  About the Artwork
  
  
  One of Raphael's most talented assistants, Giulio Romano left Rome in 1524 to work for Federigo Gonzaga, ruler of Mantua. Romano's paintings contributed to the spread of Roman mannerism, a style which set the artistic standard for the next two decades in Italy. This painting illustrates the sophisticated and obscure symbols that were familiar to the courts of sixteenth-century Italy; to decipher the meanings of the various segments was a challenging game for courtiers. The most easily understood symbols are the phoenix rising out of the flames (a symbol of rebirth) and the serpent devouring its own tail (representing eternity).
  
  
  Title
  An Allegory of Immortality
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1540
  
  Artist
  Giulio Romano
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1499-1546
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Italian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 27 1/2 × 27 1/2 inches (69.8 × 69.8 cm)
  Framed: 31 3/8 × 31 3/8 × 1 1/2 inches (79.7 × 79.7 × 3.8 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  European Painting
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford II Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  66.41
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
