The great codifier of allegories or personifications of vices, virtues, emotions, sciences, aptitudes and attitudes was Cesare Ripa, an Italian academic and humanist scholar who died in Rome in 1622. Under the degree scroll of Iconology, he published in Rome in 1593, a large collection of allegories, with extensive descriptions, inspired by various literary sources such as the Hieroglyphica of Piero Valeriano, Emblematum libellus of Andrea Alciato, the Sermon of the medals of the ancients by Sebastiano Erizzo, the Bible, medieval codices, medals and monuments of Antiquity. In 1603 the text was republished in Rome and dedicated to Lorenzo Salviati, enlarged with more than 400 entries and with many xylographic images. In 1611, the text was republished in Padua and subsequently translated into other languages. In general, in the successive editions, the images gained space, which made the work more attractive and didactic.

The repertoire of Ripa's images imposed itself on the imagination of European artists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, especially in Italy, France and Spain. The great artists, writers and humanists possessed that book. We know that it was on the shelves of the libraries of Velázquez, Palomino, Carducho, Pacheco, Preciado de la Vega or Ardemans, among others. Whoever wishes to approach a reading, in core topic cultural, of the great works of the Baroque must go to Ripa's work.

In Renaissance and Mannerism

In tune with Italy and Europe, the whole symbolic language of emblems, allegories and hieroglyphs gained strength from the beginning of the 16th century in tombs and some facades, but the true abundance of allegorical representations would come with the art of Mannerism, particularly in altarpieces, where we will find them with an aesthetic sense and attributes similar to those used in the rest of Europe, from Antwerp to Rome or Naples. Outstanding sets such as the monstrance of Juan de Arfe in Seville or the stalls of the Cistercian monastery of Valdeiglesias, currently in the cathedral of Murcia, speak of the triumph of that language, which was enhanced with the arrival of Ripa's Iconology , recommended by the treatises of Francisco Pacheco, Velázquez's father-in-law, and Vicente Carducho.

In Navarre, the presence of the allegories of the theological and cardinal virtues is especially evident in the reliefs of the Romanesque altarpieces, and even in some earlier and early Baroque ones. Together with their titulars, the Virgin or the martyrs, they came very well to make a catechetical and even commendatory speech of them, always adapting each virtue to the saint in question, for example, fortitude and justice always with San Miguel ... etc. Sometimes, as in the altarpiece of Ezcároz and that of the monastery of La Oliva, they reached the category of large round lumps, but the usual thing is to find them in reliefs that represent them lying down, adapting to the rectangles of the benches of the successive bodies of the altarpieces. The ashlar of the parish of Aguilar de Codés, from the second third of the 16th century, is a good and early example of the representation of allegories, as can be seen in its panels. In the main altarpieces of Cábrega, Learza, Ugar, Olazagutía, Berrioplano, Tirapu, Arellano and Muruzábal and in collateral altarpieces of Azagra, Ochagavía, Garisoain, Lumbier, Villatuerta or Mañeru, among others, one can contemplate the theological and cardinal virtues with their corresponding attributes.

The other support of the virtues at that time were the silver processional crosses. Particularly in those of the second third of the century we find, together with the Evangelists and the titular figures of the parishes, various allegories in the processional crosses of Ugar and Oláiz, among others.

Faith is usually accompanied by the cross and, sometimes, by the Eucharist, hope carries an anchor and charity breastfeeds and protects helpless children. As for the cardinals, fortitude goes with a pillar or has a lion at its side, prudence carries a mirror and a snake, justice carries the scales and the sword, and temperance pours liquid from a jug without losing a drop, keeping its pulse.

