Papers by Marco Brunetti
Accademia Raffaello. Atti e Studi, 2024
This article reviews the key studies and interests inspired by Villa Adriana from the mid-15th ce... more This article reviews the key studies and interests inspired by Villa Adriana from the mid-15th century onward, particularly focusing on how Raphael’s predecessors, including both artists and architects, were influenced by the Villa. The first section provides an overview of the principle influences. The second section explores the potential of the Renaissance (and subsequent) graphic sources, focusing on their ability to reveal specific details of the paintings and their role in the broader context of Renaissance art. The graphic documentation collected here, including some previously unpublished material, offers insights into the archaeological accuracy of the copied subjects and the artistic liberties taken by the draftsmen. Finally, the article examines how, in the light of the most reliable documentary and archaeological evidence, the paintings of Villa Adriana substantially contributed to Raphael’s work, particularly in developing his complex methodology of combining and synthesizing diverse ancient models.
The Castle Cronicles Annals, 10 (76), 2023
During the Late Middle Ages, the myth of the Trojan War enjoyed a second lease of life. This arti... more During the Late Middle Ages, the myth of the Trojan War enjoyed a second lease of life. This article aims to analyse the artistic reception of the myth during the Late Middle Ages when it was reappraised through the lens of Christianity and related to the Crusades. This timeframe has been selected and merits further examination also considering what happened in the following age. In fact, since the sixteenth century, numerous artists and intellectuals dealt with this myth in a completely changed cultural context by mediating on the editio princeps of several literary texts. This article is focused on the literary traditions that inspired visual interpretations and, on the other hand, when these figural representations were instead dependent on a previous visual tradition. Specifically, this article argues against a recurrent idea in academic literature that sees Medieval and Early Modern iconographies as being inspired directly by famous classical texts such as Homer, Ovid, or Statius.
Castel Sant'Angelo nel Cinquecento. Le decorazioni farnesiane (a cura di Barbara Agosti, Silvia Ginzburg), Edizioni Efesto , 2024
This article focuses on a section of Castel Sant'Angelo, specifically the Loggia of Paul III. It ... more This article focuses on a section of Castel Sant'Angelo, specifically the Loggia of Paul III. It is an open loggia that still preserves significant remnants of its Renaissance decoration, created in 1543-1544 by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta. The article aims to demonstrate how the decoration was deeply inspired by ancient models, particularly the Golden Vault of the Domus Aurea. Through the analysis, it is shown how the Loggia of Paul III became, in its own way, a model copied by later artists. In this context, certain subjects are identified in a drawing held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The article concludes with the mention of another instance where ancient ceilings inspired the artists of Castel Sant'Angelo, specifically in the space known as the "Treasure Room.
Running Rome and Its Empire. The Places of Roman Governance, 2024, pp. 176-196, 2024
Miti e paesaggi dipinti nelle domus di Cremona, 2023, pp. 85-115, 2023
Gesti di pathos fra tradizione e imitazione «Ero sinceramente disgustato della storia dell'arte e... more Gesti di pathos fra tradizione e imitazione «Ero sinceramente disgustato della storia dell'arte estetizzante. Mi sembrava che la contemplazione formale dell'immagine […] portasse a chiacchiere così sterili che, dopo il mio viaggio a Berlino nell'estate del 1896, fui persino tentato di studiare medicina» 1. Queste le parole di Aby Warburg scritte nel 1923 quando oramai-per la fortuna degli stessi storici d'arte che lo avevano tanto tediato con le loro discussioni da connoisseur-si era dissuaso da un simile cambio di vita. Tra i tanti meriti per cui ancora oggi i suoi scritti vengono letti e discussi, vi è senz'altro la "teorizzazione" dei Pathosformeln, elaborata tra il 1899 e il 1900 2. Parliamo di "teorizzazione" perché, già prima di Warburg, si era riconosciuta in ambito archeologico l'esistenza di schemi iconografici ricorrenti (Formeln) capaci di veicolare uno specifico stato emotivo (Pathos) e il cui significato appare talvolta ambiguo in base al contesto (es. il ginocchio piegato per esprime l'idea di essere vinti e, allo stesso tempo, di vincere) 3. La novità che Warburg apportò fu dunque quella di teorizzare questo fenomeno, definendo tali schemi iconografici Pathosformeln e parlando di "polarizzazione" (Polarisierung) qualora il loro significato variasse in base al contesto. Lo studioso intuì inoltre che, se alcuni gesti antichi erano sopravvissuti in epoca moderna grazie allo studio rinascimentale di iconografie antiche, altri si erano invece