This paper studies the group of men on the lower right side of Raphael's School of Athens. While the portrayal of Euclid is undisputed, the figures who are attached to him have not yet been firmly ...identified. In studying these figures as part of the intellectual fabric of the painting as a whole, it becomes clear that each of these figures has a meaningful role that cannot be deduced by mere guessing. The figure with his back to us is quite clearly the great mathematician-cosmographer Ptolemy of Alexandria. Not only because he wears a particular crown, but more importantly because the globe he holds is terrestrial - a symbol of his scientific contribution to the humanist curriculum - can we be certain of his presence. The man who faces him is most likely Strabo, the most famous geographer known throughout medieval times and one who was also appreciated by humanists, especially for his consideration of the sphere and the celestial aspects of the universe in his Geography. Both Ptolemy and Strabo are well placed next to Euclid, for both are concerned with geometry. The two men to the far right are, it is suggested here, two famous painters of Greek antiquity, Apelles (in the guise of Raphael) and Protogenes (in the guise of Timoteo Viti?), whose presence reflects the interests of artists in the early Cinquecento. All these heroes are appropriately placed on Aristotle's side of the painting.
This reading of the Pantheon is based on Pythagorean literary and mathematical traditions available at the time of its construction, especially to one so captivated by Greek learning, mysteries, ...astrology and mathematics as Hadrian. By counting the essential parts of the building and relating those numbers to its shape and function, the structure clearly 'reads' as the Marriage of the Sun and the Moon. Hadrian's horoscope, well known to scholars of classical astrology, sets forth the time of his birth as occurring at a moment of 'coincidence' of the Sun and the Moon. His earliest biographers underline his special interest in the Sun and the Moon which corresponded with his Pythagorean interests. Other documents (one of which may have been authored by Hadrian himself) collaborate to persuasively suggest that the Pantheon was built by Hadrian not only to honor himself in language far more effective than that which a statue would have allowed, but to legitimize his reign which was in serious trouble at the time the Pantheon was designed. This paper does not purport to hold an 'answer' to the meaning of the Pantheon. Rather it aims to work with hitherto unexplored materials that appear to hold promise as sources that may provide new avenues of investigation for study of this important building for which the cosmological significance of numbers--a time honored tradition in Greek learning--can widen our knowledge.
The object of this study is to show that a specific part of Michelangelo's painted ceiling, not usually considered intrinsic to thematic discussion, offers not only an important clue regarding the ...underlying theme of the Ceiling itself but, moreover, suggest that Ceiling is inherently related to the previous and subsequent decorations and indeed even to the purpose of the building itself as an architectural monument. Deriving from Ovid's "Metmorphoses," the centralizing symmetry and grandly articulated ignudi of the Sistine Chapel represent the Golden Age of Man. In this way the Hebrew and Christian Bible (the Old Testament) and the "Pagan" Bible (the Ovidian legacy) -- familiar sources that did not require theological expertise -- were effectively combined and harmonized as the patrimony of Christian Rome. The essence of this conflation suggest that the theme of Law and Justice prevail in the Ceiling, as well as in the original altar wall and the side wall decorations, including Raphael's tapestries, the building itself and its original internal organization and, finally, in Michelangelo's "Last Judgement." The so-called "Sacrifice of Noah" is re-named as the "Sacrifice of Abel," which corresponds with the descriptions of this scene by Michelangelo's friends Condivi and Vasari as well as with the correct chronological order of the Ceiling paintings and the theme of Law and Justice.
Joost-Gaugier examines the group of men on the lower right side of Raphael's "School of Athens" as a part of the intellectual fabric of the painting as a whole. Each of these figures has a meaningful ...role.
The group of men depicted on the lower side of Raphael's 'School of Athens' is studied. The men's identities were analyzed based on their role in the painting. Moreover, they were determined based on ...their characterization through the use of symbols. Results indicated that the group of men characterized in Raphael's painting include mathematician-cosmographer Ptolemy of Alexandria, geographer Strabo and mathematician Euclid.
While the divided south wall of the Stanza della Segnatura offers a balance of Civic Law that follows traditional practices in the classification of legal literature in medieval libraries its ...subjects, Justinian and Gregory IX, encouraged a view of the present in terms of its relation to the history of civilization. Thus could Roman law and Canon law be viewed, by an ambitious pontiff who saw his own situation as forged from the inheritance of both, as the greatest influences on--and explanations for--his own governmental ideas and actions. A Ciceronian interpretation of the Law as deriving from the supreme authority (above) would suggest that the three suavely articulated and interconnected female figures above represent the Three Graces or the legal "sisters," daughters of Zeus who supervise the benefits of the Law. Thus is it tempting to imagine the possibility that through the (Greek) graces, the (Roman) Justinian, and the (Christian) Gregory, a grandiose concordance, or harmony, of Greek Law, Roman Law, and Christian Law is offered in the three interrelated scenes of this wall.
