[FULL TEXT AVAILABLE ON https://z-lib.org] The Tempietto, the embodiment of the Renaissance mast... more [FULL TEXT AVAILABLE ON https://z-lib.org] The Tempietto, the embodiment of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture and its Christian reinvention, was also the preeminent commission of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, in papal Rome. This groundbreaking book situates Bramante's time-honored memorial dedicated to Saint Peter and the origins of the Roman Catholic Church at the center of a coordinated program of the arts exalting Spain's leadership in the quest for Christian hegemony. The innovations in form and iconography that made the Tempietto an authoritative model for Western architecture were fortifi ed in legacy monuments created by the popes in Rome and the kings in Spain from the later Renaissance to the present day.
Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown, Cambridge University Press, 2014
These two core chapters of "Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown" (... more These two core chapters of "Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown" (Cambridge University Press, 2014) establish how the Tempietto – by common consent the first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance recovery of classical architecture – honored the foundation of the Roman Church on the site of Peter's martyrdom in Rome and proclaimed the political and spiritual aspirations of his Spanish royal patrons.
Chapter Three, "Bramante's Christian Temple," demonstrates how the Tempietto, in its centralized plan, peripteral colonnade, dome raised upon a drum, and projected hypaethral rotunda, fuses elements of sacred architecture drawn from ancient and Christian traditions to achieve a revolutionary synthesis simultaneously fully classical and fully Christian. Bramante’s combination of those architectural traditions was inspired by two principal factors: the translation of the Apostolic Church from Jerusalem to Rome achieved with Peter’s sacrifice and the roots of his royal patrons’ power traced through Spain’s Roman imperial heritage. The dream of Catholic hegemony that provided the underpinning of Ferdinand and Isabel’s political program received physical expression on the very spot where Peter was martyred and the Roman Church was founded.
Chapter Four, "Symbols of Victory," focuses on the key features of the architecture as interlocking components of a coherent iconographic program: With the granite columns, Tuscan-Doric detailing, and decoration of the metopes, Bramante absorbed elements of classical architecture, referring to the early Church, to martyrdom, and to Rome’s ancient destiny traced to the Holy Land through the Etruscan legacy. The shells and balusters, potent religious and political symbols, complemented those ideas holding special meaning for Spain and its monarchs. Finally, the geometric design of the chapel’s pavement reinforced the cosmological resonance of the circular plan and honored the site where Peter died for his faith, drawing equivalence between the city of Rome and Jerusalem. In all these ways Bramante fortified the cultural, geographical, and ultimately political meanings of the Tempietto’s architecture to project the idea of Christian victory under the aegis of Spain.
Through an examination of the pope's own church, the Cathedral of Rome, this study redefines a cr... more Through an examination of the pope's own church, the Cathedral of Rome, this study redefines a critical moment in the history of art between the Renaissance and the baroque. The first basilica built by Constantine the Great, San Giovanni in Laterano was the undisputed center of Christendom throughout the Middle Ages. With the transfer of the official papal residence to the Vatican in the Renaissance, however, Saint Peter's graudally absorbed the Lateran's historical preeminence. At the height of the Counter-Reformation, with concern for the Church's early Christian heritage at its peak, Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) lavishly restored Constantine's church and revived its spiritual authority. Clement's vision, expressed through artistic means, exalts the perpetual Christian triumph embodied in the Lateran.
from the Acknowledgements: "On Saturday, November 12, 2005, Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, who had then ... more from the Acknowledgements: "On Saturday, November 12, 2005, Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, who had then only recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, received accolades at a remarkable symposium arranged in her honor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, her alma mater. Eight scholarly papers were presented at that all-day event. Their reading was punctuated by lively discussion and reminiscences of Marilyn by distinguished friends. ... The present volume contains expanded versions of six of the eight lectures presented at the 2005 symposium, along with five articles prepared specifically for this book. Reflecting Marilyn's wide range of interests, the papers vary extensively in content and subject matter. Some treat examples of medieval art, whereas others focus upon the art of the Renaissance and baroque periods. Several investigate paintings, while others look at sculpture and architecture. Most focus exclusively upon developments in Italy, but two also look at art produced in the Netherlands (and consider interactions between North and South). The Table of Contents attests to Marilyn's scholarly impact: she and her work clearly have commanded the attention and engendered the admiration of art historians active in many fields. In addition to scholarly articles, the current volume contains transcripts of personal reminiscences and tributes offered to Marilyn on the day of the symposium. We are delighted to include these heartfelt testimonies, which speak fluently to Marilyn's talent for sustaining friendships. They are printed almost exactly as delivered, for unchanged they seem to express the sentiments of their authors most eloquently, and capture the joy that characterized the entire 2005 event."
