Apollo and Sibyl of Ridges 

Salvator Rosa painted "Apollo and Sibyl of Ridges," depicting a meeting between the god of music and a prophetess, sometime during the Baroque period. Rosa was an Italian painter, known for his wild landscapes and interest in witchcraft. This painting encapsulates the gendered dynamics of Rosa’s time, where male knowledge and authority intersected with female intuition. Apollo stands, draped yet bare, with a classical instrument; the Sybil, seated and covered, extends her hand to him in supplication. The Sibyls, women who were said to have prophetic abilities, were often imagined as figures of great authority in conversation with the divine. The Italian Baroque period was rooted in classical traditions but also keen to explore the dynamics of religious ecstasy, here we might imagine the start of a divine encounter. Rosa's interpretation, steeped in the tensions between male dominance and female insight, still resonates with us today. It challenges us to reflect on the historical power structures that continue to shape our understanding of gender and knowledge.