Apollo and the Python
1636 Museo del Prado
About this artwork
This oil sketch depicts the god Apollo triumphantly slaying the serpent Python with his bow and arrow, accompanied by Cupid. It was part of a larger commission for the Torre de la Parada hunting lodge near Madrid.
Did you know?
This painting is one of the many oil sketches Rubens produced for the decoration of the Torre de la Parada, a hunting lodge for King Philip IV of Spain. These sketches served as vibrant, immediate models that were later executed on a massive scale by other artists in Rubens' workshop, demonstrating his mastery of composition and narrative drama.
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Apollo and the Python
Peter Paul Rubens, 1636
