Allegory of prudence by luca giordano biography book

This modello , or detailed oil study, is one of a group of 12 that Giordano made in preparation for the ceiling frescoes in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence in —5. First identified by the philosopher Plato, these were later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. A different Virtue is depicted in each corner of the ceiling.

Here, Prudence carries an arrow with a serpent entwined around it. On the left are two mathematicians, probably Archimedes and Euclid, representing Order and Reason. In the sky are figures representing, from left to right: Abundance or Felicity , with a cornucopia and olive branch; Grace, who holds a key; and Wellbeing, with a shield and a cup.

It corresponds with the group in the corner of the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the grand Galleria, between the entrance and the north wall. The central figure represents Prudence, one of the four Cardinal Virtues. These were first identified by the philosopher Plato and later adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. One Virtue is depicted in each of the four corners of the Galleria and they form part of a continuous frieze of allegorical and mythological scenes.

In the finished fresco, four of the Medici family depicted in the centre of the ceiling are also given attributes representing each of the Virtues. Here Prudence carries an arrow with a serpent entwined around it. The deer on which she rides is a symbol of prudence, because it was believed to move cautiously on account of the weight of its antlers.

Luca Giordano, Allegory of Prudence, early s.

On the left are two philosophers dressed in oriental — or Near Eastern — style, one with a quadrant and compass, the other with a book. They may be the ancient mathematicians, Archimedes and Euclid, and they represent Order and Reason or perhaps Experience. Cowering at the feet of Prudence is a two-faced figure with claws instead of feet, intended to represent Fraud.

In the sky above are figures representing, from left to right: Abundance or Felicity , with a cornucopia and olive branch; Grace, holding a key the emblem of the Riccardi family and dropping flowers; and Wellbeing, with a shield on which there is a putto with a dolphin and a cup.