Abstract
Peace and Symbols of Peace in the Visual Arts Artistic representations of concepts and visions of peace played an important role in the religious conflicts and long wars of the early modern period. They were embedded in religious, court, and institutional contexts which often had complex pictorial programmes and publishing strategies. Images of Pax, generally portrayed as the allegorical personification of peace, accompanied by further allegories of virtue or in mythological guise, were employed to proclaim general visions of peace or to promote and legitimise specific peacemaking initiatives. They also often articulated the sense of the provisional and fragile nature of peace. An extensive repertoire of classical and Christian symbols and manifestations of peace appeared in different political contexts throughout the early modern period. Artistic representations of peace thus both reinforced political theories and performed political action.
