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RR 2006/163 Symbols and Allegories in Art Matilde Battistini Getty Publications Los Angeles, CA 2005 384 pp. ISBN: 0 89236 818 7 £14.95/$24.95 A Guide to Imagery Series Translated by Stephen Sartarelli
Keywords Graphic arts, Symbolism
Review DOI 10.1108/09504120610655646
"Art" - in this guide - is restricted to paintings, ranging from medieval to late twentieth century western works. Symbols are grouped into three broad categories - Time, Man and Space, whilst a fourth category is used to examine the allegories. Each category, or chapter of the book, is divided into sub-categories, creating opportunities to examine each theme in more depth. Time has 22 sub-categories (symbols) associated to it: ouroboros, oceanus, opportunity, eon, time, Christ chronocrator, The Zodiac, The Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, The Months, Dawn (Aurora), Noon, Twilight, Night, The Hours, Life, Death, The Ages of the World and The Ages of Man. Perhaps not surprisingly, Space unites the largest number of symbols, with 23 examples...