ICONOLOGIA BY CESARE RIPA

An emblem book first published in 1593 that became the standard text consulted by artists when rendering allegorical figures and scenes. Ripa used various mythological, emblematic, and archaeological manuals to compose his text, including Vincenzo Cartari'sLe imagini de i deiand Piero Valeriano'sHieroglyphica. An example of a work that relies on Ripa's text is Guercino'sAurorain the CasinoLudovisi, Rome(1621), down to her rolled-up sleeves and the flowers she scatters about.Valentin de Boulogne'sAllegory of Rome(1628; Rome, Villa Lante) depends on Ripa's prescription for Rome as a female with shield, lance, and a towerlike headdress.