Artwork
Meleager and Atalante
Meleager and Atalante is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Peter Paul Rubens. It dates from 1635 and is held in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Meleager, a hero of the Calydonian boar hunt, is shown alongside Atalante, a skilled huntress and participant in the same mythic event.
The painting depicts the mythological figures Meleager and Atalante in a scene drawn from classical antiquity. Meleager, a hero of the Calydonian boar hunt, is shown alongside Atalante, a skilled huntress and participant in the same mythic event. Their presence together references the narrative in which Meleager awards Atalante the prize of the boar’s hide for her prowess in the hunt, a moment that underscores themes of valor and partnership in pursuit.
The inclusion of these figures aligns with Rubens’s broader engagement with heroic and mythological subjects, emphasizing human agency and the celebration of martial and hunting virtues in the context of early modern European art.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1635, this mythological composition by Peter Paul Rubens is realized in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures approximately 200 cm in height and 151 cm in width, presenting a substantial vertical format typical of the artist's large-scale narrative scenes. As a mythological painting depicting the figures of Meleager and Atalanta, the piece utilizes the fluidity of oil media to render the dynamic interaction between the subjects.
The artwork is currently housed in the Alte Pinakothek, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is displayed on the upper floor in gallery VII.
History & Provenance
Peter Paul Rubens created the mythological painting Meleager and Atalante in 1635. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 199.9 cm in height and 151.3 cm in width. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich, where it is displayed on the upper floor in gallery VII.
Peter Paul Rubens's oil painting Meleager and Atalante is held in the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, part of the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich. The work is specifically located on the upper floor within gallery VII of the museum. Created in 1635, the canvas measures 199.9 cm in height and 151.3 cm in width.
The sources provided do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for the work, nor do they list any exhibition history for this painting.
Context
Critical reception of Rubens' Meleager and Atalante has historically emphasized its dynamic composition and sensual portrayal of mythological figures, reflecting Baroque fascination with narrative intensity. Scholarship situates the work within Rubens' mature mythological oeuvre, noting its technical mastery through layered oil paint and life-size dimensions that underscore his influence on European painting. The painting's placement in the Alte Pinakothek's gallery VII aligns with its curatorial focus on mythological narratives from antiquity, reinforcing its significance within the artist's broader thematic exploration of classical stories. Its provenance at the Alte Pinakothek since inception in 1635 highlights institutional continuity in preserving Baroque masterpieces.
Overview
Peter Paul Rubens painted Meleager and Atalante in 1635, employing oil on canvas to render a mythological tableau. The composition centers on three figures within a wooded setting, juxtaposing a red‑cloaked woman cradling a winged infant with a muscular male figure draped in a leopard pelt. Sparse tools such as a saw and hammer appear in the background, adding a narrative hint to the otherwise pastoral scene.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ROO-bənz; Dutch:; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat.