Tributes to Richard K. Emmerson: Crossing Medieval Disciplines, edited by Deidre Carter, Elina Gertsman, and Karlyn Griffith, 2021
Christ shown in half-length with his head inclined to one side, arms folded at the elbows, and ha... more Christ shown in half-length with his head inclined to one side, arms folded at the elbows, and hands crossed at the wrists to exhibit the stigmata, executed in the micromosaic technique of Byzantine imperial icons, occupies a prominent place in the history of Christian devotional art in the West. Intimate in scale at only 13 x 9 cm, the imago pietatis, is thought to have originated in Byzantium around 1300 and been brought to Italy towards the end of the fourteenth century, when it was outfitted with the silver frame and donated to the Roman basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. It has been assumed that at the time of the donation the icon had already been integrated with the folding triptych bearing row upon row of compartments containing relics, the whole measuring almost a meter high and wide when open. The painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria on the reverse of the central panel, a Western creation that imitates Byzantine style, and the classical segmental pediment of the front attest to the ensemble’s layered history.
In 1967 Carlo Bertelli inaugurated historical analysis of the triptych, and ever since, questions concerning the mosaic’s place of origin, date, and patronage have attracted the attention of art historians. An enduring interest in the association of the icon with the theme of the Man of Sorrows, and above all with its legendary identification as the image Pope Gregory the Great had created to memorialize the vision of Christ he experienced while celebrating the Mass, have directed scholarly attention toward devotional concerns. The present essay, instead, focuses on the afterlife of the triptych and, particularly, on the political significance that this object held around the year 1500, when it was drawn into a coordinated program to honor the achievements of Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabel of Castile in the international ambience of papal Rome.
The first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture, Bram... more The first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture, Bramante’s Tempietto, was created to honor the place where pious tradition located Saint Peter’s crucifixion in Rome. Less known is the fact that the Tempietto also celebrated its patrons, King Ferdinand of Aragón (reigned 1479-1516) and Queen Isabel of Castile (reigned 1474-1504), who together furthered the quest for Christian hegemony. Created at the beginning of the sixteenth century, in succeeding centuries it became a symbol of Spain and an important part of the iconography of Spanish rule.
Arte y globalización en el mundo hispánico de los siglos XV al XVII, ed. Manuel Parada López de Corselas y Laura María Palacios Méndez, 2020
El Tempietto de Bramante, encarnación del dominio renacentista de la arquitectura clásica y su re... more El Tempietto de Bramante, encarnación del dominio renacentista de la arquitectura clásica y su reinvención cristiana, fue también la comisión principal de Fernando II de Aragón e Isabel I de Castilla en la Roma papal. Este estudio coloca al Tempietto en el centro de un programa artístico que celebra los logros de los monarcas en la promoción de la hegemonía cristiana, y rastrea su influencia en los monumentos heredados que exaltan la piedad y el cristianismo militante de la Corona española.
'di sotto in su,' Soffitti nel Rinascimento a Roma, ed. Claudia Conforti e Maria Grazia D’Amelio, 2019
Visitors entering the nave of San Giovanni in Laterano encounter one of the most spectacular coff... more Visitors entering the nave of San Giovanni in Laterano encounter one of the most spectacular coffered wooden ceilings to be seen in Rome. Pope Pius IV Medici (1559-1565) commissioned the ceiling as the centerpiece of a comprehensive project to restore Rome’s cathedral, founded by Constantine the Great with a dedication to Christ the Savior, and honored as Head and Mother of All Churches of the City of Rome and of the World, Caput et Mater Omnium Ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis. Pius’s vision of a renewed Lateran prepared the way for the renovations promoted by each of his successors down to the end of the sixteenth century when Pope Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592-1605) enlisted a team of artists to refashion the transept of the basilica, including a ceiling modeled on the one in the nave. Together, the ceilings in the nave and transept celebrate the Lateran’s history as an expression of papal authority through the time-honored language of heraldic display.
