Saturn
Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist. He is considered the most influential artist of Flemish Baroque tradition.
Max Resolution:806×1698 PX
Title:Saturn
Artists:Peter Paul Rubens
Date:1636 - 1638
Style:Baroque
Genre:mythological painting
Medium:oil
Location:Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
Dimensions:182.5×87 cm
Copyright:Public domain
Saturn or Saturn Devouring His Son is a 1636 painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens, now in the Museo del Prado.
It was commissioned for the Torre de la Parada by Philip IV of Spain and shows the influence of Michelangelo on Rubens, which he had picked up on his journey to Italy. The three stars at the top of the painting represent the planet Saturn as described by Galileo a few years before its painting. The central star is the planet itself, whilst the two others represent what he thought were two stars aligned with the planet. In reality, these were the rings around the planet, which his telescope was not powerful enough to distinguish.
In turn, the painting influenced Goya's painting of the same subject (1819–1823).
It was commissioned for the Torre de la Parada by Philip IV of Spain and shows the influence of Michelangelo on Rubens, which he had picked up on his journey to Italy. The three stars at the top of the painting represent the planet Saturn as described by Galileo a few years before its painting. The central star is the planet itself, whilst the two others represent what he thought were two stars aligned with the planet. In reality, these were the rings around the planet, which his telescope was not powerful enough to distinguish.
In turn, the painting influenced Goya's painting of the same subject (1819–1823).