Abstract

The essay aims to focus the critical attention on the three triumphal representations introduced by Boccaccio in his Teseida, the first evidence of the use (and the revival) of triumphal issue by the author. The paper has two main objectives: to offer a detailed analysis of the ceremonies, hitherto neglected, and to highlight Boccaccio’s early interest on the Roman institute, even more relevant if connected to the series of allegorical triumphs which characterizes the structure of a later poem written by Boccaccio, the Amorosa visione. The chosen analysis perspective is focused on the exposition of the characteristic figures of Teseida’s triumphal episodes, while explaining the tangible evidence of the direct and conscious reading of the classics descriptions which is reflected on poem’s ceremonies. The comparison with ancient representations allows us to catch the innovative features of Boccaccio’s triumphal descriptions, in which Roman customs are the cultural background for events and attitudes unknown to the classics.