Gustav Klimt: The Origin of Symbols in "The Lady in Gold"

The mosaics of Ravenna, Italy were a major influence to Gustav Klimt. This paper will demonstrate the specific mosaics that provided the usage of symbols demonstrated in The Lady in Gold.

It is well known that in 1903 Klimt visited Ravenna with fellow artist Maximilian Lenz. Lenz reported that “the mosaics made an immense decisive impression on Klimt. From this comes the resplendence, the stiff decoration of his art” (Robert Nelson, Modernism’s Byzantium Byzantium’s Modernism, 2015).

Klimt himself stated that “the mosaics of unbelievable splendour were a revelation” (Anne-Marie O’Connor, (The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt’s Masterpiece, Bloch-Bauer, 2015).

It is widely accepted that the mosaic of Empress Theodora from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna was the model from which the painting of The Lady in Gold was based upon. 

Image 1. Left: Detail of Empress Theodora, c. 540, San Vitale, Ravenna. Right: Klimt’s Lady in Gold,c. 1907, Neue Galerie, New York.

What is not well known, or not known at all, is the symbolism used that is highlighted in red in Klimt’s painting. This is the only use of red in Klimt’s Lady in Gold.

Image 2. Mosaic from Sant’ Apollonare Nuovo, c. 525 demonstrating quincuncial symbolism.

Image 3. Left: Detail of mosaic from Sant’ Apollonare Nuovo, c. 525. Right: detail of quincunx symbol used in Lady in Gold.

Quincuncial composition represented extremely important symbolism and was used repetitively in early Christian art and architecture. This subject has been treated with great detail in earlier posts within this blog and in the author’s paper, The Secret of the Magic Square: Numerology in Art and Architecture and Paloma Pajares-Ayuela, Cosmatesque Ornament, 2001).

The early church used quincuncial composition to identify things of religious importance such as sacred books as well as church design (example: the quincunx groundplan).

Image 4. Examples of the use of the quincunx pattern dating from the 6th to the 11th centuries, demonstrating the consistent use of quincuncial composition and variations thereof. Reading from the upper left to right: (a) Mosaic of garment from San Vitale, c. 550 AD; (b) Book cover of Lindau Gospels, lower cover, c. 800 AD; (c) Book cover of Lindau Gospels, upper cover, c. 875 AD; (d) Book cover of Christ and the Virgin Orans (Treasury of San Marcos), c. tenth century; (e) Detail from the ivory throne of Archbishop Maximianus demonstrating book cover, Ravenna, Italy, c. 550 AD; (f) Mosaic of book cover from Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, c. sixth century; (g) Coptic Gospels book cover from Fayum, Egypt, c. seventh century; (h) Detail of metal work from a glass amphora from the Treasury of San Marcos, c. eleventh century; (i) Detail of turquoise glass bowl and metal work from the Treasury of San Marcos, c. tenth century. Quincuncial geometry also appeared in the ground plans for church design. (Artist: Sam Steigmeier, from the book by Robert Dickter, Number Time Archetype, 2014).

Quincunx symbolism represents the establishment of universal order thru the functional use of mathematics. There is no evidence to support that Gustav Klimt was aware of the mathematical influence of quincuncial composition used in early Christian art and architecture. It is more likely that Klimt was aware of the consistent usage of this symbol throughout the history of art and architecture especially from the mosaics in Ravenna, Italy.