Prometheus Bound (Rubens)

Painting by Peter Paul Rubens

Prometheus Bound

Artist| Peter Paul Rubens
Year| circa 1611 to 1612
Medium| oil on canvas
Dimensions| 243.5 cm × 209.5 cm (95.9 in × 82.5 in)
Location| Philadelphia Museum of Art

Prometheus Bound is an oil painting by Peter Paul Rubens, a Flemish Baroque artist from Antwerp.[1] Influenced by the Greek play, Prometheus: The Friend of Man, Peter Paul Rubens completed this painting in his studio with collaboration from Frans Snyders, who rendered the eagle.[2][1] It remained in his possession from 1612 to 1618, when it was traded in a group of paintings completed by Rubens, to Englishman Sir Dudley Carleton in exchange for his collection of classical statues.[3] This work is currently in the collection of the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille.

## History

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In 1582, Peter Paul Rubens first apprenticed with a distant relative, Tobias Verhaecht, a landscape painter.[4] Rubens spent a short time in his studio, learning the basics of composing a landscape. These lessons would influence his work, including Prometheus Bound, as the backgrounds of many of his paintings play an important role in the composition. Rubens then apprenticed for four years with Adam van Noort, a portrait painter, known for painting mythological scenes with plentiful nudes and unrestrained images of Flemish life.[4][5] Before starting his own studio, Rubens worked with Otto van Veen, from 1594 to 1598.[4][5] Here, Rubens learned composition and the iconography of history painting, demonstrated in Prometheus Bound with the foreshortened figure positioned close to the viewer and the use of iconography derived from an ancient Greek play.

In 1610, Rubens opened a studio of his own in Antwerp, while also serving as court painter to the Archduke and Archduchess in Brussels.[5] In the same period as Prometheus Bound, Rubens was also painting The Descent from the Cross, a commissioned altarpiece.[6]

Drawing by Frans Snyders in the collection of The British Museum [1]

### Collaboration with Frans Snyders

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After setting up his own studio, Peter Paul Rubens had many important commissions. He collaborated with artists that were regarded as masters in their field of study. For Prometheus Bound, Rubens collaborated with Frans Snyders, a master of animal and hunting scenes, for the eagle.[4]

## Source Material

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Prometheus Bound, a Greek play attributed to Aeschylus, but thought to have been completed by another after Aeschylus' death in 456 B.C.[2] It is possible that Prometheus Bound is the second play written by Aeschylus in a connected trilogy, followed by Prometheus lyomenos (Prometheus Unbound), of which only a few fragments have survived.[2]

In the play, the Titan Prometheus, had assisted Zeus, the King of Olympians, in establishing rule over Cronus and the other Titans, but infuriated Zeus by becoming the champion of mortals and giving them fire and the arts.[2] In the opening of the play, as punishment for stealing fire from Mount Olympus to give to humanity.[1] Zeus orders Hephaestus, Kratos (Power) and Bia (Force) to chain Prometheus to a high rock in the mountains of Scythia. There he will suffer torment as long as Zeus wishes, by having an eagle devour his perpetually regenerating liver every day.[2][7]

Peter Paul Rubens would have used these Greek influences to carry out his own interpretation of the story. When he painted a classic or mythological subject, he was glorifying human creation, expressing his own joy at the beauty of the world.[5] In Prometheus Bound, he depicts a suffering victim, Prometheus, but also the beauty of the Eagle causing the torment.

## Interpretation

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In Rubens's interpretation, the enormous eagle's beak rips open Prometheus's torso, exposing bloody entrails.[1] The eagle's talons gouge into Prometheus's right eye, while his left eye is focused on the predator, indicating that he is aware of his torture. Agony is conveyed in his clenched fists, writhing legs, and tousled hair.[1] The liver was chosen as the source for torture, as Greeks regarded the liver as intelligence, soul, and the seat of life.[7]

The art of Rubens is related to the attitudes expressed by his brother Philip and his teacher Justus Lipsius regarding the Counter Reformation.[5] They studied Greek and Roman writing and ideas, but saw pagan mythology as an indirect tribute to the power of the Christians' one God.[5]

A poem written by Dominicus Baudius, a professor at the University of Leiden and friend of Rubens' brother Phillip, describes the intended response of the viewer in his Poematum:

