The Golden Age

This fine painting on copper was acquired by Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, not long after it was made in 1605. The subject was taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Wtewael was inspired by a composition of Abraham Bloemaert to turn to the subject, but he taken some elements from a design by Hendrick Goltzius. Furthermore, the painting is rich in references to the great masters both of the past and of Wtewael's time, for example to the Flemish-born Giambologna and his Dutch follower Adriaen de Vries.