Standbeeld van zittende godin met slang 1636 - 1647

This drawing of a Seated Goddess with Snake was made by Cornelis Bloemaert, likely in the Netherlands in the mid-17th century. The image presents a classical subject, identifiable as Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, rendered with the precise lines of an engraving. Bloemaert was part of a generation of Dutch artists who looked to the Italian Renaissance for inspiration. As a printmaker, he played an important role in disseminating classical ideals. But this wasn't simply a matter of aesthetics. The institutions of art, such as the universities and academies that were just beginning to develop in the Netherlands at this time, saw classical art as embodying timeless ideals of reason and order that were essential to social stability. To understand this drawing, we might look at emblem books or medical texts that circulated at the time. These sources help reveal how images like this one served to legitimize certain kinds of knowledge and power. The history of art is always tied to the history of institutions.