I have seen a portrait of Machiavelli with his finger crossed over his
heart.  What is the significance of this?  I used to know what it
meant years ago but now I've forgotten.

Dear plasm-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to research your question.

While there are many theories as to the origin of crossing the fingers
(such as good luck, making a wish, etc.), 14th and 15th century
conservatives saw these things as heretical and they undoubtedly had
no relation to the gesture made by Machiavelli in his portrait. In
fact, such superstitious gestures recorded by an artist would have
been therefore tantamount to sacrilege and as incriminating as a
criminal caught on camera while in the commission of a crime.

Crossing the fingers was often recognized as the sign of the cross
(the two intersecting wooden beams upon which Jesus is said to have
been crucified). The heart was considered the center of life, in
Machiavelli’s time, and as such, the symbolic container of one’s soul.
By making the sign of the cross, one might hope to ward off evil or
misfortune. Rather than crossing one’s breast openly, and thus
inviting conflict with potential foes, both worldly and demonic, this
small, inconspicuous gesture often served the same purpose. Doing so
across the heart, where the soul dwells, might even have enhanced this
perception. However, for the purposes of the portrait, Machiavelli may
indeed have crossed his fingers over his heart to indicate his measure
of faith, but more likely it was merely a convenient place to rest his
hand during the arduous hours that sitting for a portrait in his day
required. This would have allowed for the painter to include the
gesture in the limited space of the canvas while keeping it from being
overly conspicuous.

Interestingly, the act of crossing the fingers had some significance
long before and indeed well after Machiavelli’s time. Early paintings
depicting Christ often showed the fingers of Jesus' right hand
extended in the ancient gesture of blessing (the index finger
straight, the middle and little fingers curved, the thumb and ring
fingers crossed). This intentional positioning of Jesus’ hand is
derived from Catholic symbolism and is meant to form the letters ICXC,
which is the Greek monogram for Jesus Christ, or “Iesous Christos” in
Latin, the original language of the Catholic Church.

In more modern times, as outlined in Gary North’s book, “Crossed
Fingers” (subtitled “How Liberals Captured the Presbyterian Church”),
the sign reappeared. North focuses on the history of the conflict for
control of the Presbyterian Church and speaks on how the liberals were
bound by an oath to follow the doctrine of the Westminster Confession
of Faith, and how they infiltrated the church under the pretense of
subscribing to the Presbyterian faith, when in fact they did not.
These infiltrators held the belief that by making the ancient sign of
the cross (crossed fingers) whenever they subscribed to a statement of
a rival faith, that God would not hold them accountable for their
dishonesty. This personal sign between them and God, as North asserts
in his book, eventually led to abuse. Some later employed this sign as
a means of exoneration, not only from the mental reservations of
contradictory faith, but also as a means of becoming scoundrels in
matters outside the Church.

Machiavelli’s gesture in the portrait is an outward sign of his faith
to God. Since this type of art was the only means of capturing a
person’s image, and more than 300 years would pass before motion
pictures would show anyone “making the sign of the cross” in the
manner commonly seen today, this postured symbolism served the same
purpose.

I hope you find this research informative. I look forward to working
with you again in the near future.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga


SOURCES

“Crossed Fingers – Crendenda/Agenda”
http://www.credenda.org/issues/9-1exlibris.php?type=print

“The Straight Dope Mailbag”
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfingercross.html
“Pilgrim Vocation Icon”
http://www.ststephenbyzantine.org/pilgrim_vocation_icon.htm

“Machiavelli”
http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/macv.htm

“Niccolo Machiavelli”
http://www.ctbw.com/lubman.htm


BIBLIOGRAPHY
 
Volume 9, Issue 1: Ex Libris, “Crossed Fingers”
Gary North; Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1996 


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