Books by Marco Aimone FSA
Il volume presenta i risultati di vent’anni di studio sistematico dedicato all’antica basilica di... more Il volume presenta i risultati di vent’anni di studio sistematico dedicato all’antica basilica di Sant’Eusebio di Vercelli, edificata nel VI secolo come chiesa martiriale per custodire il corpo del primo vescovo vercellese, divenuta cattedrale nel X, demolita fra tardo XVI e inizio XVIII. Disegni e documenti finora inediti hanno permesso di dimostrato che la basilica era stata progettata come copia in scala ridotta, eppure estremamente fedele, del San Pietro in Vaticano, fatto costruire due secoli prima dall’imperatore Costantino. Questo è stato il punto di partenza per un’indagine basata sulla catalogazione di tutte le testimonianze ancora esistenti relative all’edificio: resti architettonici, materiali di scavo e iscrizioni; fonti d’archivio, manoscritti liturgici, testi letterari e documentazione grafica. Ciò ha permesso di ricostruire le forme e le dimensioni dell’antico Sant’Eusebio, gli apparati decorativi e gli arredi, con nuove ipotesi che riguardano fra l’altro opere d’arte dibattute, come le sculture del pulpito già ritenuto “antelamico”. Con pari attenzione è stata indagata la vita liturgica del Sant’Eusebio, un complesso sistema di cerimonie a cui, in passato, è stato dato il nome di rito eusebiano: confrontando la “geografia sacra” dell’edificio (la posizione delle tombe venerate, degli altari e delle reliquie) con i dati contenuti nei manoscritti, è stato possibile stabilire la funzione dei diversi spazi, secondo i modi e i tempi fissati dal calendario religioso locale. Dall’indagine sul contesto storico e religioso della città di Vercelli nell’alto Medioevo, è emerso con chiarezza il forte legame con la città di Roma, incentrato sul confronto tra il vescovo Eusebio e l’apostolo Pietro: ciò spiega la scelta di replicare le forme architettoniche della basilica vaticana, dal fortissimo valore simbolico, decisa da una committenza dotata di profonda cultura e orgogliosa custode della tradizione eusebiana.
Late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, once viewed as periods of decline after the grandeur of... more Late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, once viewed as periods of decline after the grandeur of Greece and Rome, are now understood as times of extraordinary skill and creativity in the decorative arts. This was particularly true in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), with its deep cultural links connecting the Mediterranean world and the East. Many spectacular artifacts from this period (4th-15th century CE) can be found in the Wyvern Collection. They include enameled gold devotional medallions, crosses, plaques, and jewelry; silver and semiprecious stone vessels; liturgical objects from Palestine, Anatolia, and Syria; and a wide variety of Late Roman, Sasanian, and early Islamic artifacts. Masterpieces of great significance to art history, a fifth-century Artemis missorium and an eleventh-century enameled enkolpion from Constantinople are among the highlights.
Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, by Byzantine metalwork expert Marco Aimone, is augmented by three essays from specialist scholars: Jack Ogden describes the techniques of enameling; Peter Northover examines the composition of the silver vessels; and Erica Cruikshank Dodd analyzes the chronology of the stamps (hallmarks) on Byzantine silver objects. This third volume in the Wyvern Collection series continues to reveal and inspire, sharing the exhilarating experience of history through skilled and impassioned collecting.
From the preface:
The Canoscio hoard presents the largest treasure found in Italy from the lat... more From the preface:
The Canoscio hoard presents the largest treasure found in Italy from the late antique period. In this book, Marco Aimone compares the Canoscio treasure to many similar Italian hoards discovered in the past two centuries, and, in so doing, throws new light on classical traditions that stand solid during this period of change and turmoil, while illustrating the input of the new invaders, as well as the effect on the West of a new, Christian Byzantium.
