The myth of Zeus’s birth on the island of Crete: A Byzantine original, a Venetian copy, and a Parisian Renaissance artwork
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-5-131-144
Abstract
The article explores three miniatures illustrating the myth of Zeus’s birth on the island of Crete, sourced from three different Greek manuscripts. The original image is located in the 11th-century Byzantine manuscript containing the ancient text of the didactic poem on hunting, the Cynegetica, by Oppian of Apamea from the third century A.D. The second miniature, a copy, is located in the 16th-century Renaissance Italian manuscript by the Venetian scribe Bartolomeo Zanetti. The third miniature, which was copied in Paris in 1554 by an anonymous miniaturist (collaborating with the renowned Cretan calligrapher Angelo Vergecio) from an Italian version, radically transforms the artistic approach of the protograph. As a result, the miniature of the Parisian manuscript becomes a true cartoid, incorporating elements of the actual geography of Crete and the major cities during Venice’s domination over the island into its mythological space. The Byzantine image is transformed into a Renaissance mini-masterpiece.
About the Author
M. A. Kurysheva
Institute of World History, Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Marina A. Kurysheva, Cand. of Sci. (History)
32a, Leninsky Av., Moscow, 119334
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Review
For citations:
Kurysheva M.A. The myth of Zeus’s birth on the island of Crete: A Byzantine original, a Venetian copy, and a Parisian Renaissance artwork. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2025;(5):131-144. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-5-131-144
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