The Triumph of Painting on Parnassus
Pietro Testa Italian
Publisher Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi Italian
Not on view
Painting, riding in a chariot, is crowned by the Three Graces, her triumph achieved through the union of the two pillars of her art: color (colore), represented by Cupid blending pigments; and light and shadow (chiaroscuro), signified by the horses. She ascends Parnasus, the mount sacred to Apollo and the Muses, progenitors of Art. Envy, the wretched snake-haired figure gnawing on the wheel of the chariot, tries with no effect to impede Painting's apotheosis. This composition takes as its theme the labors and rewards of the virtuous artist.
