GOMBRICH ON THE

RENAISSANCE Volume 2: Symbolic Images

E.H.Gombrich

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction: Aims and Limits of Iconology The Elusiveness of Meaning-Iconography and Iconology-The Theory of Decorum-The Dictionary Fallacy-Philosophies of Symbolism- Levels of Meaning?-The Psycho-analytic Approach--Codes and AUusions-The Genres Appendix: Annibale Caro's Programme for Taddeo Zuccaro 23

Tobias and the Angel

Botticelli's Mythologies : A Study in the Neo-Platonic Symbolism of his Circle 31

A Postscript as a Preface 31 Introduction 36 The 'Primavera' 37

Past Interpretations-The Historical Aperoach: Fidno's Letter to Botti- celli's Patron-Apuleius' Description of Venus-Misreadings of the Text?-Description and Symbolism in Apuleius-The Graces and the Problem of Exegesis-The Typological Approach

The Platonic Academy and Botticelli's Art 64 Ficino and Botticelli's Patron-Mars and Venus-Pallas and the Centaur-The Birth of Venus-The Villa Lemmi Frescoes-Ficino and Art

Appendix: Three unpublished letters by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medid 79

An Interpretation of Mantegna's 'Parnassus'

Raphael's Stanza delIa Segnatura and the Nature of its Symbolism 85

Hypnerotomachiana Bramante and the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili 102 The Belvedere Garden as a Grove of Venus 104 Giulio Romano and Sebastian0 del Piombo 108

The Sala dei Venti in the Palazzo del Te

The Subject of Poussin's Orion

Zcones Symbolicae: Philosophies of Symbolism and their Bearing on Art 123

Introduction 123 I. The Personification of Ideas 126 11. The Didactic Tradition 130

The Society of Concepts-The Attributes-Description and Definition in Medieval Art-Ripa and the Aristotelian Tradition

111. Neo-Platonism: Giarda and his Antecedents 145 The Platonic Universe--The Christian Interpretation-Dionysius the Areopagite-The Two Ways-Analogical Symbolism-The Mystical Image

IV. The Confluence of Traditions 160 The Philosophy of the Impresa-The Function of Metaphor-The Paradox and the Transcendence of Language t

V. Meaning and Magic 170 The Symbol's Power-Effect and Authenticity-Apparitions and Por- tents-Art and Belief

VI. The Heritage 180 From Giarda to Galileo--The Age of Reason-Allegory versus Symbol -The Revival of Neo-Platonism from Creuzer to Jung

Appendix: Introduction to Christophoro Giarda, Biblwthecae Alexandrinae Icmes Symbolicae 192

Notes

Bibliographical Note

List of Illustrations

Index

Illustrations

240 Index Camilli, Camillo, 162-3, fig. 162, fig. 161 Esoteric tradition, 39, 54,

161 Cupid,& 108,133,207,210, 115, 149-50, 173, 186, Cardinal virtues, 87, figs. 75, see also Eros I95

8oa, b Cusanus, Nicolaus, 170,208 Este, Isabella d', 36, 82-3 Caro, Annibale, PII, 13, Cyrus, 8 Estienne, Henry, 162

23-25 Europe, 127-8 Casio, Girolamo, 16, 197 Dante, 15, 26, 28, 94, 152, Evangelists, 85, 157-8 Cassone painting, 32, 62, 68 154,160,204 Exegesis, 13-15, 27, 55, Castello, Villa di, 33, 44, 62, Decorum, 7-9, 18, 20, IOO 5 ~ 5 1 , 8 7 , 149f.

