# Ceiling painting of the Marble Hall - Melk Abbey - Austria

- By: Paul Troger
- Date: 1731
- Classification: Painting
- Credit line: Own work, Alberto Fernandez Fernandez, July 2007
- Museum: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ceiling_painting_of_the_Marble_Hall_-_Melk_Abbey_-_Austria.jpg)
- Rights: [CC BY 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)
- Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Ceiling_painting_of_the_Marble_Hall_-_Melk_Abbey_-_Austria.jpg/1920px-Ceiling_painting_of_the_Marble_Hall_-_Melk_Abbey_-_Austria.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The ceiling painting shows Pallas Athena on a chariot drawn by lions as a symbol of wisdom and moderation. Hercules is to her left, symbolizing the force necessary to conquer the three-headed hound of hell, night, and sin. Both Pallas Athena and Hercules are disguised references to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI \[1\].