Hand in the vest
The hand in the vest is a popular gesture found in many paintings by statesmen and important figures of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today it is mainly associated with Napoleon Bonaparte . The gesture underwent a “change in meaning from ethical to political rhetoric”, particularly through Napoleon. Since ancient times , the gesture has been considered a symbol of general moral virtue. The famous rhetorician Aeschines thought it was impolite to speak with gesticulating hands outside of the toga . Through Napoleon the gesture became a political symbol of the stylization of a ruler as controlled and prudent, in contrast to the iconography of earlier absolutist rulers with slightly spread arms.
literature
- Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke , Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbook of political iconography , Verlag CH Beck , Munich 2011
Web links
Short, richly illustrated article on the Textile Stories blog
Individual evidence
- ^ Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke, Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbuch der Politik Ikonographie , Verlag CH Beck , Munich 2011, p. 457
- ↑ Tom Holmberg: Why is Napoleon depicted with his hand in his coat? . The Napoleon Series. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
- ↑ Dmitri Zakharine : Face to Face: The Change in Direct Communication in the Eastern and Western European Modern Times , UVK Verlagsgesellschaft , Konstanz 2005, p. 184 ff.