Perseus Liberating Andromeda
Medium
Engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet (diameter): H.: 17.6 cm (6 15/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
267873
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, artist Jacques de Gheyn crafted *Perseus Liberating Andromeda*, a captivating engraving from 1588 that draws classical mythology. The scene depicts the heroic Perseus slaying a sea monster to rescue the chained princess Andromeda, a tale from Ovid's *Metoses* that symbolized divine intervention and chivalric valor. De Gheyn, a master of Northern Mannerism, infused the composition with elegant, elongated figures and intricate details, reflecting the era's fascination with antique stories amid the Renaissance revival in the Netherlands. This round engraving on laid pap...
About the Artist
Jacques de Gheyn, II · 1565–1629
Jacques de Gheyn II (1565–1629) was born in Antwerp into an artistic family, receiving his earliest instruction from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a skilled glass painter, engraver, and draftsman. In 1585, the young de Gheyn moved to Haarlem, where he spent five formative years studying under Hendrik Goltzius, one of the most celebrated engravers of the Northern Renaissance. This apprenticeship pr...