The Tomb of Alfanus at Santa Maria in Cosmedin
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The Tomb of Alfanus is located on the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Attributed to a wealthy, twelfth-century noble, this tomb is one of the best examples of twelfth-century tombs in Rome. Although perhaps unremarkable to the untrained eye, John Osbourne identifies this tomb as a visible turning point for tombs in the medieval period, speaking primarily to its past, but also to its future. The Tomb of Alfanus exemplifies early medieval tombs in several ways. First, the tomb is situated within the urban perimeter on the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, as most tombs were after the sixth century when it was no longer mandatory to bury the dead outside the walls. Second, its shape and construction, which includes a sarcophagus, a canopy, and an enclosed mural, follows a formula that reaches back through the medieval period to the late classical period, demonstrated by findings of this same formula in the catacombs of earlier centuries. Although the mural is somewhat damaged, this formula for construction can still be easily identified in this tomb.
However, the tomb also begins to indicate a shift towards the 12th century renovation in which Romans began to evoke antiquity in their art. In what seems to be an evolutionary step away from earlier tombs, the Tomb of Alfanus attempts to create a Corinthian capital and has carved foliage running around the edge of the sarcophagus, both of which recall antiquity. In this way, Osbourne suggests, the tomb demonstrates the newly developing vocabulary of finery and luxury products for Roman tombs in the 12th century that would continue to develop in the years to come.
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The Tomb of Alfanus is located on the porch of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Attributed to a wealthy, twelfth-century noble, this tomb is one of the best examples of twelfth-century tombs in Rome. Although perhaps unremarkable to the untrained eye, John Osbourne identifies this tomb as a visible turning point for tombs in the medieval period, speaking primarily to its past, but also to its future. The Tomb of Alfanus exemplifies early medieval tombs in several ways. First, the tomb is situated within the urban perimeter on the portico of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, as most tombs were after the sixth century when it was no longer mandatory to bury the dead outside the walls. Second, its shape and construction, which includes a sarcophagus, a canopy, and an enclosed mural, follows a formula that reaches back through the medieval period to the late classical period, demonstrated by findings of this same formula in the catacombs of earlier centuries. Although the mural is somewhat damaged, this formula for construction can still be easily identified in this tomb.
However, the tomb also begins to indicate a shift towards the 12th century renovation in which Romans began to evoke antiquity in their art. In what seems to be an evolutionary step away from earlier tombs, the Tomb of Alfanus attempts to create a Corinthian capital and has carved foliage running around the edge of the sarcophagus, both of which recall antiquity. In this way, Osbourne suggests, the tomb demonstrates the newly developing vocabulary of finery and luxury products for Roman tombs in the 12th century that would continue to develop in the years to come.