Minerva and the Muses

c. 1610

Hans Rottenhammer

Associated Names
Hans Rottenhammer

Artist, German, 1564 - 1625

The image shows a group of individuals playing musical instruments and interacting in a classical setting. Various figures with unique hairstyles and draped garments in soft colors are seen seated and standing. Some are playing instruments like a lute and a violin, while others are gesturing or holding music sheets. The background includes lush foliage, trees, and hints of distant architecture, enhancing the classical ambiance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor over pen and brown and gray ink and traces of graphite, heightened with white gouache, on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 28.3 x 38.3 cm (11 1/8 x 15 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2007.111.30

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William, Second Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth (1665 - 1729) (Lugt 718). C. Robert Rudolph, London (b. 1884) (Lugt 2811b); (his sale, Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 18 April 1977, no. 28). Wolfgang Ratjen, Munich; purchased 2007 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1962

  • Old Master Drawings from the Collection of Mr. C. R. Rudolf, The Arts Council, London, 1962, 30, no. 159.

1965

  • Between Renaissance and Baroque: European Art, 1520 - 1600, Manchester City Art Gallery (UK), 1965, 111, no. 372.

2010

  • German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1580 - 1900, NGA, 2010, 36, no. 3.

Bibliography

1978

  • Ebertshäuser, Heidi. "Die Stiftung Ratjen, Vaduz." Graphische Kunst 10 (1978): 4 (reprod.), 7.

1988

  • Schlichtenmaier, Harry. Studien zum Werk Hans Rottenhammers des Älteren (1564-1625), Maler und Zeichner, mit Werkkatalog. Tübingen (1988): 125, 141, 346-347, no. Z I 79.

1995

  • Tacke, Andreas. Die Gemälde des 17. Jahrhunderts im Germanischen Nationalmuseum. Mainz, 1995: 207, under cat. 101.

2001

  • Lachenmann, David. "Wolfgang Ratjen as Collector." Master Drawings 39 (2001): 106 (fig. 4), 109, and 113 note 10.

2008

  • Borggrefe, Heiner, et al. Hans Rottenhammer, begehrt - vergessen - neu entdeckt. Weserrenaissance-Museum Schloss Brake (Lemgo, Germany), 2008: 141, under no. 43, fig. 190.

Wikidata ID

Q64573016

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