The influence of franco-flemish painting on Italian art in the 15th century from the perspective of musical iconography

This doctoral thesis analyzes the influence of the Franco-Flemish painting tradition on Italian art in a multi-layered manner, based on the iconography of music in 15th-century art. The study reveals how different geographical traditions establish a visual dialogue at the intersection of art history, iconography, and musicology. Franco-Flemish art is characterized by its attention to detail, rich symbolism, mastery of light and shadow, and superficial depth that creates a miniature effect. This visual style, particularly through artists such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hans Memling, developed a strong iconographic repertoire in Northern Europe. Angel musicians, portable organs, stringed instruments, and polyphonic choir scenes are not only part of religious representations but also expressions of a harmonious cosmology oriented toward God. This approach is intertwined with the Boethius tradition based on the distinction between musica mundana (universal music), musica humana (spiritual order), and musica instrumentalis (audible sound). In Italy, these Northern influences became particularly pronounced after 1470. Artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Piero della Francesca, and Antonello da Messina blended the detail, light-shadow depth, and symbolic intensity characteristic of the Franco-Flemish school with the Italian classical compositional approach. This interaction can be observed not only at the technical level, but also in terms of the placement of figures in musical iconography, the choice of instruments, angel typologies, and the liturgical dimension of the composition. For example, Bellini's San Giobbe Altarpiece is decorated with musical angels on a formal plane similar to that of the Ghent Altarpiece in the north. However, when combined with Italian humanism, these angels no longer reflect only the sacred choir but also the aesthetics of classical antiquity. The Franco-Flemish influence permeated Italian art not only through individual artists but also institutionally through the commission systems, commercial relations, and collector circles in centers such as Florence, Venice, and Naples. In this context, the iconographic musical language that developed in the north both enriched and transformed the visual narrative of Italian artists. The thesis analyzes this interaction at both the iconographic and conceptual levels, revealing the processes of cultural transmission and synthesis through the visual representation of music. Musical images, such as scenes depicting angels playing instruments, divine serenades, shepherd melodies, and lute players in harmony, became not only a representation of sound but also a mirror of the theological, philosophical, and aesthetic thought of the period.