Artibus et Historiae no. 16 (VIII)
1987, ISSN 0391-9064Up
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Buy article pdf
CHRISTIANE L. JOOST-GAUGIER - Lorenzo the Magnificent and the Giraffe as a Symbol of Power
In Vasari's painted portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, painted for the apartments of Duke Cosimo I in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, prominent exposure is given to a giraffe, one of the gifts presented to Lorenzo by his ambassadors. The article shows that the giraffe, which is critical to the composition of the painting, has not only a historical motive but also an iconographic significance. The admiration of Lorenzo for Julius Caesar is reflected in this demonstration, the second time in history when a giraffe was presented to the Italian people. It may therefore be interpreted as a symbol of the power of the tyrant.
