Bramante “petrarchesco”. Riflessioni sul fregio maggiore dell’incisione Prevedari

In the major frieze that decorates the left side of the ruined temple where is set the main episode of the Prevedari Print (Milan, 1481) it is possible to recognize a sequence of three Triumphs – of Fame, Death and probably Love – derived from Petrarch’s popular oeuvre. The presence of a modern decoration in an overall antiquarian composition offers the opportunity for an in-depth analysis of Bramante’s figurative and literary culture before his arrival in Milan and during his stay in the city, comparing his work with earlier examples that could have influenced the artist’s invention. Today the meaning of such erudite details is hard to understand: already from the years immediately following the publication of the print, their sense had been misinterpreted, as several arbitrary transpositions in various artistic fields during the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century confirm.