Allegorical Figure
Bernardo Strozzi · c. 1636 · Cleveland Museum of Art
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From the museum
During the 1630s, the Genoese artist Bernardo Strozzi painted a number of female figures representing various intellectual and artistic pursuits, reflecting the appeal of such allegories among learned patrons in northern Italy. Recent scholarship has convincingly identified the subject of this painting as Minerva. The Roman goddess of war has put aside her armor for more contemplative pursuits; her upward gaze—as if seeking inspiration—recalls her other associations with wisdom, eloquence, and the arts. The preparatory drawing for this painting is also in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art (1953.626).
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Bernardo Strozzi (Italian, 1581?-1644)
- Date
- c. 1636
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 178.5 x 133.5 x 12 cm (70 1/4 x 52 9/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 145.8 x 99.8 cm (57 3/8 x 39 5/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- Italy
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of the Friends of The Cleveland Museum of Art
Image: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0
