Plutarchus-Basilius-de-Grote-Hugo-de-Groot-John-Potter MG 0223

Four figures are gathered in a laurel grove in this engraving based on Raphael's 'Parnassus' fresco. The central figure, Homer, looks upward with sightless eyes and an open mouth as if singing, while the later poets Virgil and Dante listen intently; a youth sits at their feet, recording the verses onto a tablet.

This composition illustrates the Renaissance Neoplatonic concept of 'furor poeticus' (divine poetic madness), where the poet serves as a vessel for divine truth. It represents the 'Chain of Poets,' a lineage of inspired wisdom that connects the classical world of Homer and Virgil to the Christian era of Dante.