| The Birth of the Milky Way | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Peter Paul Rubens |
| Year | c. 1637 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 181 cm × 244 cm (71 in × 96 in) |
| Location | Museo del Prado, Madrid |
The Birth of the Milky Way, [1] also sometimes known as The Origin of the Milky Way, [2] is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, produced between 1636 and 1638 and featuring the Greco-Roman myth of the origin of the Milky Way. The painting depicts Hera ( Juno), spilling her breast milk, the infant Heracles ( Hercules) and Zeus ( Jupiter) in the background, identifiable by his eagle and lightning bolts. Hera's face is modelled on Rubens' wife, Hélène Fourment. [1] The carriage is pulled by peacocks, [3] a bird which the ancient Greeks and Romans considered sacred to both themselves and to Hera/Juno, as a result of their ability to signal changes in weather through cries and hence their perceived connection to the gods. [4] Due to the dark background of the night sky the figures gain a greater sense of volume.[ citation needed]
With a width of 244 cm (96 in) and height of 181 cm (71 in), [1] the image was a part of the commission from Philip IV of Spain to decorate Torre de la Parada. [5] Rubens also painted other Greco-Roman mythological subjects, such as Hercules Fighting the Nemean Lion or Perseus Freeing Andromeda.[ citation needed] It is now held at the Museo del Prado, in Madrid. [1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "The Birth of the Milky Way". Museo del Prado. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ Larry Silver (2017). Rubens, Velázquez, and the King of Spain. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 9781351550383.
- ^ Murray Longmore; Ian Wilkinson; Ian Boden Wilkinson; Andrew Baldwin; Elizabeth Wallin (2014). Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. OUP Oxford. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-19-960962-8.
- ^ H. Harbaugh (1853). The Guardian. Vol. 4. p. 210.
- ^ Rosa López Torrijos (1998). Mythology & History in the Great Paintings. Scala Books. p. 52. ISBN 9781857592054.
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