Telamoni e cariatidi nelle acquasantiere tra Medioevo e prima età moderna

This essay examines the presence of telamons and caryatids in holy-water stoups in Italy between the Middle Ages and the early modern period, focusing on the structural, decorative, and symbolic role of anthropomorphic figures supporting the basin. The study traces the development of this typology from the Romanesque period onward and analyses the different forms assumed by these figures within Christian visual culture. Particular attention is devoted to their dual meaning: on the one hand, the bent telamon, emblem of human burden, sin, or toil, yet capable of redemption; on the other, the upright and composed caryatid, interpretable as a guardian of sacred space or as a personification of salvific virtues. In this context, structural function merges with allegorical meaning, revealing the enduring continuity and reinterpretation of a classical motif within Christian tradition.