Arcus Triumphalem. Auctoritas vs. Renovatio nella Roma del IX secolo

Is there a medieval Humanism -according to the definition developed by Burckhardt for Humanism-? Is there a Medieval Renaissance -according to the definition developed by Panofsky for Renaissance-? Trying to shed light on this question inevitably requires questioning the matrix from which both ideas arise. But it would be almost irresponsible, foolish probably, to try to answer this question articulately in the lines that follow. I will try, therefore, simply to question some of the aspects involving the relationship between them and the ninth-century city of Rome, aware of the fact that, from the fifteenth century onward -because of the consciousness with which it was coined by its creators- and from the nineteenth century onward -because of the nascent historiography-,’Renaissance’ and ‘Humanism’ have become the backbone holding up the body of art history.

To address this topic, we will begin by presenting a practical case: the relationship between the Arch of Constantine (Rome; 315) and the triumphal arch of Santa Prassede on the Esquiline Hill (Rome; 817). This is a relationship that could have been presented in terms of Carolingian “rebirth” or “renovatio.” In the second part, we will discuss the meaning of these expressions in a medieval context and in relation to both arches.