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- Jul 17, 2026
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Symbols and Allegories in Art (Eng Translation: 2005) by Mathilde Battistini is one of my favorite books period, wondering if anyone else had heard of it or rated it! Basically just a comprehensive catalogue of the common symbols used in western art. Available on the Internet Archive.
Great layout and formatting, analyses artworks in depth. Each couple of pages is dedicated to a symbol (The Ages of Man, Death, Egg, Androgyne, Ladder etc.), with colour photos of paintings and sculptures as evidence for the symbol's meaning and implementation. The symbology ranges from Ancient Greek, to Roman, to Medieval, to Renaissance, with a few modern pieces of art too.
Only criticism is that the book is limited to European art, so the title is a bit misleading. Obviously I can understand why Battistini limited herself to one continent, the book would have been very long otherwise and more confusing to read, as a symbol with an established meaning in one culture can have a completely different meaning in another.
If anyone has any recs for books on Islamic, Indian, Chinese or North American smybols (or any other cultures!) I would love to hear your recs
Great layout and formatting, analyses artworks in depth. Each couple of pages is dedicated to a symbol (The Ages of Man, Death, Egg, Androgyne, Ladder etc.), with colour photos of paintings and sculptures as evidence for the symbol's meaning and implementation. The symbology ranges from Ancient Greek, to Roman, to Medieval, to Renaissance, with a few modern pieces of art too.
Only criticism is that the book is limited to European art, so the title is a bit misleading. Obviously I can understand why Battistini limited herself to one continent, the book would have been very long otherwise and more confusing to read, as a symbol with an established meaning in one culture can have a completely different meaning in another.
If anyone has any recs for books on Islamic, Indian, Chinese or North American smybols (or any other cultures!) I would love to hear your recs