Descrizione
[160] Nuova Serie 2 | 2023
Storia dell’arte n. 160
Nuova Serie 2 | 2023
Denis Ribouillault
Ænigma Termini. Female Iconography and Political Struggle at Palazzo Colonna
This article focuses on the iconography of the painted decoration of the piano nobile of the Palazzo Colonna (della Torre or del Vaso) in Rome, executed around 1564-1568 under the patronage of Marcantonio II Colonna and his wife Felice Orsini. Taking as a starting point the view of the Capitoline Hill evoking the myth of the god Terminus, it argues that the iconography of the cycle refers to the unshakable strength of the Colonna family against the attacks of Pope Paul IV. More specifically, the predominantly female iconography of the cycle celebrates the virtue of the Colonna women and their heroic resistance to Pope Carafa’s assaults. This reading raises questions about the direct involvement of Giovanna d’Aragona, Marcantonio’s mother, in the creation of the painted programme and suggests new ways of thinking about the use of pagan iconography to articulate political and personal messages during the Renaissance, especially for female patrons whose social behaviour was strictly controlled at the time.