Portrait of Pope Urban VIII 

This is Caravaggio’s portrait of Pope Urban VIII. The symbols of authority are unmistakable: the stern gaze, the scholarly book, the papal robes trimmed with red—a color long associated with power and prestige. Consider the flower arrangement next to the book. Flowers, since ancient times, have been used to represent not just beauty, but also mortality and renewal. We see echoes of this in vanitas paintings, where wilting blooms remind us of life's fleeting nature. Here, the flowers might be a subtle nod to the transience of worldly power, even papal power. In his hand, Urban VIII holds a spherical object, perhaps a memento mori or a symbol of worldly power. The orb, reminiscent of ancient imperial imagery, links Urban VIII to a long line of rulers and reminds us that symbols transcend their immediate context, carrying historical weight through time, subtly shaping our perception of power and authority.