The Parnassus of the Montefeltro : Investigations into the Musico-pictorial program of the Tempietto delle muse in Urbino

The cycle of paintings originally intended for the Tempietto delle Muse of the Ducal Palace of Urbino, commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro probably around 1480 and completed during the reign of Guidobaldo, dismantled in 1631, partially dispersed, and long neglected by scholars, has in recent years undergone restoration and study that have allowed new research perspectives and interpretative hypotheses to emerge. Despite the lack of documents and contemporary testimonies regarding the conception of the project, there is no doubt that the decision to dedicate to the Muses and ancient deities a small shrine, twin and structurally connected to the Cappellina del Perdono, responded to an elaborated program strongly characterized by a Neoplatonic and Ficinian imprint, which also represents the first evidence, in a courtly context, of the iconographic theme of the musical Muses. Taking into account some recent findings as well, this contribution proposes a comprehensive rereading of the learned program, starting from the reconstruction of the conceptual, iconographic, and musical genealogy of the eight surviving panels, depicting Apollo Musagete and the Muses (now in the Galleria Corsini). The text then focuses on the images depicted in the lost paintings, which have so far never been considered in studies: Minerva, which confirms the clear Ficinian and 'Federician' characterization of the cycle, and a figure, not further defined, that is identified with Poetry: 'friend of the Muses,' 'sacred guardian of Parnassus,' and keystone for the interpretation of the program