The Desana Treasure has been well known since its discovery, or rather, since it was purchased on... more The Desana Treasure has been well known since its discovery, or rather, since it was purchased on the antiques market in 1938 by the ‘Museo Civico di Arte Antica’ in Turin. The composition of the Desana treasure shows that is was ‘collected’ over centuries. A ring with gemstone and a chain from the 2/3rd century are the oldest elements and objects from early 6th century the most recent. The latter give the date for the burial. Though, most objects are from the late 5th / early 6th century AD, that is from the reign of Theoderich the Great. The composition of the Desana treasure is interesting from another point of view as well. There are male and female dress adornments and silverware in the form of spoons. This new analysis of the Desana treasure allows a fresh view on this complex and offers insights into society in Ostrogothic Italy, especially into the relationship between old Latin landowners and Ostrogothic nobility. The detailed description and photographs of the 51 objects give valuable information regarding the goldsmith’s art, which is extremely important because of the lack in Italy of burials of the same value belonging to that period. So, this description is crucial for future research about goldsmith’s workshops in the late antique Mediterranean.
Papers by Marco Aimone FSA
Studi e ricerche sul Biellese - Bollettino DocBi , 2024
A Radical Turn? edited by Ivan Foletti, Marie Okáčová & Adrien Palladino Reappropriation, Fragmentation, and Variety in the Postclassical World (3rd–8th Centuries), 2023
Abstract – Two Byzantine Capitals “with Pine Cones at Their Corners” and Their Monograms. Technic... more Abstract – Two Byzantine Capitals “with Pine Cones at Their Corners” and Their Monograms. Technical, Stylistic, and Historical Observations – The “basket” capital has been recognized as one of the most brilliant innovations of Byzantine architecture in the first half of the sixth century. Its numerous variations, all developed during the reigns of the emperors Justin i (518–527) and Justinian i (527–565), prove the high technical and artistic level achieved by the workshops of sculptors active in Constantinople in those decades. New data for the knowledge of the basket capitals “with pine cones at their corners” are offered by the study of two specimens in an English private collection. In particular, metrological analysis of these capitals and close examination of their
surfaces made it possible to reconstruct all the working stages, from the roughing of the blocks (of Proconnesian marble) to the finishing of details. In addition, the marks left by the tools provided essential clues to identify
various aspects of the organization of work on the construction site, where architectural elements of this type were finished and installed. Finally, the presence of a “cruciform” monogram in Greek letters engraved
on the main face of the two capitals helps to establish their chronology and to identify the possible patron. The nature of the monogram, without a ruler’s name but mentioning the name of a likely member of the court, suggests specific historical circumstances that resulted in the wide adoption of this type of monogram as a decorative element in Byzantine architectural sculpture of the sixth century.
Vetera Christianorum 57, pp. 5-23, 2020
The article focuses on the Latin inscription engraved on a large silver plate of the early Byzant... more The article focuses on the Latin inscription engraved on a large silver plate of the early Byzantine age, now in Turin in the Galleria Sabauda (formerly in the Gualino collection). The paleography of the lettering confirms the contemporaneity of the engraved text and the plate (mid-6th century), while the lexicon and concepts show significant points of contact with the language and thoughts of St. Augustine. The comparison between the inscription and the pagan image in the central roundel of the plate – a Nereid riding astride a sea lion – shades new light on some aspects of the culture and religiosity of African society, in the decades between the end of the kingdom of the Vandals and the beginning of the Byzantine rule.
Among the liturgical furnishings that have survived from the early medieval period, a complete ep... more Among the liturgical furnishings that have survived from the early medieval period, a complete episcopal throne is a true rarity. This article examines a marble papal throne that appeared on the antiquities market in Rome in the late 1930s and is now in private hands. This cathedra is remarkable not only for its excellent state of preservation, but also for the refined sculptural decoration on its back and arms. Considering the decorative scheme as a whole, and the sculptural techniques in particular, it is likely that the throne was produced during the papacy of Hadrian I (772-95) by a stone carvers' workshop in Rome, based at the church of Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, which had been rebuilt in those years at the order of the pope himself. A comparison of archaeological data with church documents from the second half of the eighth century provides an idea of the role played by such thrones as a focal element in the program of stational liturgy observed by the popes of that era. It is entirely plausible that this rare piece of furniture came from such an important church as Sta. Maria in Cosmedin, which was annexed to one of the city's most important deaconries. Its artistic merits open new perspectives on the state of the sculp-tural arts in Rome during the early phases of the so-called Carolingian Renaissance, while its great symbolic value justifies a reconsideration of the role of papal and imperial thrones in the early Middle Ages, starting with the "Cathedra of Saint Peter," which dates from the late Carolingian era.
