On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01662
- Author
- Rubens, Peter Paul (Flemish)
- Title
- Atalanta and Meleager hunting the Wild Boar of Calydon
- Chronology
- Ca. 1636
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 160 cm x 260 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
As Ovid tells in his Metamorphosis
(book VIII, 260-444), the goddess
Diana sent a giant wild boar to
ravage the kingdom of Calydon. The
king's son, Meleager, and his
beloved Atalanta organize a hunt
with the help of their cousins,
Castor and Pollux.
Rubens depicts this passage,
distributing the figures in the
foreground near the bottom of the
composition in order to direct the
viewer's gaze toward the center of
the image, where Atalanta, having
mortally wounded the animal, sics
the dogs on it. Her cousins arrive
from the left and, on the right,
Meleager carries a long
javelin.
With a perfect knowledge of the
classical texts, Rubens offers a
faithful depiction of Ovid's story.
As was characteristic of his final
works, he set the even in a lush
landscape with a broad panorama and
a light source on the left.
Abandoning the naturalistic sense
of other works, he creates a poetic
and idyllic setting that is very
appropriate for the subject. His
source of visual inspiration for
this work included certain reliefs
from ancient sarcophagi and
drawings by Giulio Romano.
This work belonged to the painter
until his death in 1640, when it
was acquired for the collection of
Felipe IV.
Location on the map
