1846
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the sea monster is a 1846 paint by John Henry Middleton, a British Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This painting shows a woman in a yellow and white robe standing on a rock by the sea. She’s reaching out to touch a man who’s holding a sword and a small bag. Behind them, a cloudy sky looms, and a dark shape swirls in the water—maybe a monster. The woman’s calm pose contrasts with the man’s tense grip on his weapon. The artist used soft light to make the figures glow against the rocky shore. Look up Romanticism next to see how this drama fits into the movement.
The work depicts Perseus freeing Andromeda from her bonds after he has killed the sea monster Cetus, based on a surviving wall painting from a house in Pompeii.
Read the full account in the museum source.
John Henry Middleton was an archaeologist and a museum director.
See the richer artist page
