The Banqueting House Ceiling Minerva overcoming Ignorance

The goddess Minerva reappears as a counterpart to Hercules’ strength, representing the King’s wisdom. She is shown spearing Ignorance in the form of an old naked woman, who fights back.

Minerva’s symbol is an owl, shown here bringing her a victor’s laurel wreath.

The head of Ignorance is hidden by the painting’s frame, because of an unfortunate confusion between English and Flemish units of measurement which led to them being slightly too large! In Rubens’s sketch design he intended her to have the ears of an ass.