An exhibition by Adaline Roth and Paula Guzman Introduction: The conflation of art and religion during the renaissance allowed us a unique opportunity to compare Greek and Roman Mythology and Christianity. Artists during the renaissance often used botanical symbolism to depict the personalities of figures and narratives of religions. It was common during the renaissance for artists to paint stories from both Greek mythology and Christianity. In the exhibit, we have included works by Caravaggio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Boticelli, Lucas Cranach, and Titian. Each has two works in the exhibit. One is based on Christianity and the other Greek or Roman mythology as to substantiate the claim that common symbolism runs through paintings of both religions. The juxtaposition of Greek and Roman mythology and Christianity allows for a unique perspective. Our exhibit will demonstrate that through botanical symbolism, themes that run through Christianity and Greek and Roman Mythology were communicated comprehensively.
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La Madonna Della Rondine
Carlo Crivelli, 1490-1492, National Gallery, London
Bought, 1862
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/carlo-crivelli-la-madonna-della-rondine-the-madonna-of-the-swallow
Crivelli uses fruit in this piece to further demonstrate the meaning of the painting. The painting utilizes pomegranates to symbolize fertility and marriage, the apple is synonymous with evil and the pear symbolizes incarnation.
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Venus and Cupid
Lorenzo Lotto, 1520s, The Met
1986, Sold to MMA
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436918
Lotto utilizes botanical symbolism in this painting to emphasis the significance of Venus in Roman Mythology. The Ivy in this painting symbolizes fidelity. Cupid urinating through the laurel wreath symbolizes fertility.
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Boy Bitten by Lizard
Caravaggio, 1593-1594, The National Gallery, London
Bought with the aid of a contribution from the J. Paul Getty Jr Endowment Fund, 1986
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/michelangelo-merisi-da-caravaggio-boy-bitten-by-a-lizard
“Boy Bitten by Lizard” is a very symbolic painting with many religious undertones. The various fruit surrounding the boy is suggestive of the four temperaments. The bitten fruit is believed to be a symbol of sensual pleasures. The flowers are thought to symbolize the temptation of nude girls. This painting is a cautionary tale communicating that sexual behavior before marriage broke religious protocol and would end badly.
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Supper at Emmaus
Caravaggio, 1601, The National Gallery, London
Presented by the Hon. George Vernon, 1839
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/michelangelo-merisi-da-caravaggio-the-supper-at-emmaus
Caravaggio uses the fruit on the table to communicate a story. The basket of fruit falling off the table represents life, resurrection and rebirth. The grapes represent wine which is a symbol of Christ’s blood and the the apple that appears to have begun rotting is a symbol of temptation and the fall of man.
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Apollo and Daphne
Agostino Veneziano, 1515, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Harry G. Friedman, Donor
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/342921
This painting tells the story of Apollo and Daphne. As the story goes, Apollo had been mocking the God of love, Eros. In retaliation, Eros fired two arrows one aimed at Apollo and the other, Daphne. The arrow aimed at Daphne made her hate Apollo and the one aimed at Apollo made him fall in love with Daphne. Apollo pursued Daphne for quite some time. Daphne did everything she could to escape him, but eventually had to call upon the god of river, Peneus for help. Peneus turned Daphne into a Laurel tree. Daphne was finally able to escape Apollo. The Laurel is now a symbol of victory.
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The Annunciation
Leonardo da Vinci, 1472, Uffizi Gallery
Acquisition information not available
https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/annunciation
The lilies held by Gabriel in this painting are a symbol of Mary’s purity. The enclosed garden in which the angel, Gabriel is kneeling in is a symbol of Mary’s virginity. This painting depicts the scene in which the angel, Gabriel comes down to Mary to give her the news that she is to be pregnant even though she is a virgin. The symbolism in this painting stress the importance of the scene that is depicted.
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Narcissus
Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, between 1490 and 1500, National Gallery, London
Salting Bequest, 1910
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/follower-of-giovanni-antonio-boltraffio-narcissus
This painting depicts Narcissus, a figure in Greek mythology that was fixated with his appearance. In this painting he is seen admiring his appearance. The crown of leaves shown on his head symbolizes vanity.
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Holy Family with a Palm Tree
Raphael , 1506, National Galleries of Scotland
Accession information unknown
https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/8672/holy-family-palm-tree
This painting depicts Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. The dandelion in the bottom corner is a symbol of the christ child and a reminder of childhood or longing for the past.
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Flora
Titian, 1515-1517, Uffizi Gallery
Accession information unknown
https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/flora
The painting depicts Flora the Roman Goddess of Spring. In this painting she is seen holding flowers. The flowers represent the flowering of the human spirit as well as the appreciation of the body. The flowers are also a symbol of viruouness, delicacy and purity.
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Titian
The Fall of Man, 1550, The Prado, Madrid
Accession information unavailable
https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/adam-and-eve/e0ca4331-fb89-47a7-9ba0-be0ece23426b
This painting tells the famous story of Adam and Eve. The tree in this painting acts as an indicator of good and evil. The apple in this case is the temptation of evil.
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Adam and Eve
Lucas Craanach the Elder, 1526, Courtald Institute of Art
Accession Information Unavailable
https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/collection/renaissance/lucas-cranach-the-elder-adam-and-eve
Craanach illustrates the scene of Eve picking a forbidden apple. The apple is a symbol of the temptation of evil. Eve is shown pushing the apple toward Adam this is a representation of women starting the evil in the world.
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Cupid Complaining to Venus
Lucas Cranach, 1525, National Portrait Gallery, London
Bought, 1963
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/lucas-cranach-the-elder-cupid-complaining-to-venus
This is a scene in which Cupid is seen with Venus. The apples in this scene symbolizes pleasure and desire. There are many similarities in the gestures of Venus and Eve in Cranach’s paintings.
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Primavera
Boticelli, late 1470s or early 1480s, Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy
Accession Information Unknown
https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/botticelli-spring
Boticelli’s “Primavera” depicts a scene with Venus and Flora and many other figures from Roman mythology. The scene has allegories of months, seasons, senses and elements with represent spring, sense of smell or sight and earth or fire. The paintings depicts a total of almost 200 species of plants. The blue cornflowers symbolize a beloved woman and the orange blossoms represent marriage. Some believe that this painting was a wedding present for Lorenzo di Pierfranceso de’Medici and Semiramide Appiani.
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