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Magnificence, Dignity, and the Sociopolitical Function of Architectural Ornament: Cortesi's Discussion of the Cardinal's Architectural Patronage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 April 2023

Nele de Raedt Open the ORCID record for Nele de Raedt [Opens in a new window]
Nele de Raedt*
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Université catholique de Louvain
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Abstract

By concentrating on Paolo Cortesi's discussion of the cardinal's architectural patronage in “De Cardinalatu Libri Tres” (1510), this article shows how Cortesi considered the construction of a sumptuous residence not as a sign of “magnificence” (“magnificentia”) but as a necessary operation to establish “dignity” (“dignitas”). Cortesi thus distinguished between the ethical and political-aesthetic dimension of magnificence, defining virtuous patronage in terms of honoring God and being of service, and sumptuous display as a means to acquire authority. This distinction also sheds new light on Cortesi's treatment of the exterior architectural ornament that should be applied to the cardinal's residence.

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Renaissance Quarterly , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , Spring 2023 , pp. 1 - 38
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Renaissance Society of America

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Footnotes

This article results from my doctoral research at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Ghent University and the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, Max-Planck-Institut, and was additionally supported by the Academia Belgica and the Belgian Historical Institute in Rome. I would like to thank Maarten Delbeke, Anne-Françoise Morel, Alessandro Nova, Brigitte Sölch, and Hannah Gründler for their continuous support, and Elizabeth Merrill and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback on this text.

References

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