Five Figures from Parnassus by Raphael Sanzio
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors
Accession Number
1901-39-1932
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Felice Giani, a Italian neoclassical artist (1758–1823), *Five Figures from Parnass by Raphael Sanzio* 1820, late in his career. This work draws directly from Raphael's iconic fresco *Parnassus* (1511), part of the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican, which celebrates Mount Parnassus as the mythical home of Apollo and the Muses—inspiring poetry, music, and the arts. Giani, for his elegant decorative paintings and frescoes influenced by Renaissance masters like Raphael, often produced studies and copies that bridged classical antiquity with 19th-century neoclassicism. As a selection of five ...