Danaë (Rembrandt)

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

Danaë (Rembrandt) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Danaë

Artist	Rembrandt
Year	Finished c. 1636, but extensively reworked by 1643
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	185 cm × 203 cm (73 in × 80 in)
Location	Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Danaë is a painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It was first completed in 1636, but Rembrandt reworked it significantly by 1643 at the latest.^[1] Once part of Pierre Crozat's collection, it has been in the Hermitage Museum, in St. Petersburg, Russia since the 18th century.^[2]

It is a life-sized depiction of the character Danaë from Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus. She is presumably depicted as welcoming Zeus, who impregnated her in the form of a shower of gold. Given that this is one of Rembrandt's most magnificent paintings, it is not out of the question that he cherished it, but it also may have been difficult to sell because of its eight-by-ten-foot size.^[3] Although the artist's wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, Rembrandt later changed the figure's face to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.

The reworking changed the positions of, among other things, the head, outstretched arm and legs of Danaë.^[4] The painting has been considerably cut down. It has a hard-to-read signature with a date ending in "6", but this may not be genuine.^[5]

It was seriously vandalized in 1985, but has been restored.

Vandalism

On June 15, 1985^[6]^[7] Rembrandt's painting was attacked by Bronius Maigys, a Soviet Lithuanian national later judged insane; he threw sulfuric acid on the canvas and cut it twice with his knife.^[8] The entire central part of the composition was turned into a mixture of spots with a conglomerate of splashes and areas of dripping paint. The worst damage was to the face and hair of Danaë, her right arm, and legs.^[8]^[7]

The process of restoring the painting began the same day. Following consultations with chemists, art restorers began washing the surface of the painting with water; they kept the painting in the vertical position, and sprayed water at the painting to prevent further degradation of the painting.^[9]

The restoration of the painting was accomplished between 1985 and 1997 by staff of the State Hermitage's Laboratory of Expert Restoration of Easel Paintings: Ye. N. Gerasimov (group leader), A. G. Rakhman, and G. A. Shirokov, with the participation of T. P. Alioshina in matters of scientific methodology.

In 2006, Bronius Maigys wrote a 300-page book in Russian, giving his version of events. According to Russian journalists who have read the manuscript, the author seeks the image of a martyr who fought for Lithuania's freedom, has no regrets, and would do the same.^[10]

Notes

^ Corpus, 209, 215–221
^ Corpus, 222
^ Crenshaw, Paul (2006). Rembrandt's Bankruptcy: The Artist, his Patrons and the Art Market in Seventeenth-Century Netherlands. Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-521-85825-9.
^ Corpus, 212–214
^ Corpus, 214
^ "A Rembrandt Reported Damaged in Leningrad". The New York Times. June 22, 1985. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "A Rembrandt Reported Slashed in Leningrad". The New York Times. The Associated Press. March 14, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Sluijter, Eric Jan (2006). Rembrandt and the Female Nude. Amsterdam University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-90-5356-837-8.
^ Russell, John (August 31, 1997). "Healing a Disfigured Rembrandt's Wounds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
^ "Šedevrą sudarkęs lietuvis parašė knygą". Delfi.lt. December 12, 2006.

References

"Corpus", A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings: 1635–1642, Volume 3 of Rembrandt Research Project Foundation, Editors: J. Bruyn, B. Haak, S. H. Levie, P. J. J. van Thiel, E. van de Wetering, 2013, Springer Science & Business Media, ISBN 978-9400908116, Google Books

External links

Information regarding the restoration Archived August 31, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Detail about the painting
X-Raying of Rembrandt's Danae

