This paper explores the possibility that patere and formelle, characteristic decorative elements ... more This paper explores the possibility that patere and formelle, characteristic decorative elements of medieval Venetian architecture, may represent stars and constellations: their arrangements on the facades of religious and civil buildings would have had the purpose of favouring the traveller's geolocation, conveying simple messages such as 'You are facing north', 'You are facing east', to an audience generally accustomed to reading the sun and stars for orientation. Stars and constellations are depicted not only in the Western way, but also according to iconographies of different geographic areas, particularly from the Near and Middle East.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2023
‘Rises to the mortals from different mouths
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which ... more ‘Rises to the mortals from different mouths
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which four circles joins with three crosses,
with best course and with a more benign star
it comes out united, and the face of the world
more in its own likeness tempers and seals’. (Par. I, 37-42)
It is generally accepted that the above passage alludes to the Spring Equinox, and that the 'more benign star' to which Dante alludes is the constellation of Aries. However, the enigma of the ’four circles and three crosses’ in the third verse has found so far numerous attempts at a solution, none of which, however, is completely satisfactory, as admitted by the proponents themselves. So much so, that the disconsolate conclusion of Giuseppe Angelitti, astronomer and passionate investigator of the Divine Comedy, at the beginning of the last century, seems still valid: «This is one of those Dante's concoctions, the general meaning of which can be guessed with enough certainty, and yet not explained with complete satisfaction."
In this article, I propose to find a new possible solution through late medieval iconographic materials, which offer a model of the sky and of its circles more compatible with the observational habits of Dante's age.
«Annuario Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia»a cura di Alberto Giorgio Cassani, 2019
Stone Age handprints found in caves around the world, the genesis and purpose of which are still ... more Stone Age handprints found in caves around the world, the genesis and purpose of which are still unclear, could be a primitive (but not so crude) way to map the night sky. To raise the hands towards the sky, with the fingers open or bent in certain attitudes, has long been, and still is, a traditional tool of practical astronomy. In this article, some compositions of hands in caves, alone and in combination with animal pictograms, are analyzed and experimentally reconstructed from this perspective.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2022
Seconda parte dell’articolo apparso nel numero di Ottobre 2021. Si continua a esplorare la possib... more Seconda parte dell’articolo apparso nel numero di Ottobre 2021. Si continua a esplorare la possibilità che patere e formelle, i tipici e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali veneziani, non avessero funzione meramente decorativa come finora si è ritenuto, ma fossero da mettere in relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, in riferimento all’orientamento e al calendario. Gli animali in lotta, gli ibridi, le figure umane che costituiscono il caratteristico repertorio di patere e formelle rappresenterebbero allora stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto lo scopo di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, convogliando semplici messaggi del tipo ‘Stai guardando a Nord’, ‘Stai guardando a Est’. Esse segnalano anche, all’occhio in grado di cogliere il messaggio, la distanza alla quale alcuni degli straordinari mercanti-viaggiatori del Duecento si erano spinti: stelle e costellazioni non appaiono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo iconografie caratteristiche del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India. Partendo da edifici e aree di Venezia e della laguna in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la loro disposizione originaria, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso alla bussola e a uno strumento tecnologico, il planetario virtuale Stellarium, che ci permette di regredire nel tempo, e di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra la città nel Duecento.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2021
