Claudia Rousseau

Astrological Imagery and Rulership Propaganda

Abstract

As I have previously demonstrated, the impresa depicting the Sign of Capricorn with the constellation of the Crown of Ariadne invented soon after the 18 year-old Cosimo de' Medici was confirmed second hereditary Duke of Florence in September 1537 was not a vague reference to the Emperor Augustus, nor to Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. Rather, the image that appeared on a medal commissioned immediately after this event was based on significant data from the youth's natal map. It became the core image of a rulership propaganda that would make continuous reference to a destiny indicated in the stars at his birth and was repeated in visual expressions throughout his career. Its astrological source and meaning were key to its effectiveness. In fall 1537 Cosimo commissioned painter Jacopo Pontormo to represent the positions of the full chart in the loggia vault of the Medici villa at Castello. Numerous works of art made for the Duke would include astrological imagery, including a sculpture by Domenico Poggini, another by Vincenzo Danti, and many examples in the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio. Cosimo's use of an astrological basis for his rulership propaganda would become a model for later European monarchs such as Elizabeth I of England.

Biography

Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Rousseau completed her B.A. at Hunter College (C.U.N.Y.), and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History at ColumbiaUniversity in New York. Dr. Rousseau is Professor of Art History at the School of Art and Design at Montgomery College where she has been teaching Renaissance and Modern Art since fall 2001. Dr. Rousseau has written extensively about astrological imagery in Italian Renaissance art, beginning with her doctoral dissertation Cosimo I de' Medici and Astrology: The Symbolism of Prophecy. She is currently on sabbatical pursuing two academic publications involving astrology in art.