La Imago Pietatis de Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, el Papa Gregorio Magno y España. In Stefania Pastore and Mercedes García-Arenal (Eds.), Visiones imperiales y profecía. Roma, España, Nuevo Mundo. Madrid: Abada editores. , 2018
El icono en micromosaico que representa a Cristo de medio busto con la cabeza inclinada hacia un ... more El icono en micromosaico que representa a Cristo de medio busto con la cabeza inclinada hacia un lado, los brazos doblados y las manos cruzadas a la altura de las muñecas para mostrar los estigmas, ocupa unlugar prominente en la historia del arte cristiano devocional. Conocido como la imago pietatis, se piensa que este íntimo trabajo de pequeñas dimensiones, tal vez de origen bizantino y realizado en torno a 1300, fue llevado a Italia hacia finales del siglo XIV, momento en el que se le añade un marco de plata con cuatro blasones en los ángulos y es montado en la parte central de un tríptico plegable con filas y filas de reliquias que mide casi un metro de alto y otro de largo cuando tiene las hojas abiertas. En 1967 Carlo Bertelli inauguró el debate histórico sobre la obra, y desde entonces el lugar y la fecha de origen del mosaico, su patrocinio y su función han llamado la atención de los historiadores del arte. La preocupación por la tipología de la imagen y su uso devocional han dominado la discusión. Un interés duradero por la asociación del icono con la iconografía del Vir dolorum, Varón de dolores, y sobre todo su legendaria identificación con la imagen que el papa Gregorio Magno creó para recordar la visión que tuvo de Cristo durante la celebración de la misa, ha focalizado los estudios hacia el aspecto devocional. El objetivo de la presente contribución es valorar el significado político que debió de tener el tríptico en torno a 1500, cuando fue absorbido por el programa coordinado que Bernardino López de Carvajal desarrolló para festejar a los Reyes Católicos en Roma.
Reevaluates the antique source, the date, and the context for the creation of the portrait medal ... more Reevaluates the antique source, the date, and the context for the creation of the portrait medal honoring Bramante.
Medieval Renaissance Baroque: A Cat's Cradle for Marilyn Aronberg Lavin , 2010
This study argues that Verrocchio's seminal sculpture was conceived to engage neo platonic conce... more This study argues that Verrocchio's seminal sculpture was conceived to engage neo platonic concepts of rulership avowed by the Medici family in its first location at the Villa Medici in Careggi and again when it was transferred to the center of the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio by Duke Cosimo I.
Pope Gregory XIII Buoncompagni (1572-1585) trained at the University of Bologna in both canon and... more Pope Gregory XIII Buoncompagni (1572-1585) trained at the University of Bologna in both canon and civil law and was active throughout his life as a jurist. In 1577 he was honored as a new Moses in the over lifesize honorific statue by Pier Paolo Olivieri commissioned by the Senate and People of Rome for the Aula Consiliare, the main judicial chamber of the Senator's Palace on the Captioline hill where he had exercised his profession as second collateral Capitoline judge during the reign of Pope Paul III. Among other judicial activites before his elevation to the papacy, Gregory worked alongside other legal scholars on revising the corpus of canon law first assembled by Gratian in the 12th century. In 1582, Gregory published the new edition and ordered that henceforth only this emended text be followed. A life-long involvement with the study and practice of the law provides fresh insight into all of Gregory's considerable achievements, but it is especially important for illuminating two projects that engaged his attention throughout his reign, rehabilitation of Rome's venerable cathedral church, San Giovanni in Laterano, and commemoration of Constantine the Great at the Vatican. Underlying these projects was a firm belief in the legendary Donation of Constantine that was enshrined in the Decretals of Gratian and included in the revised edition of 1582. Whatever other arguments might be adduced to support papal claims to temporal power, the Donation provided the main support within the structure and tenets of Roman law. Gregory's actions paved the way for the projects that extended his own efforts to revive the Lateran and honor Constatine undertaken by his successors Popes Sixtus V (1585-1590) and Clement VIII (1592-1605).
The Janus View from the American Academy in Rome: Essays on the Janiculum, 2007
In this essay, I survey the works commissioned by the Spanish Monarchs at San Pietro in Montorio,... more In this essay, I survey the works commissioned by the Spanish Monarchs at San Pietro in Montorio, offering new interpretations of their form and meaning. This marks the initial publication of several ideas that I subsequently developed in my book-length study of Bramante's Tempietto puboished by Cambridge University Press in 2014.
