False Religion and Hypocrisy in Signorelli's Antichrist

This article discusses the iconography of Luca Signorelli's Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist ( c. 1502–3) in the Cappella Nuova at the cathedral of Orvieto. A combined investigation of the Antichrist's subject matter, Signorelli's literary and visual sources, as well as his discarde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in church history 2024-06, Vol.60, p.121-147
Main Author: Gravanis, Konstantinos
Format: Article
Language:eng ; fre
Subjects:
Angelico, Fra (ca 1400-1455)
Christianity
Eschatology
Iconography
Men
Sermons
Theology
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article discusses the iconography of Luca Signorelli's Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist ( c. 1502–3) in the Cappella Nuova at the cathedral of Orvieto. A combined investigation of the Antichrist's subject matter, Signorelli's literary and visual sources, as well as his discarded drawings for the entire fresco decoration of the Cappella Nuova, brings fresh insights to the thematic intentions of the artist and his advisers. Signorelli's entire view of eschatology marked a renewed interest of Italian artists in the apocalyptic sublime. It also signified a revival of the medieval tradition of the Antichrist as the arch-hypocrite, and his reign as an apocalyptic age of hypocrisy. At the same time, the artist's treatment of the subject matter indicates an ambiguous stance toward religious hypocrisy characterized by a suppression of the anti-clerical and millenarian aspects of the Antichrist myth.
ISSN:0424-2084
2059-0644
DOI:10.1017/stc.2024.6