The Olympian deities. Engraving after H. Goltzius (?).

[London?] : [publisher not identified], [between 1647 and 1699]

1 print : engraving ; sheet 42.8 x 56.5 cm

A convocation of the gods and goddesses feigned by the heathen poets and described. The ignorant heathen tooke great paines to no proper purpose to find out the Creator of all things that had given them their continuance and perfection, hence arose contest. Plato the philosopher was opposed by those that held there are many gods as Neptune god of the water, Juno goddess of the ayre ... Mars of war, [Cupid?] of love, Bacchus of wine. The goddesses are Thetis of truth, Juno of riches. These and many more Mr Ross writs of in his Muses' interpreter The gods are marked with their English names. The lettering mentions "Mr Ross ... in his Muses' interpreter": Alexander Ross (1591-1654) was the author of Mystagogus poeticus, or, The muses interpreter explaining the historical mysteries, and mystical histories of the ancient Greek and Latin poets, which was published in 1647 and much republished thereafter (e.g. 1648, 1653, 1664, 1672, 1673, 1675)

Wellcome Collection 2476757i

No artist's name is given on the impression catalogued. The English text engraved within and below the image suggests an artist in England, while the composition appears related to the style of Goltzius or Spranger