Savonarolan prophecy in Leonardo's "Allegory with wolf and eagle"

• Autores: Josephine Jungic
• Localización: Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, ISSN 0075-4390, Nº 60, 1997, págs. 253-260
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The writer suggests that the meaning of Allegory with Wolf and Eagle, a red chalk drawing by Leonardo da Vinci in the Royal Collection at Windsor in England, may be revealed in the context of Florentine Savonarolan prophecy. The drawing depicts a wolf in a boat navigating toward a crowned eagle on a globe. The eagle represents the Holy Roman Emperor and here alludes to the French King Francis I and his imperial aspirations, since the crown bears a fleur de lis. The wolf has always had negative connotations in Renaissance iconography and was often used as a symbol for corrupted elements in the Church. According to the prophecy of the Second Charlemagne, the most popular political prophecy in Leonardo's day, the French king becomes the Holy Roman Emperor and cleanses the Church of corruption. This prophecy appears to anticipate the invasion of Italy by Francis I in the summer of 1515. In creating this allegorical drawing, it is possible that Leonardo was expressing his hope that the French king would come and rid Italy of the evils of the papal court.