Piccolomini Library Vaulted Ceiling Detail
The Rape of Proserpina. The latter referred to Proserpina being carried off (rather than sexual violence) and is part of Greek mythological explanations for the seasons. Her naked male capturer and the cart being pulled by two black snakes were inspired by a Roman sarcophagus that was rediscovered and in the news in Italy at the time (and now in the Louvre).
The Piccolomini Library (Libreria Piccolomini) inside Siena Cathedral is a colorful Renaissance highlight in the otherwise predominantly Romanesque-Gothic Duomo. It was commission by Cardinal Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini (1439-1503), archbishop of Siena, and later (for less than a month) Pope Pius III to honor his uncle Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (1405-1464) who was Pope Pius II (1458-1464).
The early 16th-century frescoes by Pinturicchio, with some help from Raphael, show ten scenes from the life of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini. They are further elaborated by painted architectural details and especially on the ceiling by mythological figures. Biblical symbols were rarely used.