The figure of faith in pulpits, displays and temples

As might be expected, our heritage, eminently religious in character, has preserved numerous representations of the faith. The great pulpit pulpits of the Baroque pulpits are crowned with his figure, generally blindfolded, carrying the cross and the Eucharist. Thus it appears in the pulpits of Fitero, Funes, Errazu, Ujué, Santacara or Villafranca. Sometimes, it occupies the bottoms of the tabernacles, in beautiful polychrome works and at the tip of the brush, as it happens in Ilzarbe or Paternain and in others it tops the exhibitors (Urdiain, Los Arcos, Villafranca) or the great temples, as we see in that of the Magdalena de Viana or that of San Fermín de Pamplona. When it accompanies its companions, hope and charity, it usually occupies the central place.

In the great eighteenth-century ensembles

After a withdrawal of allegorical language, it will reappear with force from the second quarter of the eighteenth century. The enormous scenographies, both in altarpieces and in sets of decorative painting, had a formidable support in the personification of some virtues, fundamentally the theological and cardinal virtues. The former appear in the heads of San Francisco and Santa María de Viana and of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fair Love de la Virgen del Soto de Caparroso, in outstanding sets due to the paintbrushes of Aragonese fresco artists or of the Navarrese Mata.

In other places they are complemented with other cardinal virtues, as in the parish of Iturmendi or the aforementioned Shrine of Our Lady of Fair Love del Soto. In the latter we also find devotion, truth and obedience together with fortitude and justice.

The interior of the parish church of Los Arcos, with the paintings of Jose Bravo, made between 1742 and 1745, offers a rich set of allegories: the three theological virtues and others such as liberality -showing valuable objects-, pride -with the peacock's feathers-, and envy -eating its own heart-.

Large sculptures depicting the cardinal virtues are found in the chapel of Santa Ana in Tudela and in the chapel of the Virgen del Camino in Pamplona, in both cases to exalt both and becoming faithful allies of the word that was pronounced from the pulpit to exalt the holders of the chapels. The reliefs of the baroque silver pediments of the chapel of San Fermín incorporate the personifications of award and virtue.

Of quality A are the pendentives of the chapel of San Juan del Ramo in Santa Maria de Viana in which four great virtues of the Precursor are represented, work of the famous Luis Paret of 1787. There we find sanctity, represented as a maiden kneeling before a cross with an altar where incense is burning and a vase at her feet; wisdom, dressed in rich clothes and with wide wings, accompanied by the book of wisdom and turning her face to receive the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; constancy carrying a pillar and sword; and chastity scourging a cupid and holding in her left hand a harness full of water.

In relation to the academic world, we must mention the allegories that decorate the carriage of the Marquis of San Adrián de Tudela: music, architecture, sculpture and painting, as well as others that appear in altarpieces and furniture from the second half of the 18th century.

The paintings in the chapel of the Santo Cristo de la columna de Cascante, decorated by Diego Díaz del Valle in 1799, were a group of paintings that no longer exist and which were taken from Ripa's book. This painter, a resident of the aforementioned town and the only easel painter with certain pretensions in the last decades of the 18th century in Navarre, left a writing that was published explaining everything he had done. From that publication we know that together with numerous symbols, the pendentives depicted obedience, innocence, humility and pain, glossing Christ and his passion, while the right side depicted constancy and contemplation and the left side devotion and gratitude. The center was reserved for the allegorization of the city of Cascante in the form of a heroine glorifying the chapel together with liberality.

At the service of power and the party

Municipal buildings of the category of the city council of Pamplona from the middle of the XVIII century, the house of the city in the new place of Tudela, from the end of the XVII century or the consistory of Vera resorted to the language of the personification of the virtues of good government. In the capital of Navarre, under the gaze of the allegory of Fame that proclaims the glories of the city, we find two Hercules that personify virtue and on the sides of the main door the sculptures that allegorize Prudence and Justice, the former with the mirror of the knowledge of itself and the serpent of cunning and justice with the scales and the sword. The two sculptures are the work of José Jiménez. In Vera appear the four cardinal virtues with their corresponding attributes, made between 1773-1776.

