ABSTRACT
In his art and writings, Giorgio Vasari (1511–74) appropriates visual and moral concepts from mythological, emblematic and philosophical manuals. To elucidate how Vasari manifests the appreciation of emblematic manuals in his art, we turn to the imagery of the Planets of 1548, on the ceiling of the Chamber of Fortune, in Vasari’s house at Arezzo, which visualizes a Neoplatonic voyage (Figures 8.1 and 8.2). 2 In analyzing the Planets, constituting a visual segment of the ceiling decoration, three issues arise: how Vasari’s artistic symbolism is deeply rooted in the artistic conventions and mythological traditions of the sixteenth century; how these visual traditions, which reflect Renaissance Neoplatonic notions, are assimilated by Vasari and revealed in a secular decorative cycle for his house; and how Vasari creates a mythical journey for the artistic soul. Giorgio Vasari, <italic>Ceiling with Planets</italic>, Chamber of Fortune, 1548, Casa Vasari, Arezzo. Photographic credit: Courtesy of Liana De Girolami Cheney (own work). Licensing information: PD-Self, courtesy of the author. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-u.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781351174084/184bce2c-4b42-4b80-994a-1061d2ef1ac8/content/fig8_1.jpg"/> Liana Cheney, Reconstruction of Vasari’s <italic>Ceiling with Planets</italic>, Chamber of Fortune, 1548, Casa Vasari, Arezzo. Photographic credit: Courtesy of Liana De Girolami Cheney (own work). Licensing information: PD-Self, courtesy of the author. Map of reconstruction by numbers: 1. Envy; 2. Fortune; 3. Virtue; 4. Spring; 5. Summer; 6. Autumn; 7. Winter; 8. Mercury; 9. Mars; 10. Apollo; 11. Diana (Moon); 12. Saturn; 13. Jupiter; 14. Cupid; 15. Venus; 16. Vasari’s coat-of-arms. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-u.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781351174084/184bce2c-4b42-4b80-994a-1061d2ef1ac8/content/fig8_2.jpg"/>
