Group with Petrarch and Sappho in "Parnassus" after Raphael Sanzio
Item
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Title
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Group with Petrarch and Sappho in "Parnassus" after Raphael Sanzio
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Rights
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Smithsonian Institution. Public domain.
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Creator
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Felice Giani (1758-1823), after Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520)
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Date
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ca. 1820
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Description
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A pen and ink illustration of Sappho with other poets like Petrarch, and a figure nearest Sappho who is believed to be Apollo. Sappho takes up most of the right side of the page, lounging with her legs diagonally toward the bottom left. Three people take up a third of the page on the left, looking and interacting with each other, seeming to come out from behind a wall, all wearing robes with books or other objects in their hands. “Apollo” stands on the other side of the wall, very close to them, though he seems to look over in observance, not interacting with them, just as none of them appear to look at or interact with him either. He holds an object that seems to be an instrument to his left side, away from the three. Sappho rests on a seat, holding an instrument draped toward the ground in her right hand, near the bottom right of the page. Her left elbow rests on a surface at shoulder height, and she appears to hold a book or page with the left hand. She looks back toward the three people. She wears a dress with her left shoulder exposed and a necklace. Her hair is partly pulled back, and likely adorned with a laurel crown.
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Format
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Pen, ink, brush and dark brown wash on paper. 7 15/16 x 10 7/8 in.
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Publisher
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Smithsonian Institution.
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Contributor
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Shenai Beyale
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Identifier
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Smithsonian Institution. 1901-39-516.
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Subject
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Sappho; Petrarch; Parnassus; poetry; lyre
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Source
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Jpg file. Smithsonian Institution. 11/5/2025. https://www.si.edu/object/group-petrarch-and-sappho-parnassus-after-raphael-sanzio:chndm_1901-39-516
