Currently not on view
Prometheus Bound
Salvator Rosa, 1615–1673; born Naples, Italy; died Rome, Italy
x1948-799
One of the most horrific stories in Greek mythology involves the Titan Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods to give to humanity. As punishment, he was forever chained to a rock, where each day an eagle (a symbol of the god Zeus) would devour his perpetually regenerating liver. In preparation for his celebrated version of this subject, the Neapolitan painter Rosa made numerous rapid sketches such as this one, which features a close-up study of Prometheus’s anguished and contorted face.
Information
Title
Prometheus Bound
Maker
Medium
Pen, brown ink and light gray-brown wash
Dimensions
24.2 x 18.3 cm (9 1/2 x 7 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Dan Fellows Platt, Class of 1895
Object Number
x1948-799
Inscription
bottom center: Salvator Rosa
- Michael Mahoney, The drawings of Salvator Rosa, (New York; London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1977)., vol. 1 p. 591 (illus.); vol. 2 no. 66.25
- Felton Gibbons, Catalogue of Italian Drawings in The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977)., Vol. 1: p. 21, no. 52 (illustrated in Vol. 2 under the same catalog number)
