The Education of Maria de Medici (study)

Rubens was formally commissioned for Marie de' Medici's gallery on 26 February 1622, and even then the programme of subjects was still being revised. Small panels like this one were his working answer. The Munich museum believes they were made mainly for his own studio in Antwerp, as a guide for the assistants who helped him enlarge the designs, while the queen was probably shown drawings. This one sets out her childhood schooling. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, watches over the girl and the three Graces attend her. The musician with the viola is read here as Orpheus, standing for harmony, and Mercury's staff stands for eloquence. The spring in the scene is the fountain of wisdom, a pointer to Apollo and the Muses.