Camilla Guerrieri’s Portrait of Guidobaldo II della Rovere:Symbols of Honor and Power

The Altomani&Sons Collection owns a remarkable newly discovered portrait of Guidobaldo II della Rovere,Duke of Urbino(1514-1574),a historical military figure who was a condottiere,ruler of Urbino,Commander-in-chief of the Papal Estate,and Perfect of Rome,as well as a collector and patron of the Fine Arts.Camilla Guerrieri Nati(1628-1694),a seventeenth-century Italian painter from Fossombrone(in the province of Pesaro and Urbino),portrayed this heroic personage surrounded by emblems associated with his military courage and leadership,including his plumed burgonet helmet,metal gilded armor,a necklace with the golden fleece,and batons of secular and religious dominions.This oil painting on copper-considered a precious metal at the time-emphasizes the importance of the commission.The material and technique also reveals a unique artistic achievement in that it provides the painting with a smooth,reflective surface and vibrant coloration,symbolizing precious imagery.

Giorgio Vasari’s A Bride with a Rake:A Mythological Pun

Giorgio Vasari’s educational background and association with Renaissance humanists engendered his familiarity with the texts and imagery of classical,emblematic,and mythographic traditions.Vasari’s composition of images as a compendium of iconography for a decorative program was in the vein of the literary practices of Andrea Alciato(1482-1550),Pierio Valeriano(1477-1558),and Vincenzo Cartari(1531-1590),and followed Paolo Giovio’s advice on how to depict an emblematic image or impresa1(Giovio,1559,p.9).For Giovio(1483-1552),an impresa or badge must contain a figure and motto,its meaning should be clear and precise,the imagery must be pleasant to look at,and the motto must be brief,inventive,and unambiguous.But sometimes Vasari did not follow his advice,relying more on the Renaissance Neoplatonic notion of a concept postulated by the Florentine philosopher Marsilio Ficino(1433-1499).In De vita coelitus comparanda(How Life Should Be Arranged According to the Heavens)2(Ficino,1489;1561-1563;1996,pp.7-19;Kerrigan&Braden,1989,pp.101-115).Ficino discusses the use and the magic potency of images by deliberating on the virtue of imagery,what power pertains to the figure in the Heavens and on Earth,which of the heavenly configurations are impressed on images by the ancients,and how the images are employed in antiquity3(Gombrich,1972,p.172;Chastel,1996,pp.81-89;Moore,1990,p.20,137,181;Bull,2006,pp.7-36).Vasari assimilated these concepts visually in the fresco painting of the Bride with a Rake(1548),located in one of the rooms in his house in Arezzo,the Chamber of Fortune(Chamber of Virtue),where he composed a paradoxical iconographic image-the subject of this essay.This essay is composed of two parts:an introduction to the location of the painting in the Casa Vasari in Arezzo and an iconographical and iconological interpretation of the imagery.

Illustrations for Dante＇s Inferno： A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro

This essay is twofold： the first part focuses on the interpretation of the concept of Hell in Dante＇s Inferno and Italian culture as depicted in Last Judgment scenes such as Giotto＇s in the Arena Chapel of Padua; Signorelli＇s in the Orvieto Cathedral; and Michelangelo＇s in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. The second part deals with the drawing illustrations for the text of Dante＇s Divine Comedy composed by the Florentine painters Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Here the emphasis is on Dante＇s Inferno, which comments upon Neoplatonic personalities, Florentine politics, and current popular art. Comparisons with some of Botticelli＇s, Stradano＇s, and Zuccaro＇s drawing illustrations indicate the assimilation of classical artistic concepts such as Horace＇s ut pictura poesis [as is painting so is poetry] as well as Plato＇sfurorpoeticus [poetical inspiration] promoted in the writings of Marsilio Ficino, a Renaissance Neoplatonic philosopher.

