The Dream of a Knight (about 1504) by RaphaelThe National Gallery, London
Painted in the early 16th century, Raphael's 'The Dream of a Knight' is a work of extraordinary delicacy. It is made with minute attention to detail and a vibrant jewel-like finish reminiscent of manuscript illustration.
The small panel depicts a sleeping knight, under the shadow of a bay (or laurel) tree, visited by a vision of two female figures - Virtue (on the left) and Pleasure (on the right).
Poetry inspiring painting
This painting is thought to have been inspired by a passage in the Punica, an epic poem by Silius Italicus (AD 25–101) which recounts the story of the Second Punic War.
Raphael’s sleeping knight may be the Roman hero Scipio Africanus (236-184 BC), who in the passage from Silius’ Punica, is presented with the choice between Virtue or Pleasure. Virtue promises Scipio honour, fame and glory through victory in war. Pleasure promises a life of ease.
It is thought that Raphael is the first to have painted this particular scene from the Punica, and that Raphael is perhaps reinterpreting Scipio's vision in his own unique way.
Hercules at the Crossroad Hercules at the Crossroad (ca. 1498) by Albrecht DürerThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Hercules at the Crossroads
The scene takes its origins from the legend of Hercules at the crossroads. This ancient Greek parable comes from Xenophon's Memorabilia (371BCE) and tells the tale of a young Hercules on the brink of entering manhood.
Hercules, like Scipio, is presented with the same choice between a life of virtue or a life of pleasure (vice). Both Virtue and Vice present their arguments before the young hero, after which Hercules ultimately rejects Vice and chooses a life of virtue and glory.
In visual representations of Hercules at the crossroads, Vice and Virtue are often depicted as two female figures in direct opposition. For example, in this engraving by Dürer we can see Virtue in the centre openly attacking her adversary Vice on the left.
Scipio's vision
In ‘The Dream of a Knight’ Raphael presents us with something a little different.
Although the bay tree is placed deliberately in the centre of the composition to divide this scene visually into two, Virtue and Pleasure (Vice) are not presented as adversaries in direct contest.
The Dream of a Knight (about 1504) by RaphaelThe National Gallery, London
Raphael presents this moment, not as a moral dilemma nor a definitive choice. Instead, he depicts a collective display of all the virtues which an ideal soldier or knight should aspire to and try to balance.
Virtue
On the left we see Virtue, modestly dressed and brandishing a sword and a book, both emblems that likely represent the knightly values of learning and valour. Stretching into the distance, we see the difficult, rocky path of hardship which Scipio must overcome to obtain these values.
Pleasure
On the right we see Pleasure, dressed in contrastingly bright colours and loosely draped clothes. She presents the sleeping knight with a sprig of flowers, thought to represent love.
When considered together, the sword, book and flower may symbolise the ideals of the soldier, the scholar and the courtly lover respectively.
Raphael, The Dream of Scipio or Vision of a Knight, a drawing (1504/1504)British Museum
The surviving drawing (or cartoon) for the painting (in the British Museum) shows that Raphael had meticulously planned the scene's composition. If we look closely, we can see the pierced edges which would have allowed for the design to be transferred to a panel using charcoal dust.
In Raphael's drawing, Pleasure is presented in a far more seductive manner than in the final painting.
The Dream of a Knight (about 1504) by RaphaelThe National Gallery, London
Raphael eventually painted her in more modest clothing, possibly further emphasising his intention for the viewer to focus on the aspirational aspect of the painting, rather than on the divisive choice presented in earlier depictions of Hercules at the crossroads.
This painting presents us with a web of classical references and symbolic visual prompts in which poetry and painting are tightly entwined. Perhaps this is a picture which encourages a deeper contemplation on these well-known stories, presenting them in a new light.