Patere e formelle sono tipici e e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali venezia... more Patere e formelle sono tipici e e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali veneziani, sia religiosi che civili. Le patere sono tonde, le formelle rettangolari con il lato superiore sagomato ad arco, a modo di una finestrella. I soggetti sono generalmente animali (leoni, lepri, uccelli, grifoni, pavoni), talvolta fra elementi vegetali; sono presenti, in misura minore, anche anche esseri umani e ibridi. Finora patere e formelle sono state considerate meramente decorative, oppure apotropaiche, o dotate di un significato allegorico convenzionale, come la lotta tra virtù e vizio. In questo articolo tentiamo un nuovo percorso interpretativo, esplorando la loro possibile relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, intesa come osservazione del cielo ad occhio nudo, in rapporto all’orientamento e al calendario; un tipo di sapere un tempo molto più generalmente diffuso di oggi, utile all’agricoltura, alla pesca, ma soprattutto ai viaggi, sia di terra che di mare. Animali, ibridi, figure umane sarebbero allora simboli di stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto la funzione di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, segnalando nel contempo che i proprietari erano essi stessi dei viaggiatori, e indicando, all’occhio in grado di coglierla, la distanza alla quale si erano spinti. Stelle e costellazioni non vi sono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo denominazioni del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India. Nelle due parti di questo saggio, partendo da edifici in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la disposizione originale, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso a Stellarium, planetario virtuale che ci permette di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra Venezia nel Duecento.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2020
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the 13th century), shows in the lesser arc... more The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the 13th century), shows in the lesser archivolt a sequence of fighting animals, hunters, and hybrid monsters, arranged within the vegetale volutes of a so-called "inhabited branch". For a long time, these characters have been seen as merely decorative or, at best, bearers of conventional moral allegories, such as the struggle between good and evil. I propose to see in them a cycle of astronomical representations: images of constellations or single stars, disposed in a well-calculated arrangement that develops a double calendar cycle, solar and lunar. Stars and constellations are represented not only according to Western iconography, but also in a fascinating mix of elements and languages from different places, with reference to the particular location of Venice in the Mediterranean, and to the long-distance travels of the Venetians. The characterisations, by an unknown mid-13th century sculptor, amaze for their beauty and quality: above, Hercules, the guardian constellation which prevents the Sun from crossing its northern border at the time of the Summer Solstice, is personified by a ferocious Norrene warrior; on the left, a group of naughty little boys who vandalize the raceme and empty the nests represent the Pleiades in spring. The intrados illustrates the annual path of the Sun-Lion, and culminates in a complex node guarded by the celestial ‘Two Eagles’, the stars Altair and Vega. They are the basis of a well-known asterism, the "Traveller's Triangle", whose vertex is represented by the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, also known as the "Northern Cross". This invisible cross coincided with a mosaic and sculptures with the figure of the Redeemer once present on the façade.
2022, “Ad una ad una annoverar le stelle” XIX Convegno della Società Italiana di Archeoastronomia Università di Bari, 10-12 ottobre 2019. Elio Antonello (ed.), 2022
Riassunto. Un evento astronomico relativamente raro, l'eclissi anulare di sole che ebbe luogo nel... more Riassunto. Un evento astronomico relativamente raro, l'eclissi anulare di sole che ebbe luogo nell'ottobre 1502, può contribuire alla datazione di un famoso capolavoro di Jheronimus Bosch, il Trittico delle Tentazioni di Sant'Antonio del Museo di Lisbona, restringendo l'intervallo della sua esecuzione a soli tre anni, dal post quem dell'ottobre 1502 all'ante quem dell'ottobre 1505. Lo stesso fenomeno appare sullo sfondo di un altro noto capolavoro coevo, la 'Piccola Crocifissione' di Matthias Grünewald. Grazie all'innovativo boschproject.org, in cui foto ad alta risoluzione possono essere confrontate con radiografie e riflettografie a raggi infrarossi, abbiamo potuto accedere a immagini dei cieli di Bosch di un nitore senza precedenti. Sembra che l'artista abbia inteso ricreare un cielo astronomicamente plausibile per il mezzogiorno del 3 aprile 33 (una fra le possibili date proposte per la Crocifissione), sovrapponendovi l'immagine del suggestivo fenomeno del 1502 al fine di evocare la discussa 'Eclissi della Crocifissione' menzionata da alcune fonti patristiche.
Unusual rural flavors, combined with precise astronomical notations, give the Cycle of the Months... more Unusual rural flavors, combined with precise astronomical notations, give the Cycle of the Months of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice a remarkable Virgilian taste: which emerges here in art well before that Dante Alighieri (perhaps not yet born at the time) elected the Roman poet to his spiritual guide. Of this extraordinary creation, located in the middle one of the three sculpted archivolts that frame the main portal, we have neither the name of the sculptor nor those of the patrons, who ordered it, it is believed, around 1240-1260. In this article, some of the hitherto unnoticed astronomical iconographies are pointed out: among them, a possible representation of Boötes with Ursa Major, and a remarkable Andromeda with Piscis Boreus, which appears related to Arab illustrated manuscripts of the same age.
