Hygieia (University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings Detailed)

The Hippocratic oath beings with the words: “I swear by Apollo, the healer, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses….”

In the mythology of Ancient Greece, Hygieia was known as the daughter of Asclepius, granddaughter of Apollo and the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitary facilities. Furthermore she is also the patron goddess of pharmacists, presumably because of the cornucopia that is said to be filled with medicines, crowns and ducats, which is visible on many statues portraying her. Panacea was her sister who was worshipped as the goddess of medicine and magic, two disciplines that sometimes seem quite indistinguishable from each other. In Klimt’s works she can be seen on the panel Medicine (1901) where she is one of the clearly recognizable figures at the bottom of a pillar of human bodies. She is carrying her head held high, her thick auburn hair is adorned with stylized flowers, and her eyes are half-closed. Yet she seems to be looking down on the viewer. Her head is turned towards the light. She is wearing a red garment that is patterned with golden ornaments. A snake is coiling itself around her right forearm and lowering its head into a bowl that Hygieia is carrying in her left hand. The image of the snake and the bowl, usually referred to as “Bowl of Hygieia”, is one of the many symbols associated with the practice of pharmacy.