> Here, with hooked beak, a monstrous vulture digs about in the liver of Prometheus, who is given no peace from his torments as ever and again the savage bird draws near his self-renewing breast and attacks it punishingly. He is not content with his inhuman sacrificial feast, but with his claws lacerates, here the agonized face, there the man's thigh. He would fly murderously on the spectators, did not his chained prey detain him. He can do no more that terrify the frightened onlookers by turning his flaming eyes from one to the other. Blood flows from the chest and every part where his claws leave their mark, and his piercing eyes dart savage flames. You might think that he moves, that his feathers tremble. Horror grips the onlookers.[8]

## Rubens's Influences

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### Rome

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Peter Paul Rubens - The Entombment (after Caravaggio)

Rome was in the height of the Catholic Revival, as Rubens spent countless hours making studies from figures painted by Michelangelo, in the Sistine Chapel.[5] Rubens's Prometheus Bound was influenced by the dense musculature and broad frame by Michelangelo.[1] Also in Rome at this time was Caravaggio, at the height of his career. Although, it was unlikely that the two painters never met, Rubens was impressed by his paintings, even copying some of them.[5] Even though he had a turbulent life, Caravaggio mastered the used of tenebrism, the dramatic balance of light and dark, often used to highlight the figures.[5]

### Venice

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When he arrived in Venice in June 1600, the city's art scene was flourishing. Titian, regarded as one of the greatest painters, had died in 1576, one year before Rubens was born.[5] Titian's popularity survived in Venice and Rubens studied his mastery of form, intense coloring, strong and fluid lines, and his power of imagination.[5] Rubens also visited the Doges' Palace in Venice, which contained ceilings and walls change by paintings of Christian visions and pagan allegories.[5]

### Florence

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Rubens was given the opportunity to travel to Florence in October 1600 for the wedding of Marie de' Medici, bride to the Henry IV of France. During this time, Rubens visited sites containing important Renaissance works, including the Church of San Lorenzo, which held the Medici tombs by Michelangelo.[5] He also studied the work of Ludovico Cigoli, a painter who digressed from the contorted affectation of Mannerist art.[5]

## Provenance

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Known for its strong emotional response, Prometheus Bound stayed in Rubens's possession from its completion in 1612.[1][9] The first recorded sale of Prometheus Bound was to the English collector Sir Dudley Carleton, in 1618. Carleton offered to trade Rubens his collection of classical statues, for a large group of paintings from Rubens's workshop, which had been overseen, or at least, finished by Rubens himself.[3] To prove he worked on Prometheus Bound by his own hand, Rubens wrote in a letter to Carleton:

> A Prometheus bound on Mount Caucasus, with an eagle which packs his liver. Original by my own hand, and the eagle done by Snyders. 500 florins.[3]

## Notes

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1. ^ a b c d e f g "Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object : Prometheus Bound". www.philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
2. ^ a b c d e Howatson, M. C. HowatsonM C. (2011-01-01), Howatson, M. C. (ed.), "Promē'theus Bound", The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780199548545.001.0001, ISBN 9780199548545, retrieved 2019-04-29
3. ^ a b c Freedberg, David. "Peter Paul Rubens Oil Paintings and Oil Sketches" (PDF). Retrieved 30 April 2019.
4. ^ a b c d White, Christopher, 1930- (1987). Peter Paul Rubens : man & artist. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300037783. OCLC 14272253.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wedgwood, C.V. (1967). The World of Rubens 1577-1640. New York: Time Incorporated. ISBN 978-0900658570.
6. ^ "Rubens - The Complete Works - Biography - peterpaulrubens.org". www.peterpaulrubens.org. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
7. ^ a b Tiniakos, Dina (August 2010). "Review Tityus: A forgotten myth of liver regeneration". J Hepatol. 53 (2): 357–61\. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2010.02.032. PMID 20472318.
8. ^ Woollett, Anne T.; et al. (2006). Rubens & Brueghel: A Working Friendship. J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 978-0-89236-847-1.
9. ^ "A discussion of Prometheus Bound by Rubens". TripImprover - Get More out of Your Museum Visits!. Retrieved 2019-04-30.

## References

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* Freedberg, David. "Peter Paul Rubens Oil Paintings and Oil Sketches" (PDF).
* Georgievska-Shine, Aneta. Rubens and the Archaeology of Myth. Retrieved 2019-04-30
* Howatson, M.C. "Prometheus Bound". Retrieved 2019-04-29
* Wedgwood, C.V. The World of Rubens 1577-1640. ISBN 978-0900658570.
* White, Christopher. Peter Paul Rubens: Man & Artist. ISBN 0300037783.