78,793 205 Definition, 13, 134f., 14zf., 'Expression', artistic, 77, 78, Castiglione, B., 165 181 96,124,174,217 Catullus, 53 Delacroix, Eugkne, Liberty -facial, 38, 39, 96, 202-4 Cellini, Benvenuto, his leading the people, 126, Ezekiel, 152, 158

Saliera, 18, fig. 21 fig. I37 Charity, see Benevolence, Demons, 107, 127f., 177f., Farnese, Cardinal, 9

Eros 209,221 Farnese, Ranuccio, 227 Charles V, Emperor, 10,118 Dempsey, Charles, 32,34 Faust, Goethe's, 17of., 231, Charles VIII of France, 40, Despair, 143 232

65,212 de Superville, Humbert, 187 FMibien, A., 120 Chaste], A., 31 Device, see Impresa Ferrara, I 16 Chaucer, G., 67 Diagrams, 35,135,167 Ferruolo, A. B., 31 Chest of Kypselos, 131 Dialectic, see Discursive Festina lente, 168, fig. 164 Chivalry, 42,62 speech Ficino, Marsilio, 31f., 36, Cibb, Cardinal, 118 'Dictionary fallacy', 11-15, 41-46. 53-62, 64-7, cicero, 8, 21, 33, 92-3, 134, 39,59f.; see also impresa, 70-2, 75-8, 158-60,

138, 166-7,20~,~06,z~o Pleninide 16810, 172-4, 179, Classical models, imitation Diogenes, 10 205-6, 212, 214-15,

of, 63, 67, 72, 106, 108, Dionysius the Areopagite, 2 3 ~ - I 119 15-2, 157,168,188 'Fiction', 125,128

Classicism, 182, 187 Discursive speech, 129, 147, Fiera, Battista, 175 Claudianus, 201 156, 158, 165, 168, 170, Filarete, F., 3 ~ 4 0 , 4 8 Codes, 12, 18f. 180, 190, 210 Firmicus Maternus, ~og-15 Coleridge, S. T., 125 Dryden, J., 174 Fischel, O., 97 Collalto, Pompilio, his im- Diirer, Alhrecht, 67, 76 Florentine engravings, figs.

presa, 163-5, fig. 163 26, I43 Collective unconscious, I90 Effects of images, 29, 34, 60, Foerster, R., 82 Colonna, Francesco, 102, 172f.> I94 Fra Angelica, 63

104-8 Egidio da Viterbo, 103 Fra Bartolomeo, 98, fig. 88 Comes, Natalis, 12-22 Egyptians, Ancienr, I&, 147, Francastel, P,, 31 Compagnia di Raffaello, 30 14~50,158-9, 176,185, Franciabigio, 220, fig. 104 Convention, 13, 59, 96, 188 Francisco da Holanda, 106,

123-124, 152, 159, 178, Ehphrasis, 53, 68, 119 fig. 109 184,226,228 Ekstasis, 157, 169, 177 Freud, Sigmund, 17,189-90,

Correggio, 32 Emblem, 28, 101, 128, 233 Council of Trent, 154-5 158-160, 167. 188; see Fulgentius, 54 Courtly imagery, 44, 62 also Attributes Furor, 62, 157,169,207,231, Cousin, 163, fig. 162 Enlightenment, 123, 184f. 233 Creuzer, F., 187-8 Epideicric oratory, 96, 100, Croce, B , 129,228 '45 Galilei, Galileo, 180-1 Croesus, 8 Eros, statue of, 1-3, 18. 107, Gauricus, Lucas, 116--18, Crotta family, their impresa, figs. I, 3 224-5

7 Index 241 Gebhart, E., 202 Hypneroromachia PoIiphili, Madonna with che Yarn- Genres of art, sfi., 17,21,32 see Colonna, F., figs. Winder, 15, fig. 19 Genrile da Fabriano, 48 102,112,164 Virgin and Child with Sr. Ghirlandajo, 48, 65, 75, 179, Anne, 1&17,29, fig. 20

figs. 32,61 Iamblichus, 66, 173 Lewis, C. S., 131, m1 Giarda, Christophoro, 123, Icarus, I, 7, fig. 7 Liberal Arts, 75, 77, 86-7,

126, 145-6, 148-50, Iconoclasts, 151 89-95, 123, 145. 19% 153-4, 163. 177, 180, Iconography, 5 figs. 133-6 192-5,2267,231-4 Iconology, I-22,32 Liberty, 126

