Trionfo () is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

word meaning "triumph", also "triumphal procession", and a triumphal car or

float Float may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Float'' (Aesop Rock album), 2000 * ''Float'' (Flogging Molly album), 2008 * ''Float'' (Styles P album), 2013 Songs * "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys song), 2022 * "Float", by Bush ...

in such a procession. The classical triumphal procession for victorious generals and Emperors known as the

Roman Triumph The Roman triumph (') was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state or in some historical tra ...

was revived for "Entries" by rulers and similar occasions from the Early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

in 14th and 15th-century Italy, and was a major type of

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

, celebrated with great extravagance. The cars are shown as open-roofed, many clearly utilitarian four-wheeled carts dressed-up for the occasion. Others were two-wheeled chariots. In art, they might be pulled by all sorts of exotic animals. Another specialized sense of the word was an elaborate sugar sculpture; these decorated tables on important occasions in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, especially in Italy and France. Eventually they were replaced by the silver surtout de table or

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

centrepieces. The word may derive from a call of triumph during antique triumphal processions: "Io triumpe".

Art and literature

Triumphs were described in literature, the cars often carrying classical gods or

personified Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their ...

virtues, with

Petrach Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

's '' Triomphi'' (1374) being extremely influential, for example on ''

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili ''Hypnerotomachia Poliphili'' (; ), called in English ''Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream'' or ''The Dream of Poliphilus'', is a book said to be by Francesco Colonna. It is a famous example of an incunable (a work of early printing). The wor ...

'' (1499). This had

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas tha ...

illustrations, and such scenes were very popular in art, perhaps culminating in the enormous woodcut '' Large Triumphal Carriage'' by Albrecht Dürer (1522), a triumphal car carrying the Emperor Maximilian that is the climax of the Triumphs of Maximilian (several artists). The '' Triumphs of Caesar'' by

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, , ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian painter, a student of Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with perspective, e.g. by lowering the horizon in orde ...

(by 1492) were also very influential.

Other

The Italian sculptor Giuseppe Cassioli named his

Olympic medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid o ...

design ''Trionfo''. First used in 1928, the design was used for Summer Olympic Games until it was replaced at the 2004 Olympic Games. File:Arco trionfale del Castel Nuovo, 08,1 trionfo di alfonso 1.jpg, Relief on the Castel Nuovo, Naples, 1470. It shows the entry of Alfonso V of Aragon after taking the city. File:Piero della Francesca 047.jpg, Allegories on the back of the double portrait of Battista Sforza and Federico Montefeltro, by

Piero della Francesca Piero della Francesca (, also , ; – 12 October 1492), originally named Piero di Benedetto, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. To contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca i ...

, c. 1465-1472. Horses pull Federico’s car and Battista’s is pulled by unicorns.Temperance, Fortitude, Justice and Prudence sit on Federico’s car, Battista is accompanied by Chastity and Modesty, and Charity and Faith sit at the front of her car. File:Triomphe de Josaphat.jpg, ''Triumph of

Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat (; alternatively spelled Jehosaphat, Josaphat, or Yehoshafat; ; el, Ἰωσαφάτ, Iosafát; la, Josaphat), according to 1 Kings 22:41, was the son of Asa, and the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, in succession to his fathe ...

'',

Jean Fouquet Jean (or Jehan) Fouquet (ca.1420–1481) was a French painter and miniaturist. A master of panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature, he is considered one of the most important painters from ...

, 1470–75. File:Triumph9-Mantegna-Julius-Caesar.jpg,

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

in his truiumphal car, in one of the nine scenes of the '' Triumphs of Caesar'' by

(by 1492) File:Hypnérotomachie - éd. Martin - p55v.jpg, Woodcut illustration to ''

'', with centaurs pulling the car, 1499. File:Titian Bacchus and Ariadne.jpg, Leopards pull

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

's car in

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

's '' Bacchus and Ariadne'' (1523) File:1960 Rome Olympic Games, Gold Medal, Al Oerter , Track and Field Discus Throw (2913311489).jpg, The ''Trionfo'' design of Giuseppe Cassioli on a 1960

Notes

References

* Strong, Roy, ''Feast: A History of Grand Eating'', 2002, Jonathan Cape,

External links

Material to triumphal processions
Cultural history of Italy Festivals in Italy European court festivities {{Italy-stub