The King listening to Minerva's advice (Le Roi écoute les conseils de Minerve)
Etching, part of a series of nine round prints with emblematic subjects of the glory of Henry II, all with dark backgrounds made up of thin, horizontal lines, and with a white exergue on the bottom, likely destined for inscriptions. In this etching, the King is sitting on the left, under a canopy, crowned by a laurel weeath and holding a scepter with a fleur de lis. Behind him, and next to his bench, is a shield, imitating Minerva's own, and alluding to the king's adoption of her qualities. On the other side is a lion, lying by the king's feet, likely symbolizing Justice or the virtue of Force. In front of him is Minerva, wearing her helmet and carrying her spear, seemingly giving advice to the new king. Here Minerva represents the alliance between Wisdon and Virtue, and is presented in opposition to the figure of Fortune, which, sitting to Minerva's right, her head on her hand in a gesture of affliction, and representing inconstancy and fickleness, is disregarded by the king.
Artwork Details
- Title: The King listening to Minerva's advice (Le Roi écoute les conseils de Minerve)
- Artist: Etienne Delaune (French, Orléans 1518/19–1583 Strasbourg)
- Date: ca. 1557
- Medium: Etching
- Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed): 1 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (3.8 × 3.8 cm)
- Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1947
- Object Number: 47.139.45
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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