Giehlow, K., 102-3,230 Ideas, platonic, 88, 123-4, Licetus, F., 146 Gilbert, Albert, 1-37 '47-8, 154, 156-7, 173, Lippi, Filippino, 99, fig. 93 Giovanni da Bologna, 2, fig. 2 177,182,193,233 Lippi, Filippo, 48,63, fig. 31 Gladstone, W. E., I-4,1z Imagination, 96, 158, 1856 Lomazzo, Giampaolo, Trrrt- Gnostics, 148 Zmpresa, 20, 109, 142, 160-5, rato delPArre della Pit- Goethe, 3. W., 113, 170-2, 167, figs. 15-3 tura, 7-8, 137-8, 176

188, 231,232 Incarnation, 91,148 Louis XI1 of France, his Gonzagafamily, 94,108,109, 'Insight symbol', 210,230 motto, 161, fig. 159

118,207,225 Intuition, intellectual, 147, ~ucian, 53, 68, 119-20 Gozzoli, Benozzo, 63, figs, 156,158f., 160,162,169, Lucilia, 61

41,42 172,177,181,187f. Lucretius, 52-3,67,107,127, Graces, 8, 31, 47-8, 55-60, 213

75, r32 Jacobsen, E , 202 Luini, Bernardino, 8, fig. 10 Graevius, G., 123, 192-5 Julius 11, pope, 87,94,102-5 Lnther, Martin, 178, fig. I66 Greekvase-painting, 131,k. Jung, C. G., 190

142 Jurisprudence, 89,93f. Macrobius, 116-17, 138 Gregory IX, Pope, 89,94 Justice, 89, 125,175-6 Magic, 60, 170-4, 179; see 'Grotesque decoration', 20, Jnstinian, 89 also Effects

fig. 22 Mile, E., 7, 138, 199 Gyraldus, Lilius, 105 Kant, I., 184 Mandowsky, E., 139

Klein, R., 161 , . Manilius, 109-16,223 Hadrian VI, Pope, 107 Koblhausen, H., 44 Mantegna, 50, 105, 175 Hartr, F., 31,222 Kraus, Karl, 130 Parnassus, 82-4, fig. 62 Haslinger, T., 188, fig. 170 Kris, E., 202 Mantua, 82-4, 1-18 Hazlitt, W., 122 Maratta, 85 Heckscher, W. S., 31 Laban, F., 202 Marrai, B., 37 Heemskerck, M., 103, fig. Landino, Christoforo, 57, Mars, 67f., 82f., 108, 126f.,

10s 206 132 Hegel, 188 Landscape painting, 71, 122, Macston, John, 120 Heraclides Ponticus, 82. 129-30 Mamllo, M,, 66, 208 Hermes Trismegistus, 149 Lanfranco, 154-5, fig. 155 Manr, Karl, I25 Hieroglyphics, 20-1, 35, 66, Language, 2, 3, 12, 54, 95, Mamranzio, 87

101-4, 145, 150, 158-9, 125, 129-30. 166-8, Maulbertsch, A. F., 123, fig. 162, 184-5,188,195 190-1 132

Hirsch, D. E., 4-5,17131,32 Laocoon, 108, 187, 222, fig. Medals, 56,66,figs. 36,433, Holcot, Robert, 136, 139-40 169 56,60,66 Horace, 125. I44 Leo X, Pope, 105-7 Medici, Cosimo de', 30, 217 Horapollo, 159 Leonardo da Vinci, 76, 179 - Cosimo I, 19 Horne, H. P., 37,65,73,197 Adoration of the Magi, 98, - Giuliano, 38, 45, 69, 200, Hugh of St. Victor, 210 figs. 9% 92 201 Huizinga, J., 60,200, 210 Allegory of Pleasure and Medici, Lorenzo, 31, 40, 65, Humanitas, 33,42-5, 205 Pain, 137-8,167,fig. 149 79-80,212