Nel 2011 è apparsa sul mercato antiquario di Londra una testa in porfido rosso raf-figurante un g... more Nel 2011 è apparsa sul mercato antiquario di Londra una testa in porfido rosso raf-figurante un giovane uomo, di dimensioni leggermente inferiori al naturale e montata sopra un busto in serpentino verde non pertinente (Figg. 1-3) 1. La scultura è stata descrit-ta come di origine italiana e datata al XIX secolo: si tratterebbe di uno dei molti ritratti di gusto anticheggiante scolpiti nella penisola a partire dal XVI secolo, fino a tempi relativamente recenti, utilizzando la pietra "regale" per eccellenza, a volte con intenti di tipo fraudolento 2. La datazione della testa è stata contestata dal numismatico inglese Richard Falkiner in un breve articolo pubblicato nel 2012 3. A suo avviso, si tratterebbe di una scultura antica risalente all'epoca della prima Tetrarchia (284-305 d.C.) e la rilavorazione di un'ampia area della nuca proverebbe che, in origine, essa era unita a un supporto retro-stante, una colonna ad esempio, come nel caso dei celebri gruppi dei Tetrarchi di Vene-zia (all'esterno di San Marco) e della Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana. Quali ulteriori confronti, lo studioso proponeva altri quattro ritratti imperiali in porfido: i due di Nerva e di Traiano custoditi al Museo del Louvre, montati sui busti originali e ancora uniti alle rispettive colonne dello stesso materiale (Figg. 5-8) 4 ; quello di un giovane membro della dinastia costantiniana nei Musei Vaticani, anch'esso montato su un busto in por-fido, forse non pertinente (Figg. 9-11) 5 ; un secondo ritratto di Traiano nella Gliptoteca Ny Carlsberg di Copenaghen, unito a un busto in marmo bianco di fattura moderna 6. Secondo Falkiner, anche questi ritratti risalirebbero all'età tardoantica e, come la testa londinese, proverrebbero da monumenti eretti all'inizio del IV secolo, il momento sto-Marco Aimone, Indipendent Researcher, [email protected].
“Reti Medievali - Rivista”, 15/1, pp. 1-45, 2014
All’esterno dell’abside della chiesa parrocchiale di S. Agata a Santhià (VC) sono murati due fram... more All’esterno dell’abside della chiesa parrocchiale di S. Agata a Santhià (VC) sono murati due frammenti di marmo bianco: il primo reca incisa la parte terminale di un’iscrizione dedicatoria a un martire da parte di un ecclesiastico di nome Vvalpertus (o Alpertus); il secondo, parte di un pilastrino o di un architrave di recinzione presbiteriale, mostra un decoro a galloni intrecciati fra loro. L’iscrizione è stata incisa nel campo centrale di un pluteo bordato da una cornice a girali scolpiti, di cui rimane la parte corrispondente alla fascia inferiore: la grafia delle lettere e lo stile dei decori permettono una datazione al secolo VIII, mentre il frammento di pilastrino potrebbe risalire a un periodo compreso fra il secolo VIII e la prima metà del IX. Sono di particolare interesse l’onomastica longobarda del dedicante e la, nella parte finale del testo superstite, la “firma” dello sculptor, alla prima persona singolare, presente in un’altra iscrizioni longobarda di area piemontese, ornata anch’essa di apparati decorativi scolpiti. L’esame di questi due manufatti, finora inediti, ha offerto l’occasione per riesaminare due altre iscrizioni già esistenti nella chiesa di S. Agata, da tempo perdute e di incerta autenticità: il quadro che emerge permette varie considerazioni sulla storia di questo centro nei secoli anteriori al Mille, sulla presenza del clero nella campagne della diocesi di Vercelli, e sull’opera dei maestri lapicidi e incisori attivi fra VIII e IX secolo nell’area compresa fra Lombardia, Piemonte, Liguria e Provenza, riuniti in passato sotto il nome unificante di “bottega della Alpi Marittime”.