v t e Rembrandt
Lists of drawings, etchings, paintings, prints, self-portraits
Paintings	The Senses (1624–25) The Stoning of Saint Stephen (1625) Suffer little children to come unto me (1620s) History Painting (1626) Balaam and the Ass (1626) The Baptism of the Eunuch (1626) Bust of a Man Wearing a Gorget and Plumed Beret (1626) Tobit and Anna with the Kid (c. 1626) The Flight into Egypt (1627) The Parable of the Rich Fool (1627) The Artist in his Studio (1628) Samson and Delilah (1629–30) Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630) Anna and the Blind Tobit (c. 1630) The Raising of Lazarus (c. 1630–1632) Andromeda Chained to the Rocks (1631) The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1631) Christ with a Staff (1631) Christ on the Cross (1631) Old Man with a Gold Chain (c. 1631) Philosopher in Meditation (1632) The Abduction of Europa (1632) Adoration of the Magi (1632–1633) The Shipbuilder and his Wife (1633) The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633) ² A Lady and Gentleman in Black (1633) Raising of the Cross (1633) Descent from the Cross (1633) Diana Bathing with her Nymphs with Actaeon and Callisto (1634) Flora (1634) Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes (1634) Descent from the Cross (1634) Belshazzar's Feast (1635) Minerva (1635) The Prodigal Son in the Brothel (c. 1635) Raising of the Cross (study) (c. 1635) The Rape of Ganymede (1635) The Entombment of Christ (1635) Samson Threatening His Father-In-Law (1635) The Standard Bearer (1636) Danaë (1636) The Blinding of Samson (1636) Landscape with Arched Bridge (c. 1636-1637) The Preacher Eleazar Swalmius (1637) The Archangel Raphael Leaving Tobias' Family (1637) The Stone Bridge (1637) The Wedding Feast of Samson (1638) Landscape with the Good Samaritan (1638) Still Life with Peacocks (c. 1639) The Girl in a Picture Frame (1641) The Scholar at the Lectern (1641) The Night Watch (1642) Concord of the State (1642) David and Jonathan (1642) Boaz and Ruth (1643) The Woman Taken in Adultery (1644) Joseph's Dream (1645) The Holy Family with Angels (1645) The Mill (1645–1648) Abraham Serving the Three Angels (1646) Susanna and the Elders (1647) Head of Christ (1648) The Kitchen Maid (1651) Descent from the Cross (1650–1652) Saul and David (c. 1652) ¹ Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (1653) A Woman Bathing in a Stream (1654) Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654) The Polish Rider (1655) ¹ Slaughtered Ox (1655) Pallas Athena (c. 1655) The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Deijman (1656) Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph (1656) Courtesan at her Mirror (1657) Saint Bartholomew (1657) Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Law (1659) Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther (1660) The Denial of Saint Peter (1660) Titus as a Monk (1660) The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis (1661) Saint Matthew and the Angel (1661) Syndics of the Drapers' Guild (1662) Homer Dictating his Verses (1663) The Jewish Bride (1664) Lucretia (1664) ¹ David and Uriah (c. 1665) Young Woman with a Lapdog (1665) Lucretia (1666) The Return of the Prodigal Son (1662–1669) Simeon in the Temple (c. 1669) Landscape with a Castle
Portraits	Portrait of Nicolaes Ruts (1631) Portrait of a Man (1632) Portrait of a Woman (1632) Portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III (1632) Portrait of a 62-year-old Woman (1632) Portrait of a Man Rising from His Chair (1633) Portrait of a Young Woman with a Fan (1633) Oval Portrait of a Woman (1633) Portrait of a Woman Wearing a Gold Chain (1634) Pendant portraits of Maerten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit (1634) Portrait of Petronella Buys (1635) A Polish Nobleman (1637) Portrait of Maria Trip (1639) Portrait of Jan Six (1654) Portrait of Floris Soop (1654) Portrait of Catharina Hooghsaet (1657) Portrait of a Man (1657) Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo (1658) Portrait of Dirck van Os (c. 1662) Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse (1665–1667)
Self-portraits	Self-Portrait with Dishevelled Hair (1628) Rembrandt Laughing (1628) Self-Portrait (1629) Self-Portrait in a Gorget (c.1629) Portrait of a Young Man with a Golden Chain (1635) (disputed) Self-Portrait Wearing a White Feathered Bonnet (1635) Self-Portrait with an Architectural Background (c. 1639) Self-Portrait at the Age of 34 (1640) Self-Portrait (1652) Self-Portrait in a Black Beret and Gold Chain (1654) Self-Portrait (1658) Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar (1659) Self-Portrait (1660) Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul (1662) Self-Portrait as Zeuxis Laughing (1662) Self-Portrait with Two Circles (1665–1669) Self-Portrait (c. 1669) Self-Portrait at the Age of 63 (1669)
Drawings and prints (including etchings)	Joseph and Potiphar's Wife (1634) Bearded Old Man (1634) River with Trees (1634) The Artist and his Model (1639) The Death of the Virgin (1639) The Mill (1641) The Three Trees (1643) The State Bed (1646) Portrait of Jan Six (1647) Hundred Guilder Print (1647–1649) Conus Marmoreus (1650) Goldweigher's Field (1651) Doctor Fautrieus (1652) Descent from the Cross by Torchlight (1652) The Three Crosses (1653) The Virgin and Child with a Cat (1654) Christ Presented to the People (1655) Mughal drawings
Collections	Rembrandt House Museum Rembrandt in Southern California
Rembrandt studies	Connoisseurs and scholars Rembrandt Research Project Rembrandt catalogues raisonnés 1908 1935 1968 1986
Related people	Pupils and followers Saskia van Uylenburgh (wife, model) Titus van Rijn (son, model) Geertje Dircx (mistress, model) Hendrickje Stoffels (mistress, model) Jacob Isaacsz. van Swanenburg (teacher) Pieter Lastman (teacher) Jan Lievens (colleague and friend) Hendrick van Uylenburgh (art dealer, patron) Jan Six (art collector, patron) Thomas Kaplan (art collector)
Works about Rembrandt	Cultural depictions of Rembrandt The Tragedy of a Great (1920 film) Rembrandt (1936 film) Rembrandt (1940 film) Rembrandt (1942 film) Rembrandt: A Self-Portrait (1954 documentary film) Rembrandt fecit 1669 (1977 film) The Anatomy Lesson (1995 novel) Rembrandt (1999 film) Stealing Rembrandt (2003 film) Nightwatching (2007 film) I Am Rembrandt's Daughter (2008 novel)
Namesakes	Rembrandt, Iowa Rembrandtplein Rembrandtpark Rembrandt (crater) Rembrandt (train) Vereniging Rembrandt (foundation)
¹ Contested ² Stolen in 1990

Categories:

Hidden categories:

Vandalism

See also

Notes

References

External links