Jupiter suckled by the goat Amalthea 1531 - 1576

Giulio Bonasone made this engraving called, 'Jupiter suckled by the goat Amalthea' in Italy sometime in the mid-16th century. The image shows a foundational myth of the Western tradition: the infant god Jupiter, later known as Zeus, nurtured by a goat and protected by nymphs. But why choose this subject at this moment? We can understand this image within the context of Renaissance humanism, a cultural movement where artists and scholars turned to classical antiquity for inspiration. The recovery of ancient texts and the study of classical mythology offered new models for understanding the world and humanity's place in it. Bonasone’s choice of subject speaks to an educated, elite audience familiar with classical literature and eager to connect with the wisdom of the past. If we want to understand this artwork more fully, we can look at books from the period, such as Ovid's "Metamorphoses" or Virgil's "Aeneid," as primary sources on Renaissance culture. These sources can help us see how artists such as Bonasone self-consciously promoted the revival of classical learning.