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The Icon of the Madonna Della Clemenza: Patronage, Placement, Purpose Michael Anton Matos

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The Icon of the Madonna Della Clemenza: Patronage, Placement, Purpose Michael Anton Matos Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2005 The Icon of the Madonna Della Clemenza: Patronage, Placement, Purpose Michael Anton Matos Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY THE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS AND DANCE The Icon of the Madonna Della Clemenza: Patronage, Placement, Purpose By Michael Anton Matos A Thesis submitted to the Department of Art History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2005 The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Michael Anton Matos defended on October 28, 2004. _____________________ Cynthia Hahn Professor Directing Thesis _____________________ Paula Gerson Committee Member _____________________ Jack Freiberg Committee Member Approved: _____________________ Paula Gerson, Chairperson, Department of Art History _____________________ Sally McRorie, Dean, School of Visual Arts and Dance The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of the thesis could not have been possible without the help and support of many individuals. First and for most I would like to thank my major professor, Dr. Cynthia Hahn, for her guidance at all levels of the process. She helped me to make the most out of my topic. Next, I would like to thank my other committee members Dr. Jack Freiberg and Dr. Paula Gerson for keeping me focused on the result. Specifically, I wish to thank Dr. Freiberg for assuming the role of a surrogate thesis director for me while Dr. Hahn was on sabbatical. His advice and leading questions helped to add a level of richness to my analysis I had not considered on my own. I would also like to thank my friends, family and fellow graduate students for their encouragement and support. Specifically, I wish to thank Lana Burgess, Ceil Bare, and Elizabeth A. Chapman. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………….. v Abstract ……………………………………………………..………………………….. vii INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………. 1 1. THE ICON’S STYLE AND PATRONAGE…………………………….…………………… 5 2. THE ORIGINAL LOCATION OF THE MADONNA DELLA CLEMENZA…………….….20 3. JOHN VII’s COMMISSIONS AND MARIAN DEVOTION IN ROME……………….…..30 CONCLUSION …………………………………………………..……………………….……40 APPENDIX: FIGURES ……………………..…………………………………………...……..41 REFERENCES …..…………………………………………………………………………….63 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH …………………………………………………………………...70 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The icon of the Madonna della Clemenza, Sta. Maria in Trastevere, Rome, 705-707 (© Scala / Art Resource, NY) .................................... Page 41 Figure 2: Photograph from the 1988 exhibition, De vera effigie Mariae, Rome (© Arte Fotografica, Rome) ................................................................ Page 42 Figure 3: St Matthew, Gospel Book of Ebbo (f 18v), Bibliothèque Municipale, Ms. 1, Epernay, France, 816-835 (© Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY)................................................. Page 43 Figure 4: Christ Enthroned, Lectionary of Godescalc (f 3r), Bibliothèque Nationale, Ms. lat. 1203, Paris, 781-783 (© Bibliothèque Nationale de France)............................................................................ Page 44 Figure 5: Maria Regina image from Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, c 570 (© ICCD, Rome).................................................................................. Page 45 Figure 6: Madonna della Clemenza before restoration (Wilpert, Sancta Maria Antiqua, 1910)................................................ Page 46 Figure 7: Apse mosaic, San Marco, Rome, ninth century (© ICCD, Rome) ...... Page 47 Figure 8: Detail of Grimaldi’s drawing of the Oratory of John VII (f 77r), 1619 (© Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana)..................................................... Page 48 Figure 9: Saint Anne with Mary, Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, 705 (© ICCD, Rome)................................................................................... Page 49 Figure 10: Christ Pantocrator between Constantine IX and Empress Zoë, Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, eleventh-century mosaic (© Vanni / Art Resource, NY)........................................................... Page 50 Figure 11: Maria Regina, mosaic from the Oratory of John VII at Saint Peter’s, Rome (now in the church of San Marco, Florence) (Belting, Likeness and Presence, 1994)............................................. Page 51 v Figure 12: Detail of Theodora with Attendants, from the mosaics at the church of San Vitale, Ravenna, mid sixth century (© Scala / Art Resource, NY) ............................................................ Page 52 Figure 13: Maria Regina flanked by donors, church of the Amphitheatre, Duress, Albania, mosaic, mid sixth century (©2002 AlbKristian.com) Page 53 Figure 14: Detail of Saint Agnes, apse mosaic, San Marco, Rome, ninth century (© ICCD, Rome)................................................................................ Page 54 Figure 15: Mosaics above the imperial door of Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, ninth century (© Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY) ........................ Page 55 Figure 16: Justinian II coin depicting Christ and the emperor, Constantinople, c 705 (Belting, Likeness and Presence, 1994) ................................... Page 56 Figure 17: Drawing of the Triclinium of Leo III from the Lateran Palace, Rome (drawing dates to the seventeenth century and the mosaic to 800).... Page 57 Figure 18: Widow Turtura, fresco, Comodilla Catacomb, Rome, c. 530 (© Foto Pontificia Commissione di Archeologia Sacra) ................... Page 58 Figure 19: Paschal I and the Virgin, apse of Santa Maria in Domnica, Rome, 817 (© Scala / Art Resource, NY) …………………............................... Page 59 Figure 20: Theodotus chapel, Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, eighth century (© ICCD, Rome)................................................................................ Page 60 Figure 21: Detail of the Adoration of the Magi from the Triumphal Arch in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, mosaic, sixth century (© Nimatallah / Art Resource, NY)................................................... Page 61 Figure 22: Detail of a niche showing Greek doctors, Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, fresco, seventh century (© ICCD, Rome) .............................. Page 62 vi ABSTRACT The medieval Roman icon, known as the Madonna della Clemenza (Santa Maria in Trastevere), is unusual for both its large size and its inclusion of a papal portrait. Debate over the age and patron of the icon has centered on the interpretation of two documents thought to refer to the image. In this thesis, the relevance and accuracy of these documents as a means of dating the icon is questioned, in part following the criticisms of Carlo Bertelli. Stylistic arguments put forth by Bertelli and others are also questioned in favor of the importance of iconographic evidence. In the first chapter, Pope John VII (707-707) is supported as the most logical patron of the icon based upon iconographic details. The most significant point concerns the similarity of Mary’s costume to other known commissions by John VII. The iconographic similarity the icon shares with other works is also explored in terms of the icon’s meaning. In a break with past scholarship, this thesis argues that the Madonna della Clemenza was commissioned for a papal palace. This idea is supported by a comparison with known palace decoration in Constantinople and Rome that share iconographic similarities with the icon. Finally, the possible meaning of the icon is discussed. Through a close examination of past scholars’ interpretations of a political motive for the icon’s creation, this paper suggests an alternative theory based upon the function of the icon to stimulate devotion. By connecting the icon’s creation to devotional practices in Rome during John’s lifetime, it is argued that the icon conflates Byzantine and Roman practices and is an early example of a new, devotional art. vii INTRODUCTION The image of the Virgin and child flanked by angels known as the Madonna della Clemenza (Fig. 1) enshrined in Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, is one of the five surviving medieval Marian icons in Rome. Today, these icons are highly treasured, both as religious images and art objects. The Madonna della Clemenza, which has been dated anywhere from the sixth century to ninth century, stands out among the group because, although not the oldest, it is by far the largest, measuring 164 by 116 cm (Fig. 2). In fact, it is larger than the majority of icons created in the medieval period. Furthermore in addition to its extraordinary size, the icon is quite unusual because it includes one of the earliest examples of a donor portrait of a pope. Rather than represented in the more traditional standing pose, the donor is depicted kneeling. Finally, the image of Mary is also unusual in that, by means of her dress, she is depicted as a royal figure. Existing literature has concentrated on disputed issues of style, date and possible patron without ever adequately treating those extraordinary characteristics. This thesis will argue that pope John VII (705 - 707) was the patron of the icon, that he intended to place the image in his papal palace and that the icon is an early and effective example of devotional art. The icon’s origin has been discussed by many scholars. The competing theories concerning the place and date of the icon’s creation are based
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