Allegorical Representation of Industry (1640)

A woman doing her needlework, being an allegorical representation of Industry. Engraving dated 1640. A woman doing her needlework, being an allegorical representation of Industry. Engraving dated 1640. © The Trustees of the British Museum, acc. no. 2005,U.145.

The British Museum, London, houses an engraving taken from the poem Documenti d'amore by Francesco da Barberino (1264-1348), which was published in Rome in 1640. The illustration shows a woman doing some sort of needlework, allegorically representing Industry.

The publication of the poem, together with its engravings, was commissioned by Francesco Barberini (1597-1679), who in 1623 was appointed as cardinal by his uncle, Pope Urban VIII. He was also a member of the jury that condemned Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) for his theory that the earth was circling around the sun. Actually, Francesco Barberini was opposed to Galileo's condemnation.

British Museum online catalogue (retrieved 4 September 2016).

WV

Cardinal Francesco Barberini (1597-1679), in an engraving dated 1624.

Last modified on Sunday, 13 November 2016 15:04
Published in 17th century
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