Abduction of Deianira by the Centaur Nessus
Artist
Il Padovanino
(Italian, 1588 - 1649)
Datec. 1630
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 90 x 73 1/4 x 5 in. (228.6 x 186.1 x 12.7 cm)
Image: 74 x 57 in. (188 x 144.8 cm)
Image: 74 x 57 in. (188 x 144.8 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN142
In this scene from Greek myth, the centaur Nessus has attempted to abduct Deianira, the wife of Heracles (depicted in the background), but the hero has come to her rescue, shooting Nessus with a venom-laced arrow. Through vivid color and sensuously evoked textures, Padovanino pays tribute to earlier Venetian painters, but the explosive energy here—created through the twisting, athletic poses and dramatic viewing angles of the figures—is characteristically Baroque.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 08, Wall South
last quarter of 1600s or first quarter of 1700s