Robert of Anjou (1309–1343)

• Main Author: Mirko Vagnoni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Encyclopedia
• Subjects: royal images; royal iconography; kings of Sicily; kings of Naples; Angevin dynasty; Robert of Anjou
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8392/1/3/62

Robert of Anjou King of Sicily (1309–1343). Robert of Anjou was the third king of the Angevin dynasty on the throne of Sicily. He ruled from 1309 to 1343, but, in these years, Sicily was under the domain of the Aragonese dynasty and, hence, his authority was limited to the continental land of the Kingdom and his court was mainly focused in the city of Naples. From an iconographic point of view, he is particularly interesting because, between his official representations (namely, commissioned directly by him or his entourage), he was the first king of Sicily who made use not only of stereotyped images of himself, but also of physiognomic portraits. In particular, this entry focuses on these latter items, comprising the following four artworks: Simone Martini’s altarpiece, the Master of Giovanni Barrile’s panel, the Master of the Franciscan tempera’s canvas, and the so-called Lello da Orvieto’s fresco.