| For a period of approximately fifty years from 1520, the year of Raphael's death, to 1572, the beginning of the papacy of Gregory XIII, Roman artists disregarded the number of examples from the first two decades and rarely used overhead illusionism in their decorative projects. This study examines those projects, primarily in palaces and villas, analyzing patronage, iconography, decorative choices, and other pertinent factors which may have affected the use of illusionistic ceiling painting. A comparison between northern Italian and Roman examples delineates the differences in patronage and iconography. Roman patrons, the majority coming from the ecclesiastical court, often with the assistance of advisors, chose subject matter which did not call for the use of overhead illusionism. Their conservative nature and apparent desire to adhere to the theory of decorum, as defined in contemporary manuals and treatises, may account for the fact that the majority of the few examples of illusionistic ceiling painting from this period were painted in either private rooms of palaces or in villas. Location of the building, whether in a noble city such as Rome or in the country, and function of the room determined the appropriateness of iconography, according to such authors as Leon Battista Alberti and Giovanni Battista Armenini, who were writing a century apart. In addition, the possibility that the use of di sotto in su foreshortening might result in the creation of undignified poses may also have been a factor in the patron's avoidance of overhead illusionism. The issue of taste and the popularity of particular types of decoration--i.e. narrative friezes, stucco, grotteschi--also played a part in these decisions. The importance of the role of the patron is exemplified by the fact that Gregory XIII personally summoned to Rome from his native Bologna artists and theoreticians who espoused illusionistic ceiling painting. He seemed to have a personal commitment to this type of decoration, and his enthusiasm was adopted by other patrons during his years as pope. Gregory's patronage of overhead illusionism laid the groundwork for the illusionistically painted ceilings of seventeenth century Rome. |
