Allegorical Figures Holding the Papal Insignia, study after the Allegory of Divine Providence in Palazzo Barberini in Rome c. 1650

Luca Giordano created this red chalk study after the Allegory of Divine Providence, now residing at the Art Institute of Chicago. The artwork bursts with symbols central to papal power. Angels carry the papal tiara and keys, emblems of authority and spiritual dominion, meant to evoke a sense of awe and reverence. These symbols are hardly novel; consider the tiara, a potent symbol of papal authority since the Middle Ages. However, one must consider that the visual language of power is never static. In ancient Rome, the laurel wreath symbolized triumph and imperial authority, but now it encircles the papal insignia. The act of carrying sacred symbols connects to ancient Roman processions, where divine effigies were paraded to invoke protection and divine favor. Giordano masterfully employs these symbolic gestures to evoke a deep, subconscious connection to power, and the eternal quest for divine validation. It speaks to the cyclical nature of history, and our perpetual rediscovery of ancient, powerful symbolic forms.