Minerva
Engraving, part of a series of twelve oval prints with allegorical representations of Minerva, Wisdom, the sciences and liberal arts. Most of them are represented by female figures (the exception being Physics, represented by Apollo), surrounded by pastoral landscapes, some of them with small towns with medieval buildings in the background. In the representations of liberal arts, Delaune depicts more detailed landscapes with fragments of classical architecture. This print contains a representation of Minerva, standing on three quarter view, walking towards the right, her head in profile view. She has all the usual attributes of the goddess: a helmet, her right hand standing on a shield with the head of Medusa, the left hand holding a spear, highlighting her virtue, holding a flag. At her feet, on the right, is an owl, standing on top of a book and in front of a palm tree, reinforcing the idea of virtue, of which it is an attribute.
Artwork Details
- Title: Minerva
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: 1569
- Medium: Engraving
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 2 5/16 × 1 5/8 in. (5.8 × 4.2 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.139.40
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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