Phaeton's ride in his father Apollo's solar chariot will be a disastrous one. The horses have set the earth on fire. Riverbeds run dry and river nymphs lament their fate. Neptune with trident rises from the sea and stretches his arm to heaven. Mother Earth, depicted with city crown as Cybele, sticks her head out of the earth and protects her gaze with one hand. Atlas toils to torch the celestial vault. Jupiter throws lightning bolts and Phaeton falls from heaven with chariot and all. Below the scene, two lines of Latin text twice. This print is part of a series of 52 prints depicting stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses. This series is divided into three numbered series: two of 20 prints and one of 12 prints. This print belongs to the second series.
| Artist |
Hendrick Goltzius
RKD
|
|---|---|
|
Hendrick Goltzius
RKD
|
|
|
Willem Hessels van Elst
|
|
|
Hendrick Goltzius
RKD
|
|
| Title | The Fall of Phaeton, from Ovid's Metamorphoses |
| Date | 1590 |
| Period | 16th century |
| Location | Haarlem TGN |
| Medium and support | burin engraving AAT |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | printed inscription outside the depiction, bottom left: 3 |
| printed inscription outside the depiction, left middle: Exurt pontum et, terras Clymeneia prolis/ Nereidumq. ferit niesta querela polum | |
| printed inscription outside the depiction, centre right: Arescunt fontes, arescit Xanthus et Ister/ AEstuat ipse sua mole granatus Atlas. | |
| inscription on the back, right of centre: [...] | |
| Collection | print room |
| Object type |
burin engraving
AAT
reproductive prints AAT |
| Inventory number | 2014-MK-1 |
| Acquisition credit |
unknown
2014 |
| Current whereabouts | Work currently not on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/2014-MK-1 |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/9003/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300417629
mythologies (religious concept)
AAT
300189808 figures (representations) AAT 300015636 landscapes AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
21C
fire (one of the four elements)
Iconclass
25H219 dry river, river bed Iconclass 48(+431) art (+ copy, copying ~ work of art) Iconclass 83(OVID, Metamorphoses) (scenes from) specific works of literature (OVID, Metamorphoses) Iconclass 9 Classical Mythology and Ancient History Iconclass 91B136 (story of) Atlas Iconclass 92 gods ~ classical mythology Iconclass 26E2 lightning, flash of lightning, thunderbolt Iconclass 92B1 (story of) Jupiter (Zeus) Iconclass 92B37111 the chariot of the sun Iconclass 92B391 Phaethon Iconclass 92B3911 story of Phaethon and the chariot of the sun Iconclass 92B39117 fall of Phaethon; he is struck by a thunderbolt of Jupiter Iconclass 92H1 (story of) Neptune (Poseidon) Iconclass 92L2 (story of) Cybele, Rhea Cybele, Great Mother of the Gods (Berecynt(h)ia) Iconclass 92L3 nymphs (in general); 'Ninfe in commune' (Ripa) Iconclass |
| School / Style | Renaissance AAT |
|
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