Through the Eye of the Dragon: an Examination of the Artistic Patronage of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585)
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Through the eye of the Dragon: An Examination of the Artistic Patronage of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585). Vol.1 Title of Degree: PhD Date of Submission: August 2019 Name: Jacqueline Christine Carey I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other University and it is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. For Sadie and Lilly Summary This subject of this thesis is the artistic patronage of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585). It examines the contribution of the individual patron to his patronage with a view to providing a more intense reading of his artistic programmes. This approach is derived from the individual interests, influences, and ambitions of Gregory XIII. It contrasts with periodization approaches that employ ‘Counter Reformation’ ideas to interpret his patronage. This thesis uses archival materials, contemporaneous primary sources, modern specialist literature, and multi-disciplinary sources in combination with a visual and iconographic analysis of Gregory XIII’s artistic programmes to develop and understanding of its subject. Chapter one examines the efficacy and impact of employing a ‘Counter-Reformation’ approach to interpret Gregory XIII’s artistic patronage. It finds this approach to be too general, ill defined, and reductionist to provide an intense reading of his artistic programmes. Chapter two explores the antecedent influences that determined Gregory XIII’s approach to his papal patronage and an overview of this patronage. Findings indicate that Gregory XIII was shaped by his dedication to the law, his interest in science and scholarship, his identification with Gregory the Great, and his profound understanding of orthodoxy. An evaluation of the full spectrum of his patronage finds a coherence and consistency of intent, which is wholly focused on the Church. Gregory XIII’s patronage, including his artistic programmes, consistently sought to precipitate active worship, devotion, and participation in the sacraments. He patronised the education of the clergy so that they could spread the Word of God, administer the liturgy, celebrate the sacraments, and offer pastoral care to a high and inspiring standard. He standardised the day and date for the celebration of Easter, edited the Roman Martyrology, continued the revision of the Breviary and finalised the Decretals, offering a clearer universal standard for celebrating the liturgy and encouraging greater participation and understanding throughout Christendom. Chapters three and four employ an understanding of Gregory XIII’s approach and his established pattern of patronage, to examine the artistic programmes of the Gregorian Chapel and the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche. The Gregorian Chapel emerges as a profound statement of fundamental doctrine, explained through the theology of the Doctors of the Church, and offered as a sensory spiritual experience. The overarching theme of the Galleria presents as the conceptualisation of Italy as a spiritual dominion constituted out of the active participation of the faithful in the the Church, under the authority of Pope Gregory XIII. The venerated deeds of holy men on the vault provide virtuous examples of this active participation in the Church and its beliefs, all emanating from the lands of Italy below the vault. This focus on the individual contribution of Gregory XIII to his patronage provides an analytic and interpretive framework which contributes to a more meaningful understanding of his artistic programmes. Acknowledgements: My greatest debt is to my supervisor Dr. Peter Cherry for his support of this thesis. I have benefited from his guidance, mentoring, and interrogation of my work and for this I am truly grateful. I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr. Christine Casey for her clear and helpful direction during the review process and for her final efforts in guiding this thesis into port. I would like to acknowledge the help of Dr. Assunta di Santi, and in particular Dr. Simona Turriziani for her creative thinking in helping me find sources in the Archivio della Fabbrica di San Pietro. The archivists and librarians in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana were extremely helpful and patient and nothing was too much trouble. My special thanks go to Dr. Ambrogio Piazzoni. I would like to acknowledge Dr. Andrea Papini in the Archivio di Stato di Roma who was extremely generous and helpful in organising open access to archival materials there. Dr. Barbara Jatta and Dr. Rosanna Di Pinto were most