PETRARCH’S «TRIUMPHS» IN ITALIAN ILLUMINATED BOOK OF QUATTROCENTO: FROM THE TRIUMPHAL THEMES OF ANCIENT ROME TO THE RENAISSANCE SYNTHESIS

Abstract

In Renaissance culture, the theme of triumph, dating back to the traditions of ancient Rome, gained special popularity and acquired a new meaning, combined with the idea of Christian virtues. Many painters, miniaturists, masters of engraving, cassone’s and deschi da parto addressed this topic. The famous Petrarch’s «Triumphs» was one of the most beloved and widely illustrated books. The iconography of its miniatures was based on images of chariot processions, which were part of ancient Roman rituals that epitomized victory. The article examines the evolution of illustrations of Petrarch’s triumphs in the art of the illuminated book of the 15th century, the most common iconographic schemes, as well as the connection of these illustrations with painting of the early Renaissance and the heritage of antiquity. Particular attention is paid to the appearance in the miniature of the ХV century a new approach, which united the text and all the elements of page decoration (miniature, border, initials) into one pictorial structure with the design of a page based on the principle of creating a unified pictorial space, but not decorating its individual parts. This space was established on a new visual model of the Quattrocento painting, generating a live synthesis of the ancient heritage, transformed images of the Middle Ages and new Renaissance artistic practice.