trasmessi nei secoli come per una sorta di genetica sociale. Anche qui va però precisato che l'idea della trasmissione della gestualità in culture distanti nel tempo era ben precedente a Warburg. Si pensi all'opera, dal titolo eloquente, di Andre De Jorio del 1832: La mimica degli antichi investigata nel gestire napoletano. Consideriamo, per esempio, il chiudersi la bocca di fronte a uno spavento, gesto che non viene insegnato, ma appreso per imitazione. Altro esempio è quello citato da Erwin Panofsky nel suo Studies in Iconology. Secondo lo studioso, togliersi il cappello di fronte a qualcuno è un gesto che possiamo immaginare come derivato da quello del cavaliere medievale di togliersi l'elmo 4. Purtroppo Warburg non esplicitò mai per esteso la sua teoria dei Pathosformeln e nemmeno si dilungò su particolari esempi 5. Come fece Fermat con il suo teorema, Warburg diede solo la conclusione del
Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana, 45, pp. 117-166, 2022
This article focuses on Francisco de Hollanda's (1517-1585) Os Desenhos das Anti qualhas, an albu... more This article focuses on Francisco de Hollanda's (1517-1585) Os Desenhos das Anti qualhas, an album of drawings preserved at the El Escorial Monastery Library in Madrid (inv. no. 28-I-20). Using high-definition images of the drawings, published for the first time in this volume, the article casts fresh light on the material, graphic, and historical details of Hollanda's graphic production. Cross-referencing the evidence from the drawings with passages from Hollanda's treatises (e. g., Da Pintura Antiga and Da Ciência do Desenho), the article offers new insights into the album's original function and patronage. Hollanda worked on these drawings over a protracted period and, as the article demonstrates, likely viewed this album as his portfolio of drawings, as evidence of the artistic/ antiquarian culture he had brought back to Portugal. The second part of the article focuses on Hollanda's method of copying antique subjects (e.g., his decision to copy specific ancient models; the modifications he introduced in his copies; and the distinctness of his working practice when compared to the methods adopted by other contemporary artists). By highlighting the commonalities between Francisco de Hollanda and the Sangallo workshop, this article juxtaposes the rich and unusual repertoire of antique and modern subjects copied by Hollanda with the drawings of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, whose guidance may have impacted which subjects Hollanda considered worthy of study. Finally, the artistic representations of antique subjects in Hollanda's drawings are discussed in dialogue with his ideas on the antique, as recorded in his treatises. More specifically, a careful analysis of Hollanda's attempts to fill in the antique subject's lost detail and damaged areas with his own interpretations shows that his notion of the antique as an ideal aesthetic model is reflected in his graphic production.
Athenaeum - Studi di Letteratura e Storia dell’Antichità (111.1), 2023, pp. 34-87, 2023
characteristic common to Greek poets from the 7th to mid-5th century BC. It relates to the poet's... more characteristic common to Greek poets from the 7th to mid-5th century BC. It relates to the poet's capacity to adapt his thought process and artistic creativity to accommodate his patron's requests or desires. Specifically, from the 7th to the mid-5th century BC, Greece's most prominent aristocratic families hosted intellectuals for their own pleasure and political propaganda. Under these circumstances, a poet would enjoy a successful career only if he was sufficiently able to adapt his own art to different contexts, grasping the sensibility and cultural interests of the new patron 3. Myth elaboration was the principal tool for this purpose. Many Greek myths were adapted and modified by poets based on three main factors: their patron's profile; the genre of the poem selected (e.g., hymn or lyric); and the circumstance/conditions of the performance (e.g., public reading within the aristocratic palace or outside it, as in the case of the Olympic Games). According to these three factors, some details of a myth-such as perhaps specific marital, heroic or military aspectscould be emphasized over others. Among all classical myths represented in the visual arts and in literature from Antiquity to the Early Modern period, the myth of the Argonauts clearly shows this artistic/poetic 'adaptation' to the three factors mentioned above (i.e., the profile of the recipient, the type of medium/support, and its performance/fruition). Moreover, this myth helps us detect a further phenomenon. Although the myth was employed in different ways and through different media, three primary 'semantic meanings' recur over an extended timeframe. Specifically, the myth was conceived as an iconic example of a heroic mission to civilize wild lands and foreign cultures; a marital paradigm, in the sense of complicity and loving collaboration between husband and wife; and finally, as an example of 'scientific/magic' progress through supernatural