The Birth of the Milky Way

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

For the painting by Jacopo Tintoretto, see The Origin of the Milky Way.
The Birth of the Milky Way
350px
Artist Peter Paul Rubens
Year c. 1637
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

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Stub icon

This article about a seventeenth-century painting is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=The_Birth_of_the_Milky_Way&oldid=726380888"