The Parnassus of the Montefeltro

Investigations into the musico-pictorial program of the Tempietto delle Muse in Urbino

Abstract

The cycle of paintings, originally intended for the Tempietto delle Muse in the Ducal Palace of Urbino—likely commissioned around 1480 by Federico da Montefeltro and completed during the reign of Guidobaldo, dismantled in 1631, partially scattered, and long neglected by scholars—has been restored and thoroughly examined in recent years. This has opened up new research perspectives and approaches to interpretation. Despite the lack of contemporary documents concerning the project’s conception, there is no doubt that the decision to dedicate a small shrine to the Muses and ancient deities, structurally linked as a twin to the Cappellina del Perdono, is connected to a sophisticated program strongly influenced by Neoplatonic and Ficinian thought. Taking into account recent findings, this article proposes a comprehensive reinterpretation of the program, first evidence for the iconographic theme of the musical Muses in a courtly context, based on the reconstruction of the conceptual, iconographic, and musical genealogy of the eight surviving panels depicting Apollo Musagete and the Muses (now in the Galleria Corsini, Florence). The text then focuses on two figures depicted in the lost paintings, which have been neglected by previous scholarship: Minerva, which confirms the clear Ficinian as well as ‘Federician’ impact on the cycle, and an undefined figure identifiable with poetry; as ‘friend of the Muses’ and ‘sacred guardian of Parnassus,’ the latter proves to be key to interpreting the overall program.

https://www.lim.it/it/imago/7096-imago-musicae-xxxiv-97855435024.html#/2-tipo_prodotto-libro