Album di una dinastia feudale del Mezzogiorno. Modelli iconografici e peculiarità dei ritratti dei Carafa di Roccella

The intervention focuses on the production of portraits that characterized the Carafa dynasty from Roccella. Starting from Aldimari’s fundamental work, in which the biography of each member of the dynasty is accompanied by a portrait, we will try to think about the iconographic evolution that took place over the centuries of the modern age. Among the male figures who have marked the visual history of this family, a special place is occupied by Gregorio, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, who already in his lifetime became a famous face and was repeatedly the subject of works of art. Particular attention is then dedicated to the female sphere and therefore to the effigies of some women who played an important role not only for the dynasty: Ippolita Cantelmo Stuart, wife of the fifth prince of Roccella, whose Solimenesque portrait hides an interesting reference to her esoteric interests; Livia Doria, wife of the 7th prince, whose sharp silhouette has been celebrated in paintings, busts and engravings; the sisters Giulia and Maria Antonia Carafa, daughters of the 6th prince, immortalized as young and attractive members of the family before becoming two heated protagonists of the revolutionary season of ’99.