Perugino's Sistine Chapel Altarpiece: The Papal Liturgy and Pope Sixtus IV's Promotion of the Marian Cult

This article presents the first sustained study of Pietro Perugino's destroyed “Assumption of the Virgin” altarpiece commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV for the Sistine Chapel. My analysis reconstructs the frescoed altarpiece's ritual setting and relates it to imagery associated with Sixtus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Renaissance quarterly 2024-07, Vol.77 (2), p.335-388
Main Author: Kuziow, Shannon E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Imagery
Liturgy
Popes
Rites & ceremonies
Sixtus IV (Pope) (1414-1484)
Theology
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This article presents the first sustained study of Pietro Perugino's destroyed “Assumption of the Virgin” altarpiece commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV for the Sistine Chapel. My analysis reconstructs the frescoed altarpiece's ritual setting and relates it to imagery associated with Sixtus's promotion of the controversial Immaculate Conception feast. The altarpiece's ties to the Immaculate Virgin intensified during the 1483 Assumption feast, which marked the chapel's inauguration. The Assumption represented a salient event in Rome's liturgical calendar, and I demonstrate how the altarpiece allowed Sixtus to temporarily expand a local communal feast to include an expression of papal privilege and authority.
ISSN:0034-4338
1935-0236
DOI:10.1017/rqx.2024.103