Thetis Receiving from Vulcan the Shield for Achilles
around 1540 | Maerten van Heemskerck
The sea goddess Thetis asked Vulcan to provide weapons for her son Achilles. Vulcan with his Cyclopes generously answered her request in gratitude for the care Thetis had provided after his mother, Hera, had cruelly cast him from Mount Olympus. This picture and its pendant (Inv. No. GG 6395) as well as a central panel now in Prague were originally a triptych. Both panels have been sharply trimmed at the bottom; the original composition was full-length and should be assessed as such.
The sea goddess Thetis asked Vulcan to provide weapons for her son Achilles. Vulcan with his Cyclopes generously answered her request in gratitude for the care Thetis had provided after his mother, Hera, had cruelly cast him from Mount Olympus. This picture and its pendant (Inv. No. GG 6395) as well as a central panel now in Prague were originally a triptych. Both panels have been sharply trimmed at the bottom; the original composition was full-length and should be assessed as such.
Artist:
Maerten van Heemskerck (1498 Heemskerck - 1574 Haarlem) DNB
Time:
around 1540
Object Name
Painting
Culture
Netherlandish
Material/technology:
oak wood
Dimensions:
unten um ca. 70 cm verkürzt: Overall: 96,5 cm × 99 cm
Framed: 113,5 cm × 117,5 cm × 8,5 cm
Copyright
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Invs.
Gemäldegalerie, 6785
Provenance
Art trader Forchoudt, Antwerp; 1671/1672 "Graf Sergel", Vienna; Coll. E. Gerisch, Vienna; Art trader Dr. O. Fröhlich, Vienna; acquired in 1929;