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Renaissance Studies
This article examines the sepulchral monuments commissioned by Pius V (1566–1572), which include ... more This article examines the sepulchral monuments commissioned by Pius V (1566–1572), which include a mausoleum for himself and three tombs for men he held in high esteem. These projects have never before been discussed together and the author reconstructs the circumstances surrounding each of the commissions to demonstrate the personal and political motivations behind them. The author also considers their use of coloured marbles, looking particularly at how this relates to the paragone between painting and sculpture, concluding that these important papal commissions were not only informed by the reforming demands of their patron but by contemporary artistic theory.
Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy, 2018
, Titian went to Rome to paint portraits of Paul III Farnese and his close relations. According t... more , Titian went to Rome to paint portraits of Paul III Farnese and his close relations. According to the papal nuncio to Venice and Farnese insider, Giovanni Della Casa, the artist was ready to paint the entire family, even 'down to the cats' .1 In the event, Titian's sojourn in the papal city was to last until the spring of the following year, during which time he was given rooms at the Vatican and shown the sights by Giorgio Vasari.2 Of the many portraits painted while he was there, that of Paul III and his Grandsons (Capodimonte Museum, Naples) remains one of the most iconic images of the Farnese pope, alongside the same painter's portrait of Paul from 1543 (Figure 8.1, also in the Capodimonte). And yet, Titian was not the only artist producing papal portraits at this time and it is another, rather different, portrayal that serves as the point of departure for the present study. Also probably dating to 1546, the bust of Paul shown in Figure 8.2 is one of three marble portraits of the pope made by Guglielmo della Porta, who was appointed plumbator apostolicarum in 1547.3 Given the timing of the bust's
The article discusses the 16th-century tomb of Cardinal Alfonso Carafa in the Naples Cathedral in... more The article discusses the 16th-century tomb of Cardinal Alfonso Carafa in the Naples Cathedral in Naples, Italy, sculpted by Giovanni Domenico Bersaglia and designed by Giovanni Lippi (Nanni di Baccio Bigio), both of whom were connected to the artist Michelangelo Buonarotti. Topics addressed include the commission of the tomb by Pope Pius V, the movement of the tomb to the left aisle of the cathedral in 1741, and similar 16th-century tombs such as the Cesi family tombs in Rome, Italy.
Book synopsis: Few other cities can compare with Rome's history of continuous habitation, nor... more Book synopsis: Few other cities can compare with Rome's history of continuous habitation, nor with the survival of so many different epochs in its present. This volume explores how the city's past has shaped the way in which Rome has been built, rebuilt, represented and imagined throughout its history. Bringing together scholars from the disciplines of architectural history, urban studies, art history, archaeology and film studies, this book comprises a series of studies on the evolution of the city of Rome and the ways in which it has represented and reconfigured itself from the medieval period to the present day. Moving from material appropriations such as spolia in the medieval period, through the cartographic representations of the city in the early modern period, to filmic representation in the twentieth century, we encounter very different ways of making sense of the past across Rome's historical spectrum. The broad chronological arrangement of the chapters, and the choice of themes and urban locations examined in each, allows the reader to draw comparisons between historical periods. An imaginative approach to the study of the urban and architectural make-up of Rome, this volume will be valuable not only for historians of art and architecture, but also for students of cultural history and film studies.
