Perseus

Perseus Rescuing Andromeda

“Piero di Cosimo , 1462-1521, was a Florentine painter, whose real name was Piero di Lorenzo. He adopted the name of his master, Cosimo Rosselli, whom he accompanied to Rome in 1482 and assisted in the decorating of the Sistine Chapel. His religious works have charm, but more important are his animated mythological scenes. Commissioned by the Florentine Francesco Pugliese, he painted many works depicting the life of primitive man. Among these pictures are the Hunting Scene and the Return from the Hunt. The Discovery of Honey, Discovery of Wine, and Vulcan and Aeolus. Other well-known works by Piero are the Death of Procris and Simonetta Vespucci. The influence of Leonardo da Vinci is evident in some of his work, including the Portrait of a Woman with a Rabbit” (Piero di Cosimo, 2008)

My personal favorite by Piero is the painting of Perseus rescuing Andromeda. The painting is based on is the myth of the encounter between Persius and Andromeda. The painting picks up where Cassiopeia, the mother of Andromeda, claimed that she and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. Offended, the Nereids complained to the sea god Poseidon, who sent a flood and a marine monster to destroy Ethiopia. Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia, was told that only the sacrifice of his daughter Andromeda could save the kingdom. Andromeda was then chained to a sea cliff to be devoured by the sea monster. At that same moment, Perseus, a famous Greek hero and the slayer of Medusa, was travelling along the coast to the north. Perseus noticed the beautiful Andromeda and immediately fell in love with her. He decided at once to rescue the young woman. Perseus killed the sea creature and freed Andromeda from the rock that was holding her capture. Andromeda and Perseus later married and one of their children, Perses, became the king of Ethiopia after Cepheus died.

The ascetic & eccentric master artist Piero di Cosimo finished...