Barbara Longhi of Ravenna:A Devotional Self-Portrait

From the variety of types of portraiture,there evolved the imaging of a self-portrait as we see in Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Barbara Longhi of Ravenna(1552-1638).The self-portrait is a unique work of art,an intimate record of a sitter’s personality.It is an acknowledgment of worth,an exercise in technique,and a designator of era,style,and likeness.The self-portrait can be a study in expression,an impersonation of a virtue,or a document in a history of aging.As William Shakespeare noted in Hamlet,“[The self-portrait is]to show virtue her own feature,scorn her own image,and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure.”In the sixteenth-century in Italy,artists often included themselves or their self-portraits in religious and secular scenes as a type of signature,as seen in the paintings of the Longhi family.In their many depictions of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,the Longhis composed two types of such images:a single-solo-image of the saint;and also her presence in a group with saints-a theme known as holy conversation.In her paintings,Barbara Longhi preferred to depict the solo image of Saint Catherine of Alexandria,using herself as a model for the figure of the saint or as a muse impersonating or personifying the saint’s virgo virtue.This essay is composed of two parts:(1)a brief explanation of the meaning of self-portraits in sixteenth-century Italy;and(2)a study of Barbara Longhi’s self-portraits as Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Giorgio Vasari’s Fine Arts From the Vite of 1550:The Splendor of Creativity and Design

Giorgio Vasari’s conception of artistic creativity is related to his theory of painting. He proposes two alternatives in a painter’s development or achievement of artistic creativity: imitation (imitazione) and invention (invenzione).Imitation is the copying of art as a method of learning, whereas invention is independent of imitation and constitutes the means for conceiving artistic ideas. Imitation serves to guide and teach the artist in composing and creating perfection. Vasari maintains that artists must study antiquity and the masters, so that they may learn how others acquired the experience of imitating nature. For Vasari, imitation draws upon three different sources: the first two are copying from nature (copia dal vero) and the third one is selecting from one’s work (imitare se stessi). He emphasizes that copying from nature is important for the artist so that he may learn to create forms that are alive as visualized in the Fine Arts.

Lavinia Fontana’s Prudence:A Personification of Wisdom

The first section of this essay deals with an iconographical analysis of Lavinia Fontana’s(1552-1614)Prudence or Personification of Wisdom of 1590,while the second part provides an iconological interpretation,demonstrating Fontana’s application of emblematic significations.This painting is presently on display at the Galerie Maison d’Art in Monte Carlo.At this time there is lack of knowledge about the patronage of this commission,except from the art gallery’s records showing that it acquired the painting from a private collection in New York.

Evelyn Pickering De Morgan’s Ariadne at Naxos:A Pagan Martyr

This short essay focuses on just one of the mythological paintings of Evelyn Pickering De Morgan,Ariadne at Naxos of 1877 at The De Morgan Foundation(Figure 1).1 It consists of an iconographical and iconological analysis of the ancient legend of Ariadne and Theseus,demonstrating Evelyn’s classical erudition and artistic mastery in visualizing a moment in the narrative,the desertion of Ariadne by Theseus on the beach at Naxos.

Camillo Camilli＇s Imprese for the Academies

This study examines the humanistic influence of ancient and Renaissance art in Camillo Camilli＇s Imprese of 1586. Camillo Camilli （ca. 1560-1615--his exact birth date is unknown） was an Italian poet of the sixteenth-century. His family came from Monte San Savino, Siena, and records mention that he died on July 13, 1615, in Ragusa. While personal documentation on Camilli＇s life is scarce there are substantial sources about his literary career as a translator, compiler and poet. Camilli wrote extensively. There are the five canti on Erminia e Tancredi which were collated with Tarquo Tasso＇s （1544-1595） unfinished poems, and his commentaries for Ludovico Ariosto＇s Orlando Furioso in 1584 and for Tasso＇s Gerusalemme Liberata in 1585. Under the influence of Tasso＇s writings and his involvement in the commentary of Gerusalemme Liberata （1585）, Camilli started formulating his concetto （conceit） of what an impresa is （badge, device or insignia）. The focus of this essay is on Camilli＇s Imprese for the Academies. The whole collection of the lmprese consists of three volumes. The frontispiece to each volume depicts three different stage settings filled with classical ornamentation and bearing in the center of the lintel the impresa or insignia of Francesco Ziletti＇s printing company--a starfish surrounded by stars and bound by a ribbon. Camilli selected this image to announce through the imprese the significance of these famous men （uominifamosi） of the academy, granting them immortality and honor for their cultural and intellectual accomplishments.

