圣十字架宫25

And on the ceiling, there's Hercules again,all grown-up,

entering the home of the gods at Olympus.

And take a look at the menagerie all around the frame of the painting.

They're all symbols of the Greek gods. So you've got the peacock,

which represents the Greek goddess Hera, and then there are eagles, owls,

and, just peering over the edge, a pair of what look like King Charles spaniels,

the King's preferred breed of dog, his own divine symbol?

Under Charles, Holyroodhouse was decorated with the most fashionable French tapestries.

These ones show scenes from the violent life of the goddess Diana.

And while the story dates from an ancient era,

palace guests might have spotted a thinly veiled contemporary warning.

This tapestry shows the awful vengeance being wrought by the gods Apollo

and Diana on the mere mortal who dared to think herself superior to them.