Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes
Of all the early modern depictions of Diana and Actaeon, one of the most unusual is located in a small room inside the Rocca Sanvitale, the castle of Fontanellato in northern Italy. On the ceiling, Parmigianino frescoed scenes featuring the Ovidian tale. While much of the imagery is typical of the p...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eum edizioni università di macerata
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| Online Access: | http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3289 |
| _version_ | 1797337592603082752 |
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| author | Caroline Koncz |
| author_facet | Caroline Koncz |
| author_sort | Caroline Koncz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Of all the early modern depictions of Diana and Actaeon, one of the most unusual is located in a small room inside the Rocca Sanvitale, the castle of Fontanellato in northern Italy. On the ceiling, Parmigianino frescoed scenes featuring the Ovidian tale. While much of the imagery is typical of the period, the most famous scene from the myth, in which the goddess Diana catches Actaeon beholding her nude form, is strikingly less so. This article provides an alternative reading of the ceiling’s iconography, one that considers how the room’s patron, Paola Gonzaga, might have interacted with the frescoes. Through the use of methodologies such as gender and sexuality studies and iconography, I argue here that Parmigianino’s imagery was specifically crafted for a female beholder, Gonzaga, granting her the ability to not only identify with the figures depicted, receiving moral instruction from them, but also sensually enjoy them in private. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:15:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-17003c06baff4e77a97d272779e47b5c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-2362 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:15:50Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | eum edizioni università di macerata |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-17003c06baff4e77a97d272779e47b5c2024-01-31T15:05:58Zengeum edizioni università di macerataIl Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage2039-23622024-01-010029332610.13138/2039-2362/32892397Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato FrescoesCaroline Koncz0Angelo State UniversityOf all the early modern depictions of Diana and Actaeon, one of the most unusual is located in a small room inside the Rocca Sanvitale, the castle of Fontanellato in northern Italy. On the ceiling, Parmigianino frescoed scenes featuring the Ovidian tale. While much of the imagery is typical of the period, the most famous scene from the myth, in which the goddess Diana catches Actaeon beholding her nude form, is strikingly less so. This article provides an alternative reading of the ceiling’s iconography, one that considers how the room’s patron, Paola Gonzaga, might have interacted with the frescoes. Through the use of methodologies such as gender and sexuality studies and iconography, I argue here that Parmigianino’s imagery was specifically crafted for a female beholder, Gonzaga, granting her the ability to not only identify with the figures depicted, receiving moral instruction from them, but also sensually enjoy them in private.http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3289 |
| spellingShingle | Caroline Koncz Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| title | Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes |
| title_full | Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes |
| title_fullStr | Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes |
| title_short | Identification and Transgressive Gazing: Paola Gonzaga’s Fontanellato Frescoes |
| title_sort | identification and transgressive gazing paola gonzaga s fontanellato frescoes |
| url | http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3289 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carolinekoncz identificationandtransgressivegazingpaolagonzagasfontanellatofrescoes |