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Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance
An exploration of philosophical and mystical sources of iconography in Renaissance art.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
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641 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Wind
27 books13 followersEdgar Wind was a German-born British interdisciplinary art historian, specializing in iconology in the Renaissance era. He was a member of the school of art historians associated with Aby Warburg and the Warburg Institute as well as the first Professor of art history at Oxford University. He is most well known for his research in allegory and the use of pagan mythology during the 15th and 16th centuries, and for his book on the subject, Pagan Mysteries of the Renaissance.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 20, 2017
This book is a real tour de force, starting out with a discussion of the term ‘mysteries’ and its three different modes of "the ritual, the figurative, and the magical"; pointing to its inherent meaning of ‘initiation’ and how Plato viewed philosophy itself as a mystical initiation. - Wind first turns his attention the triad of the Graces as he guides us through the numerous Renaissance expressions of the Neoplatonic concept of emanation and triads, and - towards the end of the book - descends all the way down to Hades and the triple headed Cerberus, only to bring us effortlessly back to the Apollonian heaven by hitching a ride on the (circular) serpent, symbol of eternity, as depicted in Gafurius's 'Music of the Spheres' and more obviously on the medal of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, where the serpent in a "circle of perfection" touches the ground, while the main portion of its body curves into the higher realms. “Non tota descendit anima quum descendit.” - These examples are simply to demonstrate how Wind always makes use of the illustrations in combination with the text; the more than 100 plates are consistently referred to and often approached from different angles throughout the various chapters.
The main portion of the book is of course dedicated to the more intermediate realms which also were the principal areas of focus for the pursuits of the Renaissance humanists; e.g. the image of Blind Love as the power ‘above the intellect’, and, as the chapter titles suggests: 'Virtue Reconciled with Pleasure', 'Sacred and Profane Love', 'The Flaying of Marsyas', 'Pan and Proteus'.. ("In the ever changing balance de dieux the [Orphic] gods reveal their Protean nature: but the very fact that each god contains his opposite in himself, and can change into it when occasion demands, makes him shadow forth the nature of Pan in whom all opposites are one." p. 199) – this chapter also contains a discussion of the double-headed Janus, who 'can at the same time see the spiritual things and provide for the material'.. - here Wind quotes Pico della Mirandola, as he often does throughout the book, alongside many others, and all the way he demonstrates his scholarship not only by his obvious mastery of the subject but also by consistently quoting or referring to the original sources.
I very much appreciated Wind’s discussion of Botticelli's 'Primavera' and 'Birth of Venus', and as well his chapter on Michelangelo's 'Bacchus'. - There are ample footnotes, which for the most part add a lot to the the text. In spite of the fact that Wind quotes his sources in six languages (including Latin and Greek), often without any translations, I didn’t find this book a difficult read – though I no doubt would have gotten a lot more out of it if the translations had been there – it is the only thing I found lacking in this book. The discussion never gets dry because Wind approaches it with a passionate seriousness that also allows for the occasional glimmer of humor, as well as at times taking colleagues to task for having done shoddy work. The subject itself, that of pagan mysteries in the Renaissance, certainly contains a fascinating richness, but Wind manages to add to it by creating a lens through which it can be viewed also with Renaissance eyes. It is a book to return to, not only for reference, but also simply to enjoy.
This short review, alongside my own lack of scholarship, cannot do the book any real justice, but suffice to say that I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in e.g. art history, paganism, or Neoplatonism in the Renaissance. Wind’s book also gave me plenty of incentive for further reading; something that I consider worthy of a medal of honor for any scholarly work.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The main portion of the book is of course dedicated to the more intermediate realms which also were the principal areas of focus for the pursuits of the Renaissance humanists; e.g. the image of Blind Love as the power ‘above the intellect’, and, as the chapter titles suggests: 'Virtue Reconciled with Pleasure', 'Sacred and Profane Love', 'The Flaying of Marsyas', 'Pan and Proteus'.. ("In the ever changing balance de dieux the [Orphic] gods reveal their Protean nature: but the very fact that each god contains his opposite in himself, and can change into it when occasion demands, makes him shadow forth the nature of Pan in whom all opposites are one." p. 199) – this chapter also contains a discussion of the double-headed Janus, who 'can at the same time see the spiritual things and provide for the material'.. - here Wind quotes Pico della Mirandola, as he often does throughout the book, alongside many others, and all the way he demonstrates his scholarship not only by his obvious mastery of the subject but also by consistently quoting or referring to the original sources.