* v
* t
* e

Peter Paul Rubens

Paintings
and drawings|

* The Descent from the Cross (Siegen; 1600–1602)
* Leda and the Swan (1601, 1602)
* The Deposition (1602)
* Self-Portrait in a Circle of Friends from Mantua (1602–1605)
* Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Lerma (1603)
* Portrait of a Young Woman (1603)
* Hercules and Omphale (1603)
* Heraclitus and Democritus (1603)
* Virgin and Child (c. 1604)
* The Fall of Phaeton (c. 1604/1605)
* The Baptism of Christ (1604–1605)
* The Gonzaga Family in Adoration of the Holy Trinity (1604–1605)
* Transfiguration (1604–1605)
* The Circumcision (1605)
* Portrait of Marchesa Brigida Spinola-Doria (1606)
* Portrait of Maria di Antonio Serra (1606)
* Portrait of a Noblewoman with an Attendant (1606)
* Portrait of Giovanni Carlo Doria on Horseback (1606)
* Saint Gregory with Saints (1606-07)
* Madonna della Vallicella (1606–1608)
* Susanna and the Elders (1607)
* The Head of Saint John the Baptist Presented to Salome (c. 1609)
* Adoration of the Magi (Madrid; 1609 and 1628–29)
* Samson and Delilah (1609–1610)
* Honeysuckle Bower (1609–1610)
* Coronation of the Virgin (1609–1611)
* Juno and Argus (1610)
* Raising of the Cross (1610–1611)
* Conversion of Saint Paul (London; 1610–1612)
* Massacre of the Innocents (c. 1611)
* Venus Frigida (1611)
* Prometheus Bound (1611–1612)
* The Four Philosophers (1611–1612)
* Antwerp Resurrection (1611–1612)
* Visitation (c. 1611–1615)
* Roman Charity (1612)
* Ecce Homo (1612)
* Descent from the Cross (Antwerp; 1612–1614)
* Saint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy Spirit (Rotterdam; 1612–1614)
* Saint Teresa of Ávila's Vision of the Holy Spirit (Cambridge; c. 1614)
* The Tribute Money (1612–1614)
* The Defeat of Sennacherib (1612–1614)
* The Four Continents (1610s)
* Christ Giving the Keys to Saint Peter (1612–1614)
* Portrait of a Commander (1613)
* The Crowning of the Virtuous Hero (1613–1614)
* The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (1613–1615)
* The Death of Adonis (1614)
* Venus and Adonis (1614)
* Saint Sebastian (c. 1614)
* The Virgin Mary and Saint Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger (c. 1614)
* Madonna della Cesta (1615)
* Ixion, King of the Lapiths, Deceived by Juno, Who He Wished to Seduce (1615)
* Daniel in the Lions' Den (1615)
* Bacchanalia (c. 1615)
* A Statue of Ceres (c. 1615)
* The Hippopotamus and Crocodile Hunt (1615–1616)
* The Tiger Hunt (1615–1616)
* Theodosius and Saint Ambrose (1615–1616)
* The Wild Boar Hunt (1615–1617)
* Florence Resurrection (1616)
* The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents (1616)
* Erichthonius Discovered by the Daughters of Cecrops (c. 1616)
* The Wolf and Fox Hunt (c. 1616)
* The Lion and Leopard Hunt (c. 1616)
* Romulus and Remus (1615–1616)
* Miracles of St. Francis Xavier (1616–1617)
* Saint Stephen Triptych (1616–1617)
* Two Women with a Candle (1616–1617)
* Descent from the Cross (Lille; 1616–1617)
* The Meeting Between Abraham and Melchizedek (1616–1617)
* Christ and the Penitent Sinners (1617)
* Mars and Rhea Silvia (1617)
* The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1617)
* The Great Last Judgement (1617)
* A Bearded Man (c. 1617–18)
* Adoration of the Magi (Lyon; 1617–1618)
* The Five Senses (1617–1618)
* Two Satyrs (1618)
* Medusa (1618)
* The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (c. 1618)
* Christ Triumphant over Sin and Death (c. 1618)
* The Prodigal Son (1618)
* The Union of Earth and Water (c. 1618)
* Tigress with Her Cubs (attributed; 1618)
* Mucius Scaevola before Lars Porsenna (c. 1618–1620)
* Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee (1618–1620)
* The Wild Boar Hunt (1618–1620)
* St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (1619–1620)