The software for Visual Face Recognition Faceoff ( http://www.visualfacerecognition.com/) is app... more The software for Visual Face Recognition Faceoff ( http://www.visualfacerecognition.com/) is applied experimentally to a group of Venetian portraits produced about the year 1506. The resulting composite faces suggest unsuspected degrees of acquaintance between some eminent artists and patrons: Giorgione, Dürer, the merchant Bernhardin Hirschvogel, the unknown woman portrayed by Giorgione as “Laura”.
This paper draws a comparison between the lesser arch of the main portal of St.Mark’s in Venice a... more This paper draws a comparison between the lesser arch of the main portal of St.Mark’s in Venice and the rose window frame in Troia (half 13th century), arguing that some elements believed to be merely decorative are actually endowed of astonomical symbolism. Particular focus is put on some possible representations of the Pleiades (the 'glomerabile sidus' mentioned in the title) in different moments of their annual cycle.
In the first part of this article, it was hypothesized that the 'inhabited branch' sculpted on th... more In the first part of this article, it was hypothesized that the 'inhabited branch' sculpted on the lesser arch in the main portal of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (mid -13th century) could represent an astronomical cycle: images of stars and constellations developing a solilunar calendar. This second part completes the analysis of the single groups, dealing in particular with the constellations of the 'Perseus' family', with Virgo, Boötes, and with the group of the Pleiades. The rising of the Pleiades in mid-late spring offers a chance to try a reconstruction of the calendric meaning of the 'inhabited branch' itself.
Of Stars, And Travels:
An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* i... more Of Stars, And Travels: An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* is the English version, revised and enlarged, of an article appeared in Italian in ABAV- Annuario dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia 2014 (2015), pp. 235-275. Some errors have been emendated, and text and pictures have been increased. The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the thirteenth century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intradox. The figures (hybrid figures, animal chases, etc.) do not have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere. Stars and constellations are not always represented according to the Western Greek-Latin tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers. These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land. The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with the system, no less obscure, of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can now be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries. The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that encoureged a so powerfully innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark? A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s oldest extant portal is beginning to reveal.
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (13th century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar c... more The main portal of San Marco in Venice (13th century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intrados. The figures (hybrid figures, hunters, animals, etc.) don't have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere. Stars and constellations are depicted not only according to the Greek-Latin Western tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers. These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land. The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with iconography of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries. The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that decided and encouraged a so powerful innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark? A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s main portal is beginning to reveal.
A possible identification for "Hieronymo Thodescho", the architect appointed for the rebuilding o... more A possible identification for "Hieronymo Thodescho", the architect appointed for the rebuilding of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice after the 1505 fire. Was it Jheronimus Bosch, the netherlandish artist? A surprising result of the Visual Face Recognition technology applied to fine arts.
The remarkable sculpture of a fox, part of a couple of lions adorning the portal of the Romanesqu... more The remarkable sculpture of a fox, part of a couple of lions adorning the portal of the Romanesque Umbrian church of Santa Maria Impensole (Narni, Italy), suggests further reflections about the possibility that the constellation Vulpecula was already known in the Middle Ages, and that it was used, in combination to other animal figures, to express the orientation of the portal of a church, in the language of popular, or ‘horizon’, astronomy.
