As someone who writes about history and non-Instagrammy places to visit in Italy, I definitely never go viral on Instagram.
Until two days ago.
I shared photos from my visit to The Lamentation by Niccolò dell’Arca in Bologna, which didn’t move past my core followers for a day, then suddenly took off.
The most frequent comment is that it looks so modern, or that the artist was ahead of his time, and that’s because of the raw emotion it portrays. If you think of most Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary, she is serene, not sobbing. Women in general are shown with smooth foreheads, perfect golden locks, and gazes that never meet yours—a little too Botoxed, if you ask me —and, in fact, women did put drops of belladonna in their eyes to dilate their pupils and achieve that blissed-out/spaced-out look of passivity. (Belladonna not coincidentally means beautiful woman.) The women in this series instead are howling and screaming.
Information about this series is sparse, and most of what I found on the first two pages of Google was inaccurate. So I went deep into the scholarly research and put together a podcast episode that walks you through it.
You’ll hear about:
Who Niccolò dell’Arca was (a bit of a weirdo) and why he sculpted this in terracotta
The hospital and the flagellant confraternity that the figures were made for
Why public grief, specifically women’s grief, was banned in 15th-century Bologna
The signature scroll that touches Christ’s shoulder, and how it connects to Michelangelo’s Pietà. Yup, you have never heard of Niccolò dell’Arca, but big Mike did, and he was a huge influence on him.
Why I think that this might be the single best piece of art in all of Italy for those who don’t already love art to have their mind changed. Bold, I know. But you read my stuff because you know I’m not shy about sharing my opinions.
Below, you’ll find my photos with plenty of close-ups of these remarkable figures. Get the tissues ready.
I’m doing an Emilia-Romagna deep dive on Substack soon with my full Bologna recommendations. This will be for paid subscribers only, as I spent a small fortune testing a lot of terrible restaurants in Bologna and, as someone who doesn’t work on comps and commissions, I share the best stuff through paid subscriptions.
Until then, check out Laura Itzkowitz’s “72 Hours in Bologna” for recommendations on everything else to do if you visit Bologna.
Tell me what you think in the comments.
