This program will be available for sale to the general public on December 7, 2025.Want to register before then? Become a member today, or if you are already a member, log in to register for this program. Secrets and Symbols in Art: The Iconography of Allegory and Personification of Ideas Afternoon Lecture/Seminar Monday, February 2, 2026 - 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET Code: 1H0897 Location: This online program is presented on Zoom. Earn ½ elective credit toward your World Art History certificate Select your Registration $30 Member $45 Gen. Admission Resize text Allegory with Venus and Cupid (detail) by Angelo Bronzino, 1545 The study of iconography—how symbols and allegories function in art—offers a way to understand masterpieces that have puzzled scholars for generations. In the third program of a series, art historian Noah Charney explores the use of allegory and the personification of ideas. When figures represent abstract concepts—such as justice, envy, or time—an artwork enters the world of allegory. Charney breaks down how allegories were constructed by artists, sometimes following conventions like those in Cesare Ripa’s book of symbols, Iconologia, and sometimes entirely original. He compares Titian’s relatively straightforward Allegory of Prudence with a brilliant and baffling painting by Bronzino, Allegory with Venus and Cupid, a complex riddle whose layers of eroticism, disease, deceit, and time have long fascinated scholars. Additional Secret and Symbols in Art Program December 15: The Iconography of Christmas General Information View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom.