* The Small Last Judgement (1619)
* Conversion of Saint Paul (1620s)
* The Fall of the Damned (c. 1620)
* Landscape with Philemon and Baucis (c. 1620)
* Portrait of a Young Man in Armor (c. 1620)
* Saint George and the Dragon (c. 1620)
* Perseus Freeing Andromeda (1620)
* Saints Dominic and Francis Saving the World from Christ's Anger (1620)
* The Rape of Orithyia by Boreas (1620)
* Christ on the Cross (1620)
* The Three Graces (Florence; 1620–1623)
* Isabella Brant (c. 1621)
* The Lion Hunt (1621)
* Marie de' Medici cycle (1621–1630)
* Portrait of Susanna Lunden (1622)
* Perseus and Andromeda (c. 1622)
* The History of Constantine (1622–1625)
* Self-Portrait (1623)
* The Conversion of Saint Bavo (1623–1624)
* Diana and Her Nymphs Leaving for the Hunt (1623–1624)
* Adoration of the Magi (Antwerp; 1624)
* The Reconciliation of Esau and Jacob (1624)
* Christ Appointing Saint Roch as Patron Saint of Plague Victims (1623–1626)
* Portrait of Infante Isabella Clara Eugenia (1625)
* Portrait of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (c. 1625)
* Assumption of the Virgin (Antwerp; 1625–1626)
* Angelica and the Hermit (c. 1626–1628)
* Henry IV at the Battle of Ivry (1627)
* The Triumphal Entry of Henry IV into Paris (1627)
* The Annunciation (1627–1628)
* The Fall of Man (1628–1629)
* The Rape of Europa (1628–1629)
* Henry IV Seizing the Opportunity to Conclude Peace (c.1628)
* Minerva Protecting Peace from Mars (1629–1630)
* Cimon and Pero (1630)
* Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (c. 1630)
* Achilles Defeating Hector (c.1630)
* Thetis Receiving the Arms of Achilles from Vulcan (c.1630)
* The Crowning of Saint Catherine (1631)
* The Ildefonso Altarpiece (1630–1631)
* Last Supper (1630–1631)
* Odysseus on the Island of the Phaecians (1630–1635)
* The Finding of Erichthonius (1632–1634)
* The Rainbow Landscape (Saint Petersburg; 1632–1635)
* The Garden of Love (c. 1633)
* Adoration of the Magi (Cambridge; 1634)
* Bathsheba at the Fountain (c. 1635)
* The Dance of the Villagers (1635)
* Helena Fourment with Her Son Frans (1635)
* Venus and Adonis (New York; 1635)
* The Triumph of the Church (1635)
* The Feast of Venus (1635–1636)
* Deucalion and Pyrrha (1636–1637)
* The Feast of Herod (1635–1638)
* The Village Fête (1635–1638)
* Mercury and Argus (1635–1638)
* Hercules's Dog Discovers Purple Dye (c. 1636)
* Helena Fourment with Children (1636)
* A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning (1636)
* Saturn (1636)
* The Rainbow Landscape (London; 1636)
* Pallas and Arachne (1636–1637)
* Het Pelsken (1636–1638)
* Assumption of the Virgin (Vienna; c. 1637)
* The Birth of the Milky Way (c. 1637)
* Consequences of War (c. 1638)
* Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides / Deianira Listens to Fame (1638)
* The Three Graces (Madrid; 1636–1638)
* The Rape of Ganymede (1636–1638)
* Diana and Callisto (1637–1638)
* Helena Fourment with a Carriage (1638)
* Self-Portrait (Vienna; 1638–1639)
* Bacchus (1638–1640)
* The Rape of the Sabine Women (1639–1640)
* The Peasants Returning From The Fields (1640)
* The Rainbow Landscape (Munich; 1640)
* Judgment of Paris (various)

Tapestries|

* The History of Constantine (1622–1640) (with Pietro da Cortona)

Books|

* Palazzi di Genova (1622)

Museums|

* Rubenshuis

People|

* Rubens family
* Isabella Brant (first wife)
* Helena Fourment (second wife)
* Nicolaas Rubens, Lord of Rameyen (son)
* Albert Rubens (son)
* Jan Rubens (father)
* Maria Pypelinckx (mother)
* Philip Rubens (brother)
* Tobias Verhaecht (teacher)
* Adam van Noort (teacher)
* Otto van Veen (teacher)
* Nicolaas Rockox (friend)

Related|

* Poussinists and Rubenists
* Rubens (1977 film)
* Rubenesque
* Rubens' Europe (exhibition)

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