The Cumaean Sibyl

The Cumaean Sibyl was a popular subject for Italian painters from the fifteenth century on. In the Ecologues of the ancient Roman poet Virgil, this seer famously prophesized the birth of a savior. Christians subsequently interpreted Virgil’s text in reference to the birth of Jesus, to which Creti alludes in the Latin inscription on the paper at upper left. The comparatively small scale of this image lends itself well to Creti’s meticulous manner of painting. Particularly noteworthy is the still life of pink roses and marsh marigolds at lower right, flowers that traditionally bore strong associations with the Virgin.