Artibus et Historiae no. 25 (XIII)
1992, ISSN 0391-9064Up
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ENRICO MARIA DAL POZZOLO - Laura with Polia and Berenice by Lorenzo Lotto
In his analysis of Laura with Polia and Berenice, the so-called "Dream of the Maiden," by Lorenzo Lotto (National Gallery of Art, Washington), the author asserts that the painting is based on Petrarch's famous song "Chiare fresche e dolci acque." Details such as the two satyrs are interpreted as symbolizing voluptas, Petrarch's conception of which was the subject of debate in Lotto's time. The figure of Laura conforms to the imagery of the nymph guarding the well which was common at the end of the fifteenth century. The title alludes to the heroines of Hypnerotomachia Poliphili by Francesco Colonna and Gli Asolani by Pietro Bembo.