Peace and Plenty

Guido Reni, Peace and Plenty (1627) 

I didn't know that we celebrated the International Day of Peace on September 21st. Is this something new? From what I know facebook participated in the Day of Peace celebrations by making love filled with hearts. I am sure you noticed it, too. Today the heart function is back to normal. Clicking on hearts on Facebook yesterday was much fun!

When I think of peace I envision the etching by Italian artist Guido Reni with the personalizations of Peace next to Plenty. The allegory is meant to express the alliance between the two. To me everything beautiful comes in pairs: peace and plenty is the best example to express this concept that is very often depicted in art. 

Other pairs that come to my mind right now are Venus and Mars, Aurora and Helios, Spring and Hermes. This latter is very interesting with regards to reviving something (spring) as Hermes is the messenger of success. 

Now I have a little story to share. By observing the coat of arms of a local family called Misciattelli, I thought of it as an expression of the alliance of peace and plenty. Colors were reinforcing the idea: blue for the dove's background and red for the cat's. Look at the coat of arms with me:

The Misciattelli coat of arms (colored by me for the Friends of Cama)

The cat was the symbol of the Miscìattelli family because their name comes from 'miscio', onomatopeic for a cat in Italian. The cat is the symbol of abundance as a fat cat means that the neighborhood is feeding him well, that there is food available.  

The dove is the international symbol of peace and the olive tree sprig is an additional element to prove this meaning as true. So when I first saw this coat of arms I thought of being in front of the alliance of peace and plenty again. 

Soon after I asked a heraldic association to let me know if what I thought could be real. I sent them an email. They got back to me and said that coat of arms does not go this far as to allegories. It was just a coincidence. The only thing they said to me is that the dove in a coat of arms is a feminine symbol. 

Indeed what had happened is that the Marquis Misciattelli had gotten married to a local young lady who was invited to select a symbol for herself to be added to the coat of arms on the day of their marriage: she selected the dove of peace. 

Cama® is a lifestyle

                                 

FRIENDS OF CAMA's Blog

Renaissance Art Curiosities in Times of Rebirth   

Cama® is a cultural brand inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Like and share our page to join our online events & receive blog posts. 

NEW! Free Italian arts & crafts consulting by sending a message on the Friends of Cama page.