This paper explores the possibility that patere and formelle, characteristic decorative elements ... more This paper explores the possibility that patere and formelle, characteristic decorative elements of medieval Venetian architecture, may represent stars and constellations: their arrangements on the facades of religious and civil buildings would have had the purpose of favouring the traveller's geolocation, conveying simple messages such as 'You are facing north', 'You are facing east', to an audience generally accustomed to reading the sun and stars for orientation. Stars and constellations are depicted not only in the Western way, but also according to iconographies of different geographic areas, particularly from the Near and Middle East.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2023
‘Rises to the mortals from different mouths
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which ... more ‘Rises to the mortals from different mouths
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which four circles joins with three crosses,
with best course and with a more benign star
it comes out united, and the face of the world
more in its own likeness tempers and seals’. (Par. I, 37-42)
It is generally accepted that the above passage alludes to the Spring Equinox, and that the 'more benign star' to which Dante alludes is the constellation of Aries. However, the enigma of the ’four circles and three crosses’ in the third verse has found so far numerous attempts at a solution, none of which, however, is completely satisfactory, as admitted by the proponents themselves. So much so, that the disconsolate conclusion of Giuseppe Angelitti, astronomer and passionate investigator of the Divine Comedy, at the beginning of the last century, seems still valid: «This is one of those Dante's concoctions, the general meaning of which can be guessed with enough certainty, and yet not explained with complete satisfaction."
In this article, I propose to find a new possible solution through late medieval iconographic materials, which offer a model of the sky and of its circles more compatible with the observational habits of Dante's age.
«Annuario Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia»a cura di Alberto Giorgio Cassani, 2019
Stone Age handprints found in caves around the world, the genesis and purpose of which are still ... more Stone Age handprints found in caves around the world, the genesis and purpose of which are still unclear, could be a primitive (but not so crude) way to map the night sky. To raise the hands towards the sky, with the fingers open or bent in certain attitudes, has long been, and still is, a traditional tool of practical astronomy. In this article, some compositions of hands in caves, alone and in combination with animal pictograms, are analyzed and experimentally reconstructed from this perspective.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2022
Seconda parte dell’articolo apparso nel numero di Ottobre 2021. Si continua a esplorare la possib... more Seconda parte dell’articolo apparso nel numero di Ottobre 2021. Si continua a esplorare la possibilità che patere e formelle, i tipici e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali veneziani, non avessero funzione meramente decorativa come finora si è ritenuto, ma fossero da mettere in relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, in riferimento all’orientamento e al calendario. Gli animali in lotta, gli ibridi, le figure umane che costituiscono il caratteristico repertorio di patere e formelle rappresenterebbero allora stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto lo scopo di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, convogliando semplici messaggi del tipo ‘Stai guardando a Nord’, ‘Stai guardando a Est’. Esse segnalano anche, all’occhio in grado di cogliere il messaggio, la distanza alla quale alcuni degli straordinari mercanti-viaggiatori del Duecento si erano spinti: stelle e costellazioni non appaiono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo iconografie caratteristiche del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India. Partendo da edifici e aree di Venezia e della laguna in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la loro disposizione originaria, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso alla bussola e a uno strumento tecnologico, il planetario virtuale Stellarium, che ci permette di regredire nel tempo, e di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra la città nel Duecento.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2021
Patere e formelle sono tipici e e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali venezia... more Patere e formelle sono tipici e e ben noti ornamenti a bassorilievo su edifici medievali veneziani, sia religiosi che civili. Le patere sono tonde, le formelle rettangolari con il lato superiore sagomato ad arco, a modo di una finestrella. I soggetti sono generalmente animali (leoni, lepri, uccelli, grifoni, pavoni), talvolta fra elementi vegetali; sono presenti, in misura minore, anche anche esseri umani e ibridi. Finora patere e formelle sono state considerate meramente decorative, oppure apotropaiche, o dotate di un significato allegorico convenzionale, come la lotta tra virtù e vizio. In questo articolo tentiamo un nuovo percorso interpretativo, esplorando la loro possibile relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, intesa come osservazione del cielo ad occhio nudo, in rapporto all’orientamento e al calendario; un tipo di sapere un tempo molto più generalmente diffuso di oggi, utile all’agricoltura, alla pesca, ma soprattutto ai viaggi, sia di terra che di mare. Animali, ibridi, figure umane sarebbero allora simboli di stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto la funzione di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, segnalando nel contempo che i proprietari erano essi stessi dei viaggiatori, e indicando, all’occhio in grado di coglierla, la distanza alla quale si erano spinti. Stelle e costellazioni non vi sono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo denominazioni del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India. Nelle due parti di questo saggio, partendo da edifici in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la disposizione originale, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso a Stellarium, planetario virtuale che ci permette di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra Venezia nel Duecento.