The Quattrocento fresco series of "uomini famosi" in the Sala del Consiglio of the Palazzo del Comune in Lucignano shows that, although the frescoes were painted at different times during the century ...and commissioned by various patrons (whose names are recorded in the surviving inscriptions), Dante is consistently the source of their iconography. Among the biblical and Classical heroes depicted, the appearance of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, unique in Famous Men cycles, can be explained by Paradiso VI, where Dante describes him as having restored the glory and importance of Rome. Moreover, according to Dante, by promoting the coexistence of spiritual and temporal law under God, Justinian showed that the Romans were God's chosen people. At Lucignano, the virtuous heroes of the ancient past and the Roman world melt into the Christian empire, forming an indissoluble unity. Few legal chambers have survived relatively intact from the early Italian Renaissance. The decoration of the example in Lucignano reflects extraordinary ambition, presenting the only known surviving illustrated synthesis of Dante's views. A small Tuscan commune thus put forward the poet's conception of justice, as opposed to the narrower tradition of "buon governo" established in the neighboring Republic of Siena. /// Le cycle de fresques du Quattrocento représentant "les hommes célèbres" dans la salle du Conseil du palais communal de Lucignano montre que, même si les figures ont été peintes à divers moments au cours du siècle à la demande de différents commanditaires dont les noms figurent sur les inscriptions subsistantes, Dante est demeuré la source commune de leur iconographie. Parmi les héros de la Bible et de l'Antiquité qui sont représentás l'apparition de l'empereur byzantin Justinien, unique dans les cycles des hommes célèbres, peut s'expliquer par le passage du Chant VI du Paradis dans lequel Dante le dépeint comme celui qui a restauré la gloire et la puissance de Rome et qui, en rassemblant les lois religieuses et temporelles sous l'autorité divine, a prouvé que les Romains étaient le peuple élu par Dieu. A Lucignano la Virtù des héros de l'Antiquité et du monde romain se fond dans l'Empire chrétien et s'unit indissolublement à lui. On a conservé peu de chambres de justice de la Prérenaissance italienne relativement intactes. L'ambition du programme suivi à Lucignano sort de l'ordinaire. C'est la seule synthèse illustrée connue des visions de Dante qui subsiste. Cette représentation, dans une petite commune toscane, de la conception qu'avait le Poète de la Justice contraste avec le choix plus traditionnel et plus étriqué du thème du "bon gouvernement" effectué par une voisine bien plus puissante, la République de Sienne. /// Der Freskenzyklus "uomini famosi" aus dem Quattrocento in der Sala del Consiglio im Palazzo del Comune von Lucignano zeigt, daß -- wenngleich die Fresken für verschiedene Auftraggeber, deren Namen in den Inschriften erhalten geblieben sind, zu verschiedenen Zeiten gemalt wurden, -- Dante die Quelle der ikonographischen Inspiration war. Unter den biblischen und antiken Helden findet sich eine Darstellung des byzantinischen Kaisers Justinian, einzigartig in Zyklen berühmter Männer; sie läßt sich durch den VI. Gesang des Paradieses erklären, wo Justinian Dante zufolge Glanz und Bedeutung des römischen Reiches wiederherstellte und durch die Unterstellung der religiösen und weltlichen Gesetze unter die göttliche Autorität bewies, daß die Römer Gottes auserwähltes Volk waren. In Lucignano verschmelzen die tugendhaften Helden der Antike und der römischen Welt im christlichen Reich zu einem untrennbaren Ganzen. Nur wenige Ratssäle der italienischen Frührenaissance sind ziemlich intakt erhalten. Das Programm von Lucignano stellt ein äußerst ehrgeiziges Beispiel dar. Es ist die einzige erhalten gebliebene illustrierte Synthese der Danteschen Anschauungen. Eine kleine toskanische Gemeinde vermittelt uns also das Konzept dieses Dichters von der Gerechtigkeit, das im Gegensatz zur engeren Tradition des "buon governo" der Nachbarrepublik Siena steht.
