The Apotheosis of Italian Art

Walter Crane 1845 - 1915

Summary

Scene depicting various half-familiar figures, including Dante, Cimabue, Michelangelo, Pope Julius II and Raphael, in historical dress, standing beneath three arches. The arches are inscribed from left to right, 'Venice', 'Florence', and 'Rome'. Beyond the arches are recognisable landmarks which further identify each place; the lagoon, the Palazzo Vecchio and St. Peter's. The arches are decorated with cupids and torches. The figures below stand in various groups. In the centre a young boy wearing a laurel wreath on his head, with a shepherd's crook in his hand, kneels on the tiled floor, drawing on the surface. A man in medieval dress watches him, brushes and a palette in his left hand. More artist's equipment lies on the floor in the foreground. The other figures stand around this central group, some standing at the top of the steps behind the arches.