Artwork
Allegory of Human Life
Allegory of Human Life is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Alessandro Allori. It dates from 1590 and is held in the collection of the Uffizi Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Alessandro Allori's Allegory of Human Life, painted on copper in 1590, is a representative work of the late Florentine school's Mannerist style.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a reclining nude male figure gazing up at a winged trumpeter, surrounded by symbolic elements and ambiguous background figures, suggesting a complex allegorical narrative.
Technique & Style
Executed on copper, the work showcases Allori's skillful use of color and detail, characteristic of Mannerist painting.
History & Provenance
Created by Allori, a pupil and adopted son of Agnolo Bronzino, the painting is now held in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alessandro di Cristofano di Lorenzo del Bronzino Allori (Florence, 31 May 1535 – 22 September 1607) was an Italian painter of the late Mannerist Florentine school.
The Triumph of Galathea
Jupiter and Cupid
Vulcan showing the captured Mars and Venus to the gods
Venus și Amor
Liberation of Andromeda, release of the winds by Aeolus and Aeneas
The Last Judgment
Time, Truth and History
The Unleashing of the winds
Minerva with Allegorical Figures of the Arts and Sciences (sketch for the ceiling of the Banqueting House, Hampton Court Palace)
Saint Michael Archangel attacking the dragon