Skip to content
Visual Atlas

The language of symbols.

Identify a figure Browse the index
Attribute cabinet

Two keys identify Saint Peter. In Perugino’s fresco, Christ gives them to him at the centre of the piazza.

See Saint Peter
The keys
Pietro Perugino
The keys
Identification desk

What can you see?

Choose up to three clues to find figures in the collection that share them all.

Your clues · 0/3

Try a combination

Symbol index

Results · 73
Objects · Martyrdom

Gridiron

Instrument of Saint Lawrence's martyrdom

Saint Lawrence with his gridiron, crowned by an angelAttributed to Juan Luis Zambrano · 1630

How to recognise it

A grill or gridiron is almost exclusive to Saint Lawrence.

Lawrence is often shown as a deacon beside the gridiron.

Associated figures

Looking guides

Study symbols by theme

Most Recognizable

Beginner Symbol Guide

Martyrdom Clues

Animals & Their Meaning

Compare figures
How to read an image
  1. Look at what the figure holds and how it is used.
  2. Study the clothes. A habit, armour or dalmatic can help establish a role.
  3. Compare the object and the clothing with the action in the scene.