The symbolism of Poland and its rulers in the Dichiaratione dell’arco fatto in Padova nella venuta della Serenissima Reina Bona di Polonia

The purpose of this article is to analyse the symbolism concerning Poland and the reigning house of the Jagellonian dynasty, represented, together with various symbols of other institutions, in a temporary triumphal arch, created in 1556 on the occasion of the arrival of Queen Bona Sforza in Padua. The city authorities asked Alessandro Maggi, a Paduan scholar and collector of antiquities, to take charge of the arch, designed by the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli, and to provide it with a symbolic-decorative apparatus. In order to immortalize the event, Maggi decided to write, in the form of an open letter, and to give to the press Dichiaratione dell’arco fatto in Padova nella venuta della Serenissima Reina Bona di Polonia, a chronicle in which he not only narrated Bona’s stay in the lands of the Venetian Republic and the festive procession that took place in Padua, but also meticulously described the structure of the arch, explaining, at least in part, its symbolism. In particular, the iconographic and iconological analysis of the allegorical representations and selected inscriptions will allow us to understand his level of knowledge of the realm of which Bona Sforza, consort of Sigismund I, had been queen for almost forty years, as well as what meanings Maggi ‒ through personal interpretations and the application of his profound knowledge of the ancient Roman world to the era contemporary to him ‒ intended to convey to onlookers.

The purpose of this article is to analyse the symbolism concerning Poland and the reigning house of the Jagellonian dynasty, represented, together with various symbols of other institutions, in a temporary triumphal arch, created in 1556 on the occasion of the arrival of Queen Bona Sforza in Padua. The city authorities asked Alessandro Maggi, a Paduan scholar and collector of antiquities, to take charge of the arch, designed by the Veronese architect Michele Sanmicheli, and to provide it with a symbolic-decorative apparatus. In order to immortalize the event, Maggi decided to write, in the form of an open letter, and to give to the press Dichiaratione dell’arco fatto in Padova nella venuta della Serenissima Reina Bona di Polonia, a chronicle in which he not only narrated Bona’s stay in the lands of the Venetian Republic and the festive procession that took place in Padua, but also meticulously described the structure of the arch, explaining, at least in part, its symbolism. In particular, the iconographic and iconological analysis of the allegorical representations and selected inscriptions will allow us to understand his level of knowledge of the realm of which Bona Sforza, consort of Sigismund I, had been queen for almost forty years, as well as what meanings Maggi ‒ through personal interpretations and the application of his profound knowledge of the ancient Roman world to the era contemporary to him ‒ intended to convey to onlookers.