Medici Riccardi Palace, Gallery of Mirrors (or Room Luca Giordano), detail of the vault: "the Cave of Eternity and the Birth of Man". Frescoes by Luca Giordano; 1682 - 1685. A group of divinities attends the birth of man, symbolized by the newborn held in the hand of the two-faced god Janus at the centre of the scene. The whole group is surrounded by an ouroboros (snake biting its own tail), symbol of Eternity, while in the background inside a cave is Time (represented by the figure of an elderly winged man with an hourglass in his hand). In front of them is a veiled goddess (perhaps Necessity) who offers a rod to Fortune (portrayed blindfolded) and a golden sphere to Nature (from which milk flows from the breast). Next to the god Janus are the three Fates with the thread (to be worked) of human life. Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Firenze (FI) - Florence, Toscana - Tuscany, Italia - Italy
Caption


Medici Riccardi Palace, Gallery of Mirrors (or Room Luca Giordano), detail of the vault: "the Cave of Eternity and the Birth of Man".
Frescoes by Luca Giordano; 1682 - 1685.

A group of divinities attends the birth of man, symbolized by the newborn held in the hand of the two-faced god Janus at the centre of the scene. The whole group is surrounded by an ouroboros (snake biting its own tail), symbol of Eternity, while in the background inside a cave is Time (represented by the figure of an elderly winged man with an hourglass in his hand). In front of them is a veiled goddess (perhaps Necessity) who offers a rod to Fortune (portrayed blindfolded) and a golden sphere to Nature (from which milk flows from the breast). Next to the god Janus are the three Fates with the thread (to be worked) of human life.
Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Firenze (FI) - Florence, Toscana - Tuscany, Italia - Italy

Date

Jul 20, 2017

Credit line

Ghigo Roli/Photo12

Reference

GHR26A00_150

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Rights managed

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Keywords

Italy Tuscany Florence Palazzo Medici Riccardi Medici Riccardi Palace Art Artwork Painting Fresco Luca Giordano Il Seicento 17th Century Baroque Cave Eternity Birth Man Baby Mythology Olympus Divinity Roman Gods Janus Ouroboros Snake Time Cronus Fortune Luck Nature Parca Moirai Parche Fates Elderly Old Hourglass

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