"Saturn and Minerva shielding knowledge and beauty from corruption by time (and from fame, a source of envy)" (see related A), 1644 Joachim van Sandrart Kunshistorisches Museum, Vienna, Vienna, Austria

As a Greek goddess, her emblem was an owl and she stood for wisdom, medicine (health), magic (perhaps hope) and because Medicine is an art, she also stood for music and poetry (beauty). The similarities with Athena who also stood for wisdom are obvious except that Athena is not as directly linked with Medicine. 

The roots of "Minerva" or Menrva in Etruscan point to a vast constellation of notions - "mens" denotes "mind" as well as "men", Medicine, Mnemosin, memory and so on. (see companion pages)

In imperial Rome, "Minerva Medica" represented "Medicine" and "Medical Doctors" and Minerva along with Jupiter and Juno also was a member of the Capitoline Triad. One of her Temples, the "Minerva Medica" was founded by Pompey c. 50 BC. on top of which Christians planted the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in front of which stands an Egyptian obelisk on a pedestal depicting an elephant (illustrated in a companion image).