The meaning of the emblem of the Accademia Etrusca—used since 1728, when it first appeared within an elaborate decorative frame at the opening of Chapter VI of the Statutes—is explained in the Notti Coritane (1747).
At the center of the emblem stands Apollo’s tripod, entwined by a serpent, a symbol of inspired wisdom and knowledge. Above the tripod appears a star, referring to Electra, one of the daughters of Atlas, wife of Corythus, king of Cortona, and mother of Dardanus, the founder of Troy. According to mythological tradition, Electra was transformed by Jupiter into one of the stars of the Pleiades, although Ovid notes that she is no longer visible.
Above the star is depicted the city of Cortona, once characterized by a tower rising above each of its gates.
On either side of the emblem are two eagles holding laurel wreaths in their talons—symbols of glory and virtue—while at the bottom a third wreath appears, accompanied by two feathers. Surrounding the tripod is a scroll bearing the motto OBSCURA DE RE LUCIDA PANGO, drawn from Lucretius, which expresses the cultural mission of the Academy: to make clear what is obscure, illuminating the complexities of venerable antiquity through study and research.
As described in the Notti Coritane, the Academy—founded for the study of antiquity, a complex and demanding field—placed its trust in the dedication of its members to make this knowledge more accessible, almost as if responding, like an oracular tripod, to the obscure questions of the past.
In the painted version of the emblem, the central motif of the tripod with the serpent, the star, and the city of Cortona derives from the engraving in the first printed edition of the Statutes, while the motif of the eagles holding laurel wreaths comes from another iconographic variant of the emblem, frequently used in the Saggi di dissertazioni of the Accademia.
Information
Emblem, 19th century
Wood
120 × 38 cm
MAEC, Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona
