Danae by Jan Gossaert was created in 1527 and is in Alte Pinakothek München. The size of the work is 114,3 x 95,4 cm and is made of oil on wood.
About the Artwork
The Oracle of Delphi prophesied that King Acrisius of Argos would die at the hand of his daughter’s son. To prevent this, he imprisoned Danaë in a ‘bronze chamber’. Zeus, however, approached her in the form of a golden shower and Perseus was conceived, who later killed his grandfather—albeit accidentally. In the Middle Ages the literary material was seen as a reference to the Annunciation. Gossaert was one of the first artists to rekindle the original erotic content of this subject.