Following the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204 and Francis of Assisi’s mission to Egypt in 1219-1220, the Franciscan Order rapidly expanded across the eastern Mediterranean. Its missionary activity extended well beyond Crusader-controlled areas, facilitated by figures such as Elias of Cortona, who also played a prominent role in the international diplomacy of the period. The discovery of the fresco cycle depicting the Life of Saint Francis in the Kalenderhane Camii in Constantinople attests to the extent of Franciscan integration into Byzantine society and their participation in the transregional artistic culture often referred to as “Crusader art”. This dynamic also involved the movement of portable artworks and relics to central Italy, especially Umbria, where key Franciscan institutions likely became vital nodes in the circulation of Byzantine material culture. Although very few physical objects survive, archival sources allow for a partial reconstruction of these exchanges. The Treasury of San Francesco in Assisi, established at the time of the basilica’s foundation and enriched by prestigious donations from leading European patrons, served as an important destination for such imports. Despite later dispersals, medieval inventories record significant gifts from the Latin court of Constantinople, including relics of the True Cross, embroidered textiles, and other liturgical objects, attesting to the Order’s involvement in devotional and diplomatic networks across the Mediterranean. The Franciscans’ capacity to appropriate and recontextualize these imports is exemplified by a composite reliquary preserved in the Museo della Porziuncola. This artifact, which incorporates ivory plaques from one or more Byzantine ‘rosette’ caskets, demonstrates the creative adaptation of Eastern objects for new liturgical and commemorative functions. The impact of these imported pieces is also apparent in some artworks from the Umbrian Franciscan milieu which, though executed locally, display a clear debt to Byzantine models. A notable example is a pair of parchment drawings depicting Saints Chrysanthus and Tiburtius, mounted on a reliquary tabernacle in the Museo Civico of Gubbio and traditionally attributed to Cimabue. With their explicit references to Byzantine courtly attire and devotional imagery, these drawings underscore the profound impact of Eastern visual culture in Franciscan contexts and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of intercultural artistic dynamics in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century central Italy.
In seguito alla conquista latina di Costantinopoli nel 1204 e alla missione di Francesco d’Assisi in Egitto nel 1219-1220, l’Ordine francescano conobbe una rapida espansione nel Mediterraneo orientale. La sua attività missionaria si estese ben oltre le aree controllate dai crociati, favorita da figure come Elia da Cortona, che svolse anche un ruolo di primo piano nella diplomazia internazionale del periodo. La scoperta del ciclo di affreschi raffigurante la Vita di san Francesco nella Kalenderhane Camii di Costantinopoli attesta il grado di integrazione dei francescani nella società bizantina e la loro partecipazione a quella cultura artistica transregionale spesso definita “arte crociata”. Questa dinamica comportò anche lo spostamento di opere d’arte mobili e reliquie verso l’Italia centrale, in particolare l’Umbria, dove importanti istituzioni francescane divennero verosimilmente snodi essenziali nella circolazione della cultura materiale bizantina. Sebbene sopravvivano pochissimi oggetti, le fonti archivistiche consentono una parziale ricostruzione di tali scambi. Il Tesoro di San Francesco ad Assisi, istituito al momento della fondazione della basilica e arricchito da prestigiose donazioni di importanti personalità europee, costituì una destinazione significativa per queste importazioni. Nonostante le successive dispersioni, gli inventari medievali registrano doni rilevanti provenienti dalla corte latina di Costantinopoli, tra cui reliquie della Vera Croce, tessuti ricamati e altri oggetti liturgici, attestando il coinvolgimento dell’Ordine in reti devozionali e diplomatiche estese attraverso tutto il Mediterraneo. La capacità dei Francescani di appropriarsi di tali importazioni e di ricontestualizzarle è esemplificata da un reliquiario composito conservato nel Museo della Porziuncola. Questo manufatto, che incorpora placche eburnee provenienti da una o più cassette bizantine “a rosette”, dimostra l’adattamento creativo di oggetti orientali a nuove funzioni liturgiche e commemorative. L’impatto di questi oggetti emerge anche in alcune opere dell’ambiente francescano umbro che, pur eseguite localmente, rivelano un evidente debito nei confronti dei modelli bizantini. Un esempio particolarmente significativo è costituito da una coppia di disegni su pergamena raffiguranti i santi Crisanto e Tiburzio, montati su un tabernacolo-reliquiario del Museo Civico di Gubbio e tradizionalmente attribuiti a Cimabue. Con i loro espliciti riferimenti all’abbigliamento di corte bizantino e all’immaginario devozionale orientale, questi disegni sottolineano il profondo impatto della cultura visiva orientale nei contesti francescani e contribuiscono a una comprensione più sfumata delle dinamiche artistiche interculturali nell’Italia centrale tra XIII e XIV secolo.
Percorsi francescani per gli oggetti bizantini in Italia: uno sguardo sull'Umbria
Gasbarri, G.
2025
Abstract
Following the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204 and Francis of Assisi’s mission to Egypt in 1219-1220, the Franciscan Order rapidly expanded across the eastern Mediterranean. Its missionary activity extended well beyond Crusader-controlled areas, facilitated by figures such as Elias of Cortona, who also played a prominent role in the international diplomacy of the period. The discovery of the fresco cycle depicting the Life of Saint Francis in the Kalenderhane Camii in Constantinople attests to the extent of Franciscan integration into Byzantine society and their participation in the transregional artistic culture often referred to as “Crusader art”. This dynamic also involved the movement of portable artworks and relics to central Italy, especially Umbria, where key Franciscan institutions likely became vital nodes in the circulation of Byzantine material culture. Although very few physical objects survive, archival sources allow for a partial reconstruction of these exchanges. The Treasury of San Francesco in Assisi, established at the time of the basilica’s foundation and enriched by prestigious donations from leading European patrons, served as an important destination for such imports. Despite later dispersals, medieval inventories record significant gifts from the Latin court of Constantinople, including relics of the True Cross, embroidered textiles, and other liturgical objects, attesting to the Order’s involvement in devotional and diplomatic networks across the Mediterranean. The Franciscans’ capacity to appropriate and recontextualize these imports is exemplified by a composite reliquary preserved in the Museo della Porziuncola. This artifact, which incorporates ivory plaques from one or more Byzantine ‘rosette’ caskets, demonstrates the creative adaptation of Eastern objects for new liturgical and commemorative functions. The impact of these imported pieces is also apparent in some artworks from the Umbrian Franciscan milieu which, though executed locally, display a clear debt to Byzantine models. A notable example is a pair of parchment drawings depicting Saints Chrysanthus and Tiburtius, mounted on a reliquary tabernacle in the Museo Civico of Gubbio and traditionally attributed to Cimabue. With their explicit references to Byzantine courtly attire and devotional imagery, these drawings underscore the profound impact of Eastern visual culture in Franciscan contexts and contribute to a more nuanced understanding of intercultural artistic dynamics in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century central Italy.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
