The strong tradition of classical heritage re-emerged during the Renaissance period, after having been almost entirely erased during the Middle Ages, allowing for the reappearance of themes involving the gods of ancient Greece and Rome.

This rich and varied repertoire of narratives, generally reserved for the decoration of palaces and other civil spaces, was much admired and explored by artists until relatively recent times.

Drawing was essentially used as a means of studying and developing ideas for figures and compositions, intended to be painted, sculpted or for decoration.

Due to their fragmentary nature, the intended purpose of these representations is often unknown. The drawings brought together here, organised around one of the central themes of European art, all come from the Museum collection, giving us an opportunity to shed light on a rich and varied section of it.