Symbols of the night, and through association with Athena/Minerva, for wisdom and learning. Owls in paintings to William Blake.
Vouet
At his third attempt, the young Poussin made it to Rome, where he found an unusual patron who was an obsessive collector and friend of Galileo.
With Troy ablaze, Aeneas prepares to flee the city. He and his wife persuade Aeneas’ father to be carried on his son’s back.
Why are owls associated with wisdom and learning? Do they have more sinister meanings? Was Bosch that keen on owls?