Apollo on Parnassus

This Marcantonio Raimondi engraving after Raphael’s fresco in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura was likely the starting point for the nearby Parnassus Profaned (2015.8). Although with the exception of Apollo, no specific gods or Muses are identified in either the Marcantonio print or the Raphael painting, mortal poets such as Dante Alighieri feature in both. In contrast, in Parnassus Profaned anonymity reigns. The inebriated, lustful poets and Muses tear off their laurel wreaths in a frenzy as they engage in pursuits significantly more earthly than theater, music, or poetry.