Cities and Countries
Personifications do not always embody abstract themes such as love, artistic creation or fate. Sometimes more concrete things such as cities and countries are personified, for purposes such as drawing attention to political grievances or expressing criticism and praise to rulers. It is not uncommon for personifications in such cases to appear facing the historical figures, such as Italia humbly stepping before King Robert of Anjou or the poet Walther von der Vogelweide accepting a grievance from the Viennese court. The personification enables different abstract elements to be combined into one figure. Italia, for example, represents the inhabitants of Italy as well as the country’s political power and culture, while the Viennese court is the embodiment of a diverse courtly culture. This section features these and other personifications of places, regions, cities and countries from the field of medieval literature and art.
