Most Famous

The Most Famous Artworks of Allegory

The 60 most celebrated works of the Allegory genre, ranked by renown across 8,397 works in the catalog.

A note on the ranking: "fame" here is a measure of renown, not of merit — synthesised from how widely a work is cited and held. It leans toward the Western canon and the best-digitised collections. Read it as a popular index, not a verdict.

  1. Allegory of the Catholic Faith
    Allegory of the Catholic Faith Johannes Vermeer · 1670
  2. The Wife of Hasdrubal and Her Children
    The Wife of Hasdrubal and Her Children Ercole de'Roberti · 1492
  3. The Musicians
    The Musicians Caravaggio · 1598
  4. Isle of the Dead
    Isle of the Dead Arnold Böcklin · 1880
  5. The Spirit of War
    The Spirit of War Jasper Francis Cropsey · 1851
  6. Venus and Music
    Venus and Music Titian · 1550
  7. The Union of Earth and Water (Antwerp and the Scheldt)
  8. The Ages and Death
    The Ages and Death Hans Baldung Grien · 1541
  9. Ill-Matched Lovers
    Ill-Matched Lovers Quinten Metsys · 1522
  10. Cutting the Stone
    Cutting the Stone Hieronymus Bosch · 1503
  11. An Allegory
    An Allegory Domenico Guidobono · 1723
  12. Death and the Miser
    Death and the Miser Hieronymus Bosch · 1488
  13. Allegory of Love
    Allegory of Love Italian 15th/16th Century · 1530
  14. Untitled
    Untitled Pandit Seu · 1783
  15. Allegory of Music
    Allegory of Music Laurent de La Hyre · 1649
  16. The Voyage of Life: Manhood
    The Voyage of Life: Manhood Thomas Cole · 1842
  17. Allegory
    Allegory Piero di Cosimo · 1500
  18. Woman with Cat
    Woman with Cat Hans Baldung Grien · 1529
  19. Peaceable Kingdom
    Peaceable Kingdom Edward Hicks · 1831
  20. The Triumph of the Winter Queen: Allegory of the Just
  21. Untitled
    Untitled Unknown · 1830
  22. The Triumph of Fame
    The Triumph of Fame Giovanni di ser Giovanni Guidi · 1448
  23. Young Woman with a Pink
    Young Woman with a Pink Hans Memling · 1494
  24. Untitled
    Untitled Unknown · 1749
  25. Old Age in Search of Youth
    Old Age in Search of Youth David Teniers the Younger · 1655
  26. 狩野周信筆  七福神唐子図屏風|Seven Gods of Good Fortune and Chinese Children
  27. Allegory of Winter
    Allegory of Winter Jacques de Lajoue · 1733
  28. Avarice
    Avarice Albrecht Dürer · 1507
  29. Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices
    Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices Henry Fuseli · 1786
  30. The Voyage of Life: Childhood
    The Voyage of Life: Childhood Thomas Cole · 1842
  31. Untitled
    Untitled Kawanabe Kyōsai 河鍋暁斎 · 1870
  32. Study For Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences, or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks
  33. The Chess Players
    The Chess Players Liberale da Verona · 1475
  34. The Triumph of Marius
    The Triumph of Marius Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1729
  35. Untitled
    Untitled Unknown · 800
  36. The Theological Virtues: Faith, Charity, Hope
  37. The Muse of Painting
    The Muse of Painting John La Farge · 1870
  38. The Tame Magpie
    The Tame Magpie Alessandro Magnasco · 1707
  39. Falling Leaves, Allegory of Autumn
    Falling Leaves, Allegory of Autumn Hugues Merle · 1872
  40. Allegory of Sacred and Profane Love
    Allegory of Sacred and Profane Love Michele Desubleo · 1670
  41. Charity
    Charity Guido Reni · 1630
  42. Allegory of the Planets and Continents
    Allegory of the Planets and Continents Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1752
  43. The See-Saw
    The See-Saw Nicolas Lancret · 1723
  44. Hearing
    Hearing Peter Paul Rubens · 1617
  45. The Abduction of Rebecca
    The Abduction of Rebecca Eugène Delacroix · 1846
  46. The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches
  47. The Capture of Carthage
    The Capture of Carthage Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1725
  48. An Allegory, Probably of the Peace of Utrecht of 1713
  49. Charity
    Charity Cesare Dandini · 1636
  50. Allegory of Government: Wisdom Defeating Discord
  51. Traveling Players
    Traveling Players Monogrammist JG · 1630
  52. Roundel with Judgment or Allegorical Scene
  53. A Musical Gathering at the Court of the Elector Karl Albrecht of Bavaria
  54. Liberty
    Liberty Unknown · 1800
  55. Untitled
    Untitled Unknown · 1718
  56. 神於寺縁起絵巻断簡|Scene from The Illustrated Legends of Jin’ōji Temple (Jin’ōji engi emaki)
  57. The Voyage of Life: Old Age
    The Voyage of Life: Old Age Thomas Cole · 1842
  58. The Voyage of Life: Youth
    The Voyage of Life: Youth Thomas Cole · 1842
  59. Allegory of Peace and Abundance
    Allegory of Peace and Abundance Hans von Aachen · 1602
  60. 清  虛谷  蝶貓圖  軸|Cat and Butterfly