all the tools were stored and wearing a large leather apron up to the knees.
From their shops, women’s shoes came out, similar to our sandals, with the upper or silk upper and gold and silver threads intertwined with beads, while for men boots and legs were packaged, also for military use.

However, most people used simple wooden hooves or cencio slippers with the sole that they knotted with ties; The most common were called ciantelle O plane , similar to the slippers that were used to stay at home and were made by the pianneli.

It should be noted that the work of the shoemakers was substantially different from that of the socks, which were in fact enrolled in the art of silk together with the peaks and floors that provided the raw materials with the socks, causing them the strips and the leather and leather soles for the footwear; The pezzai and the floors detached themselves from the art of silk in 1325 to constitute their own association which however never obtained legal and political recognition.

The cintai and the collectors [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Niche with replica and original statue of San Fillippo by Nanni Di Banco, Orsanmichele

The Cintai manufactured belts of all kinds, used to gave life and wrists, or to be applied to shoes.

The collectors instead packaged the collars , that is, leather or leather bonds for military use to be worn under the armor and often decorated with drawings. Sometimes these bodies were also made of deino, deer or antelope skin, which were very soft were also used for the production of gloves.

The corporation chose San Filippo as a protector and commissioned Nanni di Banco a marble statue for the tabernacle of the church of Orsanmichele, performed around 1410-1412.

The art of the Calzolai also sponsored the small Spedale of the Holy Trinity of the Calzolai near Santa Croce.

• Luciano Artusi, The arts and crafts of Florence , Roma, Newton & Compton, 2005.
• Marco Giuliani, The Florentine arts , Florence, Scramasax, 2006.