But beyond the buildings, the personifications of virtues and vices were present in the commemorative celebrations that with different motives were prepared in the cities and towns. As an example, the disguised couples who paraded through the streets of Pamplona in 1749 in honor of the Virgen del Camino: courtesy, pleasantness, different pairs of love subject (fine and constant, tender and appreciative, cordial and reverent, ingenious and solicitous, prudent and just, peaceful and efficient, modest and shameful, solicitous and generous), the city of Pamplona with two nymphs, the gift of committee, the cardinal virtues and finally, four burlesque couples: greenness-loquacity, joke-season, vice and trickery-deception.

In another celebration dedicated by young students to San Fermin in 1756, a parade was organized with several couples, on horseback, with breastplate and backplate, which were allegorizations of the nine cities of the Kingdom of Navarre with their heraldic emblems and their corresponding poems, followed by gods and goddesses of the "Blind Gentility" and biblical heroes and heroines and of Antiquity. Between the groups there were couples of Turks, "dressed in Turkish fashion, who seemed to be on a pilgrimage to Mecca". Closing this part and presiding over the procession, a triumphal chariot was arranged to carry the personification of the city of Pamplona and the Kingdom of Navarre, in the form of a dashing young horseman, bizarrely adorned, holding a banner with the arms of Navarre.

As a cover for the reprint of the Annals of Moret, in 1766, José Lamarca designed a cover that was never published, but of which the drawing is preserved. In it we see the coat of arms of Navarre on a delicate classical architecture and a curtain. Around it appear the winged figure of Fame, another personification with helmet and spear holding some slaves with a chain, which we can identify with victory or better yet with Athena, goddess of the just war of wisdom and culture, and a third winged figure, seated on a column shaft, holding a kind of pen or chisel and with several books at her feet, so it must be identified with the allegory of history. The reading of the drawing seems to be quite clear, around the vision of the Kingdom as triumphant over its enemies and favoring the arts and culture.

The funeral celebrations that had their central point in the catafalques erected in the cathedral, were also ornamented with allegories of the virtues of the deceased monarchs. We know the engraving design (1696) of the funeral of Queen Mariana of Austria in which the four cardinal virtues appear at the base. Emblems and allegories were very present in the funerary protocol , as Molins and Azanza have studied.

From the 19th century to the present day: outstanding examples

In landmark buildings of the nineteenth century we again find prominent personifications. Thus in the high school Provincial -School of Commerce-, work of Maximiano Hijón in 1857, we find allegories of sciences and letters on the sides of its façade, accompanied by their respective attributes.

Of great significance are the allegories that appear in the Throne Room of the Provincial Palace or Diputación. The painter who became position of them would be Martin Miguel Azparren, native of Eugui, who had sent in 1852 two paintings to the deputy Juan Pedro Aguirre, one with the topic of charity commissioned by the Marquis of Fontellas and another representing the genius of progress to send to the exhibition of Madrid through Don Nazario Carriquiri. The offer of his services to the Corporation fructified years later in 1860 in which position of the roof of the palace would be made with the representation of the cardinal virtues, always related to the good government, as well as the great allegory of Navarre, in the shape of matron crowned with references to the abundance, the agriculture, the industry, the warlike feats, the progress patented in the factories with its smoking chimneys and the aqueduct of Noain. In relation to this composition it is necessary to put the great map of Navarre made by Francisco Boronat in a great chromolithography (1879) presided in its superior part by the shield of Navarre and two allegories that are accompanied by the attributes of the letters, the arts, the progress, the fortress and the sources of wealth. The pediment of the Palacio de Diputación, the work of Fructuoso Orduna (1932-1934), is in the same line as the talking elements.

In the emblematic Monument to the Fueros (1903) the personifications of history, autonomy, peace and the work can be contemplated, as well as the allegory of Navarre, which is the owner of the monument. The other great public monument of the time is located in the cemetery of Roncal to honor the report of Gayarre. It was the work of Mariano Benlliure, made between 1981 and 1895, and the allegories of music, harmony, melody and fame stand out.