Weed Your Garden: ‘Minerva Expelling the Vices From the Garden of Virtue’

Works of art that tell us about life

Mantegna's painting encourages us to remove our flaws so our virtues can develop. "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue," circa A.D. 1502, by Andrea Mantegna. Oil on canvas 5.25 feet by 6.3 feet. The Louvre. (Public Domain)

It’s a hot summer day. A professor is preparing his lectures in his home office. He stretches and takes a much-needed break. He opens a window of his study to take in some fresh air and sunshine and, of course, to admire his garden. He notes with satisfaction that the seeds he planted the previous spring are growing and blooming. The sun shines on his leafy greens, the tops of carrots, the vines of tomatoes, and—oh no!—lots of weeds.

Too involved in his academic work over the past weeks, he failed to notice that his garden has been overrun with weeds. He goes out and, upon rueful inspection, sees a host of unwelcome plants. They’ve insidiously crept into his rows of squash, beans, and sunflowers. Time to weed.

During the Middle Ages, the garden was symbolically represented in art as the place in ourselves where man’s virtues were cultivated. In A.D. 1279, Dominican monk Frère Laurent wrote a moral treatise with an illumination (a picture in a medieval manuscript) titled “The Virtue Garden.”

Later, during the Renaissance, artists portrayed gardens as allegorical settings and drew from classical literature, myths, and legends in their paintings. One story was that of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and justice, who watched over the celestial Garden of Virtue. It was said that, as the ages passed, her righteous rage grew as she watched the garden be overrun by the weeds of many vices.

Weeding the Garden of Virtue

Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna (circa A.D. 1431–1506) told this story in his painting “Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue” (A.D. 1502). Mantegna’s painting symbolically presents the vices that people should remove from themselves.

In the painting, Minerva wears cothurnus, a footwear that exposes the toes and is dressed in her signature floor-length chiton (Roman gown), wearing her Hellenistic battle helmet pushed back to reveal her features. She carries a spear and an aegis, her shield with a Medusa head that wards off evil.

A detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue" shows a magnificent goddess chasing out evil. The Louvre. (Public Domain)

The warrior goddess plunges forward, driving out the vices, who flee in terror. “Cupidi,” minor deities with moth-like wings who wreaked havoc with their malicious mischief in the garden, now scatter. Everything is in chaos as the depraved creatures run here and there struggling to avoid Minerva’s wrath.

"Cupidi," who do malicious mischief, scatter from the garden in a detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue." (Public Domain)

Mantegna used epigraphy, an inscription technique used in the Middle Ages to identify figures or objects by placing scrolls, banners, or headbands near or on a figure. On the far left is an olive tree with feminine features wrapped in a scroll. According to some sources, the banner identifies the figure as Daphne, who was turned into a tree to escape capture by Apollo. Other sources identify the figure as Virtue, who has been bound and is unable to grow in the garden.

Virtue, bound, awaits to be saved, in a detail from "Minerva Expelling the Vices From the Garden of Virtue." (Public Domain)

A figure, holding several babies and identified by a scroll held by a cupidi, looks back terrified as Minerva rushes toward her. In the center, Diana, goddess of chaste love, is saved as she stands on the back of a centaur, symbolizing concupiscence, who pulls at her gown.

In this detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue," Diana is saved from a centaur. (Public Domain)

Minerva drives the depraved figures into the swamp. On the bottom right, Avarice and Ingratitude jump into the marsh carrying a dull and lethargic Ignorance, who wears a crown. Other vices are driven into the swamp. On the bottom right, Inertia, with a look of fear but who seems to be sight-impaired, pulls Idleness, naked and without arms, with a rope.

Avarice and Ingratitude jump into the swamp carrying Ignorance in detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Evil." (Public Domain)

In this and later paintings, Mantegna depicted anthropomorphic (inanimate objects with human features) clouds, seen in the upper right. A monkey figure, being pushed into the swamp, also has human attributes. Its arm is up, almost to ward off any blows from the righteous goddess. Nothing escapes the wrath of the goddess.

Mantegna liked to paint inanimate objects, such as clouds, with human faces, as in this detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue." (Public Domain)

On the upper right, the figures of Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude wait for the vices to be cleaned so they can return to the garden. A white banner coming out of the wall identifies the walled-in virtue of Prudence crying to be released.

Justice, Temperance, and Forbearance wait in the clouds to return to the Garden of Virtue in this detail of "Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue." (Public Domain)

The Studiolo

During the Italian Renaissance, people of culture and learning added a private office, or studiolo, to their residences as a place to think and reflect, study the classics, and enjoy the company of like-minded friends. They designed this private room with the greatest care, using beautiful wood with marquetry, polished floors, and works of art that encouraged reflection and discussion.

In 1491 A.D., the marchioness of Mantua, Isabella d’Este, commissioned Mantegna to provide two paintings for her studiolo at one of her two residences, the Castello di San Giorgio in Mantua, Italy. According to the website My Daily Art Display, Mantegna, in his 70s, took four years to complete the Minerva painting.

Isabella was a leading patron of the arts at this time and used the greatest care in her choices. Her biographer wrote:

“In this sanctuary from which the cares and the noise of the outer world were banished, it was Isabella’s dream that the walls should be adorned with paintings giving expression to her ideals of culture and disposing the mind to pure and noble thoughts.”

Isabella spent more than 30 years adorning her studiolo, where she placed her collection of books, jewelry, antique cameos, and sculptures. She constantly adapted this study to the changing tastes of the court. There were eventually five paintings by artists, including Mantegna’s, in the studiolo, all with the theme of the victory of virtue over vice.

A portrait of Isabella d'Este by Leonardo da Vinci. (Public Domain)

Expert advice from The Spruce tells gardeners to plant densely and use mulch and groundcovers to leave no space for weeds, use other natural methods to get rid of them, and, most importantly, never give up rooting out these unwelcome guests in your garden.

Just as Minerva cleaned out her garden so that the virtues could return and thrive, so too can we weed out the bad elements in ourselves so our finest qualities can shine. Culling our vices can be hard work, but this allows the fruits of our labor to flourish in the autumn of our life.

"Minerva Expelling the Vices from the Garden of Virtue," circa A.D. 1502, by Andrea Mantegna. Oil on canvas 5.25 feet by 6.3 feet. The Louvre. (Public Domain)