Trompe L’oeil : Mantegna’s Ceiling Masterpiece of di sotto in su’ Illusion

Text by Vincent DeLuise Author, Educator, Musician at amusicalvision.blogspot.com, Cultural Ambassador, Waterbury Symphony Orchestra

What a wonder of the Rinascimento is this ceiling!

Among the works of the great quattrocento genius Andrea Mantegna (1431 – 1506) is his brilliantly executed illusionistic ceiling, the Oculus, in the Camera degli Sposi (“bridal chamber”), also known as the Camera Picta (“painted chamber”).

The Oculus adorns the ceiling of that room in the Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace) in Mantova (Mantua), whose walls are also frescoed with illusionistic paintings.

Mantegna was the son-in-law of the artist Jacopo Bellini, the founder of the Venetian School, and thus, he became the brother-in-law of Giovanni Bellini. This was one of the most important and distinguished artistic relationships in the Rinascimento.

A student of Roman archeology Mantegna’s paintings have a certain sculptural quality, as seen, for example. in his Cristo Morte at the Brera a Milano, or his San Sebastiano al Louvre.

In the Oculus, we see extreme foreshortening using a “di sotto in su’ “ illusion technique.

We also see the di sotto in sù illusion in several ceiling frescoes by Correggio and Melozzo da Forlì. In fact, this technique is sometimes termed “la prospettiva melozziana” (Melozzo’s perspective).

The other main illusion technique is “quadratura”’ Illusion – see the works of Andrea del Pozzo for some fine examples)

As with most distortions, to perceive Mategna’s Oculus di sotto in sù illusion in its full glory, you have to stand in a specific spot, in this case, directly below the Oculus.

The effect of Mantegna’s illusionistic painting is that “ it is suggestive of a classical pavilion, complete with subtle shifts in vantage point that makes each fictive element of the illusion seem real to the viewer.”

“Created with sharp foreshortenings, the Oculus is ringed with figures looking down on the room below; a potted plant is precariously perched on its wooden support, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.”

Ya gotta also love those amoretti looking down at us looking up at them !

And that peacock !

High Resolution Image
https://commons.wikimedia.org/…/File:Andrea_Mantegna…

Reference:
http://www.travelingintuscany.com/…/cameradeglisposi.htm

This article is published on ArtAddict Galleria, where we explore the intersections of art, history, and culture. Stay tuned for more insights and discoveries!