Even when you’re the King of Kings, being depicted in art is not easy. There’s one masterpiece by Rembrandt which is perhaps appropriate to the ruler of the greatest empire of its time.
myth
After short mentions of Pegasus making a new spring with his hoof-print, and the strange Pyreneus, the Muses tell of their contest with the daughters of Pierus, who were turned into magpies.
Definitely a wedding to remember: how Perseus and Andromeda didn’t have a photographer but a sculptor to preserve their memories.
Not just superb paintings, but one of the great visual tropes of Western art, and one of the best wedding speeches ever.
Six men fight to the death to settle a whole war. But that is only part of a story which seems too good to be true. And a great masterpiece by David.
According to legend, he held the bridge which kept the Etruscans out of the city, while the bridge behind was demolished. Some wonderful paintings.
An ingenious telling of the story of Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the jaws of a sea monster results in many superb paintings.
With no diplomatic mission to accomplish, and an open commission, Rubens was free to express his experience of war.
When you’re a great narrative painter and a diplomat, one painting might be all that is needed to secure a peace treaty.
The short conclusion to the house of Cadmus is touching, doubly transformative, and painted by a single artist.
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