Rembrandt's masterpiece of mythology followed a year later: “Danae” (1636).
Again, the artist avoided the standard formulation of the subject; instead of the
shower of golden rays or coins that signal the arrival of Jupiter in his
metamorphosed state, this picture simply bathes the heroine in a rich, luminous
light. The “Danae” also provided Rembrandt with the occasion for one of his most
splendid nudes (reworked during the 1650s). He portrays the young woman waiting
expectantly for her approaching lover despite the mournful, bound cupid above
her head. The theory has been advanced that this was the large-scale picture
sent as an unsolicited gift to Huygens and referred to in Rembrandt's letters:
“My lord, hang this piece in a strong light and so that one can stand a distance
from it, then it will show at its best.”
Danae 1636-47
Oil on canvas, 165 x 203 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Danae (detail) 1636-47
Oil on canvas, 165 x 203 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Danae (detail) 1636-47
Oil on canvas, 165 x 203 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Danae (detail) 1636-47
Oil on canvas, 165 x 203 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
COLLECTION
Danae
and
Jupiter
Giovanni
Battista
Tiepolo
1696-1770
Italy
Jupiter and Danae.
Joachim
Wtewael
1566-1638
Netherlands
Jupiter and Danae.
Hendrik Goltzius (1558-1617),
The sleeping Danae being prepared to receive Jupiter, 1603
