Image of the Week 013

In the painting, butterflies are a symbol of the volatility of thought, while the rainbow behind the interior canvas denotes the evanescence of ideas. Jupiter, the painter within the piece, alludes to the idea that every ordering principle needs a source of inspiration from the realm of ideas. Behind him, Mercury raises his finger, ordering silence; this is a metaphor for the quiet that precedes spiritual, natural, or artistic creation.

Dosso Dossi, Jupiter, Mercury and Virtue, ca. 1523-24.