Epicurean phantasía in the Art of the Early Modern Period: An Explorative Approach

This paper offers an explorative analysis of traces of Epicurean phantasía in Renaissance art, with a particular focus on the reception of ancient ékphrasis and Epicurean perception theory. It raises the question of whether an Epicurean phantasía did exist, what it was like, and how to recognize traces of it in the art theoretical literature and the artistic practices of the Renaissance.