generic term for grave marker found on a wall or ceiling/vault to draw attention to a floor tomb or grave; sometimes called a "formella" in Italian scholarship when referring to a framed stone block
pier
vertical support
plaque
Decorative Elements
arms
the escutcheon, or shield, carries the arms in the heraldic achievement
Alternate Names: coat of arms; heraldry
Getty ID: 300126352
inscription
words, texts, lettering, or symbols carved, inlaid, or painted on a memorial
Alternate Names: monogram
Getty ID: 300028702
plant-derived motif
Alternate Names: plants
shield
shield-like motif, with a form combining oval and triangular elements, typically having three sides, often rounded, with the form being wider at the top and tapering to a point at the bottom; often elaborated with strap-work, scrolls, and mantling
Alternate Names: shield of arms
Getty ID: 300247394
Material
white marble
marble with a mineral composition resulting in a predominantly white color; Italian varieties include Carrara and Istrian; ancient sculpture used Parian, Pentelic, and Naxian
copper-tin alloy; refers to a broad range of alloys of copper, specifically any non-ferrous alloy of copper, tin, and zinc or other trace metals in varying proportions from 70 to 95 percent copper in surviving ancient artifacts. Because of the copper base, bronze may be very malleable and easy to work. By the Middle Ages in Europe, it was recognized that using the metals in certain proportions could yield specific properties. Some modern bronzes contain no tin at all, substituting other metals such as aluminum, manganese, and even zinc. Historically, the term was used interchangeably with "latten." U.S. standard bronze is composed of 90% copper, 7% tin and 3% zinc. Ancient bronze alloys sometimes contained up to 14% tin.
NICOLAVS RICCIARDIVS SERGVIDIVS / PATRIC. FLOR. D. STEPHANI EQVES / IUNIPERAE BALDOVINIAE RICCOMANNIAE / IACOBI DE RICCIARDIS VXORIS / ABNEPOS ET HERES INSTAVR. CVR. / A.D. MDCCLXVI
Niccolò Ricciardi Serguidi, Florentine patrician, knight of St. Stephen, descendant and heir of Ginevra Baldovini Riccommanni, wife of Jacopo Ricciardi, took care [that this tomb] be restored in the year of the Lord 1766.
presumed role based on incomplete evidence; for burials, we know the burial is in this church, we think it is in this tomb; for patronage and other relationships, there is evidence to suggest the connection, but it has not been confirmed
person who receives rights to and responsibility for a memorial through inheritance
Alternate Names: descendant; inheritor
Getty ID: 300258972
March 15th, 1583 to March 28th, 1628
surmised
presumed role based on incomplete evidence; for burials, we know the burial is in this church, we think it is in this tomb; for patronage and other relationships, there is evidence to suggest the connection, but it has not been confirmed
person who receives rights to and responsibility for a memorial through inheritance
Alternate Names: descendant; inheritor
Getty ID: 300258972
March 28th, 1628
surmised
presumed role based on incomplete evidence; for burials, we know the burial is in this church, we think it is in this tomb; for patronage and other relationships, there is evidence to suggest the connection, but it has not been confirmed
named in memorial inscription and/or represented by coat of arms
Alternate Names: dedicatee
Getty ID: 300404867
June 24th, 1384 to present
surmised
presumed role based on incomplete evidence; for burials, we know the burial is in this church, we think it is in this tomb; for patronage and other relationships, there is evidence to suggest the connection, but it has not been confirmed
[] The autograph version of the 1596 sepoltuario indicates that the original date on the tomb was 24 January 1383 (o.s.). Starting in 1615, antiquarians misread the damaged "gennaio" as "giugno" which was used when the tomb was restored in 1766. Given the care and detail with which the original 1596 sepoltuario was written, we are using the date recorded there. The 1439 sepoltuario offers no date at all.
[a] The current inscription on the tomb slab states that Antonio d'Andrea del Pannocchia installed the tomb for himself and his descendants on the feast of St. John the Baptist in 1383, June 24th. A second marker on the pier above provides no date. However, the sepoltuario of 1596 cites the date as the 24 of January (gennaio) 1383 (1384 according to the modern calendar), rather than June (giugno), raising the possibility that the inscription was restored incorrectly in the eighteenth century, misreading "gennaio" for "giugnio" [sic]). Francesco della Foresta's sepoltuario of 1615 gives the date as 24 June 1384, a date followed by Stefano Rosselli.
[b] A marble plaque installed at the foot of the tomb indicates that it was renovated by Niccolò Ricciardi Serguidi.
[c] It stands to reason that Antonio was buried in the tomb he himself installed. Antonio's widowed daughter Biagia and her son Piero di Niccolaio da Filicaia claimed portions of Antonio's testamentary bequest in their 1427 catasto declaration as financial obligations, including the earnings on a portion of her inherited monte credits that started on April 6th, 1413, suggesting that Antonio died on or slightly before that date. No burial records survive for 1413, making it impossible to verify that April 6th was indeed Antonio's date of death.
[d] Filippo was the last male heir in the family, after which time rights to the family tombs passed to his sister Ginevra.
[e] The last male heir, Ginevra's brother Filippo, died in 1628 and was buried in their tomb at the Badia Fiorentina.
[f] Two small coats of arms blazoned red with a silver bend are set below the large shield representing the del Pannocchia family, which was installed in Santa Croce by Antonio d'Andrea di Pannocchia in 1384. His great grandmother was Nigia di Jacopo del Beccuto, and Andrea may have been honoring his connection to this esteemed family with the inclusion of the del Beccuto arms as part of his own. Stefano Rosselli described the arms, but did not assign them to any family.
