LA HYRE, Laurent de
(b. 1606, Paris, d. 1656, Paris)

Allegory of Grammar

1650
Oil on canvas, 103 x 112 cm
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

This personification of the liberal art of Grammar is engaged in an activity to show how ideas impact real life. To demonstrate how important grammar and clear writing are in making ideas "bloom," the artist metaphorically represents Grammar watering two pots of flowers. Over her arm is a scroll bearing an ancient definition of grammar in Latin: "A literate tongue, spoken in the required manner."




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.