I very much appreciated Wind’s discussion of Botticelli's 'Primavera' and 'Birth of Venus', and as well his chapter on Michelangelo's 'Bacchus'. - There are ample footnotes, which for the most part add a lot to the the text. In spite of the fact that Wind quotes his sources in six languages (including Latin and Greek), often without any translations, I didn’t find this book a difficult read – though I no doubt would have gotten a lot more out of it if the translations had been there – it is the only thing I found lacking in this book. The discussion never gets dry because Wind approaches it with a passionate seriousness that also allows for the occasional glimmer of humor, as well as at times taking colleagues to task for having done shoddy work. The subject itself, that of pagan mysteries in the Renaissance, certainly contains a fascinating richness, but Wind manages to add to it by creating a lens through which it can be viewed also with Renaissance eyes. It is a book to return to, not only for reference, but also simply to enjoy.
This short review, alongside my own lack of scholarship, cannot do the book any real justice, but suffice to say that I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in e.g. art history, paganism, or Neoplatonism in the Renaissance. Wind’s book also gave me plenty of incentive for further reading; something that I consider worthy of a medal of honor for any scholarly work.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
September 4, 2011
Edgar Wind’s Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, originally published in 1958, is definitely one of the most illuminating books I’ve encountered on art history.
The major problem with Renaissance art is that if you haven’t had a classical education most of it is incomprehensible. Since I’ve not had a classical education that’s always put me off a bit. As Wind points though you need more than just a familiarity with classical mythology. You also need at least a basic grounding in the complexities of the Neo-Platonic philosophies with which that age was so obsessed.
He also points out that even some of the most familiar paintings of the era are widely misunderstood, paintings like Titian's Sacred and Profane Love and Botticelli's Primavera.
The book is absolutely fascinating. He talks at great length about the Three Graces, a popular subject from the classical era right through to the Renaissance. What seems like a simple subject is in fact immensely complex with multiple allegorical meanings. They can represent liberality, the offering, accepting and returning of favours. They can also represent love in a complex Neo-Platonic sense including both physical love and spiritual love and oneness with God. If you look at the many Renaissance examples of this subject there are subtle differences in the positioning and postures of the three figures and these seemingly minor differences conceal important differences in the way various painters (and the philosophers who influenced them) conceived both love and religion.
His chapter on Botticelli's Primavera is exhaustive and revealing.
He also explains some common but major misconceptions. In Titian's Sacred and Profane Love the temptation is to see the clothed figure as representing sacred love but in fact it’s the nude figure who represents the higher spiritual form of love.
The major problem with Renaissance art is that if you haven’t had a classical education most of it is incomprehensible. Since I’ve not had a classical education that’s always put me off a bit. As Wind points though you need more than just a familiarity with classical mythology. You also need at least a basic grounding in the complexities of the Neo-Platonic philosophies with which that age was so obsessed.
He also points out that even some of the most familiar paintings of the era are widely misunderstood, paintings like Titian's Sacred and Profane Love and Botticelli's Primavera.
The book is absolutely fascinating. He talks at great length about the Three Graces, a popular subject from the classical era right through to the Renaissance. What seems like a simple subject is in fact immensely complex with multiple allegorical meanings. They can represent liberality, the offering, accepting and returning of favours. They can also represent love in a complex Neo-Platonic sense including both physical love and spiritual love and oneness with God. If you look at the many Renaissance examples of this subject there are subtle differences in the positioning and postures of the three figures and these seemingly minor differences conceal important differences in the way various painters (and the philosophers who influenced them) conceived both love and religion.
