icOnOGraFie ViTruViane: il MOTiVO Dell’aTlanTe e la cOnOscenza Del de arChiteCtura nel MeDiOeVO

Abstract

Vitruvius’ De architectura is a treatise with a strong figurative
character and interesting insights on myth and legend, as it’s
shown into passages regarding the anthropomorphic support and
both its architectural and decorative use. Those passages not only
examine the etymological origins, but also build a narrative of the
genesis and the spreading of the iconographic theme, portrayed as a
reminder of righteousness. In this article I will consider the importance
of Vitruvius’ revival during the Middle Ages: could the revival
of his oeuvre provide a reason to create sculptures in the form of
telamons? Or, instead, is Vitruvius to be considered the witness of
an iconographic awareness that the citizens of the Empire shared?