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Allegories of the Arts

One of the central artistic debates of the 16th century concerned the question of the “paragone” (the comparison of artistic media). In particular, the discussion questioned which of the three fine arts (painting, sculpture or architecture) takes precedence over the other two. While other artists declared a clear preference for one or the other category, Vasari expressed more reserve and emphasised more their common characteristics. His perspective was that they were all based on the “disegno” (drawing, draft), which decided the quality of the work. The portrayal of the youth drawing his shadow beside the chimney has already been interpreted in this spirit, but also the portrayal of the allegories of the arts, which frame the main scenes on the walls of the Sala Grande, should be understood in this context. In addition to the allegories of painting, sculpture and architecture, two further allegories have been added: Those of poetry and of music. For Vasari, the poet extracted his material from nature, similar to the way the artist did, to then “continue to draw” it with the help of inspiration. In contrast, the allegory of music is a 19th century addition, that was added after one of the doors of the Sala was shut.
Allegory of sculpture, north-west wall, state after cleaning of the paint surface and fixation of the coating Allegory of sculpture, north-west wall, state after cleaning of the paint surface and fixation of the coating
Allegory of poetry, north-west wall, state after restoration Allegory of poetry, north-west wall, state after restoration
Allegory of architecture, south-east wall, state after partial cleaning of the paint surface Allegory of architecture, south-east wall, state after partial cleaning of the paint surface
Allegory of painting, south-east wall, state after partial cleaning of the paint surface Allegory of painting, south-east wall, state after partial cleaning of the paint surface
Imitator of Vasari: Allegory of music, 19th century, south-west wall, state after fixation of the coating with Japanese tissue Imitator of Vasari: Allegory of music, 19th century, south-west wall, state after fixation of the coating with Japanese tissue
Allegory of architecture, south-east wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation Allegory of architecture, south-east wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation
Allegory of painting, south-east wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation Allegory of painting, south-east wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation
Imitator of Vasari, Allegory of music, 19th century, south-west wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation Imitator of Vasari, Allegory of music, 19th century, south-west wall, side-lit photograph to document the painting technique and the state of preservation