Oxford Art Journal, 2006
Nicola Courtright's book represents an interesting and useful contribution to the study of Co... more Nicola Courtright's book represents an interesting and useful contribution to the study of Counter-Reformation Rome, providing the first detailed examination of the suite of rooms in the Vatican Palace known as the Tower of the Winds. Built by Pope Gregory Xlil (15721585), the Tower comprises seven rooms, which are arranged over three storeys and crown the same pope's extension of the corridor along the Western side of the Cortile del Belvedere. Rising above the continuous faade of the courtyard, the Tower would certainly have enjoyed a position of prominence when first built, but with the construction of the Vatican Library by Gregory's successor, Sixtus V ( 1585-1590), it was effectively isolated from the main body of the palace. The library cut across the courtyard, closing the vista down its length and obscuring the \/iew of the Tower. According to Courtright, its rooms were soon appropriated to the needs of the library, and their identity as a separate apartment, with a coherent programme, was lost. She sees this quirk of fate as one of the main reasons that the Tower has attracted so little previous scholarly attention; this and the relative disinterest in the later sixteenth century on the part of mainstream art history. This latter point is undeniable, although the present volume is a welcome addition to a growing bibliography seeking to bridge the gap between traditional categories of Renaissance and Baroque. Denigrated by the academic writers of the seventeenth century for its divergence from the classicism of what has become the 'High Renaissance', the art of the second half of the Cinquecento has suffered at the hands of schematic definitions of 'good' and 'bad' art. Moreover, artists who flourished after the second edition of Vasari's Lives of the Artists (1568) suffer automatic obscurity in relation to the role-call of names immortalised there. And yet this is a fascinating period in the history of Italian art, with religious imagery not only defended against Protestant iconoclasm but also enlisted as one of the primary tools of propagation for the Counter Reformation, leading to extremely sophisticated and knowing solutions. Not only should this appeal to those interested in the cultural dimensions of art history, but the resulting artistic output also deserves re-visiting for its aesthetic merit. Courtright's treatment seeks to recover the Tower's individual identity, and sets its construction very much against the background of reform. In keeping with other volumes in this venerable series ('Monuments of Papal Rome'1), she approaches her subject through a close reading of archival and primary sources, seeking to place the Tower's decorative programme within the context of contemporary political and cultural concerns. The wealth of information, in both the main body of the text and the detailed notes, makes the book a most useful resource to students of the period. It is moreover generously illustrated and includes some beautiful colour plates which bear testimony to the lavish ambition of the painted decoration although they also leave the reader wanting more, especially of the wide-angled views, which only just begin to give a sense of the dimensions of these rooms, which are not accessible to the public. In Part One of the volume, Courtright explores the broader concerns of Gregory's papacy, establishing his credentials as a prolific patron in the service of the Church. She rightly stresses the equation made at the time between the renovation of the city and the spiritual renewal of the Roman Catholic Church, although this is far from unique to Gregory's pontificate. The symbolic import of the city itself had long held a fascination for the popes and their propagandists, gaining added emphasis after the Reformation and the Sack of Rome. The privileging of the Vatican, site of St Peter's burial, had begun over a century before, but likewise took on even greater significance under the Counter-Reformation popes, as is reflected in Gregory's numerous initiatives there. Courtright's discussion of his cultural politics is well argued and informative, and she gives particular emphasis to his active promotion of the Holy Year of 1575, which equated Rome with a second Jerusalem, and his most enduring contribution: the reform of the Julian Calendar. Having set out these themes at length, the author uses them as the basis for her subsequent interpretation of the Tower's decorative programme, found in Part Two. The final section of the book comprises a catalogue of the subjects depicted in each of the rooms, and an appendix. Courtright begins her.sConographic analysis with the 'Meridian Room', the largest and most important room in the Tower. Rising to a height of two storeys with views out over Rome, it has a Meridian emblazoned across the floor showing the correction to the solar year made as a result of the Calendar Reform and a wind vane on the vault. Both were designed by Egnatio Danti, who…
Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 2000
The writer discusses the role the debate about the relative power of visual and written expressio... more The writer discusses the role the debate about the relative power of visual and written expression (paragone) played in Renaissance literature on imprese. The impresa was a symbolic construction consisting of a brief illustration accompanied by a motto. How each of these components contributed to the expression of the device's meaning was one of the main preoccupations of the 16th-century theorists who sought to define its mechanisms. The writer goes on to examine how impresa theorists engaged with the paragone between painting and poetry.
Renaissance Quarterly, 2005
This is a monograph on what the author calls an expression of both individuality, the innermost t... more This is a monograph on what the author calls an expression of both individuality, the innermost thoughts and feelings, the intellectual personality of 16th century Italian men and women, and of the courtly, academic, humanistic and vernacular culture in which they lived.
