In this paper the sources and origins of the ornament on the west facade of Siena Cathedral are examined in order to find the artistic developments which influenced the Gothic style in Italy. The ornament on the Siena Cathedral facade can be subdivided into two stages, one of which was influenced by French Gothic art, and one by Italian art, both Classical and Tuscan Romanesque architecture. The form of the west facade wall at Siena Cathedral was modelled after French facade wall forms. Due to French influence brought into northern and central Italy by the constructions of the Cistercian monks, at Siena the Tuscan Romanesque, facade silhouette was abandoned for the French facade silhouette of a nave projecting above the aisle roofs. The first stage of ornament on the facade of Siena Cathedral is that of ornament which was influenced by French Gothic ornamental forms. The French Gothic ornamental forms which influenced the Siena facade ornament were not derived from French Gothic architectural ornament, but from the ornamental forms used to decorate the French Gothic carved ivory altarpieces. One such ornamental farm is the tourelle eg. Scenes from the Life of the Virgin and Childhood of Christ, French ca. 1300, Coll: Institutio de Valencia de Don Juan. That French Gothic ornament which was derived from an architectural source did not influence the Siena facade ornament is indicated by the fact that the role of the ornament on a French Gothic facade differs from that on the west wall of Siena Cathedral. The ornament on the west wall of Siena Cathedral creates a decorative screen which conceals the structure of the cathedral behind it. In French Gothic facades the purpose of the ornament is to create an easy transition from the sculpture to the structure of the facade, eg. the facade of Amiens Cathedral. The supposition that the architectural ornament which was used to decorate Gothic ivories influenced the ornament on the Siena facade is supported by the fact that at Siena there appear decorative schemes which appear only (at first) in ivory altarpieces, eg. the idea of the use of half-length figures in niches to create a border around a figure or scene of central importance is adopted at Siena to create a border around the west facade nave window. The third stage of ornament found on the Siena Cathedral facade was derived from Italian sources, from Classical art and Tuscan Romanesque architecture. The profiles of the stringcourse and gables on the Siena facade are similar to that of a Classical cornice. The three equal sized arches over the three west facade doors were derived from the decorative arcades of the Tuscan Romanesque facade. At Siena the retention of the Tuscan Romanesque concept of the facade as a screen wall made it possible to incorporate into the facade design the diverse ornamental forms mentioned. In conclusion, the form and ornament of the Siena Cathedral was found to be derived from primarily three sources, two of which were French, consequently the greater part of the Siena Cathedral facade design was influenced by French Gothic art. However, at Siena there occurs no imitation of the French Gothic. The French forms are joined with Italian ones into a homogeneous decorative surface. It may be concluded from the evidence of the sources of the ornament on the Siena Cathedral facade that the Gothic style in Italy was based on French Gothic developments which were fused with native Italian developments so that the Gothic style in Italy appears as it did in France, a new development based on the country's Romanesque tradition. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

No description available.

This thesis is an overview of the historical context in which the church of Christ the Redeemer (Sant'Apollinare Nuovo) in Ravenna, Italy, was erected. It explores the forces responsible for shaping the church at the time of its construction and decoration in the sixth century. The basilica had gained popularity of usage as a model for the Christian Church in the West by this time. This thesis further explores the conclusions put forth by scholars that the basilica was the forum in which the transition of architectural imperial symbolism from the pagan empire to the new Christian Church took place, that the Church adopted the court ceremony of the emperor for its liturgy, and that the symbolism previously associated with the emperor was transferred to Christ resulting in the identification of the basilica as the throne hall of Christ. A study of the mosaics adorning the nave walls describes the significance of their origins and meaning.

No description available.

This dissertation reconstructs the original form and sixteenth-century decoration of the lost Venetian church of Santa Maria Assunta dei Crociferi, destroyed after the suppression of the Crociferi in 1656 to make way for the present church of the Gesuiti. The destruction of the church, the scattering of its contents, and the almost total lack of documentation of the religious order for which the space was built, has obscured our understanding of the many works of art it once contained, produced by some of the most important Venetian artists of the sixteenth century. This project seeks to correct scholarly neglect of this important church, and to restore context and meaning to these objects by reconstructing their original placement in the interest of a collective interpretation. Various types, patterns and phases of patronage at the church—monastic, private and corporate—are discussed to reveal interconnections between these groups, and to highlight to role of the Crociferi as architects of a sophisticated decorative programme that was designed to respond to the latest artistic trends, and to visually demonstrate their adherence to orthodoxy at a moment of religious upheaval and reform.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

This study is an art history of Santa Maria dei Carmini, Venice, from its foundation in c. 1286 to the present day, with a special focus on the late Renaissance period (c. 1500-1560). It explores a relatively overlooked corner of Renaissance Venice and provides an opportunity to study the Carmelite Order's relationship to art. It seeks to answer outstanding questions of attribution, dating, patronage, architectural arrangements and locations of works of art in the church. Additionally it has attempted to have a diverse approach to problems of interpretation and has examined the visual imagery's relationship to the Carmelite liturgy, religious function and later interpretations of art works. Santa Maria dei Carmini was amongst the largest basilicas in Venice when it was completed and the Carmelites were a major international order with a strong literary tradition. Their church in Venice contained a wealth of art works produced by one of the most restlessly inventive generations in the Western European tradition. Chapter 1 outlines a history of the Carmelites, their hagiography and devotions, which inform much of the discussion in later chapters. The second Chapter discusses the early history of the Carmelite church in Venice, establishing when it was founded, and examining the decorative aspects before 1500. It demonstrates how the tramezzo and choir-stalls compartmentalised the nave and how these different spaces within the church were used. Chapter 3 studies two commissions for the decoration of the tramezzo, that span the central period of this thesis, c. 1500-1560. There it is shown that subjects relevant to the Carmelite Order, and the expected public on different sides of the tramezzo were chosen and reinterpreted over time as devotions changed. Cima da Conegliano's Adoration of the Shepherds (c. 1511) is discussed in Chapter 4, where the dedication of the altar is definitively proven and the respective liturgy is expanded upon. The tradition of votive images is shown to have influenced Cima's representation of the donor. In Chapter 5 Cima's altarpiece for the Scuola di Sant'Alberto's altar is shown to have been replaced because of the increasing ambiguity over the identification of the titulus after the introduction of new Carmelite saints at the beginning of the century. Its compositional relationship to the vesperbild tradition is also examined and shown to assist the faithful in important aspects of religious faith. The sixth chapter examines the composition of Lorenzo Lotto's St Nicholas in Glory (1527-29) and how it dramatises the relationship between the devoted, the interceding saints and heaven. It further hypothesises that the inclusion of St Lucy is a corroboration of the roles performed by St Nicholas and related to the confraternity's annual celebrations in December. The authorship, date and iconography of Tintoretto's Presentation of Christ (c. 1545) is analysed in Chapter 7, which also demonstrates how the altarpiece responds to the particular liturgical circumstances on the feast of Candlemas. The final chapter discusses the church as a whole, providing the first narrative of the movement of altars and development of the decorative schemes. The Conclusion highlights the important themes that have developed from this study and provides a verdict on the role of ‘Carmelite art' in the Venice Carmini.