242 Index - Lorenzo di Piedrancesco, Plato, Plotinus Pico della Mirandola, Gio-

33-4, 4-1, 43-5, 57, Neri di Bicci, 26 vanni, 56, 58, 105, 64-6, 75-6, 7 ~ 8 1 , 212, 'New Iconography', 1389 152-153, 179, 211,216 figs. 43-5 Nicolb da Bologna, illumina- - Giovanni Francesco,

- Piero, 214-15 tion by, fig. 75 105-107, 176-7, 221 Melk, monastery of, 155, fig. NooeNa super Libros Decreta- Pictographs, 12,96, 123, 151

156 lium, fig. 75 Piero di Cosimo, 116, 214, Mesnil, J., 37, 75,201 Novellara, Fra Pietro da, 16 fig. 51 Metaphor, 13-14. 20, 27, Pigler, A., 7

10% 125, 130, 141, 143% Obelisk, 103-4, figs. 103-5 Pinturicchio, Borgia Apart- 161-3, 165-8, 182, Occasio, 133f. ments, 87,92,94-5,103, 184-185,191 'Open sign', 18, 159, 182 figs. 76-8, 83

Michaelis, A., 105 Orion, 119-22, fig. 131 Plato, 54, 65, 70, 82, 91, Michelangelo, 40, 78, 198, Orpheus, 149 14G150, 153, 156-7,

217 Overbeck, Friedrich, 85 168; see also Beauty, Minerva, 1445, 69f., 88,92, Ovid, 8, 49, 74, 105f., 116, Ideas, Nw-Plaronism

105~132 140, 177,185, 207, 214 Pleasure and Pain, 137, fig. Monsters, 126,1379,151-2, I49

159, 178, 1889,215 'Paganism' in the Renais- 'Plenitude of Meaning', 14, Monteverdi, 174 sance, 32,36,64,86,91, 19, 101, 159, 168, 190 Months, pictures of, 115 105f., 115, I49 Pliny, 11, 177, 211 Montorsoli, G. A., Fountain Pageants, 55, 104, 134, 176 Plotinus, 158, 173

of Orion, 8, figs. 4-6 Palazzo Caprarola, PII, 21, Pluche, Abbh 123, 182 Moses, 93, 142, 149 figs. 11-15 Plunkett, Count, 52, 68 Mozart, W. A., 130 Palazzo Schifanoia, I 16 Plutarch, 176 Miillner, K., 92 Palazzo del Te,.Sala dipsiche Poetry, 55, 86, 89, 96, 129, Muses, 83, 130, 136 6, 108, fig. 110; Sala de 157-8, fig. 85 Music, 34, 92, 97, 10% 129, Venzi, 6, 109, 118, figs. Poliziano, Aogelo, 31-2,

160,163, 174,188-9 113-30 37-38, 41, 67, 693 74, Mythology as artistic genre, Panofsky, E., I, 6, 15,31,33, 179,2-1, 212

5,8,32-33.36ff., 108 76, 154, 199,213 Pontanus, J., 83,223 moralized, I-3,33, 40~42, Paradox, 168 Popper, Sir Karl, 231

45,544,68,70,75,82f., Paride da Ceresara, 36,207 Porcupine, 161-2 107f., 120,133, I35 Passart, M., 119 Portents, 13, 176f.

as nature symbolism, 8,18, Passavant, J. D., 8594 Portigliotti, G., 202 72.83, 1 1 ~ 2 2 , 127, 142, Pater, W., 202 Portraiture, 94-5 148-9 Pathos, 63 Poussin, Nicolas, 223

and personification, 127f. Patrizzi, Francesco, 141 Orion, 6, 119-22, fig. 131 see also Apollo, Mars, Pelican, 10, 149 Praxiteles, 211

Minerva, Venus and ?&re le Moine, 161 Proclus, 35 Astrological symbolism Personification, 12, 8-59, 96, Profundity, 168; see also

