Cadmus sowing dragon's teeth

The painting was created by Peter Paul Rubens in the Southern Netherlands, with its inception dated to 1650 and its composition derived from the Ovidian passage Metamorphoses III, 95–114, which Rubens had treated in an earlier work from 1636–1637. Executed in oil on panel, the work measures 27.7 by 43.3 cm. It subsequently entered the collection of Franz Koenigs and is now held by the Rijksmuseum.

The dating of 1650, recorded in both the internal catalogue and the Wikidata entry, postdates Rubens's death and is therefore taken to reflect a workshop or posthumous attribution rather than direct execution by the master.

The painting Cadmus sowing dragon's teeth by Peter Paul Rubens is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The work, executed on panel with oil paint in 1650, measures 27.7 cm in height and 43.3 cm in width. Historically, the piece was owned by Franz Koenigs before entering the museum's holdings.

The artwork depicts the mythological figure Cadmus and is based on the narrative from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book III, lines 95–114), specifically referencing Rubens's earlier composition Cadmus and Minerva created between 1636 and 1637.

Created circa 1650 by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, this panel‑size work portrays the myth of Cadmus sowing the dragon’s teeth. Executed in Rubens’s characteristic vigorous manner, the composition is now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. The painting captures a moment of sudden violence, with figures emerging from the ground amid a storm‑tossed seascape.

Rubens’s interest in classical and biblical subjects placed him at the forefront of the Flemish Baroque movement, which prized dramatic narrative and dynamic composition. This painting aligns with his broader series of history paintings that reinterpret ancient myths for a 17th‑century audience, reflecting contemporary tastes for theatricality and moral allegory.