Renaissance Studies
This article examines the sepulchral monuments commissioned by Pius V (1566–1572), which include ... more This article examines the sepulchral monuments commissioned by Pius V (1566–1572), which include a mausoleum for himself and three tombs for men he held in high esteem. These projects have never before been discussed together and the author reconstructs the circumstances surrounding each of the commissions to demonstrate the personal and political motivations behind them. The author also considers their use of coloured marbles, looking particularly at how this relates to the paragone between painting and sculpture, concluding that these important papal commissions were not only informed by the reforming demands of their patron but by contemporary artistic theory.
Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy, 2018
, Titian went to Rome to paint portraits of Paul III Farnese and his close relations. According t... more , Titian went to Rome to paint portraits of Paul III Farnese and his close relations. According to the papal nuncio to Venice and Farnese insider, Giovanni Della Casa, the artist was ready to paint the entire family, even 'down to the cats' .1 In the event, Titian's sojourn in the papal city was to last until the spring of the following year, during which time he was given rooms at the Vatican and shown the sights by Giorgio Vasari.2 Of the many portraits painted while he was there, that of Paul III and his Grandsons (Capodimonte Museum, Naples) remains one of the most iconic images of the Farnese pope, alongside the same painter's portrait of Paul from 1543 (Figure 8.1, also in the Capodimonte). And yet, Titian was not the only artist producing papal portraits at this time and it is another, rather different, portrayal that serves as the point of departure for the present study. Also probably dating to 1546, the bust of Paul shown in Figure 8.2 is one of three marble portraits of the pope made by Guglielmo della Porta, who was appointed plumbator apostolicarum in 1547.3 Given the timing of the bust's
The article discusses the 16th-century tomb of Cardinal Alfonso Carafa in the Naples Cathedral in... more The article discusses the 16th-century tomb of Cardinal Alfonso Carafa in the Naples Cathedral in Naples, Italy, sculpted by Giovanni Domenico Bersaglia and designed by Giovanni Lippi (Nanni di Baccio Bigio), both of whom were connected to the artist Michelangelo Buonarotti. Topics addressed include the commission of the tomb by Pope Pius V, the movement of the tomb to the left aisle of the cathedral in 1741, and similar 16th-century tombs such as the Cesi family tombs in Rome, Italy.
Book synopsis: Few other cities can compare with Rome's history of continuous habitation, nor... more Book synopsis: Few other cities can compare with Rome's history of continuous habitation, nor with the survival of so many different epochs in its present. This volume explores how the city's past has shaped the way in which Rome has been built, rebuilt, represented and imagined throughout its history. Bringing together scholars from the disciplines of architectural history, urban studies, art history, archaeology and film studies, this book comprises a series of studies on the evolution of the city of Rome and the ways in which it has represented and reconfigured itself from the medieval period to the present day. Moving from material appropriations such as spolia in the medieval period, through the cartographic representations of the city in the early modern period, to filmic representation in the twentieth century, we encounter very different ways of making sense of the past across Rome's historical spectrum. The broad chronological arrangement of the chapters, and the choice of themes and urban locations examined in each, allows the reader to draw comparisons between historical periods. An imaginative approach to the study of the urban and architectural make-up of Rome, this volume will be valuable not only for historians of art and architecture, but also for students of cultural history and film studies.
