Plant iconography and its message: realism and symbolic message in the Bernini fountain of the four rivers in Rome

Abstract

The use of symbols in architecture of the past centuries is evident, even if sometimes cryptic. The reasons behind the representation of plants in artistic and architectural contexts are of great interest as they help in their understanding. We analysed the plants carved in the Fountain of Four Rivers (Rome), designed by G.L. Bernini (mid-seventeenth century), through iconographic and historical documents. The carved plants (about 34 species) creates a natural and symbolic association with the selected rivers and continents. Some species are chosen to characterise various geographic contexts or fluvial and rupestrian habitats or are referred to the papal coats of arms (Innocent X Pamphilj). A certain number has auspicious connotation and takes a strong symbolic salvific meaning and protective against the evil’s threat. The Kircherian influence emerges in several iconographic choices, as well as the river selection and orientation, in a philosophical-religious logic linked to the Papacy and Christianity role.

Botanical Analysis of the Baroque Art on the Eastern Adriatic Coast, South Croatia

“…made it impossible to identify them to species level. This problem was also emphasised by other studies, e.g., Caneva and Bohuny [30] and Caneva et al [3]. In addition, the species represented a lack of seasonal consistency, in that some are species depicted as growing in springtime while some others are growing in autumn.…”

“…This identification became even more difficult when time-related damage was added to the sometimes-poor accuracy of the painter in depicting plants. Therefore, in the absence of precise diagnostic elements, an assignment based on considerations related to habitat and probable abundance in adjacent natural contexts was proposed (see Caneva and Bohuny [30], Caneva et al [3]). When interpretation was too doubtful or ambiguous, identification was restricted to a general (higher taxonomic) level.…”

“…The importance of the study of plant iconography and, in general, the floristic richness of the artworks in the Mediterranean was highlighted in the last decade. The floristic richness in Roman iconography and the plants carved in the fountain (Rome, mid-17th century) were analyzed on the basis of iconographic and historical documents [2,3]. Hosseini and Caneva [4] emphasized the lack of a general methodological approach for the simultaneous evaluation of historical, structural (i.e., composition), and botanical features, as well as for revalorization the natural components of the lost gardens from antiquity.…”

Plant Conservation vs. Folk Traditions: The Case of Ophrys scolopax Cav. (Orchidaceae) in Central Western Spain

“…The young men would gather irises and make bouquets of them to offer to the woman they loved, or the one they wished to win. The iris is a flower loaded with symbolism, being considered a pure and divine flower that evokes the high dignity and the chivalry of royalty or the papacy [ 43 , 44 ]. Its religious significance is linked to the Virgin Mary: it is a symbol of purity, innocence and virginity, of the virginal conception of Jesus and of the fact that Mary was born without original sin [ 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”

Human-nature relationships in the collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples: a botanical perspective

“…Caneva & Bohuny 2003;Eichberger et al 2007;Caneva 2011;Yılmaz et al 2013;Caneva et al 2014). The portrayal of plants in art is decorative, symbolic, or descriptive and can take on various functions according to the purpose of the work itself and the historical period to which it belongs (Franchi & Pacini 2017;Caneva et al 2020). Many elements suggest that the choice of subject in the decoration of architecture and artifacts was not random or merely ornamental .…”