A new essay in both English and German versions has been added to the Census research blog, Verso: ‘Forgery, Imitation, Emulation: the Creation of Antiquity in the Renaissance’ / ‘Fakt und Fake: Eine Antike neuzeitlicher Kreation’ by Census student assistant Jorinde Lea Miller.
The Census database links Renaissance-era drawings and documents with the ancient works they reference, exploring how these connections shaped Early Modern art and antiquarianism. However, objects that are not antique, but were believed to be, or represented as antique during the Renaissance were traditionally excluded from the database. The Census data model left out such works, focusing strictly on authentic ancient monuments. However, the 2023 database revision expanded the definition of ‘Antique Monument’ to include objects regarded as antique in the Renaissance. This shift reflects the evolving understanding of antiquity as a relative concept, emphasizing reception over absolute authenticity. In the future the Census database will make more extensive use of its dual-dating system, which distinguishes between Renaissance-era perceptions of an object’s ‘antiquity’ and modern archaeological assessments.
Miller’s essay considers examples from this ‘grey zone’, such as a sixteenth-century Sleeping Eros in Turin, to highlight the complexity of the categories of antique and modern. Once considered a Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, the sculpture is now dated to the 16th century. Following the new Census data model, it is included in the database due to its Renaissance representation as an ‘antique’. Similarly, Miller explores a restored, pseudo-Vitellius bust in Turin that reflects the Renaissance practice of reworking antique portraits based on the model of the ‘Grimani Vitellius’.
By including such works, Miller’s essay asserts, the Census captures a broader picture of Renaissance art and collecting, illustrating how Early Modern artists and antiquarians engaged with, reimagined, and even fabricated antiquity. This approach acknowledges multiple historical perspectives, enriching the study of Renaissance reception of classical art and offering insights into the artistic dynamics of the period.
Miller also offers details of recent collaborations with Christiane Vorster at the University of Bonn, and Ortolf and Friederike Harl, who run the project ‘Ubi erat lupa’.