Giorgio Vasari’s Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore:The Eye of God

In previous studies on the iconographical symbolism revealed in Giorgio Vasari’s fresco decoration for the Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore(also known as the Dome of Florence,1572-1574),I discussed three points:(1)the impact of Dante’s Divine Comedy,in particular the Inferno;(2)the influence of Coppo di Marcovaldo’s mosaic decoration on the cupola of the Florentine Baptistery(1300);and(3)the inspiration of Renaissance Neoplatonism in Vasari’s paintings.(Aspects of this study were published in Cheney,2016,pp.488-519;Cheney&Hendrix,2002,pp.177-188;Cheney,1998,pp.35-55;Cheney,1987,pp.1-8).In this essay,I will focus on another iconographical representation:the metaphysical and physical symbolism of the eye(―l’occhio‖)in Vasari’s cupola imagery(Figure 1).This approach will connect with Cosimo Bartoli’s lecture on Dante’s Divine Comedy and,in particular,on Dante’s Purgatorio(Cantos XXX and XXXI)as well as with Vincenzo Borghini’s program for the decoration of the Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore.

Giorgio Vasari’s Madonna of the Rosary: A Rose Garden of Blessings

In 1569,Giorgio Vasari(1511-1574)completed a painting of the Madonna of the Rosary for the private chapel of the Capponi family in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence.In his Ricordanze(Book of Records),Vasari explained the commission as well as documenting the assistance of his Florentine pupil,Jacopo Zucchi(1541-1590),in the completion of this painting.This essay discusses Vasari’s symbolism of the rosary as a reflection of the Tridentine Reform in Florence as well as a visual interpretation of Italian Mannerist painters on this devotional subject.

Giorgio Vasari’s Saint Michael the Archangel in the Cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore: A Neoplatonic Sphere

This essay discusses the manifold depictions of Saint Michael The Archangel in Italian Renaissance art,in particular in Giorgio Vasari’s imagery.It starts with a brief explanation of who Michael The Archangel is,explores his visual iconography in pagan,Judeo-Christian,and Byzantine imagery,and examines the impact of Renaissance Neoplatonism on the interpretation of Saint Michael and his symbolic roles.The Renaissance Neoplatonic philosopher Marsilio Ficino explained the significance of the Platonic celestial ladder as a spiritual vehicle for the human soul to achieve divine love.One step of this ladder is the Angelic Mind.It is here that the sparkling light of the realm of the Angelic Mind reveals the splendor and beauty of God’s grace.This is the realm where Michael,a Seraphim and a messenger of God,resides,delivering God’s messages of grace and love to humanity throughout the world.Giorgio Vasari(1511-1574)visualized these divine messages metaphorically in frescos on two major vaults.The first is in the small cupola of the Pope Pius V Chapel in the Vatican,once called Saint Michael’s Chapel,where between 1560 and 1566 Vasari and his assistants painted al fresco the Saint Michael and the Devils,a depiction of Michael the Archangel combatting vices personified as demons who want to prevent human beings from obtaining the divine grace that will allow their souls to ascend toward heaven(Figure 1).Between 1570 and 1574,Vasari continued his metaphorical visualization of God’s divine message in a large vault,the octagonal cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore,the Dome of the Cathedral of Florence,the major focus in this essay(Figure 2).He and his assistants painted al fresco the Last Judgment,portraying Saint Michael The Archangel residing in a heavenly realm-the divine reign of God,where he mediates and witnesses God’s divine judgment on humankind(Figure 13).Here,celestial trumpeters loudly announce the separation of good and bad souls of the terrestrial realm,Earth.The bad souls rapidly descend into a Dantesque infernal realm where demons capture them and transform them into hybrid forms.In contrast,the good souls quickly emerge from Earth to ascend into Heaven.Their skeletal figures transform into angelic beings,ready to receive divine grace and eternal love.