Oxford Art Journal, 2006
Nicola Courtright's book represents an interesting and useful contribution to the study of Co... more Nicola Courtright's book represents an interesting and useful contribution to the study of Counter-Reformation Rome, providing the first detailed examination of the suite of rooms in the Vatican Palace known as the Tower of the Winds. Built by Pope Gregory Xlil (15721585), the Tower comprises seven rooms, which are arranged over three storeys and crown the same pope's extension of the corridor along the Western side of the Cortile del Belvedere. Rising above the continuous faade of the courtyard, the Tower would certainly have enjoyed a position of prominence when first built, but with the construction of the Vatican Library by Gregory's successor, Sixtus V ( 1585-1590), it was effectively isolated from the main body of the palace. The library cut across the courtyard, closing the vista down its length and obscuring the \/iew of the Tower. According to Courtright, its rooms were soon appropriated to the needs of the library, and their identity as a separate apartment, with a coherent programme, was lost. She sees this quirk of fate as one of the main reasons that the Tower has attracted so little previous scholarly attention; this and the relative disinterest in the later sixteenth century on the part of mainstream art history. This latter point is undeniable, although the present volume is a welcome addition to a growing bibliography seeking to bridge the gap between traditional categories of Renaissance and Baroque. Denigrated by the academic writers of the seventeenth century for its divergence from the classicism of what has become the 'High Renaissance', the art of the second half of the Cinquecento has suffered at the hands of schematic definitions of 'good' and 'bad' art. Moreover, artists who flourished after the second edition of Vasari's Lives of the Artists (1568) suffer automatic obscurity in relation to the role-call of names immortalised there. And yet this is a fascinating period in the history of Italian art, with religious imagery not only defended against Protestant iconoclasm but also enlisted as one of the primary tools of propagation for the Counter Reformation, leading to extremely sophisticated and knowing solutions. Not only should this appeal to those interested in the cultural dimensions of art history, but the resulting artistic output also deserves re-visiting for its aesthetic merit. Courtright's treatment seeks to recover the Tower's individual identity, and sets its construction very much against the background of reform. In keeping with other volumes in this venerable series ('Monuments of Papal Rome'1), she approaches her subject through a close reading of archival and primary sources, seeking to place the Tower's decorative programme within the context of contemporary political and cultural concerns. The wealth of information, in both the main body of the text and the detailed notes, makes the book a most useful resource to students of the period. It is moreover generously illustrated and includes some beautiful colour plates which bear testimony to the lavish ambition of the painted decoration although they also leave the reader wanting more, especially of the wide-angled views, which only just begin to give a sense of the dimensions of these rooms, which are not accessible to the public. In Part One of the volume, Courtright explores the broader concerns of Gregory's papacy, establishing his credentials as a prolific patron in the service of the Church. She rightly stresses the equation made at the time between the renovation of the city and the spiritual renewal of the Roman Catholic Church, although this is far from unique to Gregory's pontificate. The symbolic import of the city itself had long held a fascination for the popes and their propagandists, gaining added emphasis after the Reformation and the Sack of Rome. The privileging of the Vatican, site of St Peter's burial, had begun over a century before, but likewise took on even greater significance under the Counter-Reformation popes, as is reflected in Gregory's numerous initiatives there. Courtright's discussion of his cultural politics is well argued and informative, and she gives particular emphasis to his active promotion of the Holy Year of 1575, which equated Rome with a second Jerusalem, and his most enduring contribution: the reform of the Julian Calendar. Having set out these themes at length, the author uses them as the basis for her subsequent interpretation of the Tower's decorative programme, found in Part Two. The final section of the book comprises a catalogue of the subjects depicted in each of the rooms, and an appendix. Courtright begins her.sConographic analysis with the 'Meridian Room', the largest and most important room in the Tower. Rising to a height of two storeys with views out over Rome, it has a Meridian emblazoned across the floor showing the correction to the solar year made as a result of the Calendar Reform and a wind vane on the vault. Both were designed by Egnatio Danti, who…
Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 2000
The writer discusses the role the debate about the relative power of visual and written expressio... more The writer discusses the role the debate about the relative power of visual and written expression (paragone) played in Renaissance literature on imprese. The impresa was a symbolic construction consisting of a brief illustration accompanied by a motto. How each of these components contributed to the expression of the device's meaning was one of the main preoccupations of the 16th-century theorists who sought to define its mechanisms. The writer goes on to examine how impresa theorists engaged with the paragone between painting and poetry.
Renaissance Quarterly, 2005
This is a monograph on what the author calls an expression of both individuality, the innermost t... more This is a monograph on what the author calls an expression of both individuality, the innermost thoughts and feelings, the intellectual personality of 16th century Italian men and women, and of the courtly, academic, humanistic and vernacular culture in which they lived.