generous in giving me access to paintings in the Vatican Palace. I am immensely obliged for the generosity of the Gregorian University, The Jesuit Curia and the Boncompagni Museum in Rome for access to materials and paintings that would have otherwise have remained obscure. I would like to thank Dr. Thomas Whelan, from the Loyola Institute, for sharing his insight into matters liturgical and Fr. Michael Collins for his suggestions for accessing closed materials in the Vatican. The British Museum and the Albertina Museum in Vienna need to be acknowledged for providing access to images with great efficiency and generosity. The Jesuit Library in Milltown is a terrific resource staffed by warm and generous people which I was lucky enough to experience. I would like to acknowledge the persistent helpfulness and good humour of Paul Doyle in Trinity College Library and my thanks go to Dr. Charlie Kerrigan, from the Classics Department in Trinity College, who translated all of the Latin materials in this thesis. I would like to thank my great friend Ramon Herranz for his expert guidance in all things computing without whom my illustrations would not be as clear and well presented as they are. I acknowledge Dr. Denis Flannery for his boundless confidence in me and his irrepressible kindness. Dr. Eileen Reedy for continually reminding me ‘who I am’, Dr. Michele Coyle for her friendship, and Aidan for his unwavering support. Table of Contents: List of Illustrations i-xxvi Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Reframing the Patronage of Gregory XIII 1.1 Introduction 13 1.2 The Virgin Mary 28 1.3 The Veneration of Saints, Relics, and Sacred Images 31 1.4 The Eucharist 35 1.5. Baptism 38 Chapter 2. The Man, the Pope, and his Patronage 2.1 Introduction 41 2.2 Self-Declared Influences, Ambitions, and Interests. Determinants of Gregory XIII’s Patronage: 49 2.2.1 The Pentecost 49 2.2.2 Pope ‘Gregory’ 51 2.2.3 The Mystical Theology of Gregory the Great and its influence on Gregory XIII 56 2.3 The Patronage of Gregory XIII 2.3.1 Introduction 66 2.3.2 A Thematic Approach to the Patronage of Gregory XIII 67 2.4 The Holy Year of 1575 69 2.4.1 Embellishment of the magnificence of Rome 78 2.4.2 Assertion of the Character of the Papacy in the Apostolic Palaces 85 2.4.3 In the Slipstream of the Holy Year 90 2.4.4 Implementation of his vision for the Church in the Apostolic Palaces 93 2.5 Colleges, Training and Education 105 2.5.1 The Collegio Romano 106 2.5.2 Five Colleges Patronised by Gregory XIII 109 2.6 Science and Scholarship 114 2.7 Conclusions 123 Chapter 3. The Gregorian Chapel 3.1 Re-Viewing the Gregorian Chapel 125 3.1.1 Introduction 125 3.1.2 Research to Date 131 3.1.3 Aims and Objective of Research 134 3.2 The Construction of the Gregorian Chapel 1572-1583 135 3.3 Signs, Symbols, and the Iconography of the Main Altar in the Gregorian Chapel 138 3.3.1 History of the Altar 138 3.3.2 Iconography of the Altar 144 3.3.3 Gregory XIII’s patronage of the Madonna del Soccorso 151 3.4 The Relics of Gregory Nazianzeno 163 3.4.1 The Translation of the Relics of Gregory Nazianzeno 163 3.4.2 The Theology of Relics 170 3.5 Four Doctors, the Annunciation, and the Prophecy of the Annunciation 173 3.5.1 History of the Mosaic Decoration 173 3.5.2 The Lunettes 177 3.5.3 The Pendentives 181 3.5.4 The Iconographic significance of the four Doctors in the Pendentives 185 3.6 The Altars of St. Basil the Great and St. Jerome 195 3.6.1 History of the Mass of St. Basil 195 3.6.2 History of The Sermon of St. Jerome 199 3.7 The Cupola 202 3.8 Last Four Things 205 3.8.1 Christ washing the feet of his Disciples by Taddeo Landini 205 3.8.2 Marino and Vincenzo da Sulmona’s Musical Pipe Organ. 208 3.8.3 Materials used to decorate the chapel 210 3.8.4 The Celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist 216 3.9 Conclusions 222 Chapter 4 The Galleria delle Carte Geografiche 4.1 Re-Reading the Galleria delle Carte in the Vatican 223 4.1.1 Introduction 223 4.1.2 Research to Date 227 4.1.3 Aims and Objective of Research 235 4.1.4 Method 235 4.2 The World of Maps 237 4.3 Precursors and Precedents to the Galleria delle Carte Geografiche 240 4.3.1 The Guardaroba in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence 241 4.3.2 Sala del Mappamondo at Caprarola 244 4.3.3 The Terza Loggia in the Vatican 248 4.3.4 The Sala Bologna 251 4.4 The Galleria delle Carte Geografiche 260 4.4.1 The Construction of the Galleria 264 4.4.2 The Function of the Galleria 267 4.4.3 The Structural character of the Gallery 267 4.5 The Iconography of the Galleria 272 4.5.1 The Conceptual Organisation of the Galleria 274 4.6 The Iconographic Programme of Galleria delle Carte Geografiche 280 4.6.1 The Maps 280 4.6.2 The Purpose of the Maps 283 4.6.3 Historical Vignettes within the maps.