PERSEUSAcrisius asked the oracle at Delphi, "when will I have a son?" The oracle didn't exactly answer that question, but instead responded, "don't let your daughter get married, for she will have a son, and that son will kill you." Acrisius consequently confined his daughter, Danae, inside a bronze underground chamber, but to no avail. Either Proetus bribed the guard with golden coins and impregnated her, or Acrisius himself violated his own daughter, or (the most popular alternative) Zeus had already been attracted to Danae, and slipped into the chamber (and Danae's lap) in the form of a golden shower. This Attic red-figure crater (c480 BCE) depicts the golden shower, and situates Danae in a rather nicely decorated Athenian bedroom, with elaborate bedding and a mirror hanging on the wall.
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A Boeotian (the area around Thebes) crater, red-figure (c400 BCE), showing the same scene, but with Danae's dress open to receive the shower. Vases like these are the classical origins for a long tradition of Danae-as-courtesan, popular in European painting from the 17th to the 20th century. |
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Like this painting of Danae by Titian (1554), commissioned by Philip II of Spain. The art historians John Paoletti and Gary Radke conclude, "Given the old woman's avaricious collection of some of the gold in the form of actual coins, and Danae's receptivity to Jupiter's advances expressed by her parted legs and dreamy expression, the story's associations with prostitution are clear." |
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A Roman wall painting (Pompeii VII 4 48 [4], c70 CE) in which Danae stands to receive the shower, poured out by Cupid himself, while Zeus is represented by the thunderbolt icon to the left of Danae (it kind of looks like a bug). |
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A krater (mixing bowl), Attic, red-figure, found in Syracuse (on Sicily), 460-450 BCE, that shows Perseus and Danae together in the chest that Acrisius threw into the sea. The figures on left and right have been identified as Polydektes and Proitos--but they may be simply the fishermen that found the chest. |
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A hydria (vase for water), made in Chalcidia and found in the Etruscan city of Cerveteri, black-figure, ca.520 BCE. It shows Perseus receiving his equipment (sack, helmet of invisibility, winged sandals) from the sea nymphs. Behind him stands Athena. |
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Attic red-figure vase, of Panathenaic type, found in Etruria (Vulci), ca490 BCE, it shows either Perseus persuing a Gorgon, or a Gorgon persuing Perseus. Note Perseus' hat, sandals, sack, and curved sickle. |
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An Attic black-figure vase (Vulci), ca550 BCE, showing Perseus with a sword to Medusa's throat. On the other side of Medusa stands Hermes. |
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A limestone metope from a temple at Selinas (on Sicily), 530-510 BCE, it shows Perseus in the act of cutting off Medusa's head. Athena stands to Perseus' right, and Medusa holds Pegasus in her lap. The background shows traces of paint, as does Perseus' sword. |
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Attic red-figure vase, found at Capua in central Italy, ca460 BCE. Perseus has cut off Medusa's head and stuck it in his sack, and he gazes down at the stump of her neck as he prepares to fly away. Athena rushes in behind Medusa. |
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A Roman wall painting from Pompeii (Casa del Sacerdos Amandus, 3rd style) ca30 CE. Andromeda is chained to the rock, and Perseus 1) negotiates in the right background with Cepheus to marry Andromeda, and 2) swoops in at left with Medusa's head to fight the sea monster. |
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An Apulian loutrophoros (a large pot for carrying water), red-figure, ca350-340. In the upper register, you see Andromeda chained to the rock, with Phineus to the right and Cassiopeia and also (apparently) in the upper right corner. In the bottom register, Perseus fights the sea monster. It is not clear who the figure with the funny white hat is--some suggest Phineus, in which case the female figure at upper left is probably Andromeda BEFORE she gets chained to the rock in the middle. |
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A krater from Taranto (the instep of Italy), red-figure, ca400 BCE. Perseus exposes the Medusa head to a crowd of Satyrs--this may be a comic rendition of Perseus' use of the head to win the battle with Phineus. |
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Fragment of a statue of Athena from the west pediment of the temple of Apollo at Eretria on the island of Euboea, ca510 BCE. It shows the final placement of Medusa's head on the breastplate (or shield) of Athena--who uses it to terrify her enemies in battle.
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