La Camera dello Scirocco. Periodico dell’Accademia di Belle Arti “Michelangelo” di Agrigento (Gianni Paterna, ed.), 2020
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the 13th century), shows in the lesser arc... more The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the 13th century), shows in the lesser archivolt a sequence of fighting animals, hunters, and hybrid monsters, arranged within the vegetale volutes of a so-called "inhabited branch". For a long time, these characters have been seen as merely decorative or, at best, bearers of conventional moral allegories, such as the struggle between good and evil. I propose to see in them a cycle of astronomical representations: images of constellations or single stars, disposed in a well-calculated arrangement that develops a double calendar cycle, solar and lunar. Stars and constellations are represented not only according to Western iconography, but also in a fascinating mix of elements and languages from different places, with reference to the particular location of Venice in the Mediterranean, and to the long-distance travels of the Venetians. The characterisations, by an unknown mid-13th century sculptor, amaze for their beauty and quality: above, Hercules, the guardian constellation which prevents the Sun from crossing its northern border at the time of the Summer Solstice, is personified by a ferocious Norrene warrior; on the left, a group of naughty little boys who vandalize the raceme and empty the nests represent the Pleiades in spring. The intrados illustrates the annual path of the Sun-Lion, and culminates in a complex node guarded by the celestial ‘Two Eagles’, the stars Altair and Vega. They are the basis of a well-known asterism, the "Traveller's Triangle", whose vertex is represented by the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, also known as the "Northern Cross". This invisible cross coincided with a mosaic and sculptures with the figure of the Redeemer once present on the façade.
2022, “Ad una ad una annoverar le stelle” XIX Convegno della Società Italiana di Archeoastronomia Università di Bari, 10-12 ottobre 2019. Elio Antonello (ed.), 2022
Riassunto. Un evento astronomico relativamente raro, l'eclissi anulare di sole che ebbe luogo nel... more Riassunto. Un evento astronomico relativamente raro, l'eclissi anulare di sole che ebbe luogo nell'ottobre 1502, può contribuire alla datazione di un famoso capolavoro di Jheronimus Bosch, il Trittico delle Tentazioni di Sant'Antonio del Museo di Lisbona, restringendo l'intervallo della sua esecuzione a soli tre anni, dal post quem dell'ottobre 1502 all'ante quem dell'ottobre 1505. Lo stesso fenomeno appare sullo sfondo di un altro noto capolavoro coevo, la 'Piccola Crocifissione' di Matthias Grünewald. Grazie all'innovativo boschproject.org, in cui foto ad alta risoluzione possono essere confrontate con radiografie e riflettografie a raggi infrarossi, abbiamo potuto accedere a immagini dei cieli di Bosch di un nitore senza precedenti. Sembra che l'artista abbia inteso ricreare un cielo astronomicamente plausibile per il mezzogiorno del 3 aprile 33 (una fra le possibili date proposte per la Crocifissione), sovrapponendovi l'immagine del suggestivo fenomeno del 1502 al fine di evocare la discussa 'Eclissi della Crocifissione' menzionata da alcune fonti patristiche.
Unusual rural flavors, combined with precise astronomical notations, give the Cycle of the Months... more Unusual rural flavors, combined with precise astronomical notations, give the Cycle of the Months of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice a remarkable Virgilian taste: which emerges here in art well before that Dante Alighieri (perhaps not yet born at the time) elected the Roman poet to his spiritual guide. Of this extraordinary creation, located in the middle one of the three sculpted archivolts that frame the main portal, we have neither the name of the sculptor nor those of the patrons, who ordered it, it is believed, around 1240-1260. In this article, some of the hitherto unnoticed astronomical iconographies are pointed out: among them, a possible representation of Boötes with Ursa Major, and a remarkable Andromeda with Piscis Boreus, which appears related to Arab illustrated manuscripts of the same age.
