Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl
1574
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1574
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A Roman emperor and a prophetess stand close in a leafy valley. Above them, a small cloud holds the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. This painting shows a story from the 1100s: the emperor asks the prophetess if he should be worshipped as a god. She shows him the Christian holy family instead. The artist mixes the tale with a calm landscape, a style common near Venice at the time. To see more paintings like this, look up *Italy, 16th century*.
