The Talking Windows: Inscriptions and Architecture on the Façade of Palazzo Porcellaga in Brescia

During the 15th and 16th century the Porcellaga acquired great importance in the civic, religious and military life of brescia and, as most of the aristocratic families, they imposed their image on the urban scene by building a palace. With its all’antica characteristics, the façade was intended to connect the identity of the family with the historical mythology of the city. In particular, the portal in form of an arch flanked by two clipei with emperors and the presence of Latin epigraphs in the friezes of the windows are the elements that the Porcellaga used to associate their identity to the civic tradition of brescia. Here, already by the 1480s a quest for romanitas based on antiquarian taste developed as a means to affirm local identity.