This study focuses on the sole surviving primary document concerning Bramante's Tempietto, the in... more This study focuses on the sole surviving primary document concerning Bramante's Tempietto, the inscribed foundation stone bearing the date 1502 and identifying the patrons as Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile. Examination of the inscription's unusual form and content, facilitated by new information concerning the stone's discovery in 1628 and results of a recent restoration, reveals a sophisticated program of epigraphical recovery that illuminates the Tempietto as a Spanish royal commission. The honored treatment the stone received in 1628 when it was prominently installed in the renovated crypt chapel, and again in 1804, demonstrates how the epigraph has shaped understanding of this singular work of Renaissance architecture.
Reading Vasari, edited by Anne B. Barriault, Norman E. Land, and Jeryldene M. Wood (London: Philip Wilson and Athens, GA: The Georgia Museum of Art). , 2005
Vasari's biography of Bramante appears early in the Third Part of the Lives, the first to be devo... more Vasari's biography of Bramante appears early in the Third Part of the Lives, the first to be devoted to an architect of the Modern Age. As a parallel to his treatment of Leonardo and Michelangelo, Vasari endowed his subject with consummate understanding and uncommon spiritual gifts. In providing the first codification of an individual who presented problems of interpretation in his own lifetime, Vasari drew on literary and visual sources of the period and then orchestrated them to underscore his particular interpretation. The themes he used to assemble his vision of Bramante included an association of the architect with Brunelleschi, study of the ancient ruins of Rome, and Bramante’s elevation to the office of the papal seal by Pope Julius II that required membership in the Cistercian order. Vasari’s woodcut portrait of Bramante as a monk that introduces the Life in the 1568 edition is an essential component of the larger message that promotes Bramante as a model of classical achievement and Christian spiritual attainment. Vasari found these very elements in Bramante’s own portrait medal and that they supplied him with the basic structure of his biography.
[FULL TEXT AVAILABLE ON https://z-lib.org] The Tempietto, the embodiment of the Renaissance mast... more [FULL TEXT AVAILABLE ON https://z-lib.org] The Tempietto, the embodiment of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture and its Christian reinvention, was also the preeminent commission of the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, in papal Rome. This groundbreaking book situates Bramante's time-honored memorial dedicated to Saint Peter and the origins of the Roman Catholic Church at the center of a coordinated program of the arts exalting Spain's leadership in the quest for Christian hegemony. The innovations in form and iconography that made the Tempietto an authoritative model for Western architecture were fortifi ed in legacy monuments created by the popes in Rome and the kings in Spain from the later Renaissance to the present day.
Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown, Cambridge University Press, 2014
These two core chapters of "Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown" (... more These two core chapters of "Bramante's Tempietto, the Roman Renaissance, and the Spanish Crown" (Cambridge University Press, 2014) establish how the Tempietto – by common consent the first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance recovery of classical architecture – honored the foundation of the Roman Church on the site of Peter's martyrdom in Rome and proclaimed the political and spiritual aspirations of his Spanish royal patrons.
Chapter Three, "Bramante's Christian Temple," demonstrates how the Tempietto, in its centralized plan, peripteral colonnade, dome raised upon a drum, and projected hypaethral rotunda, fuses elements of sacred architecture drawn from ancient and Christian traditions to achieve a revolutionary synthesis simultaneously fully classical and fully Christian. Bramante’s combination of those architectural traditions was inspired by two principal factors: the translation of the Apostolic Church from Jerusalem to Rome achieved with Peter’s sacrifice and the roots of his royal patrons’ power traced through Spain’s Roman imperial heritage. The dream of Catholic hegemony that provided the underpinning of Ferdinand and Isabel’s political program received physical expression on the very spot where Peter was martyred and the Roman Church was founded.
Chapter Four, "Symbols of Victory," focuses on the key features of the architecture as interlocking components of a coherent iconographic program: With the granite columns, Tuscan-Doric detailing, and decoration of the metopes, Bramante absorbed elements of classical architecture, referring to the early Church, to martyrdom, and to Rome’s ancient destiny traced to the Holy Land through the Etruscan legacy. The shells and balusters, potent religious and political symbols, complemented those ideas holding special meaning for Spain and its monarchs. Finally, the geometric design of the chapel’s pavement reinforced the cosmological resonance of the circular plan and honored the site where Peter died for his faith, drawing equivalence between the city of Rome and Jerusalem. In all these ways Bramante fortified the cultural, geographical, and ultimately political meanings of the Tempietto’s architecture to project the idea of Christian victory under the aegis of Spain.
