Panegyric in Honor of King Robert of Anjou

Panegyric in Honor of King Robert of Anjou

A panegyric is a lofty poem of praise, in this case, written to laud Robert of Anjou (1275–1343), King of Naples, also known as Robert the Wise. He was the central figure of Italian politics during his lifetime and came closer than anyone to uniting the peninsula into a single realm. He was nicknamed “the peace-maker of Italy”, resisting the claims of the German emperors and the kings of Aragon. He also transformed the city of Naples from a dirty seaport to an elegant medieval city. It was written ca. 1320 by Convenole da Prato (ca. 1270–1338), an Italian author, notary, ambassador, and teacher to the famous humanist Petrarch (1304–74). The poem is accompanied by 30 masterful miniatures originating from a Florentine workshop in a style influenced by Taddeo Gaddi (ca. 1290–1366). One particularly famous double page depicts Christ in Majesty: the deity is enthroned and holding the terrestrial globe with the three known continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa with the Virgin Mary depicted in prayer on the opposite page. King Robert was remembered by Petrarch as a man of culture and a generous patron of the arts, Boccaccio (1313–75) described him as “unique among the kings of our day” and “a friend of knowledge and virtue.”