Dante and the History of Art: The Case of a Tuscan Commune Part I: The First Triumvirate at Lucignano

Abstract

A Dantesque theme of Justice is symbolized through a series of 21 frescoes of uomini famosi, including two donne illustri, which were painted, with surviving inscriptions and dates, for the Sala del Consiglio of the Palazzo del Commune of Lucignano in the course of the fifteenth century. From the beginning, the poet's view of the Law dominates the first triad of images commissioned for the legal chamber. Julius Caesar, Constantine the Great, and Noah appear as representatives of pagan antiquity, Christian history, and Hebrew history, respectively, but they were also selected for a more important reason: in late-medieval times, all three heroes were regarded as the founders of Rome. The Roman connection relates to the significance which Dante accorded Rome in terms of world history and world rule, while the figures' link with Janus, who precedes them, derives from Dante's larger appreciation of Italy as the fruit of the creation of Rome and the beginning of civiltas.