| The Lateran Palace is the most important and least studied of all the major building and decorating works commissioned by Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590). Built between 1585-1587 on part of the site until then occupied by the Partriarchium Lateranense, the ancient papal residence, Sixtus V's replacement was embellished with a frescoed programme spanning three floors, executed between 1588-1589. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the meaning of the Lateran Palace cycle, largely for the first time.;One of the most striking aspects of this vast programme is the presence of Sixtus V's achievements or Good Works. They are depicted in a number of different formats, ranging from narrative scenes to devices, and are interspersed throughout the cycle so that the pope's presence is always felt. Accordingly, my point of departure is the patron of the programme and his achievements. A number of themes emerge which, it is shown, are echoed in the laudatory literature written for Sixtus V, and form the basis for an understanding of the Lateran Palace programme in particular, and Sixtine Rome in general. Foremost amongst these themes are Sixtus V's role as successor to Augustus and Constantine, and his adopted heritage which descends through Augustus to Aeneas and Romulus and Remus; his role as Christ's vicar and successor to Saints Peter and Paul, as well as Moses, the traditional typus papae; his Franciscan heritage; and his solarian nature. It is shown that these qualities are entirely in keeping with the conservative Franciscan and papal traditions. |
