Allegory of Eternity
1544/45
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over black chalk, heightened with white gouache, on blue laid paper, squared for transfer in red chalk
Dimensions
28.3 × 21.9 cm (11 3/16 × 8 5/8 in.)
Classification
drawings (visual works)
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
244911
Art Historical Context
Giorgio Vasari’s “Allegory of Eternity,” created in 1544–45, offers a window into the symbolic language of the late Renaissance. Vasari, celebrated both as an artist and the author of “Lives of the Artists,” frequently explored moral and philosophical themes in his work. Here the title suggests a meditation on timelessness, virtue, and the lasting power of artistic creation, rendered through graceful figures whose precise identities remain open to interpretation. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and wash over black chalk on blue paper, the drawing is heightened with white gouache to p...
About the Artist
Giorgio Vasari · 1511–1574
Vasari was a productive court artist and architect in Florence during the first half of the 16th century, with his primary patrons being Alessandro and Ippolito de' Medici, until 1537 with the death of Alessandro. However, he is most well known for his book "Le vite de' più eccellenti architetti, pittori, et scultori Italiani," which was first published in 1550, and once again in 1568 in an expand...