Aurora Abducting Cephalus
c. 1636 National Gallery
About this artwork
This oil on canvas painting depicts a scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses, showcasing the goddess Aurora forcibly seizing the mortal hunter Cephalus. It is part of a larger decorative cycle commissioned for the Torre de la Parada.
Did you know?
This painting was created as part of an ambitious project for the Spanish King Philip IV's hunting lodge, the Torre de la Parada. Rubens designed these works as oil sketches to be executed by other artists, though he personally painted many of the final canvases, showcasing his mastery of dynamic, theatrical composition.
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Aurora Abducting Cephalus
Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1636
