The education of Marie de’ Medici took place under the protection of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, accompanied by the Three Graces. Orpheus with his viola suggests harmony and Mercury’s staff eloquence. The source, the fons sapientiae, is a reference to Apollo’s muse-filled realm.
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München
Citation
Peter Paul Rubens,
Die Erziehung der Prinzessin (Skizze zum Medici-Zyklus), 1622,
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/OrLb5y5x1V (Last updated on 23.05.2022)
You may also be interested in the following works of art: