Parnassus

Nicolas Poussin created the oil-on-canvas painting *Parnassus* (also titled *Apollo and the Muses*) between 1630 and 1633, with specific dates cited as 1630, 1630-1631, or 1631-1633. The work was inspired by Raphael's fresco of the same subject in the Stanza della Segnatura and is believed to serve as a homage to Poussin's patron, the poet Giambattista Marino. The painting likely originated from the Meyers collection before entering the Spanish royal holdings. It is first documented in Spain within a 1746 inventory of the La Granja de San Ildefonso palace. Subsequent ownership passed through the Spanish royal line, including Philip V, Charles III, and Ferdinand VII, before the work arrived at the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Parnassus is held in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, where it is part of the museum's collection. According to provenance records, the painting is believed to have originated in the Meyers collection before entering Spanish royal ownership. It was first documented in Spain in a 1746 inventory of the La Granja de San Ildefonso palace. Subsequent Spanish royal owners included Philip V of Spain, Charles III of Spain, and Ferdinand VII of Spain, after whose reign it passed into the Prado's holdings. The work is also associated with the Royal Palace of Aranjuez as a location. No specific exhibition history beyond its long-term display at the Prado is documented in the available sources.

Nicolas Poussin's *Parnassus* (c. 1630-1631) is recognized as a significant work of French Classicism that directly engages with the High Renaissance tradition. The painting is explicitly modeled after Raphael's famous fresco in the Stanza della Segnatura, demonstrating Poussin's dialogue with earlier masters. German art historian Erwin Panofsky interpreted the work as a dual homage to the mythological subject and to Poussin's Roman benefactor, the poet Giambattista Marino, who is likely the kneeling figure receiving a laurel crown. The composition, featuring Apollo, the nine Muses, and the Castalian spring, was widely disseminated through an etching by Jean Dughet, Poussin's brother-in-law, created prior to 1667. This reproduction utilized an unusual double-plate format due to the large dimensions of the original canvas.

Nicolas Poussin's *Parnassus* is recognized as a deliberate homage to Raphael's famous fresco of the same theme in the Vatican's Stanza della Segnatura. The work also served as a tribute to Poussin's Roman patron, the poet Giambattista Marino, who is likely depicted as the central figure receiving a laurel crown. The painting's legacy was significantly extended through an etching reproduction by Jean Dughet, Poussin's brother-in-law. This print, created before 1667, is notable for its unusual large format, requiring the image to be engraved on two separate copper plates due to the scarcity of single sheets of that size.