forces. This article aims to investigate how these three 'semantic meanings' of the myth survived over the centuries and why artists/poets chose one over the others. Using some selected case studies, we will illustrate how the selection of one 'semantic meaning' mainly depended on the recipient's profile, the figural/literary medium chosen, and its performance/fruition. This article also aims to examine how contrasting literary traditions coexisted (e.g,. the tragic and the romantic versions of Medea and Jason's love affair), as occurred also in figural representations. Through this analysis, we aim to investigate the relationship between literary and figural traM. Brunetti, The Myth of the Argonauts in Context 36 raus recommends to his son (and, indirectly, Pindar to his reader) to think like the polyp/octopus, changing the color of its skin according to the surface touched. Nevertheless, through this advice, the poet alluded to a common work dynamic that characterized Greek archaic poets like him (Gentili 2006, pp. 186-237 and Debiasi 2013). 3 For the so-called metapoiesis (i.e., the literary dependency of poets on the desires of their patrons in Greek Archaic literature-also mentioned by Theog. 213-218): Sbardella 2012. 3,F113ab), one Simonides' fragment (fr. 551 Page), and Lycophron's Alexandria (v. 1315)-Jason (instead of Aeson) would have been nursed and rejuvenated by Medea having previously been swallowed and mutilated by the dragon:
Accademia Raffaello. Atti e Studi 20, pp. 19–60, 2021
This paper aims to reconsider some issues concerning Domus Aurea’s wall paintings and their recep... more This paper aims to reconsider some issues concerning Domus Aurea’s wall paintings and their reception in the Early Modern Age. The first part of the article is focused on two main archaeological issues. First, the geometrical system of a group of Neronian ceilings is analyzed in order to show how they aimed at imitating the Hellenistic pavilions devoted to otium. This visual effect is indeed consistent with the pavilion structure of the Oppian building and its function as a “building for the Imperial otium”. Afterward, the origin of the grotesque motif is investigated. Specifically, Its similarity to hieroglyphics is taken into consideration supposing a possible derivation from Egyptian textiles patterns. The second part of the article focuses on the discovery of Domus Aurea’s paintings in the 1470s and their study in the 16th century. The article explains the reason why a number of Renaissance scholars were able to claim that the underground paintings belonged to Nero’s Domus Aurea (and not to Titus’ Baths/ House as most antiquarians of that time believed). Afterward, the iconographical details that Raphael and his workshop copied are discussed and how they used these motifs for creating a sort of pictorial tapestries and pergolas in their own artistic creations.
Papers of the British School at Rome 90, 2022
In questo contributo gli autori pubblicano una statua con iscrizione inedita proveniente dall'ant... more In questo contributo gli autori pubblicano una statua con iscrizione inedita proveniente dall'antico sito di Careiae, nell'Etruria meridionale. Essa offre l'opportunità di riflettere sul ruolo di questo piccolo centro nei pressi di Roma, di cui poco sappiamo, sulla rarissima connessione tra il collegio dei dendrofori e Virtus e sul ruolo che il collegio dei dendrofori poteva avere anche al di fuori dai contesti urbani. L'edizione di questo nuovo testo ha offerto anche l'occasione di riconsiderare un analogo plinto iscritto di statua, oggi conservato a Vienna e attribuito finora a Roma.
Papers of the British School at Rome 89 (2021), pp. 159–209, 2021
The Pitti crystal column, preserved at the Uffizi Museum, is one of the most refined glyptic obje... more The Pitti crystal column, preserved at the Uffizi Museum, is one of the most refined glyptic objects of the Renaissance age. Owing to its decorative system on a miniature scale, the significance of many of its scenes has remained unclear, and hence, as a consequence, so have its function, iconological message, the meaning of its all’antica style, and its intended recipient. Using detailed images of each engraved scene, this paper shows how the decorative system of the artefact (originally a mirror) is related to King Philip II of Spain (1527–1598). The entire decoration was designed to eulogize Philip II, and especially the Battle of Saint-Quentin (1557), and his consequent control over some Italian lands (Milan, Naples, Sicily and Sardinia) after the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559). The paper investigates the reasons why Trajan’s Column was chosen as an inspirational model for the Pitti column and how such an ancient model was re-elaborated and renewed through the combination of other elements that came from a wider antiquarian all’antica repertoire. In this way, it is possible to show that this valuable artefact is a clear example of how the use of all’antica style in the Renaissance was not purely referencing a glorious past, but was adapted to the use of the object itself.