Through an examination of the pope's own church, the Cathedral of Rome, this study redefines a cr... more Through an examination of the pope's own church, the Cathedral of Rome, this study redefines a critical moment in the history of art between the Renaissance and the baroque. The first basilica built by Constantine the Great, San Giovanni in Laterano was the undisputed center of Christendom throughout the Middle Ages. With the transfer of the official papal residence to the Vatican in the Renaissance, however, Saint Peter's graudally absorbed the Lateran's historical preeminence. At the height of the Counter-Reformation, with concern for the Church's early Christian heritage at its peak, Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) lavishly restored Constantine's church and revived its spiritual authority. Clement's vision, expressed through artistic means, exalts the perpetual Christian triumph embodied in the Lateran.
from the Acknowledgements: "On Saturday, November 12, 2005, Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, who had then ... more from the Acknowledgements: "On Saturday, November 12, 2005, Marilyn Aronberg Lavin, who had then only recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, received accolades at a remarkable symposium arranged in her honor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, her alma mater. Eight scholarly papers were presented at that all-day event. Their reading was punctuated by lively discussion and reminiscences of Marilyn by distinguished friends. ... The present volume contains expanded versions of six of the eight lectures presented at the 2005 symposium, along with five articles prepared specifically for this book. Reflecting Marilyn's wide range of interests, the papers vary extensively in content and subject matter. Some treat examples of medieval art, whereas others focus upon the art of the Renaissance and baroque periods. Several investigate paintings, while others look at sculpture and architecture. Most focus exclusively upon developments in Italy, but two also look at art produced in the Netherlands (and consider interactions between North and South). The Table of Contents attests to Marilyn's scholarly impact: she and her work clearly have commanded the attention and engendered the admiration of art historians active in many fields. In addition to scholarly articles, the current volume contains transcripts of personal reminiscences and tributes offered to Marilyn on the day of the symposium. We are delighted to include these heartfelt testimonies, which speak fluently to Marilyn's talent for sustaining friendships. They are printed almost exactly as delivered, for unchanged they seem to express the sentiments of their authors most eloquently, and capture the joy that characterized the entire 2005 event."
Tributes to Richard K. Emmerson: Crossing Medieval Disciplines, edited by Deidre Carter, Elina Gertsman, and Karlyn Griffith, 2021
Christ shown in half-length with his head inclined to one side, arms folded at the elbows, and ha... more Christ shown in half-length with his head inclined to one side, arms folded at the elbows, and hands crossed at the wrists to exhibit the stigmata, executed in the micromosaic technique of Byzantine imperial icons, occupies a prominent place in the history of Christian devotional art in the West. Intimate in scale at only 13 x 9 cm, the imago pietatis, is thought to have originated in Byzantium around 1300 and been brought to Italy towards the end of the fourteenth century, when it was outfitted with the silver frame and donated to the Roman basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. It has been assumed that at the time of the donation the icon had already been integrated with the folding triptych bearing row upon row of compartments containing relics, the whole measuring almost a meter high and wide when open. The painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria on the reverse of the central panel, a Western creation that imitates Byzantine style, and the classical segmental pediment of the front attest to the ensemble’s layered history.
In 1967 Carlo Bertelli inaugurated historical analysis of the triptych, and ever since, questions concerning the mosaic’s place of origin, date, and patronage have attracted the attention of art historians. An enduring interest in the association of the icon with the theme of the Man of Sorrows, and above all with its legendary identification as the image Pope Gregory the Great had created to memorialize the vision of Christ he experienced while celebrating the Mass, have directed scholarly attention toward devotional concerns. The present essay, instead, focuses on the afterlife of the triptych and, particularly, on the political significance that this object held around the year 1500, when it was drawn into a coordinated program to honor the achievements of Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabel of Castile in the international ambience of papal Rome.