His chapter on Botticelli's Primavera is exhaustive and revealing.
He also explains some common but major misconceptions. In Titian's Sacred and Profane Love the temptation is to see the clothed figure as representing sacred love but in fact it’s the nude figure who represents the higher spiritual form of love.
April 4, 2012
The most erudite book I have ever read - Wind writes in as I recall six languages - it is also one of the most amazing, a tour de force on how to interpret renaissance art. From medals to the most famous renaissance paintings - Botticelli and Tiziano feature - the connection of artists and the philosophy of the time not only brings the ideas alive in a new way, but also makes the paintings new. This is a wonderful book.
December 31, 2024
Neoplatonism in art: love & wisdom, triads & emanations, death & ascendency, unity of opposites, etc.
August 22, 2019
A groundbreaking study of Renaisance thought, especially Ficino, that achieves many insights by applying philosophy to art. The research is erudite and incredibly detailed. Indispensable reading for Renaissance lovers.
August 28, 2020
Fascinating Neoplatonic look at Renaissance masters. Each chapter felt like a revelation.
May 30, 2025
Una linea di pensiero esoterica collega l’antichità alle soglie dell’epoca moderna, attraversando la storia come un filo invisibile
July 28, 2017
Il libro tratta dei misteri pagani (neoplatonici) nelle opere rinascimentali, e più in generale, la ripresa di temi pagani (neoplatonici) nel Rinascimento.Il che, ho sorprendentemente scoperto che è un ticchio troppo specifico, per me, e che forse forse avere un'infarinatura di storia dell'arte avrebbe aiutato, anziché comprarlo a caso perché c'era il 25% di sconto e il titolo sembrava fico.
Che poi. Qualcuno può spiegarmi per quale motivo si traduce l'inglese e non il greco antico? Cioè, ok che il target non sono io, ma insomma.
(Il libro comunque merita.)
Che poi. Qualcuno può spiegarmi per quale motivo si traduce l'inglese e non il greco antico? Cioè, ok che il target non sono io, ma insomma.
(Il libro comunque merita.)
March 19, 2018
This is a book I'm going to come back to again and again. I never would have though an art historian would be such a great writer, but Edgar Wind writes eloquently about arcane topics that are usually not found in English. Anyone remotely interested in Bruno, Ficino, Pico or the humanist renaissance should find something of interest here, unless they're already completely versed in neoplatonic theories. Even then, Wind provides an elegant narrative that, in my opinion, puts authors like Joseph Campbell to shame.
May 16, 2022
Un libro che non è per tutte le bocche. Molto tecnico e non proprio divulgativo. Un libro per specialisti verrebbe da dire dove noi comuni mortali possiamo cogliere qualche suggestione ma senza pensare di portarsi a casa tutto (ed è davvero tanto) di quello che c'è scritto.
June 30, 2023
One of the most fascinating books ever written about Renaissance art, revealing unimaginable depth and cultural wealth.
An absolute recommendation!
An absolute recommendation!
March 18, 2024
A lot about Boticcelli and Venus. Fascinating discussion of numbers and historical evidence. A nice addition in your art repertoire.
March 5, 2022
A ritual exhibition of pagan mysteries and neoplatonic philosophy.
November 16, 2024
One of these great academic books in the German humanist tradition which one never forgets. The level of scholarship is astounding, the writing is elegant and subdued. At times, I felt the urge to go back to university to make up for my deficiencies in Hebrew, Ancient Greek and Renaissance Tuscan. But the greatest pleasure is in viewing the artworks themselves after this read.
August 28, 2013
Unable to finish this book as required back at the library. Erudite and intelligent and helped explain some of the mysteries behind Pico and Ficino's theories.
Want to read
January 18, 2018Adding this on C.S. Lewis's recommendation
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews