Cortona and Martina: Crafting the devotional experience Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The artist and architect, Pietro da Cortona, born Pietro Berrettini (1597–1669), discovered the remains of St. Martina in the foundations of her church in the Roman forum, the new seat of the artistic academy, the Academia di S. Luca, during his tenure as principe. Cortona renovated the upper church with the patronage of Urban VIII Barberini, but he deigned, built, and paid for the lower church, where he built a confessio dedicated to St. Martina. Cortona named St. Martina and her confessio as his universal heirs, which has prompted scholars to overlook the importance of the confessio as an expression of the artist’s piety and attributing it instead to self-aggrandizement.

St. Martina’s role in Cortona’s life and artistic career, however, extends beyond this church and merits more than a passing anecdote. This thesis gathers and analyzes Cortona’s artworks dedicated to St. Martina and analyzes them through the lens of Cortona’s devotion as recorded in his vita by Francesco Saverio Baldinucci (1663–1738). Specifically, it examines Cortona’s discovery of St. Martina’s remains and their procession to the newly rebuilt and rededicated church SS. Luca e Martina on the Roman forum. It considers the bronze works that included the altar and reliquary, the paintings, and the architecture of the confessio.  

In the confessio, Cortona created a secluded space where St. Martina’s devotees withdrew from the terrestrial world and entered an image of the celestial realm signaling St. Martina’s dual presence on earth and in Paradise. Here, he provided all the necessary components to venerate St. Martina and crafted the devotional experience through his art and architecture. Cortona was more than the architect of the confessio; he was the architect of St. Martina’s cult, which he revived and promoted through this space.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1

Review of the Literature.................................................................................................................. 2

Modern Scholarship...................................................................................................................... 3

Cortona’s Biographers................................................................................................................... 9

History of Saint Martina and her Church.................................................................................... 12

Cortona’s Acts of Devotion............................................................................................................ 17

The Invention, Exposition, and Translation of St. Martina’s Remains....................................... 17

Cortona’s Will............................................................................................................................ 22

St. Martina’s Feast Day Celebrations.......................................................................................... 24

Cortona’s Art Dedicated to St. Martina.......................................................................................... 29

Metal Works: Reliquary and Altar.............................................................................................. 31

Paintings..................................................................................................................................... 39

The Architecture of the Confessio: Baroque and Early Christian................................................ 43

Dynamic Space, Created Experience.......................................................................................... 47

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 49

Figures............................................................................................................................................ 51

Bibliography................................................................................................................................... 82

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Art History
Degree	M.A.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Design and Decorative Arts Art History History, European
Keyword	Pietro da Cortona Martina reliquary St. Martina martyr confessio
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dr. Sarah McPhee, PhD, Emory University
Committee Members	Dr. Eric R. Varner, PhD, Emory University Dr. C. Jean Campbell, PhD, Emory University

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