The first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture, Bram... more The first fully articulated expression of the Renaissance mastery of classical architecture, Bramante’s Tempietto, was created to honor the place where pious tradition located Saint Peter’s crucifixion in Rome. Less known is the fact that the Tempietto also celebrated its patrons, King Ferdinand of Aragón (reigned 1479-1516) and Queen Isabel of Castile (reigned 1474-1504), who together furthered the quest for Christian hegemony. Created at the beginning of the sixteenth century, in succeeding centuries it became a symbol of Spain and an important part of the iconography of Spanish rule.
Arte y globalización en el mundo hispánico de los siglos XV al XVII, ed. Manuel Parada López de Corselas y Laura María Palacios Méndez, 2020
El Tempietto de Bramante, encarnación del dominio renacentista de la arquitectura clásica y su re... more El Tempietto de Bramante, encarnación del dominio renacentista de la arquitectura clásica y su reinvención cristiana, fue también la comisión principal de Fernando II de Aragón e Isabel I de Castilla en la Roma papal. Este estudio coloca al Tempietto en el centro de un programa artístico que celebra los logros de los monarcas en la promoción de la hegemonía cristiana, y rastrea su influencia en los monumentos heredados que exaltan la piedad y el cristianismo militante de la Corona española.
'di sotto in su,' Soffitti nel Rinascimento a Roma, ed. Claudia Conforti e Maria Grazia D’Amelio, 2019
Visitors entering the nave of San Giovanni in Laterano encounter one of the most spectacular coff... more Visitors entering the nave of San Giovanni in Laterano encounter one of the most spectacular coffered wooden ceilings to be seen in Rome. Pope Pius IV Medici (1559-1565) commissioned the ceiling as the centerpiece of a comprehensive project to restore Rome’s cathedral, founded by Constantine the Great with a dedication to Christ the Savior, and honored as Head and Mother of All Churches of the City of Rome and of the World, Caput et Mater Omnium Ecclesiarum Urbis et Orbis. Pius’s vision of a renewed Lateran prepared the way for the renovations promoted by each of his successors down to the end of the sixteenth century when Pope Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592-1605) enlisted a team of artists to refashion the transept of the basilica, including a ceiling modeled on the one in the nave. Together, the ceilings in the nave and transept celebrate the Lateran’s history as an expression of papal authority through the time-honored language of heraldic display.
La Imago Pietatis de Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, el Papa Gregorio Magno y España. In Stefania Pastore and Mercedes García-Arenal (Eds.), Visiones imperiales y profecía. Roma, España, Nuevo Mundo. Madrid: Abada editores. , 2018
El icono en micromosaico que representa a Cristo de medio busto con la cabeza inclinada hacia un ... more El icono en micromosaico que representa a Cristo de medio busto con la cabeza inclinada hacia un lado, los brazos doblados y las manos cruzadas a la altura de las muñecas para mostrar los estigmas, ocupa unlugar prominente en la historia del arte cristiano devocional. Conocido como la imago pietatis, se piensa que este íntimo trabajo de pequeñas dimensiones, tal vez de origen bizantino y realizado en torno a 1300, fue llevado a Italia hacia finales del siglo XIV, momento en el que se le añade un marco de plata con cuatro blasones en los ángulos y es montado en la parte central de un tríptico plegable con filas y filas de reliquias que mide casi un metro de alto y otro de largo cuando tiene las hojas abiertas. En 1967 Carlo Bertelli inauguró el debate histórico sobre la obra, y desde entonces el lugar y la fecha de origen del mosaico, su patrocinio y su función han llamado la atención de los historiadores del arte. La preocupación por la tipología de la imagen y su uso devocional han dominado la discusión. Un interés duradero por la asociación del icono con la iconografía del Vir dolorum, Varón de dolores, y sobre todo su legendaria identificación con la imagen que el papa Gregorio Magno creó para recordar la visión que tuvo de Cristo durante la celebración de la misa, ha focalizado los estudios hacia el aspecto devocional. El objetivo de la presente contribución es valorar el significado político que debió de tener el tríptico en torno a 1500, cuando fue absorbido por el programa coordinado que Bernardino López de Carvajal desarrolló para festejar a los Reyes Católicos en Roma.
Reevaluates the antique source, the date, and the context for the creation of the portrait medal ... more Reevaluates the antique source, the date, and the context for the creation of the portrait medal honoring Bramante.