The software for Visual Face Recognition Faceoff ( http://www.visualfacerecognition.com/) is app... more The software for Visual Face Recognition Faceoff ( http://www.visualfacerecognition.com/) is applied experimentally to a group of Venetian portraits produced about the year 1506. The resulting composite faces suggest unsuspected degrees of acquaintance between some eminent artists and patrons: Giorgione, Dürer, the merchant Bernhardin Hirschvogel, the unknown woman portrayed by Giorgione as “Laura”.
This paper draws a comparison between the lesser arch of the main portal of St.Mark’s in Venice a... more This paper draws a comparison between the lesser arch of the main portal of St.Mark’s in Venice and the rose window frame in Troia (half 13th century), arguing that some elements believed to be merely decorative are actually endowed of astonomical symbolism. Particular focus is put on some possible representations of the Pleiades (the 'glomerabile sidus' mentioned in the title) in different moments of their annual cycle.
In the first part of this article, it was hypothesized that the 'inhabited branch' sculpted on th... more In the first part of this article, it was hypothesized that the 'inhabited branch' sculpted on the lesser arch in the main portal of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice (mid -13th century) could represent an astronomical cycle: images of stars and constellations developing a solilunar calendar. This second part completes the analysis of the single groups, dealing in particular with the constellations of the 'Perseus' family', with Virgo, Boötes, and with the group of the Pleiades. The rising of the Pleiades in mid-late spring offers a chance to try a reconstruction of the calendric meaning of the 'inhabited branch' itself.
Of Stars, And Travels:
An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* i... more Of Stars, And Travels: An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* is the English version, revised and enlarged, of an article appeared in Italian in ABAV- Annuario dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia 2014 (2015), pp. 235-275. Some errors have been emendated, and text and pictures have been increased. The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the thirteenth century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intradox. The figures (hybrid figures, animal chases, etc.) do not have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere. Stars and constellations are not always represented according to the Western Greek-Latin tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers. These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land. The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with the system, no less obscure, of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can now be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries. The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that encoureged a so powerfully innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark? A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s oldest extant portal is beginning to reveal.
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (13th century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar c... more The main portal of San Marco in Venice (13th century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intrados. The figures (hybrid figures, hunters, animals, etc.) don't have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere. Stars and constellations are depicted not only according to the Greek-Latin Western tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers. These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land. The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with iconography of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries. The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that decided and encouraged a so powerful innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark? A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s main portal is beginning to reveal.
A possible identification for "Hieronymo Thodescho", the architect appointed for the rebuilding o... more A possible identification for "Hieronymo Thodescho", the architect appointed for the rebuilding of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice after the 1505 fire. Was it Jheronimus Bosch, the netherlandish artist? A surprising result of the Visual Face Recognition technology applied to fine arts.
The remarkable sculpture of a fox, part of a couple of lions adorning the portal of the Romanesqu... more The remarkable sculpture of a fox, part of a couple of lions adorning the portal of the Romanesque Umbrian church of Santa Maria Impensole (Narni, Italy), suggests further reflections about the possibility that the constellation Vulpecula was already known in the Middle Ages, and that it was used, in combination to other animal figures, to express the orientation of the portal of a church, in the language of popular, or ‘horizon’, astronomy.
A new reading of a drawing by Jheronimus Bosch or follower ('A fool, seated on a basket, about to... more A new reading of a drawing by Jheronimus Bosch or follower ('A fool, seated on a basket, about to be shaved', or: 'A comical barber scene', pen and brown ink on black chalk, London, British Museum , AN178361001) can throw new light on the artist's possible travel to Venice around 1505.
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Papers by gloria vallese
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which four circles joins with three crosses,
with best course and with a more benign star
it comes out united, and the face of the world
more in its own likeness tempers and seals’. (Par. I, 37-42)
It is generally accepted that the above passage alludes to the Spring Equinox, and that the 'more benign star' to which Dante alludes is the constellation of Aries. However, the enigma of the ’four circles and three crosses’ in the third verse has found so far numerous attempts at a solution, none of which, however, is completely satisfactory, as admitted by the proponents themselves. So much so, that the disconsolate conclusion of Giuseppe Angelitti, astronomer and passionate investigator of the Divine Comedy, at the beginning of the last century, seems still valid: «This is one of those Dante's concoctions, the general meaning of which can be guessed with enough certainty, and yet not explained with complete satisfaction."
