Minerva

This engraving shows a muscular Minerva in a dynamic seated pose, wearing a plumed helmet and holding a spear. Her left hand rests on a shield bearing the face of Medusa, while her cloak billows dramatically into the sky behind her. A small owl, symbolizing wisdom, gazes from a cloud on the left side of the composition.

In the Renaissance, Minerva was revered not just as a goddess of war, but as the personification of Divine Wisdom and the 'active' intellect. Within the Haarlem Mannerist circle, she represented the virtuous pursuit of art and science, often contrasted with Venus to illustrate the triumph of reason over carnal desire.