Appel à Communication : The Iconography of Ancient Philosophers of the 17th Century in Italy

Luca Giordano, Philosophe cynique, XVIIe siècle, huile sur toile, 131 x 103 cm, Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen

Type : Appel à communication
Date de la journée d’étude : 20 janvier 2017
Date limite d’envoi des propositions : 31 juillet 2016
Lieu : Rome, Istituto Storico Austriaco
Organisation : Andrea Battistini, Luca Bianchi, Christopher R. Marshall, Amedeo Quondam, Stéphane Toussaint, Sebastian Schütze, Caterina Volpi.

Starting with the pioneering contributions of Delphine Fitz Darby (Ribera and the Blind Men, in: The Art Bulletin, 39, 1957; Ribera and the Wise Men, in: The Art Bulletin, 44, 1962); and with the important monographic contribution of Oreste Ferrari (L’iconografia dei filosofi antichi nella pittura del sec. XVII in Italia, in: Storia dell’Arte, 57, 1986) the theme of the iconography of ancient philosophers in the XVIIth century has been progressively studied more thoroughly. Recent scholarship on many painters who were active during the baroque period has rekindled interest in this area of inquiry and shed new light on this particular iconographical problem in a number of their works (see especially the examples of Salvator Rosa, Jusepe de Ribera, Luca Giordano, Pietro Testa, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and Pietro della Vecchia). Moreover studies on single cycles of ancient philosophers have added new elements to the discussion of the close relationship between painters and patrons. Nevertheless, a true interdisciplinary discussion, with the ambition of examining the topic in a systematic way, is still an area requiring further study. In order to understand the iconographical complexities of this genre, this conference seeks to include contributions with a focus on connoisseurship, as well as reflections on the geographical distribution of the paintings, the relationship to ancient models, and the representation of ancient philosophers and saints in previous periods (Middle Ages, Renaissance).

Fundamental to this discussion will be the history of collecting these works in relation to the cultural choices of their owners, as well as the history of editing philosophical texts and contemporary debates in this period. A systematic analysis of these crucial issues will contribute to a better understanding of the rise and great popularity of the iconography of ancient philosophers in the XVII century.

Scientific Committee: Andrea Battistini, Luca Bianchi, Christopher R. Marshall, Amedeo Quondam, Stéphane Toussaint, Sebastian Schütze, Caterina Volpi.

This international conference is organized by Stefan Albl (Bibliotheca Hertziana) and Francesco Lofano (Bari University “A Moro”) and will take place at the Istituto Storico Austriaco in Rome on 20.01.2017.

Historians, art historians, and historians of philosophy and literature are invited to send an abstract and a short curriculum vitae to albl@biblhertz.it and fralofano@libero.it  by 31.7.2016. The selected lecturers will receive detailed information on accommodations via e-mail.