Original scientific paper
A contribution to the study of the appearance of the Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace and about the name of its sphinx
Arsen Duplančić
Abstract
Using as its starting point a watercolour depicting a section of the Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace with the sphinx by the Austrian painter R. Konopa from 1911, this paper examines the role of artistic license in the visual representation of this part of the Palace (capriccio) from 1757 onwards. It further follows the transformations of the Peristyle’s prothyron staircase, including its balustrades, as well as the intermittent opening and closure of the passage leading to the Palace’s southern gate up to the year 1941. It has been established that this space underwent eight phases during the specified period. Furthermore, the origins (work
and year) of certain lithographs and other 19th-century depictions of the Peristyle are also determined. In addition, previously unknown archival data on the paving of the Peristyle in 1764 are presented, along with the publication of the earliest known depiction of the Peristyle with the cathedral and bell tower, produced in 1711 by Frane Marija Danza. The second part of the paper examines the names used in Split for the sphinx on the Peristyle, based on accounts by travel writers as well as local res
idents. These designations varied from a statue dedicated to Cybele, to a statue of Jupiter, to a sphinx, a Gorgona and its name in the local dialect as Grongona.
Keywords
painting; architectural fantasy (capriccio); lithography; Charles Yriarte; sphinx; Gorgona / Grongona; Peristyle of Diocletian’s Palace; Dalmatia; Split
Hrčak ID:
353338
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2025.
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