Museo in rivista. Notiziario dei Musei Civici di Pavia, 5, pp. 11-24, 2013
“Reti Medievali - Rivista”, 13/1, pp. 1-67, 2012
La ravvicinata pubblicazione di due ampie monografie dedicate ai Goti, fra l'inverno del 1996 e l... more La ravvicinata pubblicazione di due ampie monografie dedicate ai Goti, fra l'inverno del 1996 e l'estate del 1997, ha segnato un punto importante negli studi su questa popolazione, o, più precisamente, sui gruppi di popolazioni che sotto questo nome furono protagonisti in eventi decisivi per la storia dell'Europa continentale e mediterranea, tra la fine del IV alla fine del VI secolo: il declino della Romanità occidentale; la parabola ascendente e discendente dell'impero unno; la formazione di quei regni "romano-barbarici" oggi definiti -con termine più neutro -"successori" dell'Impero romano 1 .
“Rendiconti dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei – Classe di Scienza Morali, Storiche e Filologiche”, Serie IX – vol. XXII, fasc. 1-2, pp. 29-73, 2011
The parish church of Romagnano Sesia in Piedmont was founded around 1000 as the Abbey Church of S... more The parish church of Romagnano Sesia in Piedmont was founded around 1000 as the Abbey Church of S. Croce; it houses a Proconnesian marble sarcophagus with four sculpted sides and an internal bath-shaped cavity, which is currently used as a base for the great altar. Discovered in 1771 when excavating in the church presbytery, it was presumed to contain the remains of the Roman Martyr St. Silvan, kept here since the 11th century. This sarcophagus, which until now has never been the subject of a systematic study, presents three motifs of particular interest. The rear side is decorated with a listel and grooved motif with Lesbian Kyma mouldings dating back to between the second half of the 1st century a.d. and the first half of the following century, the proof of the original use of the marble block as a monumental architrave: this means that the sarcophagus was made using a piece of architectural remains, a significant case in the vaster late-ancient phenomenon of reuse of Roman spolia. On the other hand, on the other three sides, re-sculpted at the same time when the block was turned into a sarcophagus, different phases of the sculpting can be seen, with more or less evident traces of the tools used, traces which remain visible as a result of the final, surface finishing phase being left incomplete: this accidental circumstance offers a rare opportunity to reconstruct in detail the later phases of the processing cycle of a precious object such as this. Finally, the front of the sarcophagus, which is classified as the “tabernacle” type (with a central tympanum aedicule and lateral arched niches) belongs to a type produced in northern Italy, firstly in Ravenna (between the 2nd and 3rd centuries a.d.), then in Milan (between the late 3rd and early 4th centuries): among the many known examples, only that of Romagnano has a chrismon sculpted in the front aedicule at the same time, as proven by the still-visible sculpting marks. While other cases of re-sculpting of Christian symbols in similar examples, born with Pagan marks and inscriptions, are datable to between the 6th and 9th centuries, this sarcophagus bore the clearly visible mark of the Christian faith in the centre of the front right from the start: the data known on the production of “tabernacle” sarcophagi, the comparison with similar products which still exist in northern Italy, as well as the peculiar bath-shaped internal cavity allow the example in Romagnano to be dated to around the mid-4th century, and to suggest as its place of production the city of Milan; it would therefore be one of the oldest Christian sarcophagi produced there, and one of the very few still in existence. To offer further comparison, a summary and description of other Paleochristian sarcophagi known in the territory of modern day Piedmont is given in a short Appendix.
“Studi Medievali”, 52/2, pp. 577-638, 2011
Ricerche sul costume dei chlamydati nei secoli V e VI. Le fibule a croce latina d'oro e d'argento... more Ricerche sul costume dei chlamydati nei secoli V e VI. Le fibule a croce latina d'oro e d'argento dei tesori di Ténès e Desana zione, società, a cura di I. . 2. I dubbi principali relativi a tali questioni sono riassunti da DEPPERT-LIPPITZ, A Late Antique Crossbow Fibula cit. (nota 1), pp. 61-62, con bibliografia relativa alle varie ipotesi formulate in merito. 3. Elenco e descrizione dei pezzi noti in Ibid., pp. 39-60. Utili, anche se non
“Archeologia Medievale”, XXXVIII, pp. 369-418, 2011
Per gli invii in contrassegno o all'estero saranno addebitate le spese postali. I dati forniti da... more Per gli invii in contrassegno o all'estero saranno addebitate le spese postali. I dati forniti dai sottoscrittori degli abbonamenti vengono utilizzati esclusivamente per l'invio della pubblicazione e non vengono ceduti a terzi per alcun motivo.
