Urania c. 1592

Hendrick Goltzius created this engraving of Urania, the muse of astronomy, in the Netherlands probably sometime around 1590. But what does it tell us about the place of science and art in society at that time? The print uses visual codes to signal the importance of both humanism and empirical observation. Urania is holding instruments of measurement, yet she is presented as a classical muse, a figure of myth and inspiration. We might read this image, then, as an argument for the importance of the arts and sciences, at a time when both fields were vying for institutional support in universities and in the public sphere. Art historians consult a wide range of sources, from scientific treatises to poetry, to understand the ways in which images like this participated in the cultural conversations of their day. We try to situate the work in its specific time and place, so we can better understand its significance for its original audience.