Floored! Papal Pavement Choices: 1492-1521
McDonald, Mackenzie Elizabeth
McDonald, Mackenzie Elizabeth
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Abstract
The pavements chosen for the Apostolic Palace by Popes Alexander VI, Julius II, and Leo X during the period of 1492 to 1521 will be examined. These choices in papal pavements, between cosmatesque and maiolica, are set against the backdrop of rapidly changing architectural taste in pre-Sack Rome defined by the resurgence of antiquity in the form of spoliation and the popularization of the grotesque. Although the genre of architectural terracotta was not new, it was expanded upon and popularized as European maiolica reached new technological heights. Thus, the decisive choice to pave palace rooms with maiolica tiles is one that demonstrates the taste of the elite and the worldliness of the pope as influenced by expanding global trade networks. The pavements of the Roman palazzi inhabited by the popes prior to their ascension will be analyzed alongside those of the Apostolic Palace to gain a greater understanding of tastes in pavements.
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Master of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2025.
Date
2025
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Italian mural painting and decoration, Renaissance mural painting and decoration
Citation
McDonald, Mackenzie Elizabeth. "Floored! Papal Pavement Choices: 1492-1521". Master's Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.