Perseus and Andromeda

This dramatic scene captures the moment from Greek myth when the hero Perseus rescues the princess Andromeda. According to the legend, Andromeda was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster, punishment for her mother's boastful claims. Perseus, fresh from slaying the snake-haired Medusa, swoops in to save her. You can spot the monster's defeated form at the bottom of the painting, while Perseus still carries his shield bearing Medusa's face. The winged horse Pegasus stands ready on the right, and cherubs flutter about, one even crowning the hero with a laurel wreath of victory.

Painted by the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens around 1622, this work shows off everything that made him famous during the Baroque period. Rubens loved movement, rich color, and full, glowing bodies, and you can see all of that here. Notice how Andromeda's pale skin seems to catch the light, a signature touch of his style. The whole composition feels alive with energy, swirling drapery, and tangled figures, pulling your eye across the canvas. Rubens ran a busy workshop with many assistants, so paintings like this were often a team effort, though the vision and the lively spirit are unmistakably his.