Galatea

The Triumph of Galatea is a fresco from the Villa Farnesina located in the Trastevere in Rome.

The fresco was created by Rafael Santi who painted it in 1512 for a rich papal banker, Agostino Chigi, highly respected in Rome. He was a man of the renaissance, loved music and feasts. Therefore he decided to build a house which would be a place to meet spiritual and carnal needs. This way the Villa Farnesina was constructed by the design of Baltazar Peruzzi. The fresco is located inside a room called 'the Room of Galatea', where Rafael, together with Sebastian del Piombo, painted a series of mythological theme.

The fresco depicts a story from the Greek mythology. Galatea was a sea nymph with whom the Cyclops Polif fell in love, whereas she loved the shepherd Akis. The miserable situation led the Cyclops to kill his rival. The fresco depicts a scene of the nymph running away in a dolphin-pulled chariot from the Cyclops singing a love song. There are also other nereids (sea nymphs), tritons and mythological figures. In the background there is an embracing couple, which seems to be fighting. It is a symbol of a platonic, unrequited love.