Medieval Renaissance Baroque: A Cat's Cradle for Marilyn Aronberg Lavin , 2010
This study argues that Verrocchio's seminal sculpture was conceived to engage neo platonic conce... more This study argues that Verrocchio's seminal sculpture was conceived to engage neo platonic concepts of rulership avowed by the Medici family in its first location at the Villa Medici in Careggi and again when it was transferred to the center of the courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio by Duke Cosimo I.
Pope Gregory XIII Buoncompagni (1572-1585) trained at the University of Bologna in both canon and... more Pope Gregory XIII Buoncompagni (1572-1585) trained at the University of Bologna in both canon and civil law and was active throughout his life as a jurist. In 1577 he was honored as a new Moses in the over lifesize honorific statue by Pier Paolo Olivieri commissioned by the Senate and People of Rome for the Aula Consiliare, the main judicial chamber of the Senator's Palace on the Captioline hill where he had exercised his profession as second collateral Capitoline judge during the reign of Pope Paul III. Among other judicial activites before his elevation to the papacy, Gregory worked alongside other legal scholars on revising the corpus of canon law first assembled by Gratian in the 12th century. In 1582, Gregory published the new edition and ordered that henceforth only this emended text be followed. A life-long involvement with the study and practice of the law provides fresh insight into all of Gregory's considerable achievements, but it is especially important for illuminating two projects that engaged his attention throughout his reign, rehabilitation of Rome's venerable cathedral church, San Giovanni in Laterano, and commemoration of Constantine the Great at the Vatican. Underlying these projects was a firm belief in the legendary Donation of Constantine that was enshrined in the Decretals of Gratian and included in the revised edition of 1582. Whatever other arguments might be adduced to support papal claims to temporal power, the Donation provided the main support within the structure and tenets of Roman law. Gregory's actions paved the way for the projects that extended his own efforts to revive the Lateran and honor Constatine undertaken by his successors Popes Sixtus V (1585-1590) and Clement VIII (1592-1605).
The Janus View from the American Academy in Rome: Essays on the Janiculum, 2007
In this essay, I survey the works commissioned by the Spanish Monarchs at San Pietro in Montorio,... more In this essay, I survey the works commissioned by the Spanish Monarchs at San Pietro in Montorio, offering new interpretations of their form and meaning. This marks the initial publication of several ideas that I subsequently developed in my book-length study of Bramante's Tempietto puboished by Cambridge University Press in 2014.
This study focuses on the sole surviving primary document concerning Bramante's Tempietto, the in... more This study focuses on the sole surviving primary document concerning Bramante's Tempietto, the inscribed foundation stone bearing the date 1502 and identifying the patrons as Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile. Examination of the inscription's unusual form and content, facilitated by new information concerning the stone's discovery in 1628 and results of a recent restoration, reveals a sophisticated program of epigraphical recovery that illuminates the Tempietto as a Spanish royal commission. The honored treatment the stone received in 1628 when it was prominently installed in the renovated crypt chapel, and again in 1804, demonstrates how the epigraph has shaped understanding of this singular work of Renaissance architecture.
Reading Vasari, edited by Anne B. Barriault, Norman E. Land, and Jeryldene M. Wood (London: Philip Wilson and Athens, GA: The Georgia Museum of Art). , 2005
Vasari's biography of Bramante appears early in the Third Part of the Lives, the first to be devo... more Vasari's biography of Bramante appears early in the Third Part of the Lives, the first to be devoted to an architect of the Modern Age. As a parallel to his treatment of Leonardo and Michelangelo, Vasari endowed his subject with consummate understanding and uncommon spiritual gifts. In providing the first codification of an individual who presented problems of interpretation in his own lifetime, Vasari drew on literary and visual sources of the period and then orchestrated them to underscore his particular interpretation. The themes he used to assemble his vision of Bramante included an association of the architect with Brunelleschi, study of the ancient ruins of Rome, and Bramante’s elevation to the office of the papal seal by Pope Julius II that required membership in the Cistercian order. Vasari’s woodcut portrait of Bramante as a monk that introduces the Life in the 1568 edition is an essential component of the larger message that promotes Bramante as a model of classical achievement and Christian spiritual attainment. Vasari found these very elements in Bramante’s own portrait medal and that they supplied him with the basic structure of his biography.
