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Palma Giovane (1549-1628)

Prometheus Chained to the Caucasus c.1570-1608

Oil on canvas | 184.0 x 160.6 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external) | RCIN 406075

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  • In Greek mythology, Prometheus created man from clay and stole fire for human use. As punishment for his rebelliousness Prometheus was sentenced with eternal torment by Zeus; bound to a rock by chains, he was visited each day by an eagle who fed off his liver. Prometheus became a tragic hero, a symbol of humans striving to improve their existence; it is possible that Palma’s real subject here is an allegory of the torments of creative genius.

    Prometheus is seen slightly from above, lying full-length on the rocks and naked but for a loin-cloth, with a dark eagle attacking his liver. His head is turned upwards to the right, so that the viewer can read the agony on his face, and his left hand is clenched in pain. Beyond is a stormy sky.

    Palma’s principal prototype was Titian’s Tityus of 1549 (Museo del Prado, Spain), which was painted for Mary of Hungary, although he probably only knew the work from the engraving of 1570 by Martino Rota. There is an almost identical picture in Palazzo Donà dalle Rose, Venice, although it is unclear which is the first version.

    The painting appears in Pyne's illustrated Royal Residences of 1819, hanging as an overdoor in the King's Presence Chamber at Windsor Castle (RCIN 922110).

    Inscribed on the rock at the left: ‘IACOBVS PALMA/.F.’
    Provenance

    Possibly owned by Henry Prince of Wales in 1613; in the collection of Charles I; recorded in the Gallery at St James's Palace in 1639 (no 2); sold from St James's for £25 to Bass and others on 19 December 1651 (no 277); recovered at the Restoration and listed in Store at Whitehall in 1666 (no 478)

  • Medium and techniques

    Oil on canvas

    Measurements

    184.0 x 160.6 cm (support, canvas/panel/stretcher external)

    141.0 cm (support (etc), excluding additions)

    208.0 x 182.5 x 8.5 cm (frame, external)

  • Alternative title(s)

    Prometheus chained to the rock, previously entitled