The Parnassus

At the center of the composition, Apollo is seated beneath laurel trees near the flowing Castalian spring. He is flanked by the nine Muses and a gathering of history's most famous poets, including the blind Homer, Dante Alighieri, and Virgil. In the lower left, the poetess Sappho holds a scroll identifying her, while other figures engage in conversation or look toward the divine musician.

This work illustrates the Neoplatonic doctrine of 'divine frenzy' (furor divinus), where poetic inspiration serves as a bridge between the human soul and divine truth. It functions as an allegorical representation of the 'theology of poetry,' a central theme in Renaissance humanism and the works of Marsilio Ficino.