DOI issue:
Faculty of archeology, history and letters
DOI article:Mann, Horace K.: The portraits of the popes
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70028#0217
The Portraits of the Popes.
i97
had ‘ his arms, name and portrait ' in every coiner of his house? The
portraits of Blessed Urban V. (1362-70) were found painted ‘ not only
in the greater part of all the churches of Rome, but in many others all
over Christendom,’1 2 which helps to explain the fact that in the famous
Dal Pozzo collection of drawings at Windsor there are three copies of
portraits of Urban (Fig. 13). Vasari’s biographies are full of examples of
artists taking sketches of celebrities, and
giving them to their pupils; and it
became from this period onwards a very
common practice with painters (we have
already seen examples of it) to insert
in their historical or allegorical paint-
ings when they wished to introduce a
Pope, authentic portraits of 'contem-
porary Pontiffs. Raphael, for instance,
to take an example from a later period,
introduced Julius II. into his ‘ Expul-
sion of Heliodorus ’ ; in his ' Encounter
with Attila,’ Leo X. replaces Leo. I. ;
and in his ' Burning of the Borgo,’
Leo X. replaces yet another Leo,
namely Leo IV. Finally, one of the
very earliest, if not the earliest, col- Fig. 14.—Gregory XII.
lectors and publishers of papal por- (From an engraving by Panyinio.)
traits, the distinguished antiquarian,
Onofrio Panvinio, says, on the second page (the pages are not numbered)
of his book,3 that, owing to the revival of the art of painting, the portraits
of the Popes from the time of Urban VI. were painted from life (ad vivum),
and in his book copies of them were struck from metal plates (typis
1 Epp. Famil. xxi. 11.
8 Albancs-Chevalier, Ades anciens, p. 377, ap. Mollat, Etude critique sur les Vitae
Pap. Aven. p. 57.
3 XXVII. Pontif. Roman. Elogia et imagines accuratissime ad vivum aeneis typis
delineatae, Rome, 1568. I owe the use of this book to the courtesy of Dr. T. Ashby, the
Director of the British School, and I take this opportunity of thanking him and Mrs. A.
Strong, the assistant Director of the School, for the kind help they have given me in the
preparation of this paper. Cf. “ Des O. Panvinius Sammlung von Papstbildnissen," by
O. Hartig, ap. Historisches Jahrbuch, Munich, 1917, p. 284 ft. Cf. Cod. Barb. Lat., 273%.
i97
had ‘ his arms, name and portrait ' in every coiner of his house? The
portraits of Blessed Urban V. (1362-70) were found painted ‘ not only
in the greater part of all the churches of Rome, but in many others all
over Christendom,’1 2 which helps to explain the fact that in the famous
Dal Pozzo collection of drawings at Windsor there are three copies of
portraits of Urban (Fig. 13). Vasari’s biographies are full of examples of
artists taking sketches of celebrities, and
giving them to their pupils; and it
became from this period onwards a very
common practice with painters (we have
already seen examples of it) to insert
in their historical or allegorical paint-
ings when they wished to introduce a
Pope, authentic portraits of 'contem-
porary Pontiffs. Raphael, for instance,
to take an example from a later period,
introduced Julius II. into his ‘ Expul-
sion of Heliodorus ’ ; in his ' Encounter
with Attila,’ Leo X. replaces Leo. I. ;
and in his ' Burning of the Borgo,’
Leo X. replaces yet another Leo,
namely Leo IV. Finally, one of the
very earliest, if not the earliest, col- Fig. 14.—Gregory XII.
lectors and publishers of papal por- (From an engraving by Panyinio.)
traits, the distinguished antiquarian,
Onofrio Panvinio, says, on the second page (the pages are not numbered)
of his book,3 that, owing to the revival of the art of painting, the portraits
of the Popes from the time of Urban VI. were painted from life (ad vivum),
and in his book copies of them were struck from metal plates (typis
1 Epp. Famil. xxi. 11.
8 Albancs-Chevalier, Ades anciens, p. 377, ap. Mollat, Etude critique sur les Vitae
Pap. Aven. p. 57.
3 XXVII. Pontif. Roman. Elogia et imagines accuratissime ad vivum aeneis typis
delineatae, Rome, 1568. I owe the use of this book to the courtesy of Dr. T. Ashby, the
Director of the British School, and I take this opportunity of thanking him and Mrs. A.
Strong, the assistant Director of the School, for the kind help they have given me in the
preparation of this paper. Cf. “ Des O. Panvinius Sammlung von Papstbildnissen," by
O. Hartig, ap. Historisches Jahrbuch, Munich, 1917, p. 284 ft. Cf. Cod. Barb. Lat., 273%.