Work

Perugino's Sistine Chapel Altarpiece: The Papal Liturgy and Pope Sixtus IV's Promotion of the Marian Cult

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This article presents the first sustained study of Pietro Perugino's destroyed "Assumption of the Virgin" altarpiece commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV for the Sistine Chapel.My analysis reconstructs the frescoed altarpiece's ritual setting and relates it to imagery associated with Sixtus's promotion of the controversial Immaculate Conception feast.The altarpiece's ties to the Immaculate Virgin intensified during the 1483 Assumption feast, which marked the chapel's inauguration.The Assumption represented a salient event in Rome's liturgical calendar, and I demonstrate how the altarpiece allowed Sixtus to temporarily expand a local communal feast to include an expression of papal privilege and authority.The research for this article

Source: Renaissance Quarterly

DOI: 10.1017/rqx.2024.103

Author: Shannon E. Kuziow

Institution: The University of Melbourne

Language: English

Topic: Historical and Religious Studies of Rome

Subfield: History

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

Funder: Australian Research Council