Artwork
The Freeing of Andromeda
The Freeing of Andromeda is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Giuseppe Cesari. It dates from 1604 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Such readings aligned the story with broader moral and allegorical traditions that linked classical myth to ideals of virtue, constancy, and salvation.
The painting illustrates the mythological narrative of Andromeda, a princess condemned to be devoured by a sea monster as punishment for her mother Cassiopeia's boast of unrivaled beauty, and subsequently rescued by the hero Perseus. Classified as a mythological painting, the work centers on the moment of her liberation, with Andromeda as the named subject of the composition.
The image of Andromeda carried layered symbolic associations in early modern European art: she was read as an emblem of chastity preserved through divine providence, as well as a figure of deliverance, in which mortal peril is overcome by heroic intervention. Such readings aligned the story with broader moral and allegorical traditions that linked classical myth to ideals of virtue, constancy, and salvation.
Technique & Style
The Freeing of Andromeda is an oil painting on canvas created in 1604 by Giuseppe Cesari, also known as the Cavalier d'Arpino. Executed in the mythological genre, it portrays the moment of Andromeda's liberation from her chains. The work measures 52.8 cm in height and 68.1 cm in width, reflecting Cesari's characteristic use of dynamic composition and chiaroscuro to emphasize emotional tension. It is housed in the Alte Pinakothek within the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
History & Provenance
The Freeing of Andromeda is a mythological painting executed by the Italian artist Giuseppe Cesari in 1604. The work was created during the early seventeenth century and depicts the classical story of Andromeda. Today, the painting is held within the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is housed at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Overview
The Freeing of Andromeda is a 1604 painting by Giuseppe Cesari, an Italian artist who worked under the names Il Giuseppino and Cavaliere d'Arpino. Executed at the transition from Mannerism to the early Baroque, the work belongs to the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Cesari occupied a significant position in the Roman art world of his era, receiving a knighthood from Pope Clement VIII and later directing a studio where the young Caravaggio received his formative training.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called Cavaliere d'Arpino, because he was created Knight of the Supreme Order of Christ by his patron Pope Clement VIII.