In this article, I propose to find a new possible solution through late medieval iconographic materials, which offer a model of the sky and of its circles more compatible with the observational habits of Dante's age.
Finora patere e formelle sono state considerate meramente decorative, oppure apotropaiche, o dotate di un significato allegorico convenzionale, come la lotta tra virtù e vizio. In questo articolo tentiamo un nuovo percorso interpretativo, esplorando la loro possibile relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, intesa come osservazione del cielo ad occhio nudo, in rapporto all’orientamento e al calendario; un tipo di sapere un tempo molto più generalmente diffuso di oggi, utile all’agricoltura, alla pesca, ma soprattutto ai viaggi, sia di terra che di mare. Animali, ibridi, figure umane sarebbero allora simboli di stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto la funzione di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, segnalando nel contempo che i proprietari erano essi stessi dei viaggiatori, e indicando, all’occhio in grado di coglierla, la distanza alla quale si erano spinti. Stelle e costellazioni non vi sono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo denominazioni del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India.
Nelle due parti di questo saggio, partendo da edifici in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la disposizione originale, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso a Stellarium, planetario virtuale che ci permette di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra Venezia nel Duecento.
The characterisations, by an unknown mid-13th century sculptor, amaze for their beauty and quality: above, Hercules, the guardian constellation which prevents the Sun from crossing its northern border at the time of the Summer Solstice, is personified by a ferocious Norrene warrior; on the left, a group of naughty little boys who vandalize the raceme and empty the nests represent the Pleiades in spring.
The intrados illustrates the annual path of the Sun-Lion, and culminates in a complex node guarded by the celestial ‘Two Eagles’, the stars Altair and Vega. They are the basis of a well-known asterism, the "Traveller's Triangle", whose vertex is represented by the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, also known as the "Northern Cross". This invisible cross coincided with a mosaic and sculptures with the figure of the Redeemer once present on the façade.
An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* is the English version, revised and enlarged, of an article appeared in Italian in ABAV- Annuario dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia 2014 (2015), pp. 235-275. Some errors have been emendated, and text and pictures have been increased.
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the thirteenth century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intradox. The figures (hybrid figures, animal chases, etc.) do not have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere.
Stars and constellations are not always represented according to the Western Greek-Latin tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers.
These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land.
The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with the system, no less obscure, of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can now be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries.
The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that encoureged a so powerfully innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark?
A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s oldest extant portal is beginning to reveal.
Stars and constellations are depicted not only according to the Greek-Latin Western tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers.
These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land.
The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with iconography of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries.
The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that decided and encouraged a so powerful innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark?
A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s main portal is beginning to reveal.
Drafts by gloria vallese
the lantern of the world; but from the one
which four circles joins with three crosses,
with best course and with a more benign star
it comes out united, and the face of the world
more in its own likeness tempers and seals’. (Par. I, 37-42)
It is generally accepted that the above passage alludes to the Spring Equinox, and that the 'more benign star' to which Dante alludes is the constellation of Aries. However, the enigma of the ’four circles and three crosses’ in the third verse has found so far numerous attempts at a solution, none of which, however, is completely satisfactory, as admitted by the proponents themselves. So much so, that the disconsolate conclusion of Giuseppe Angelitti, astronomer and passionate investigator of the Divine Comedy, at the beginning of the last century, seems still valid: «This is one of those Dante's concoctions, the general meaning of which can be guessed with enough certainty, and yet not explained with complete satisfaction."
In this article, I propose to find a new possible solution through late medieval iconographic materials, which offer a model of the sky and of its circles more compatible with the observational habits of Dante's age.
