L’iconografia dei Viri Illustres nella Cappella di San Brizio del Duomo di Orvieto
Rebecca Caracciolo
The Cortona painter Luca Signorelli achieved the masterpiece of his career with the cycle of frescoes in the chapel of San Brizio in Orvieto Cathedral. The decoration is divided in two main registers: the upper one, where Signorelli depicted different episodes of the Last Judgement, and the lower one, where it is possible to find portraits of famous ancient poets, with splendid panels decorated with grotesques in the background. It is difficult to understand the identity of these poets, as they are anonymous. All these characters are surrounded by monochrome scenes, depicting mythical and historical episodes narrated in their literary works. However, some scenes are too vague to be interpreted, while others depict myths told in the works of several ancient poets. This is why for centuries art historians have been fascinated by the study of these portraits and have speculated on their identity. In this article, some theories about the poets’ recognition are reviewed and, at the same time, personal theories are elaborated. These new proposals are based on direct and indirect research of iconographic, literary, historical and cultural sources, as well as on the survey of the chapel of San Brizio, and on the relationship of the poets with the figurative – and thematic – context of the frescoes in the upper register.