123-43, 175f., 183; see Plenitude Nahm, M. N., 205 also Abstractions, Ideas, 'Programme', 6, 9-11, 23-5, Naldi, Naldo, 43,45,204,205 Mythology, Giarda, 36ff., 74-5; passim Names, 54, 60,232 Ripa Propertius, 133 Nanni da Viterbo, Fra Gio- Perugino, 87, 97-8, figs. 79, Prudentius, 131, 138

vanni, 103 80a, h Psychoanalysis, 17. 124, Neo-Platonism, z1-2,31-78, Petrarch, 132, 163, fig. 143 1 8 ~ 1 9 0

14M0, 168-82, 184, Pfeiffer, R., 132 Psychomachia, 105, 107, 131, 186-91; see also Ideas, Philosophy, 91,96, 134 fig. 146 Ficino, Giarda, Pico, Philostratus, 53,208 Punning, 1-2, 18,42, 60

Index 243

Pythagoras, 144.149 104-8, figs. rrza, 10- Sienese painting, 16,63 -obelisk, 103-4, figs. 103-5 Simonetta, see Vespucci

Rahelais, 102 -Palazzo Barberini, 156 Sin, 137, fig. 148 Raphael -S. Andrea della Valle, Sitwell, Sacheverell, 115-20

Drawings, 18, 53, 96100, 154-5, fig. I55 Socrates, 88,92,93,146,147, 107, figs. 85, 89, 91, -St. Peter's, 103-4 152. 193 96-100 -Vatican, 85-108 Soderini, Piero, 212

Stanza della Segnatura, 7, Rosenthal, L., 38 Sodoma, 53,98 18, 85-101 Rosicrucians, 172, fig. 165 Solitude, 5-13, 23-25

- ceiling, figs. 63, 84 Rottmayr, J. M,, 155, fig. 156 Solon, 8 - Disputa, 81, 91, 97-99, Rubens, P. P,, The Horrors of Solyman, 11

figs. 69,95 War, 126--g,132,fig. 138 Spender, S., 201 -Parnassus, 87, 89, 91, - Venus and Adonis, 128, fig. Spinelli, manner of, see

fig. 67 140 Medals - The School of Athens, Rubinstein, N. , 81 Springer, A., 86,92

86, 88, 91, 98, figs. 65, Rucellai, Giovanni, 20 Statue of Liberty, 126 74, 81, 91 Rumohr, C. F. von, 233 Stern, H., 207

j'urisprudence, figs. 70, 71 Ruscelli, Girolamo, 163-5, Strada, Giacomo, 223 Sistine Madonna, 152, fig. 167, fig. 163 Sun, 88, 163f.

I54 Snstermans, J., 126 Trinity of S. Seuero, 98, Saccbi, Andrea, 156, fig. 157 Swedenborg, E., 187

fig. 86 St. Augustine, 87,148, 162 Swift, Jonathan, 132 Vision of Ezekiel, 158, fig. St. Benedict, 155 Symbol versus allegory,

158 St. Gregory, 176 183-190 Reason, 70,169, 181, 215 St. Nicolaus of F l y , 230 Symbolism, theories of -Age of, 123, 181f. St. Paul, 147,150 Aristotelian tradition, 13, -see also Discursive speech St. Thomas Aquinas, 13-14, 124, 142-4, 149, 161-2, Religious confraternities, 30, 993 142, 175, 1991 21% 182-5, 190-5,210

151 232 Neoplatonic, or mystical Reminiscence, see anamnese Sansovino, S., 225 interpretation, 13-15, Representation, 3, 16, 29, Sarcophagus reliefs, 67, 106, 123-4, 145ff., 157-61,

124, 156,160, 172, 183 108, figs. 48, 108 17c-5,177-81ff. Revelation, 14, 91, 14-1, Savonarola, 41,43.65, 75 and religions art, 15,+6-30

I57 Sax(, F., 137. 173 passim I Reynolds, Sir J., 233 Scherner, R. A., 189 Symonds, J. A., 52 Rhetoric, 7,53,89,96,10c-8, Schiller, F., 186

