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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

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

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Symbol index

Results · 73
Objects · Symbols

Pipe Organ

Musical attribute of Saint Cecilia

Saint Cecilia at the organSebastiaen van Aken · 1697–1701
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How to recognise it

Portable pipe organ marks Cecilia, patron of musicians.

Young woman with palm; David’s harp lacks martyr palm.

Associated figures

Looking guides

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Most Recognizable

Beginner Symbol Guide

Martyrdom Clues

Animals & Their Meaning

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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.