Finora patere e formelle sono state considerate meramente decorative, oppure apotropaiche, o dotate di un significato allegorico convenzionale, come la lotta tra virtù e vizio. In questo articolo tentiamo un nuovo percorso interpretativo, esplorando la loro possibile relazione con una certa forma di astronomia pratica, intesa come osservazione del cielo ad occhio nudo, in rapporto all’orientamento e al calendario; un tipo di sapere un tempo molto più generalmente diffuso di oggi, utile all’agricoltura, alla pesca, ma soprattutto ai viaggi, sia di terra che di mare. Animali, ibridi, figure umane sarebbero allora simboli di stelle e costellazioni; la loro disposizione sulle facciate delle case mercantili di età medievale potrebbe aver avuto la funzione di favorire la geolocalizzazione del viandante, segnalando nel contempo che i proprietari erano essi stessi dei viaggiatori, e indicando, all’occhio in grado di coglierla, la distanza alla quale si erano spinti. Stelle e costellazioni non vi sono infatti sempre caratterizzate all’occidentale, ma secondo denominazioni del vicino Oriente, della Persia, dell’India.
Nelle due parti di questo saggio, partendo da edifici in cui patere e formelle sembrano aver conservato la disposizione originale, analizziamo una serie di esempi facendo ricorso a Stellarium, planetario virtuale che ci permette di vedere il cielo come si presentava sopra Venezia nel Duecento.
The characterisations, by an unknown mid-13th century sculptor, amaze for their beauty and quality: above, Hercules, the guardian constellation which prevents the Sun from crossing its northern border at the time of the Summer Solstice, is personified by a ferocious Norrene warrior; on the left, a group of naughty little boys who vandalize the raceme and empty the nests represent the Pleiades in spring.
The intrados illustrates the annual path of the Sun-Lion, and culminates in a complex node guarded by the celestial ‘Two Eagles’, the stars Altair and Vega. They are the basis of a well-known asterism, the "Traveller's Triangle", whose vertex is represented by the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, also known as the "Northern Cross". This invisible cross coincided with a mosaic and sculptures with the figure of the Redeemer once present on the façade.
An astronomic cycle in the main portal of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice* is the English version, revised and enlarged, of an article appeared in Italian in ABAV- Annuario dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia 2014 (2015), pp. 235-275. Some errors have been emendated, and text and pictures have been increased.
The main portal of San Marco in Venice (second half of the thirteenth century), contains an hitherto unnoticed solilunar calendar, carved into the sculptural cycle of the lower archivolt and intradox. The figures (hybrid figures, animal chases, etc.) do not have a merely decorative purpose, as believed up to now, nor they respond to a generic allegorical-moral program; rather, they represent single stars or constellations, arranged in a calculated order, as to compose a rigorous model of the celestial sphere.
Stars and constellations are not always represented according to the Western Greek-Latin tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers.
These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land.
The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with the system, no less obscure, of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can now be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries.
The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that encoureged a so powerfully innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark?
A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s oldest extant portal is beginning to reveal.
Stars and constellations are depicted not only according to the Greek-Latin Western tradition, but with symbols that refer to a plurality of legends and cultures of the Mediterranean, the Near, and the Far East, according to the cosmopolitan vocation of this town of travellers.
These visual symbols have become now totally obscure; but they were probably of common access in an epoch in which the celestial navigation was at the base of the long journeys, not only by sea, but also by land.
The astronomical representations of this portal are also connected with iconography of the Venetian patere, the characteristic round stone ornaments on the facades of the oldest civil buildings and of some churches in town. Thanks to the contextual clarification of the symbols offered by the Marcian cycle, the patere can be read as possible emblems of traveling merchants, placed on the facades to remember or indicate destinations and itineraries.
The name of the great master who sculpted this cycle, a contemporary of Antelami and of the Master of the Ferrara Months, is not known. Who was the remarkable artist, which were the sources of his astronomical information, who were the patrons and political advisors that decided and encouraged a so powerful innovative work as the stone clock of St. Mark?
A multidisciplinary research in depth, ranging from iconography, ancient astronomy, celestial navigation, Oriental languages and cultures, will be probably be necessary to further the very complex world that St.Mark’s main portal is beginning to reveal.