Il ritratto di Francesco Filelfo: appunti per una storia dell'iconografia dal prototipo tolentinate alle derivazioni moderne

The purpose of this paper is to examine the real face of Francesco Filelfo, that is truly documented in the portrait now preserved in the Municipal Palace of Tolentino and in a medal made by the architect Filarete. The portrait in Tolentino is the oldest and shows a particular iconography that soon after its realization was probably rejected or partly modified by Filelfo itself. Over the centuries the portrait of Tolentino was copied several times, but its meaning was not always understood. So, in some cases between XIXth and XXth centuries, works of art were even incorrectly passed as portraits of Filelfo.