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The triumphal arch, built in marble to celebrate and immortalize Alfonso's triumphal entry into Naples (26 Feb 1443), is both the frontispiece and the entrance to the Castle Nuovo. Squeezed in between the two towers faced in peperino on the western wall looking towards Naples, the monument comprises four superimposed zones, including two distinct arches, which belong to separate periods. The first zone consists of a triumphal arch resting on paired Corinthian columns and decorated in the pendentives by two rampant griffins bearing the Aragon royal coat of arms over the centre of the arch. In the second zone a frieze in high relief depicts the Triumph of King Alfonso. The third zone is composed of another open arch flanked by paired columns with Winged Victories in the pendentives. Four shell niches, separated by plaster strips and containing statues of the Cardinal Virtues, make up the fourth zone. The arch culminates in a curved pediment with two allegorical figures of Rivers and, at the very top, a statue of St Michael. From the vestibule, the entrance arch opens into the castle, and above this is a high relief of the Coronation of Ferrante.
The sculpture of the triumphal arch was executed by at least nine different artists, including Domenico Gagini, Isaia da Pisa, and Paolo Romano, and their numerous assistants. The design of the arch itself has been attributed to Pietro di Martino da Milano, who was also responsible for several of the reliefs. By the first quarter of the sixteenth century the name of Pietro da Milano had become dissociated from the arch, which was then credited to Francesco Laurana.
Inspired by Classical models such as the Arch of Trajan at Benevento and the Arch of the Sergi at Pola, and by medieval examples such as the Gate of Frederick II at Capua, the arch at Castel Nuovo is a complex work of architecture and sculpture that represents an extremely rich interweaving of Late Gothic and humanistic cultures.
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