The Secret Language of the Renaissance: Decoding the Hidden Symbolism of Italian Art

by Richard Stemp

http://amazon.com/dp/1844833224

During the Renaissance, artists traditionally encoded meanings into symbols, some of which drew upon a traditional repertoire available to educated people in the era. These hidden messages—which ranged from the esoteric to the political to the religious—could be communicated in everything from the position of a hand to the placement of the sun and moon. This magnificently illustrated book helps us discover them anew, as lecturer, author, and director Richard Stemp teaches you the art of reading these paintings.