123. 129, 136, 143, 161; Schlegel, F., 233

I see also Metaphor Schlosser, J. von, 86 Tapestries, 32, 44, 117, fig. Richards, I. A., 235 Schmarsow, A., 202

I 29 Richardson, George, 183, fig. Schopenhauer, A., 189 Tasso, Torqnato, 157-8, 186 168 Science, 97 Temperance, 87-138, figs. 8,

Ridevall, John, 135-6, 228 Sebastian0 del Piombo, 108, 71, gob, 152 I Ridolfi, C., 127 198, fig. 111 Tesauro, Emanuele, 161

Ripa, Cesare, 12-13, 126, Seneca, 56 Tetins, H., 156 I 135-45,161,163 Serpent, 10, 66, 159, 170, Theological virtues, 87

I Robb, N., 67 189,212 Theophany, 152 Roman de la Rose, 201 Severity. 141,183, fig. I53 Thorndike, L., 76 1 Romano, Giulio, 108-18, Shafteshury, seventh Earl, Tietze-Conrat, E., 67

151-2, figs. 110, 114-30 monument to, 1-3 Timon, 9

l Romanticism, 183, 187, 189 Shakespeare, W., 165 Tintoretto, 127, tig. I39 Rome, Belvedere, 102, Shelley, P. B., 126 Tiphernius, Gregorins, 92

I

244 Index Titian, 32, 53, 76, 108, 119, Velasquez, D., 209 Volkelt, J., 189

128,208 Veneziano, Agostino, 85 Vulcan, 8, 82f., fig. l 0 Tobias and the Angel, 16, Venice, Palazzo Ducale, 127,

2&30, figs. 23-7 fig. I39 Tomme, Luca di, 16,fig. zoa Venus, 3y42,47, 50, 54, 72. Walker, D. P,, 209, 230,232 Tornabuoni, Giovanna, 56, 105, 107-8, 126-7, 204, Walser, E., 202

75, figs. 36,55+61 211 Warburg, A ~ Y , 37,39,44,49, - Giovanni, 216 Verino, Ugolino, 198 56,63,113,125, 173,232 Toscanella, Giovami, 8 9 9 1 Verrocchio, follower of, Wickhoff, F., 86 Trajan, 86, 87, 106 Tobias and the Angel, Wind, E., 31,34,zo9 Treesymbolism, 15,130,fig. 26f., fig. 23 Wisdom, ancient, 54, 144,

141 Vespucci, Giorgio Antonio, 149f., 158, 190, 195 Trivulzi, Gianiacobo, 105 43,45~ 58, 6 5 8 1 -divine, 70, 71, 148, 156 Tuve, R., 139,229 - Amerigo, 65, 81 Wit, 20,60, 163 Tyche, 128 - Simonetta, 37-8, 201 Witchcraft, 176-7

-family arms, 68-9, 214, Wirtkower, R., 104 Uhde, W., 204 fig. 49 Wornin, H., 86, IOO 'Universals', 88,96, 183,233 Vices, 40, 130, 135, 137, figs. Urban VIII, Pope, 156 141,148

Vico, G. B., 184-6, 18990 Yates, F., 136, 210, 232 van Cleef, Heindrich, 105, Vincenzio da San Gimig- Young, G. F., 204

fig. 112a nano, 18 van Eyck, Jan, 211 Virtues, 87, 130, 135, 138, - Friedsam Annunciation, figs. 75, 8oa-h, 141 Zodiac, 109f.

15, fig. 16 Vision, superioriry of, 33,44, Zodiac men, 137, figs. 144, van Marle, R., 7, 199 45,96,144-5,148,158f., I45 Vasari, Giorgio, 8, 9, 11, 163, 167, 172, 190, 194, Zoroaster, 93, 149

18-20, 37, 85, 91, 95, 206 Zuccaro, Taddeo, g, 21, figs. 102, 197,200, 219,223 Visions, 155f. 11-15

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