Minerva, Hendrik Goltzius
For centuries these three paintings of life-size nudes, the goddess Minerva, the god Mercury and the hero Hercules, have been an inseparable trio.
Minerva
Minerva is the goddess of wisdom and patron of the arts. She leans on her shield, which bears the head of Medusa. At her feet lie books, a portfolio, a pen and pen-holder, a weaver’s shuttle and a lute: attributes that refer to the practice of the arts. Wisdom and stupidity are contrasted in this painting. King Midas with his ass’s ears is notorious for his stupidity and his lack of judgement: in a musical contest, Midas chose the pipe music of the earthly Pan rather than the lyre playing of the divine Apollo.
