Antonio Muñoz (1884-1960) and the history of Byzantine illumination: a new field of research in Italy under the aegis of Adolfo Venturi

• Main Author: Giovanni Gasbarri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Art History, University of Birmingham 2015-12-01
• Series: Journal of Art Historiography
• Subjects: Byzantine art; history of Byzantine Illumination; Italy; 1900-1910 Art Press; Antonio Muñoz; Adolfo Venturi; Rossano Gospels
• Online Access: https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/gasbarri.pdf

Antonio Muñoz (1884-1960) is usually remembered for his successful career in the administration and conservation of the monumental heritage in Rome during the Fascist era. His brief yet relevant activity as a Byzantinist is often underestimated in the secondary literature, despite the fact that, before the 1914-18 war, he was unanimously considered as the most promising Italian specialist in Byzantine art. From 1903 onwards, after completing his studies with Adolfo Venturi, Muñoz developed an interest in Byzantine illumination, which became his primary area of expertise. At this early stage, his most important work was without doubt the new edition of the Rossano Gospels (1907), which was internationally praised as a significant step forward in the history of Byzantine illumination. With the support of previously unpublished or little-known documents, this article aims to provide a new critical analysis of Muñoz’s research on Byzantine illumination, as well as a more balanced evaluation of its impact on the scholarly community at the turn of the twentieth century.