St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • Art History (School of)
  • Art History
  • Art History Theses
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Meaning in the allegories painted by Mantegna for Isabella d'Este : a study in the context of Gonzaga patronage and Mantegna's career

Thumbnail
View/Open
GordonMarshallBeamishMPhilThesis.pdf (26.50Mb)
Date
1997
Author
Beamish, Gordon Marshall
Supervisor
Kemp, Martin
Humfrey, Peter
Funder
Gapper Foundation
University of St Andrews
Elizabeth Gilmore Holt Scholarship
Metadata
Show full item record
Altmetrics Handle Statistics
Abstract
This Thesis attempts to demonstrate that the themes behind Andrea Mantegna's Parnassus and The Triumph of Virtue drew mainly upon the more arcane aspects of astrology and the cosmos that were dealt with by Marsilio Ficino and by Pico della Mirandola,and which were incorporated into the invenzione drawn up by Paride da Ceresara for the paintings. The examination of the relevant passages from Ficino's translations and editions of the Corpus Hermeticum and of the Asclepius, and from Pico della Mirandola's Conelusiones Magicae and Conelusiones Cabalisticae indicates that Mantegna has depicted two symbolic worlds and that the enlightened soul passes from the lower earthly state shown in The Triumph of Virtue to the higher Ogdoadic state presented in the Parnassus. For the invenzioni, paride de Ceresara grafted the main Hermetic-Cabbalistic theme with congenial literary sources, both contemporary and from the Antique. It is especially the case that aspects of Ciceronian rhetoric played a crucial role in reconciling and satisfying the strategic and inventorist tendencies in Isabella d'Este's thought. Thus it was that the paintings were meant to be read conjointly as a fluent visual essay in Hermetic-Cabbalistic teaching, clothed in an all' antica guise. Throughout this Thesis the approach has been that of an examination of the states of mind of Mantegna, of his Gonzaga patrons and especially that of Isabella d'Este. A comprehensive selection of primary documents has been important in this matter. The Parnassus and The Triumph of Virtue are the result of the mental approach of Mantegna, Paride da Ceresara and Isabella d'Este, with Mantegna displaying his skill and experience in portraying conflated ideas through visual compositions of gestural subtlety using motifs of authentic Antique origin.
Type
Thesis, MPhil Master of Philosophy
Collections
  • Art History Theses
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/15317

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter