The contest of Minerva and Neptune, a feigned bas-relief

The present work depicts the dispute between Minerva and Neptune over the ownership of Attica, the region of which Athens was capital, as recorded by Ovid in his Metamorphoses (VI:70-82). The dispute was settled in a contest judged by a tribunal of gods in which each of the divinities was required to produce the more useful gift for the inhabitants of Attica. Neptune struck the ground and a horse leapt out. However, Minerva brought forth an olive tree, a symbol of peace and plenty, and was declared the victor.