Atlas Supporting a Vessel 1525 - 1575

This small bronze sculpture, "Atlas Supporting a Vessel," was created by Severo Calzetta da Ravenna, an artist working in Italy in the early 16th century. During the Renaissance, there was a renewed interest in classical mythology, and Atlas, the Titan condemned to hold up the heavens, became a popular figure in art. Consider the weight of this object resting on the shoulders of this nude, male figure. Atlas's face is strained, his muscles tense. He represents strength, endurance, and burden. In the context of the Renaissance, where art often celebrated the male nude as a symbol of beauty and power, Ravenna's Atlas is an interesting figure, one which emphasizes the physical demands of labor. The vessel that Atlas supports is not the world, but a receptacle, a container. What is being contained and what is being excluded? This sculpture reminds us of the burdens we all carry, both visible and invisible, and the strength required to endure.