Josefa deÓbidos’s Vedute:Discovering the Realms of Nature

Josefa Figueira de Ayala de Cabrera D’Óbidos was a renowned Baroque painter from Portugal who lived between 1630 and 1684.She was an accomplished artist and one of the most notable female artists of her time.Her works included both secular and religious themes,and she used a variety of mediums with great skill.Despite having different surnames,she signed her paintings under Josepha emÓbidos.This article concentrates on the artist’s landscapes(vedute)and integrated still-life paintings(bodegones).It delves into her capacity to depict the changing seasons through these themes.Josefa expertly combined Baroque tenebrism and illusionism with her love of Nature,highlighting both the physical and spiritual aspects of the natural world.Her paintings are visually captivating,with beautiful colors and intricate details.She incorporated emblematic and mystical symbolism,which added to their spiritual significance in portraying the flora and fauna of her homeland.

Guido Reni’s Infant Bacchus: “In vino veritas”

This article delves into the significance of Guido Reni’s Infant Bacchus,created during the Italian Baroque period.By examining historical and iconographic elements,the study aims to interpret the symbolism depicted in the painting.The historical aspects include the birth of Dionysus or Bacchus in classical and Italian Renaissance imagery and literary and visual sources that influenced Reni’s solo painting.The iconographic components encompass the infant’s nude body,the child’s bodily functions,and the attributes associated with Bacchus,the God of Agriculture,Revelry,and Wine,such as the grapevines,grapes,ivy,glass flask,kantharos(wine cup),and wine barrel.The emblematic and cosmological associations of Bacchus’s divinity are considered as well.

Hypatia of Alexandria:A Fiercely Intelligent Woman

The novel Hypatia:Or New Foes With an Old Face by Charles Kingsley,published in 1853,provided valuable insight into Hypatia’s achievements and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her untimely demise.Kingsley’s novel portrayed a fiercely intelligent woman,Hypatia,who sparked the interest of many artists,particularly sculptors.They were eager to capture in their statues the personification of this remarkable ancient mathematician,philosopher,and scientist of ancient Egypt,Hypatia of Alexandria(355-415).This essay has two parts.The first provides a brief overview of Hypatia’s life and accomplishments.The second part focuses on four sculptures from the 19th century created by different artists:Hypatia(1873-1876)by the American Howard Roberts,Hypatia(1874)by the Italian Odoardo Tabacchi,Hypatia(1890)by Francis John Williamson,and Hypatia(1894)by Richard Claude Belt.The two latter works are by British sculptors.

Edward Burne-Jones’s The Mirror of Venus: Physical and Intangible Female Beauty

The Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones(1833-1898)conceived the subject of The Mirror of Venus between 1865 and 1867.He painted two versions:a small version in gouache and oil and a larger version in oil on canvas.In composing this subject Burne-Jones was inspired by the poetic and chromatic description of a lyrical stanza on“The Hill of Venus”in the long epic poem Earthly Paradise,written by his close friend and collaborator William Morris.1 This study comprises three parts:Burne-Jones’s history of the paintings,his iconographical sources,and an iconological interpretation of The Mirror of Venus.

The Symbolism of the Skull in Vanitas： Homo Bulla Est

In Dutch vanitas imagery of Homo bulla est there is a sad child （homo） holding a scalloped shell filled with soap and water. Although the child is amused and playing with the formation of beautiful transparent water circles, his expression is mischievous and melancholic. Blooming flowers and dead trees, burning urns, and cloudy landscapes also accompany this gloomy imagery, which alludes to a warning about moral behavior. The first part of this essay deals with a brief history about the symbolism of the skull in vanitas imagery （1590-1630）. And the second part of the essay focuses on two prints by the Dutch artist and printmaker from Haarlem, Hendrick Goltzius （1558-1617）, who honored this proverb Homo bulla est in Allegory of Transience as a remembrance of the brevity of life.

