Prometheus
1636 - 1637.Room 079
The mythological hero, Prometheus, was Jupiter´s son. He defied the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to Humanity in order to improve their life on Earth. This story told by Hesiod in his Theogony is depicted in Ruben´s sketch. Here, the artist captures the moment when, fleeing from heavenly Olympus, Prometheus looks back. Behind him, the ire of the gods is insinuated by the sunbeams that shine through the clouds, later producing the terrible punishment the protagonist is to suffer. Rubens made this panel as a sketch for one of the paintings for the Torre de la Parada, which was executed by Jan Cossiers.