A Dantesque theme of Justice is symbolized through a series of 21 frescoes of "uomini famosi", including two "donne illustri", which were painted, with surviving inscriptions and dates, for the "Sala ...del Consiglio" of the Palazzo del Commune of Lucignano in the course of the fifteenth century. From the beginning, the poet's view of the Law dominates the first triad of images commissioned for the legal chamber. Julius Caesar, Constantine the Great, and Noah appear as representatives of pagan antiquity, Christian history, and Hebrew history, respectively, but they were also selected for a more important reason. In late-medieval times, all three heroes were regarded as the founders of Rome. The Roman connection relates to the significance which Dante accorded Rome in terms of world history and world rule, while the figures' link with Janus, who precedes them, derives from Dante's larger appreciation of Italy as the fruit of the creation of Rome and the beginning of civiltas. /// Le thème dantesque de la Justice est représenté à travers une série de 21 fresques des "Hommes célèbres" incluant deux "Femmes illustres". Ces fresques, dont les inscriptions et les dates sont conservées, ont été peintes pour la Salle du Conseil du Palais Communal de Lucignano dant le courant du XVè siècle. Tout d'abord la représentation que le Poète donne de la Loi domine la première triade des figures commandées pour la Chambre de Justice. Jules César, Constantin le Grand et Noé représentent respectivement l'antiquité païenne, le christianisme et la tradition juive. Mais ils ont été également choisis pour une autre raison, plus décisive: durant le Bas Moyen-Age ils étaient tous trois considérés comme les fondateurs de Rome. Cette relation avec Rome nous renvoie à la conception que Dante se faisait de la place de Rome dans l'histoire et le gouvernement du monde; cependant que l'enchaînement de ces figures avec celles de Janus, qui les précède, témoigne de la haute idée que se faisait Dante de l'Italie, en raison de la fondation de Rome et de la naissance de l'organisation politique. /// Das Dantisches Thema der Gerechtigkeit ist durch eine Serie von 21 Fresken von "uomini famosi", darunter zwei "donni illustri" dargestellt. Die Fresken -- ihre Inschriften und Datum sind erhalten -- wurden im Laufe des 15.Jahrhunderts für die "Sala del Consiglio" des Palazzo del Commune von Lucignano gemalt. Von Beginn an dominiert die Einstellung des Dichters gegenüber dem Gesetz die erste Triade der für das richterliche Amtszimmer in Auftrag gegebenen Bilder. Julius Cäsar, Konstantin der Große und Noah stehen jewells als Symbol für die heidnische Antike, die christliche und die jüdische Geschichte, sie wurden aber auch aus einem bedeutenderen Grund gewählt: im Spätmittelalter sah man in allen dreien die Gründer der Stadt Rom. Die Verbindung zu Rom ergibt sich aus der Bedeutung, die Dante Rom hinsichtlich seiner Rolle in der Weltgeschichte und der Weltherrschaft zukommen ließ, die Verbindung der Figuren zu Janus, der diesen voranschreitet, wiederum aus Dantes großer Wertschätzung für Italien, als Ergebnis der Gründung Roms und der Entstehung der civiltas.
Questo studio esamina un aspetto poco noto della biografia del condottiero lombardo: i feudi concessigli come ricompensa delle sue vittorie militari. Quello di palazzo Colleoni a Brescia, ...assegnatogli dalla Repubblica di Venezia e oggetto di recente studio, non fu infatti il solo, poiché il Colleoni ne ebbe almeno altri tredici. L'autrice ne fornisce una trattazione d'insieme, che prende in considerazione anche le proprietà acquistate dal Colleoni, esaminando anche la fortuna storica di questi domini signorili. In quasi tutti i casi si trattava di territori fortificati all'interno dei quali si trovavano antiche rocche, la maggior parte delle quali sembrano essere state riadattate per uso residenziale. Sebbene Bartolomeo Colleoni sia stato al soldo di Milano e Venezia, non visse mai in nessuna delle due città, alle quali preferiva chiaramente la pianura lombarda, dove poteva condurre un'esistenza da principe, arricchita da interessi umanistici e attività filantropiche.
In Vasari's painted portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, painted for the apartments of Duke Cosimo I in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, prominent exposure is given to a giraffe, one of the gift ...presented to Lorenzo by his ambassadors. The article shows that the giraffe, which is critical to the composition of the painting, has not only a historical motive but also an iconographical significance. The admiration of Lorenzo for Julius Caesar is reflected in this demonstration, the second time in history when the giraffe was presented to the Italian people. It may therefore be interpreted as a symbol of the power of the tyrant. /// In dem von Vasari gemalten Porträt Lorenzos des Prächtigen, einem Gemälde, das für die Gemächer Herzog Cosimos I. im Palazzo Vecchio bestimmt war, kommt einer Giraffe, die Lorenzo von seinen Gesandten geschenkt bekommt, besondere Bedeutung zu. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, daß diese Giraffe, die kompositionell eine entscheidende Stellung einnimmt, nicht nur historisch sondern auch ikonographisch relevant ist. In ihrer Darstellung spiegelt sich Lorenzos Bewunderung für Julius Cäsar wider: zum zweiten Mal in der Geschichte wurde hier eine Giraffe dem italienischen Volk vorgeführt, sie kann daher als ein Symbol der Macht des Tyrannen verstanden werden.
