Twisted columns, commonly called 'solomonic columns' can frequently be seen in various works of Baroque art. The twelve twisted columns which once stood in front of the presbyterium of old Saint Peter's in Vatican (eleven of these are still extant) have been regarded as the original prototype. Saint Peter's columns were believed to have been the spoils taken from the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Beginning round 1520, some artists in Rome, for example, Raphael or Giulio Romano, used this type of column to illustrate the interior of the temple of Jerusalem in their paintings. Thereafter, throughout the Cinquecento, these columns appeared in paintings of various subjects, even on paintings which were not based on the Scripture. In these types of examples, twisted columns can sometimes be seen as a symbol of the ancient mythological world, at other times, they can be seen as a metaphor of Rome or Jerusalem. This paper attempts to trace back the history of the columns of Saint Peter's, and tries to demonstrate the different meanings given to twisted columns represented in paintings of sixteenth century. Three examples are discussed: "The Healing of the Lame Man" by Raphael, "Panoramic Landscape with the Abduction of Helen" by Maarten van Heemskerck, and "Apotheosis of Venice" by Paolo Veronese.
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