Italy / c. 1623
Danaë
Danaë
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Danaë as painting (Italy · c. 1623).
WHY IT’S INTERESTING
The gauzy scarf draped over Danaë was a studio prop present in many of Orazio's paintings.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Orazio Gentileschi (Italian, 1563–1639).
The museum's collection notes: Danaë’s father feared a prophecy that his grandson would kill him, so he imprisoned his daughter to protect her from suitors. Yet Jupiter, king of the gods, fell in love with Danaë, and he came to her in the form of gold streaming from the sky. Gentileschi adopted Caravaggio’s method of painting directly from models, pulled to the front of the picture plane, which gives the painting a startling, tangible quality. However, the graceful way he handled paint and human gestures lends the work a poetic quality unique to the artist.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtDanaëOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.