Theodoor Van Thulden, Perseus Freeing Andromeda, 1660, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Description

Follower of peter paul rubens (siegen 1577 - antwerp 1640)
attributable to theodoor van thulden (bois-le-duc, 1606 - 1669)

perseus … Read more Follower of peter paul rubens (siegen 1577 - antwerp 1640)
attributable to theodoor van thulden (bois-le-duc, 1606 - 1669)

perseus freeing andromeda

oil on canvas, mounted on panel

82 x 67 cm - framed 98 x 83 cm.

the subject of the painting, taken from ovid's metamorphoses (book iv, lines 663-752), is inspired by the myth of princess andromeda, daughter of king cepheus of ethiopia and queen cassiopeia, depicted here being freed by the greek hero perseus after defeating the sea monster that held her prisoner.

this cruel punishment was imposed by poseidon, god of the seas, to atone for the pride of her mother cassiopeia, who had dared to compare herself and her daughter to the nereids in beauty. When perseus returned home on his winged horse pegasus after his victory over the fearsome medusa, he saw the princess chained to a rock on the coast and, overwhelmed by her beauty, decided to save her.

the hero, dressed in shining armor and wearing the victor's red cape and a crested helmet, is surrounded by two small cupids, one of whom helps him untie the chains binding andromeda to the rock, emphasizing the theme of love triumphing over danger.

this is a smaller version derived from the famous 'perseus freeing andromeda' painted by peter paul rubens around 1620, now in the gemäldegalerie in berlin, from which the main scene on the right was taken.

rubens, who often used sophisticated quotations from antiquity to emphasize the message of his paintings, modeled the figure of andromeda and the putto at her side, intent on untying her chains, after the statue of the felix venus, seen during his stay in rome.

as indicated in the lines of ovid's poem, when perseus in flight sees andromeda tied to the rock, her beauty is such that he initially becomes petrified, mistaking her for a statue, and this may be the reason for this sophisticated reference.

“…nisi quod levis aura capillos / moverat et trepido manabant lumina fletu, / marmoreum ratus esset opus” (vv. 672-675)
(…if a light breeze had not moved her hair and her eyes were not shedding warm tears, she would have thought it a work of marble)

the success of rubens's work encouraged its widespread distribution and a large series of derivatives by his workshop (vienna at the liechtenstein gallery, potsdam at the galerie sans-souci, arles museum, lisbon museum).

in our opinion, the authorship of the finely executed painting presented here can be attributed to a flemish artist active around the second half of the 17th century among rubens's followers, who masterfully reworked the master's masterpiece.

if we observe the characteristics of the painting, the proposed work can be compared to the hand of theodor van thulden (bois-le-duc, 1606 - 1669), one of the closest collaborators and students of peter paul rubens, known in particular for his work as an engraver and copyist, who contributed to spreading the style of the flemish master. Among the countless works he took from the master, revisiting them according to his own sensibility, we can mention "alexander the great with roxane", "the martyrdom of saint lawrence", "cimon and pero" and "the bathing of diana".

van thulden was not a mere passive "copyist," but a fundamental interpreter of rubens's designs, with a distinctive style that tended toward greater classicism in his later years, while faithfully following the dynamism and strength of rubens's baroque style.

visible surface restorations.
with a gilded frame, not contemporary.

additional information:

the work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less