Art in the public eye

5.7 Symbols of power

Sculptural or architectural forms that drew on antique prototypes were often employed to convey the power and authority of particular regimes or individual rulers. In 1443 Alfonso V of Aragon claimed Naples by force (becoming King Alfonso I of Naples). The following year he started rebuilding the Castelnuovo fortress and in 1452 work began on the construction of a triumphal arch, under the supervision of a team that included Francesco Laurana ( d .1502), one of the most influential sculptors of the period working in southern Italy. The arch contains a frieze depicting the victorious Alfonso, on a horse-drawn chariot, with a procession, including Tunisian, Florentine and Catalan contingents. More recent scholarship has shown that Naples not only looked to antiquity but also to a global material culture to show its power. In particular, the collections of the Aragonese in Naples showcased a global range of goods, from Chinese porcelain to Mamluk (Syrian) rugs, as a marker of its cosmopolitanism and an indication of Naples as a global centre of trade and diplomacy.

A building with three large round crenelated towers. Between two of the towers there is a lavishly decorated white wall entrance with two large arches, a larger one at ground level and a second one above. At the top of the second arch there is a row of statues in niches, and above that a semi-circular roof line topped by a standing statue. The white, lavish arch contrasts with the darker, and probably older adjacent wall and towers. — Castelnuovo fortress and triumphal arch, Naples

Panther Media GmbH / Alamy

Group activity: Triumphal arch

Detail of the space above the lower arch on the building which depicts a relief carving of a procession of people and a figure riding in a chariot. — attrib. Pere Joan, Pietro di Martino da Milano, Francesco Laurana, Domenico Gaggini and others, *Arch of Alfonso I*, (procession detail), c.1453-67, Naples

Leah R. Clark

Detail of the space above the lower arch on the building which depicts a procession of people and a figure riding in a chariot. — attrib. Pere Joan, Pietro di Martino da Milano, Francesco Laurana, Domenico Gaggini and others, *Arch of Alfonso I*, (procession detail with Tunisians (around right column on the left) and Alfonso I d’Aragona on his triumphal cart (right)), c.1453-67, Naples

Sailko / licensed under CC BY 3.0

Read pp. 197-200 (‘Alfonso Looks North’). Like many examples of Renaissance art and architecture, the triumphal arch draws on classical precedents in both form and style.

Look at images of the completed arch and Pisanello’s design (Figures 7.11-2 in Italian Renaissance Art) and identify the differences in styles. What changes were made between the sketch and the final version?
What symbols are employed to extol Alfonso’s power?
Why might Alfonso want to appropriate the image of Rome? Why might he want to show a range of ambassadors from across the Mediterranean on his arch?

Post your thoughts on the Triumphal arch forum. Read the posts by your fellow students and respond to at least one of them.