“Bollettino Storico-bibliografico subalpino”, CVIII/I, pp. 115-142 , 2010
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Books by Marco Aimone FSA
Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, by Byzantine metalwork expert Marco Aimone, is augmented by three essays from specialist scholars: Jack Ogden describes the techniques of enameling; Peter Northover examines the composition of the silver vessels; and Erica Cruikshank Dodd analyzes the chronology of the stamps (hallmarks) on Byzantine silver objects. This third volume in the Wyvern Collection series continues to reveal and inspire, sharing the exhilarating experience of history through skilled and impassioned collecting.
The Canoscio hoard presents the largest treasure found in Italy from the late antique period. In this book, Marco Aimone compares the Canoscio treasure to many similar Italian hoards discovered in the past two centuries, and, in so doing, throws new light on classical traditions that stand solid during this period of change and turmoil, while illustrating the input of the new invaders, as well as the effect on the West of a new, Christian Byzantium.
Papers by Marco Aimone FSA
surfaces made it possible to reconstruct all the working stages, from the roughing of the blocks (of Proconnesian marble) to the finishing of details. In addition, the marks left by the tools provided essential clues to identify
various aspects of the organization of work on the construction site, where architectural elements of this type were finished and installed. Finally, the presence of a “cruciform” monogram in Greek letters engraved
on the main face of the two capitals helps to establish their chronology and to identify the possible patron. The nature of the monogram, without a ruler’s name but mentioning the name of a likely member of the court, suggests specific historical circumstances that resulted in the wide adoption of this type of monogram as a decorative element in Byzantine architectural sculpture of the sixth century.
Byzantine and Sasanian Silver, Enamels and Works of Art, by Byzantine metalwork expert Marco Aimone, is augmented by three essays from specialist scholars: Jack Ogden describes the techniques of enameling; Peter Northover examines the composition of the silver vessels; and Erica Cruikshank Dodd analyzes the chronology of the stamps (hallmarks) on Byzantine silver objects. This third volume in the Wyvern Collection series continues to reveal and inspire, sharing the exhilarating experience of history through skilled and impassioned collecting.
The Canoscio hoard presents the largest treasure found in Italy from the late antique period. In this book, Marco Aimone compares the Canoscio treasure to many similar Italian hoards discovered in the past two centuries, and, in so doing, throws new light on classical traditions that stand solid during this period of change and turmoil, while illustrating the input of the new invaders, as well as the effect on the West of a new, Christian Byzantium.
surfaces made it possible to reconstruct all the working stages, from the roughing of the blocks (of Proconnesian marble) to the finishing of details. In addition, the marks left by the tools provided essential clues to identify
various aspects of the organization of work on the construction site, where architectural elements of this type were finished and installed. Finally, the presence of a “cruciform” monogram in Greek letters engraved
on the main face of the two capitals helps to establish their chronology and to identify the possible patron. The nature of the monogram, without a ruler’s name but mentioning the name of a likely member of the court, suggests specific historical circumstances that resulted in the wide adoption of this type of monogram as a decorative element in Byzantine architectural sculpture of the sixth century.
To this small corpus of early Byzantine censers, we can now add three recently published examples belonging to the Wyvern Collection (UK). The first is hexagonal and dates to the reign of Anastasius I (491-518); the control stamps applied inside the base indicate that this is the oldest Byzantine censer known to date. The second is hemispherical and dates to the reign of Justinian I (527-565), and the third, ‘lamp-shaped’ example is dated between the sixth and seventh centuries. Although all three were acquired on the antiquities market, the high formal quality as well as the presence of extensive figurative cycles and long inscriptions provides new data useful for contextualizing the examples that are already known. A study of these censers opens up new perspectives on the origin of their types, on the relationship between the decoration of censers and monumental art, and on the significance of the use of such objects in liturgical ceremonies.