On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01676
- Author
- Rubens, Peter Paul (Flemish)
- Title
- Vulcan forging Jupiter's Lightening Bolts
- Chronology
- 1636-1638
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 181 cm x 98 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
Vulcan, the son of Jupiter and
Juno, is detested by the gods
because of his deformity. Exiled to
Hades, he is identified with
blacksmiths.
Rubens shows him making lightening
bolts for Jupiter with the aid of
Cyclops, a giant with only one eye.
The shield, ax and cuirass on the
ground allude to the weapons he
made for Achilles at the request of
the latter's mother, Thetis.
This work is one of many paintings
on mythological subjects made for
the Torre de la Parada, a small
royal palace near Madrid. Here, the
artists based his work on models
from sixteenth-century Flemish
paintings, including those by
Marteen van Heemskerck (1494-1574).
Location on the map
