Allegory on the rejection and destruction of the arts by a ruler
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
Free, updated variant on the Calumny of Apelles (Lucianus, Calumniae 2-5). On the left a ruler sits on a throne dressed in a harlequin costume with a donkey behind him. He is flanked by a female figure tearing a painting to pieces. In front of him sits an artist bent over brushes and a palette thrown on the ground. The scene is watched by Chronos and a group of female personifications of the arts. On the right a group of naked figures equipped with artist attributes walks away defeated. One of them is seated on a donkey and carries a board on his back with the inscription: Et tantum potuere nesas. The ruler's head is unfinished and the print is perhaps a proof.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
