Danaë (Correggio)
Encyclopedia
Danäe is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Correggio, executed around 1531 and housed in the Galleria Borghese
in Rome
.
's loves, perhaps destined to the Ovid Hall in the Palazzo Te of Mantua
. After Federico's death it went to Spain.
In 1584 the painter Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo mentions the canvas in Milan
, as part of sculptor Leone Leoni
's collection. His son Pompeo Leoni sold it to emperor Rudolph II (1601–1603); later, together with Correggio's Leda, it was brought from Prague
to Stockholm
as war booty by King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden. His daughter Christina, after abdicating, brought the canvas with her to Rome. After her death, it was inherited by Cardinal Decio Azzolino
, being subsequently owned by Livio Odescalchi, Duke of Bracciano
, then by the French regent Philippe II of Orléans
.
Together with most of the Orléans family collection
, in 1792 it was sold to England, where it was owned by the Duke of Bridgewater
and Henry Hope, until, in 1827, it was acquired in Paris by Prince Camillo Borghese for his Roman collection.
, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos
. After an oracle forecast that Acrisius would be killed by her son, he had her jailed in a bronze tower. However, as told by the Roman poet Ovid
in his Metamorphoses, Jupiter
reached her in the form of a gold rain and made her mother to Perseus
.
Correggio portrays Danäe lying on a bed, while a child Eros
undresses her as gold rains from a cloud. At the foot of the bed, two putti
are testing gold and lead arrows against a stone.
Galleria Borghese
The Borghese Gallery is an art gallery in Rome, Italy, housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana. It is a building that was from the first integral with its gardens, nowadays considered quite separately by tourists as the Villa Borghese gardens...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
History
The work was commissioned by the Duke of Mantua Federico II Gonzaga, as a part of a series portraying JupiterJupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
's loves, perhaps destined to the Ovid Hall in the Palazzo Te of Mantua
Mantua
Mantua is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province of the same name. Mantua's historic power and influence under the Gonzaga family, made it one of the main artistic, cultural and notably musical hubs of Northern Italy and the country as a whole...
. After Federico's death it went to Spain.
In 1584 the painter Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo mentions the canvas in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, as part of sculptor Leone Leoni
Leone Leoni
Leone Leoni was an Italian sculptor of international outlook who travelled in Italy, Germany, Austria, France, the Spanish Netherlands and Spain. Leoni is regarded as the finest of the Cinquecento medallists. He made his reputation in commissions he received from the Habsburg monarchs Charles V,...
's collection. His son Pompeo Leoni sold it to emperor Rudolph II (1601–1603); later, together with Correggio's Leda, it was brought from Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
as war booty by King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden. His daughter Christina, after abdicating, brought the canvas with her to Rome. After her death, it was inherited by Cardinal Decio Azzolino
Decio Azzolino
Decio Azzolino , generally known as the Younger, was an Italian cardinal.He was born at Fermo, the son of Pompeo Azzolino and Giulia Ruffo, and great-nephew of Cardinal Decio Azzolino the Elder. He received doctorates in philosophy, juridics and theology from Fermo University...
, being subsequently owned by Livio Odescalchi, Duke of Bracciano
Bracciano
Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 km northwest of Rome. The town is famous for its volcanic lake and for a particularly well-preserved medieval castle Castello Orsini-Odescalchi...
, then by the French regent Philippe II of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
.
Together with most of the Orléans family collection
Orleans Collection
The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by the French prince of the blood Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723...
, in 1792 it was sold to England, where it was owned by the Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater
Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater , known as Lord Francis Egerton until 1748, was a British nobleman, the younger son of the 1st Duke...
and Henry Hope, until, in 1827, it was acquired in Paris by Prince Camillo Borghese for his Roman collection.
Analysis
The painting portrays the Greek mythological figure DanäeDanaë
In Greek mythology, Danaë was a daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and Eurydice of Argos. She was the mother of Perseus by Zeus. She was sometimes credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium....
, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
. After an oracle forecast that Acrisius would be killed by her son, he had her jailed in a bronze tower. However, as told by the Roman poet Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
in his Metamorphoses, Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
reached her in the form of a gold rain and made her mother to Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
.
Correggio portrays Danäe lying on a bed, while a child Eros
Eros
Eros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
undresses her as gold rains from a cloud. At the foot of the bed, two putti
Putto
A putto is a figure of an infant often depicted as a young male. Putti are defined as chubby, winged or wingless, male child figure in nude. Putti are distinct from cherubim, but some English-speakers confuse them with each other, except that in the plural, "the Cherubim" refers to the biblical...
are testing gold and lead arrows against a stone.
See also
- Danaë (Klimt painting)Danaë (Klimt painting)Danaë is an oil painting by Gustav Klimt, created in 1907. The canvas measures 77 x 83 cm,is cataloged as Symbolism, and is currently housed within the Galerie Würthle in Vienna, Austria...
- Danaë (Rembrandt painting)
- Danaë (Titian series)Danaë (Titian series)The Danaë series comprises at least five oil-on-canvas paintings by the Venetian master Titian, completed between 1553 and 1556. The works are based on the mythological princess Danaë. According to Ovid she was isolated in a bronze dungeon following a prophecy that her firstborn would eventually...