Gathering of various Olympian gods and mythological figures among clouds, Apollo at center with his lyre, Vulcan, Mercury, Hercules, and Hermes to right, various figures below, horses and attendants behind in center, from 'Giove che fulmina li giganti', after the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sala dei Giganti designed by Giulio Romano for the Palazzo del Te, Mantua

Art Historical Context

This etching by Pietro Santi Bartoli captures a dramatic assembly of Olympian gods from Giulio Romano’s celebrated fresco cycle in the Sala dei Giganti at Palazzo del Te in Mantua Created around 1680, the print reproduces a section of the ceiling decoration depicting Jupiter’s battle against the giants. Apollo sits prominently at the center with his lyre, while Vulcan, Mercury, Hercules, and Hermes appear to the right amid swirling clouds. Below, additional figures, horses, and attendants heighten the sense of celestial commotion. Giulio Romano’s original frescoes, completed in the 1530s for ...

About the Artist

Pietro Santi Bartoli|Giulio Romano · 1615–1700

Pietro Santi Bartoli, born in Perugia in 1635, emerged as a pivotal figure in the Roman antiquarian revival of the late seventeenth century. Relocating to Rome as a youth, he initially pursued painting, studying under the French artist Jean Lemaire—known as "Le Petit Lemaire"—and later under the esteemed Nicolas Poussin, whose classical rigor profoundly shaped his early approach. Though traces of ...