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Books by Jack Freiberg
Chapter Three, "Bramante's Christian Temple," demonstrates how the Tempietto, in its centralized plan, peripteral colonnade, dome raised upon a drum, and projected hypaethral rotunda, fuses elements of sacred architecture drawn from ancient and Christian traditions to achieve a revolutionary synthesis simultaneously fully classical and fully Christian. Bramante’s combination of those architectural traditions was inspired by two principal factors: the translation of the Apostolic Church from Jerusalem to Rome achieved with Peter’s sacrifice and the roots of his royal patrons’ power traced through Spain’s Roman imperial heritage. The dream of Catholic hegemony that provided the underpinning of Ferdinand and Isabel’s political program received physical expression on the very spot where Peter was martyred and the Roman Church was founded.
Chapter Four, "Symbols of Victory," focuses on the key features of the architecture as interlocking components of a coherent iconographic program: With the granite columns, Tuscan-Doric detailing, and decoration of the metopes, Bramante absorbed elements of classical architecture, referring to the early Church, to martyrdom, and to Rome’s ancient destiny traced to the Holy Land through the Etruscan legacy. The shells and balusters, potent religious and political symbols, complemented those ideas holding special meaning for Spain and its monarchs. Finally, the geometric design of the chapel’s pavement reinforced the cosmological resonance of the circular plan and honored the site where Peter died for his faith, drawing equivalence between the city of Rome and Jerusalem. In all these ways Bramante fortified the cultural, geographical, and ultimately political meanings of the Tempietto’s architecture to project the idea of Christian victory under the aegis of Spain.
Papers by Jack Freiberg
In 1967 Carlo Bertelli inaugurated historical analysis of the triptych, and ever since, questions concerning the mosaic’s place of origin, date, and patronage have attracted the attention of art historians. An enduring interest in the association of the icon with the theme of the Man of Sorrows, and above all with its legendary identification as the image Pope Gregory the Great had created to memorialize the vision of Christ he experienced while celebrating the Mass, have directed scholarly attention toward devotional concerns. The present essay, instead, focuses on the afterlife of the triptych and, particularly, on the political significance that this object held around the year 1500, when it was drawn into a coordinated program to honor the achievements of Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabel of Castile in the international ambience of papal Rome.
Chapter Three, "Bramante's Christian Temple," demonstrates how the Tempietto, in its centralized plan, peripteral colonnade, dome raised upon a drum, and projected hypaethral rotunda, fuses elements of sacred architecture drawn from ancient and Christian traditions to achieve a revolutionary synthesis simultaneously fully classical and fully Christian. Bramante’s combination of those architectural traditions was inspired by two principal factors: the translation of the Apostolic Church from Jerusalem to Rome achieved with Peter’s sacrifice and the roots of his royal patrons’ power traced through Spain’s Roman imperial heritage. The dream of Catholic hegemony that provided the underpinning of Ferdinand and Isabel’s political program received physical expression on the very spot where Peter was martyred and the Roman Church was founded.
Chapter Four, "Symbols of Victory," focuses on the key features of the architecture as interlocking components of a coherent iconographic program: With the granite columns, Tuscan-Doric detailing, and decoration of the metopes, Bramante absorbed elements of classical architecture, referring to the early Church, to martyrdom, and to Rome’s ancient destiny traced to the Holy Land through the Etruscan legacy. The shells and balusters, potent religious and political symbols, complemented those ideas holding special meaning for Spain and its monarchs. Finally, the geometric design of the chapel’s pavement reinforced the cosmological resonance of the circular plan and honored the site where Peter died for his faith, drawing equivalence between the city of Rome and Jerusalem. In all these ways Bramante fortified the cultural, geographical, and ultimately political meanings of the Tempietto’s architecture to project the idea of Christian victory under the aegis of Spain.
In 1967 Carlo Bertelli inaugurated historical analysis of the triptych, and ever since, questions concerning the mosaic’s place of origin, date, and patronage have attracted the attention of art historians. An enduring interest in the association of the icon with the theme of the Man of Sorrows, and above all with its legendary identification as the image Pope Gregory the Great had created to memorialize the vision of Christ he experienced while celebrating the Mass, have directed scholarly attention toward devotional concerns. The present essay, instead, focuses on the afterlife of the triptych and, particularly, on the political significance that this object held around the year 1500, when it was drawn into a coordinated program to honor the achievements of Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabel of Castile in the international ambience of papal Rome.