“Perseus and Andromeda” by Joachim Wtewael

“Perseus and Andromeda” by Joachim Wtewael dramatically portray the Greek mythological story of Andromeda. Perseus is depicted flying above on his winged horse Pegasus. Perseus used his sword to attack the sea monster, who turns to attack the hero. Andromeda’s white body is contrasted with symbols of death on the ground and depicted as pure innocence.

In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of the Ethiopian King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia. The beautiful but the vain Queen, Cassiopeia’s hubris led her to boast that Andromeda is more beautiful than the sea nymphs, who were the daughters of Poseidon, the god of the sea. When the nymphs heard of her claims, they protested to their father, who retaliated by calling up a sea monster called Cetus to wreak havoc on Ethiopia, placing the kingdom at risk. In response, the Queen, together with the King, decided to sacrifice her daughter, Princess Andromeda, to the monster.

Andromeda was chained to a rock as an offering to the monster. Fortunately, Perseus was traveling home on his winged horse, Pegasus, after battling with Medusa. He rescued Andromeda by killing the beast. The couple fell in love, but the Princess was already betrothed to Phineus. Perseus argued with Phineus at the wedding, but the fight was drawn to a conclusion when Phineus was turned to stone after Perseus brandished the head of Medusa.

Joachim Wtewael was a Mannerist painter and one of the leading Dutch exponents of Northern Mannerism, and his distinctive and attractive style remained mostly untouched by the naturalistic developments in art.

Perseus and Andromeda in Art

“Perseus and Andromeda” by Giuseppe Cesari
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Frederic Leighton
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Titian
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Joachim Wtewael

Perseus and Andromeda

Title: Perseus and Andromeda
Français: Persée secourant Andromède.
Artist: Joachim Wtewael
Created: 1611
Media: Oil paint on Canvas
Dimensions: 180 × 150 cm (70.9 × 59.1 in)
Museum: Louvre Museum

Joachim Wtewael

Name: Joachim Anthoniszoon Wtewael
Also known: Uytewael
Born: 1566 – Utrecht
Died: 1638
Nationality: Dutch
Movement: Northern Mannerism
Notable Works:
- Perseus and Andromeda

A Tour of Paintings in the Louvre

The Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci
“Ruggiero Freeing Angelica” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
“The Valpinçon Bather” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
“The Turkish Bath” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
“Grande Odalisque” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
“Perseus and Andromeda” by Joachim Wtewael
Self-portrait with Her Daughter, Julie by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun
“The Virgin and Child with St. Anne” by Leonardo da Vinci
“Louis XIV of France” by Hyacinthe Rigaud
“The Massacre at Chios” by Eugène Delacroix
“The Battle of San Romano” by Paolo Uccello
“Virgin of the Rocks” by Leonardo da Vinci
“The Death of Sardanapalus” by Eugène Delacroix
“Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss” by Antonio Canova
“Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix
“The Arcadian Shepherds” by Nicolas Poussin
“The Lacemaker” by Johannes Vermeer
“The Money Changer and His Wife” by Quentin Matsys
“The Fortune Teller” by Caravaggio
“Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione” by Raphael
“Charles I at the Hunt” by Anthony van Dyck
“An Old Man and his Grandson” by Domenico Ghirlandaio
“Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas” by François Boucher
“La belle ferronnière” by Leonardo da Vinci
Self-Portrait by Élisabeth Sophie Chéron
The Four Seasons by Nicolas Poussin
“The Death of Marat” by Gioacchino Giuseppe Serangeli after Jacques-Louis David
“Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David
“The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David
“Portrait of the Elector John Frederic the Magnanimous of Saxony” by Lucas Cranach the Elder
“Leonidas at Thermopylae” by Jacques-Louis David
“Entry of Alexander into Babylon” by Charles Le Brun
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault