Abstract

Through the analysis of some case-studies this paper aims to unveil an unknown genre of defamatory painting, which involved milites and condottieri. Contrary to common belief, city-states and urban lords were not the only ones to make use of images to pillory people, since the military also resorted to pittura infamante to settle their accounts. This essay investigates the analogies and discrepancies between public (or official) rituals and military customs. In addition, it traces some regional differences, linking them to the diverse political context.