Portrait of Pope Pius V 1605

El Greco painted this portrait of Pope Pius V, and the vibrant red of the Pope’s robes immediately commands attention. This cardinal red, historically associated with sacrifice, courage, and divine love, visually represents his high office. Notice the Pope’s raised hand, a gesture resonating through centuries, echoing the ancient Roman oratorical pose. We see it again and again, not just in religious art, but in secular portraits too, each time adapted, transformed. Consider, for instance, how similar gestures appear in depictions of Roman emperors, figures of authority projecting power across vast empires. The open book, a subtle yet potent symbol, alludes to the weight of theological discourse and the written word as a source of authority, a concept stretching back to the scrolls of ancient libraries. This echoes in modern legal systems, where the written law holds sway. These symbols, interwoven across time, demonstrate how past and present continually inform each other.