GOSSART, Jan
(b. ca. 1478, Maubeuge, d. 1532, Middelburg)

Danaë

1527
Oil tempera on oak panel, 114 x 95 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

In 1527, Gossart painted his final work on a mythological subject, Danaë, a large-scale work, using sober and elegant architectural motifs as the setting for its subject.

In the centre of the painting an enraptured Danaë sits on two plump pillows on the floor. With her bare legs spread apart, and her deep blue mantle slipping seductively from her shoulders to reveal her right breast, she receives Zeus in the form of the fertile golden rain that gently falls into her lap. In the background, viewed through the columns, are buildings in a mixture of architectural styles: an Italian Renaissance palace, a medieval turret, a north ITalian church tower and lantern, and a Flamboyant Late Gothic edifice.

Danaë is frequently represented in Renaissance and Baroque painting. You can view other depictions of Danaë in the Web Gallery of Art.