The Olympian Gods and the Nine Muses c. 17th century

Jacopo Ligozzi made this drawing of the Olympian Gods and the Nine Muses with pen and brown ink in Italy, sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century. Ligozzi worked for the Medici court in Florence. He specialized in botanical and zoological illustration, but also produced religious and mythological works. This drawing depicts the classical gods and muses in a hierarchical arrangement, reflecting Renaissance interests in classical antiquity and mythology. The drawing shows a world of power, beauty and knowledge governed by a strict sense of order. The Olympian gods are at the top, the muses below. Ligozzi’s patrons in the Medici court were part of a highly structured society and they deployed art to reinforce their own social position at the top of the Florentine hierarchy. Examining the patronage records of the Medici court would help us understand the social context in which Ligozzi’s drawing was produced, and its significance for its original audience. Art is always made in response to specific cultural conditions.