Arte y Globalización en el mundo hispánico de los siglos XV al XVII, pp. 215–234, 2020
In this article, the uses of the Classical Antiquity within Charles V’s propaganda in Late Renais... more In this article, the uses of the Classical Antiquity within Charles V’s propaganda in Late Renaissance Italy are investigated. Through artistic and architectural artifacts dating from after 1530, I will analyze the reasons and the ways in which the “all’antica” style became a sort of semi-official style of Charles V’s figurative propaganda. Originating from a simple erudite taste for antiquity, the “all’antica style” was used for “reactivating” some political values from Classical art and portraying Charles V as heir to the Roman Empire.
Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome 63–64 (2018–2019), pp. 291–322, 2020
The Prints and Drawings Collection of the Gallerie degli Uffizi preserves three drawings after th... more The Prints and Drawings Collection of the Gallerie degli Uffizi preserves three drawings after the Antique which date to the 16th century. The reciprocal relations (material, thematic, and stylistic remarks) between these drawings as well as their archaeological value have not yet been studied. This article identifies and discusses in detail their archaeological subject matter (the Domus Aurea’s paintings) as well as the drawings’ value for understanding now-lost ancient paintings. Furthermore, the material and stylistic analysis of the drawings suggests their shared provenance from a Renaissance drawing-book after Antiquity, dated to the late 16th century and originating from central or northern Italy.
Ocnus 2015 (23), pp. 137–152, 2015
The original wall paintings of Room 33 of the Domus Aurea are no more visible, but they were copi... more The original wall paintings of Room 33 of the Domus Aurea are no more visible, but they were copied by the artists employed by Ludovico Mirri in 1774–1776 (Vincenzo Brenna and Franciszek Smuglewicz). The decoration of the vault has five figural scenes that have not been convincingly identified so far by scholars. Considering the work methods of Mirri's artists, however, it is possible to examine these figural scenes from a new perspective. A tendency to invent some details is a common practice for these artists and was due to the state of preservation of the frescoes. In particular, the central scenes of the vaults were subject to the artists’ free creativity. Nevertheless, by paying more attention to the figurative schemes than to the iconographic details, it is possible to advance some new interpretations. Indeed, through archaeological parallels and literary sources, the scenes can be interpreted as the story of Alexandros/Paris, a myth particularly appreciated by the emperor Nero. Indeed, Nero narrated this specific myth in his poem, the Troica. As such, Room 33 would thus fit perfectly with the cultural background of the patron as reflected in the work of the ancient artist.
Euripides suffers an evolutionary trajectory very similar to that of another playwright but of th... more Euripides suffers an evolutionary trajectory very similar to that of another playwright but of the modern age, Giuseppe Verdi (of course mutatis mutandis). The basic concept was that the theater in both places itself in a period of transition in which the predominant value of the word was joined with another dramatic component, the music. Indeed, at the time of Euripides, a new musical trend, called 'Nuova Musica', put itself as the primary mean to express the psychology of the characters, just as happened with Verdi after the revolution represented by Wagner. For both authors, it’s possible to observe a progressive dissolution of the ʻscene closedʼ and there is the need to connect the various theatrical acts through a new medium of expression, just the music. Through the metric and of Euripides' drama, I try to show how the theater of Euripides (in a manner similar to the Verdi’s Opera) became a sort of Wort -Ton –Drama
Books by Marco Brunetti
Winner of 2020 Bibliotheca Hertziana Publication Prize, 2022
The function of Room 80 of the Domus Aurea as a luxury triclinium, its central location, and the ... more The function of Room 80 of the Domus Aurea as a luxury triclinium, its central location, and the artistic taste of its owner all played a prominent role in the elaboration and definition of the refined decorative system of the vault. This book provides a critical analysis and comparison of all graphic works-including drawings, watercolours, and coloured engravings-depicting the Volta Dorata since its discovery in the 1470s by early Renaissance artists and antiquarians. The research mainly addresses two strictly related issues. One issue concerns the original appearance of the vault and the relation between its decoration and the myths that literary sources indicate as Nero's favourites and those of Neronian literature. The other issue regards the working methods employed across the centuries by artists copying the Neronian vault and the Volta Dorata's influence on artists and artefacts.
Events, Seminars, Talks by Marco Brunetti
Workshop a cura di Adrian Bremenkamp e Anna Magnago Lampugnani
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Papers by Marco Brunetti
Books by Marco Brunetti
Events, Seminars, Talks by Marco Brunetti