It was painted by Titian and Rubens, as well as many other famous artists (from Antiquity to Modern times).
As a rule, Andromeda is depicted as naked and chained to a rock, and this is rightfully considered a classic.
But who is Andromeda and why is her image so frank?
According to Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Kefei (rabbit of Ethiopia) and Cassiopeia.
Once Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter is more beautiful than even the sea nymphs themselves, the daughters of the god Nereus and the companions of Poseidon. To punish the queen for her unprecedented arrogance, enraged Poseidon, brother of Zeus and god of the seas, sent a sea monster named Cetus to ravage the coast of Ethiopia.
Andromeda. Paul Gustave Dore, 1869
After the flood, upon learning about the approach of the monster, in despair Kefey turned to the oracle, who explained that there would be no salvation from disasters until the king gave his beautiful daughter Andromeda to the monster.
The subjects, frightened of death, forced the king to agree to the will of the gods.
Promotional video:
Andromeda is chained to the Nereid rock. Theodore Chasseri, 1840.
It was in this form that the famous hero Perseus (who had previously defeated one of the most ferocious monsters - Medusa the Gorgon) found her.
Blinded by the incredible beauty of the girl, he decided to kill the monster in case Andromeda became his wife, to which the king gave his approval.
Perseus was able to defeat the monster with the help of the head of Medusa, which turns any living creature to stone (in a number of sources, the sword of Hermes is also the main weapon) and, in general, for Andromeda, the story ended quite well.
Andromeda and her parents thank Perseus. Pierre Mignard, 1679.
The feat of Perseus has become a fairly popular topic for many images of antiquity, as can be judged by the numerous vases, bas-reliefs and wall paintings that have survived to our times.
And such great Athenian playwrights as Sophocles and Euripides made mythical history the plot for their famous tragedies back in the 5th century BC. e.
Perseus and Andromeda. Titian, mid-16th century.
In the Renaissance, when interest in the culture of antiquity flared up with renewed vigor, in painting the primacy of the heroic feat of Perseus gave way to the image of naked Andromeda, so attractive for that time.
The mythical plot became a good reason for portraying a frank image, due to an exclusively classical plot.
Perseus and Andromeda. Giorgio Vasari, 1570
Piero di Cosimo, Titian, Rubens and many other artists created their masterpieces inspired by the story of the miraculous rescue of a defenseless girl named Andromeda, chained to a rock and left to the mercy of a ferocious monster.
