Putti e spiritelli

The volume tells the story of the long-lasting and multifaceted legacy of the series of Julio-Claudian reliefs known as the Ravenna Thrones, even if not all of them can be attributed to this city with certainty. Although their actual archaeological function continues to raise questions, the Thrones likely formed the base of one or more monumental altars commissioned by the emperor. Displayed since the Middle Ages in distant and often unexpected locations—from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, to Piazza San Marco and the Church of the Miracoli in Venice, from Palazzo Trinci in Foligno, to Villa Medici in Rome, as well as in the collections of Lorenzo the Magnificent in Florence and the Royal Collections of France, all the way to the Baptistery of Biella—over the centuries the Thrones captured the attention of writers and travelers, who considered them rare masterpieces by the Greek sculptors Phidias, Praxiteles, and Polykleitos. Above all, they have always fascinated artists—starting with Donatello, Titian, and Raphael—who drew inspiration from studying them to develop the iconography of the putto or spiritello, which would go on to profoundly shape Renaissance art.