Giorgio Vasari＇s The Conception of Our Lady： A Divine Fruit

The theme of the Conception of the Virgin Mary fascinated 16th-century Mannerist painters, as manifested in Giorgio Vasari＇s many drawings and paintings and also the numerous replicas in drawings, paintings, and engravings made after his paintings by his contemporary artists. This essay focuses on Vasari＇s complex iconography of The Conception of Our Lady of 1540 at SS. Apostoli in Florence, Italy. In his documentation of the painting, Vasari never referred to or entitled the painting as an Allegory of the Immaculate Conception or Immaculate Conception but coined it as The Conception of Our Lady （Concezione di Nostra Donna） as it will be referred in this essay. Vasari＇s complex iconography derived from the writings of the A retine canon Giovanni Pollastra. The Virgin Mary is depicted as a victorious symbol of grace and salvation, triumphing over evil. Rejoicing angels surround her with scrolls containing Latin inscriptions, QUOS EVE CULPA DAAVIT/MARIAE GRATIAE SOLVIT, ECCE AGNIU[S] and UNIUS ONNOSTAA. These joyful words allude to the restoration of the fate of Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in Paradise. A sinuous serpent coils around the fig tree, while tied-up Old Testament and New Testaments wait for forgiveness and salvation. Three considerations are addressed in this essay： （1） discussion of Vasari＇s recorded commissions; （2） stylistic observations and influences; and （3） interpretation of the imagery, that is, some observations on the symbolism of the painting.

Giorgio Vasari and Mannerist Architecture： A Marriage of Beauty and Function in Urban Spaces

The first part of this essay deals with Giorgio Vasari＇s conception of architecture in sixteenth-century Italy, and the second part examines Vasari＇s practical application of one of his constructions, the loggia （open gallery or arcade） or corridoio （corridor）. The essay also discusses the merits of Vasari＇s open gallery （loggia） as a vernacular architectural construct with egalitarian functions and Vasari＇s principles of architecture （design, rule, order, and proportion） and beauty （delight and necessity） for the formulation of the theory of art in Mannerism, a sixteenth-century style of art.

Giorgio Vasari＇s Saint Michael： A Symbol of Neoplatonic Light

This essay includes a brief explanation of who is Michael The Archangel; discusses the manifold depictions of Saint Michael in Italian Renaissance art, in particular in Giorgio Vasari＇s imagery; and examines the impact of Neoplatonism in the interpretation of The Archangel and Michael＇s symbolic role. The Renaissance Neoplatonic philosopher Marsilio Ficino explained the signification of the Platonic celestial ladder as a spiritual vehicle for the human soul to achieve the divine＇s love. One step of this ladder is the Angelic Mind. The sparkling light of the Angelic Mind＇s realm reveals the splendor and beauty of God＇s grace. This is the realm where Michael, a Seraphim and a messenger of God, resides, delivering God＇s messages of grace and love to humanity throughout the world. In the vault of the Pope Pius V Chapel at the Vatican, once called Saint Michael＇s Chapel, for example, Giorgio Vasari （1511-1574） metaphorically visualized these divine messages. He painted al fresco Michael The Archangel in combat against personifications of vices as demons who want to prevent human beings from the obtaining divine grace that will allow their souls to ascend toward divine love.

The Labors of the Months and the Zodiac Signs in the Cathedral of Otranto： An Iconographical Interpretation of the Symbols of Labor and Time

In 1163, Archbishop Gionata, Abbot of the Monastery of San Nicola of Casole in Puglia （Apulia）, commissioned Pantaleone, a learned monk and artist from the monastery, to decorate the pavement of the cathedral of Otranto with mosaics. This Italian Romanesque cathedral was dedicated to Santa Maria Annunziata or Saint Mary of The Annunciation. In the interior, the floor design in the shape of a tree contains an elaborate biblical program. The encyclopedic narrative of the mosaic symbolically unveils the meaning of the Tree of Life. The ieonography of the pavement＇s program combines biblical and pagan narratives evolving from a natural realm into a heavenly realm. The natural realm begins at the church＇s entrance with the symbolism of the earth-the roots of a tree-expanding through the nave and transept via the tree＇s trunk and its branches, culminating in the apse, at the end of the church, with the foliage oftbe top of the tree. This natural realm meets with the heavenly realm in two ways： at the crossing of the church or at the sacrificial altar, and at the apse of the church. Before reaching the altar or holy area, between the natural realm and the heavenly realm, the zodiac signs with the labors of the months are depicted.