A statue of Mercury holding the caduceus in the Vatican, with a fig leaf placed over the genitalia. "Alipes" redirects here For the Centipede Genus, see Alipes (centipede. The caduceus (/kəˈdjuːsiəs/ -ʃəs -ˈduː- κηρύκειον in Greek) or wand of Hermes is typically depicted as a short herald's staff The fig leaf was placed there under the more "chaste" Popes; later, most such coverings were removed. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and

A fig leaf is the covering up of an act or an object that is embarrassing or disagreeable. The term is a metaphorical reference to the Biblical Book of Genesis, in which Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover "their nakedness" after eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living In the Book of Genesis, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (and occasionally translated as the Tree of Conscience,) was a Tree in the middle of the

History

In Ancient Greek art, male nakedness, including the genitals, was common, although the female vulval area was generally covered in art for public display. The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present particularly in the areas of Sculpture A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute In Human anatomy or in mammals in general the mons pubis (Latin for " pubic mound " also known as the mons veneris (Latin mound of This tradition continued in Ancient Roman art until the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity, when heroic nudity vanished. Roman art includes the visual arts produced in Ancient Rome, and in the territories of the Roman empire. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings During the Middle Ages, the nude was replaced by the naked^[1] and only the unfortunate (most often the damned) were usually shown naked, although the depictions were then often rather explicit. Nudity is the state of wearing no Clothing. The term' "nudity" can also occasionally be used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected Dammit redirects here to see the Opeth album see Damnation (album. Adam and Eve were often shown wearing fig or other leaves, following the Biblical description. This was especially a feature of Northern Renaissance art. The Northern Renaissance is the term used to describe the Renaissance in Northern Europe, or more broadly in Europe outside Italy.

The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, by Masaccio, before and after restoration. The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden ( Cacciata dei progenitori dall'Eden) is a Fresco by renowned early-Renaissance artist Masaccio. Masaccio (born Tommaso Cassai or in some accounts Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Mone; December 21, 1401 &ndash autumn 1428 was the first great It was painted in 1425, covered up in 1680, and restored in 1980.

From about 1530, the developing reaction to Renaissance freedoms and excesses that led to the Council of Trent also led to a number of artworks, especially in churches or public places, being altered to reduce the amount of nudity on display. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere The Council of Trent was the 19th Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Often, as in the famous case of Michelangelo's The Last Judgement, drapery or extra branches from any nearby bush was used. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all The Last Judgment is a Mural by Michelangelo on the Altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. For free-standing statues this did not work well, and carved or cast fig leaves were sometimes added, such as with the plaster copy of Michelangelo's David displayed in Victorian era London. David is a Masterpiece of Renaissance Sculpture sculpted by Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504 Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[2] The Adam and Eve panels on the Ghent Altarpiece, already equipped with fig leaves by Jan van Eyck, were simply replaced with 19th century panels copying the figures but clothed. The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb ( Dutch: Het Lam Gods or The Lamb of God; completed 1432 Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active Many of these alterations have since been reversed, damaging some of the statues.

Modern day

In this photo, Sandow portrays "The Dying Gaul," a pose taken from an ancient Roman Sculpture. The Dying Gaul (in Italian: Galata Morente) is an ancient Roman Marble copy of a lost Hellenistic sculpture that

Eugen Sandow, often considered the first modern-day bodybuilder, was an admirer of the human physique, and in addition to strongman sideshows, he performed "muscle displays" by posing in the nude — save for a fig leaf that he would don in imitation of statues he had seen in Italy as a boy. Eugen Sandow ( April 2 1867 &ndash October 14 1925) born Friederich Wilhelm Müller, was a pioneering Bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the process of maximizing Muscle hypertrophy. In America a sideshow is an extra secondary production associated with a circus, carnival fair or other such attraction Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest ^[3]

Metaphorical use

The expression fig leaf has a pejorative metaphorical sense meaning a cover for any thing or behaviour that might be considered shameful, with the implication that the cover is only a token gesture and the truth is obvious to all who choose to see it. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects

In the context of negotiation, an offer might be characterized as a "fig leaf" if that offer is actually a ploy to conceal a sinister plan.

See also

• Expurgation

References

1. ^ Clark, Kenneth (1956). Expurgation is a form of Censorship by way of purging anything noxious offensive sinful or erroneous usually from an artistic work The Nude, A Study in Ideal Form. Princeton University Press. The Princeton University Press is an independent publisher with close connections to Princeton University. ISBN 0691017883.  
2. ^ David's Fig Leaf. Object Stories. Victoria and Albert Museum. The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design housing a permanent collection Retrieved on 2007-05-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the
3. ^ Anderson, R. Christian. Sandow Wearing a Figleaf. SandowMuseum. com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the