Cropped image of Homer from Raphael's Parnassus

Homer is depicted as a blind, white-bearded elder wearing a vibrant blue robe and a laurel crown, his head tilted upward in a state of divine inspiration. To his left, the Italian poet Dante is shown in profile wearing his characteristic red hood and laurel wreath, while other classical poets gather around them beneath a laurel tree.

In the Neoplatonic circles of the Renaissance, Homer was revered as a primary vessel for 'divine frenzy' (furor poeticus), a concept championed by Marsilio Ficino where the poet's soul is elevated by the Muses to receive celestial truths. His blindness signifies a turning away from the material world to access internal, spiritual vision.